HOT (LP)

HOT contains both a full audio album and a CD-ROM program on one disc. The album is playable on any standard CD player; the computer program is playable on multimedia-equipped Macintosh and Windows systems. Squirrel Nut Zippers: Jim Mathus (vocals, guitar, tenor banjo, piano); Tom Maxwell (vocals, guitar, baritone saxophone, clarinet, resonator, chandelier); Katherine Whalen (vocals, banjo, baritone ukulele); Ken Mosher (guitar, alto & baritone saxophones, baritone ukulele, vocals); Don Raleigh (acoustic bass, gong); Chris Phillips (drums, percussion, spoken vocals). Additional personnel: Andrew Bird (violin); Duke Heitger (cornet). Recorded at Kingsway Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana and Mitch's, Brickhenge, North Carolina in October and November 1995. As the title of their second record implies, the Squirrel Nut Zippers practice a modern variant of the "hot" jazz sound of the 1920s and '30s. While the Zippers have a well-developed sense of humor (as evidenced on tracks like "Bad Businessman") and a lighthearted feel, they never cross over into camp, thus avoiding the self-conscious dead end that has been the downfall of so many '90s "loungecore" bands. The other important fact separating the Squirrel Nut Zippers from the faux-jazz pack is that they can really play their instruments. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tom Maxwell handles guitar, baritone sax and clarinet with equal aplomb, and his bandmates' contributions on banjo, piano, ukulele and various other instruments betrays a musicianship that transcends any purist fears about inauthenticity. The vocal duties on HOT are shared by Maxwell, Jim Mathus and Katharine Whalen, all of whom lend a distinctive personality to the proceedings.