An archive of the forgotten, rejected, overlooked and just plain great

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Review and photos by Ron Albanese

F8 ... what is it? An element on the periodic table? One of those helpful keys on your
keyboard? A Scrabble piece?

Answer: none of the above. F8 (it's pronounced "fate") is singer Leif Garrett's new band (yes, that Leif Garrett.) consisting of four California guys in total who are touring America in support of their new CD (available at JavaMusic.com).

They're doing it the way any new band does: loading up an RV, and hitting the highway. It's guaranteed to be fun, gritty and darn real, answering questions that many musicians have, like: Will people other than our girlfriends and friends like us? Who snores? Who likes fast food? Many bands begin -- and end -- right here.

I recently caught up with the F8 caravan in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the famous Maxwell's. My impressions are below.

Four Goes Into (F)Eight: Who's Who, What's What

Garrett handles all of the lead vocals in F8. Back in the day his arch-rival Shaun Cassidy could sing him under the table; Today, his pipes are strong; he can yell, but sounds best when using what can be best described as a "soft" singing voice -- not quite falsetto, but close.

Drummer Chuck Billings keeps it simple and straightforward, accenting verses and changes with little flourishes of cymbals and tom work. He's a peppy player, slamming the snare right on top of the beat, keeping things moving.

Trivia: Leif is not the only past-life heartthrob in the ranks of F8. Chuck was in a teenybopper rock band called Virgin, who in 1978-79 released a single on Warner/Curb and toured arenas with Shaun Cassidy (there's that name again)!

With his chunky silver shoes, streaked hair and black nail polish, it looked as though bassist Darrell "D" Arnold teleported in from the Red Balls store on Melrose in Los Angeles. His approach to the four-string is ostensibly punky (his slings it low, puts stickers on it, etc.), but evidence that he knows more is palpable by parts that leave the root note behind to embellish F8's sparse attack.

Guitarist Joe Gaines seems to be well-schooled,
but thankfully he knows that the best thing he can do here is build walls of sound on the foundation of the rhythm section. Though he did some cool lead work, I didn't detect a single arpeggio flying overhead.

The Songs:

F8's collective sound is about 25% power pop, another quarter grunge and half straight hard rock. The lyrics range from the basic rock type to more introspective, spiritual topics (Garrett writes all the words, and certainly has a wealth of experience to pull from). Every song in their 45-minute set was enjoyable, though some more than others.

"This is an older one," Garrett said before the band launched into the power pop "Walk Away" (I think that's the title), the best received song of the night. "Still I Wish" is smart and catchy, a good choice as the highlight track from the new CD; "Just Like Me" won me over, but not completely. Toward the end it became all Eddie Vedder-like, with pretend stream-of-consciousness screaming that rendered Garrett's voice hoarse voice for the remainder of the set.

Stage Presence/Performance:

For all of its historical grandeur the Maxwell's stage is about the size of a hood on an SUV, so it's hard to tell if Garrett has left all of his undoubted rock-star moves for dead. He did do these odd hand gestures that were kind of cool and vaguely Elvis-like.

Darrell and Joe rock out accordingly; the former like a lost L.A. Guns member, the latter like a Dream Theater guy.

My Reccommendations?

F8 should might want to put a little sandpaper to the more grungy aspects of their sound, and brighten things up a little (does Garrett play guitar?), but they're enjoyable right now.

Overall, theirs was an entertaining set from a new band that's taking pieces of the rock and roll sonic puzzle and smashing them together into new shape; F8's sound is familiar, yet fresh. Definitely keep an eye (and ear) out for these guys.

Now, does Scott Baio have a band?

Coming soon: two related features

1) "You Got Me Rollin' Like the Wheels on a Road"
After the F8 show, I spoke with Leif Garrett in a free-thought conversation that covered his music and acting careers in detail. Leif was insightful ... and hilarious. Stay tuned for highlights and more exclusive photos!

2) Chuck Billings: A Virgin Kiss Confidante Exposed!
With a title like that, what else do I have to write? Kiss fans will not want to miss this interview!

Discuss Rock is in trouble? It's Leif Garrett's F8 to the rescue! in the Hear! Say! Message Boards!