The Ram - April 13, 2005
CD Review
Maybe Pete
Between the City and the Stratosphere
By MAGGIE McKENNA
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Although the Asbury Park music scene’s most famous name is Bruce
Springsteen, who helped the decaying New Jersey shore town build its
music scene in the 1970s and now is an advocate for its revival, the
town’s bars and clubs have helped other artists get their start.
One of the region’s most celebrated bands, Maybe Pete, has made
a name for themselves both down the shore and in northern New Jersey.
Currently based out of Hoboken but better known at the Stone Pony in
Asbury, the band has released their first album Between the City
and the Stratosphere to regional acclaim, and the album is slowly
garnering national attention.
The album begins with the rocker “Between the Love and Fear,”
a song about losing touch with reality and being caught between two
uncertain situations. “You got caught between the right and wrong/The
singer and the song/Between the darkness and the sunny skies/The truth
and all your lies” sings frontman Frankie McGrath, chastising
the song’s subject for being out of touch. The same attitude prevails
in “No One but Yourself to Blame,” the third track on the
album: “You never read the writing that was on the wall/I would
have helped you but you never did return my call…You never answered
me when I called your name/What a shame/Now you’re stranded all
alone and you’ve got no one but yourself to blame.” The
songs on the album all share a common theme – wishing that one
could go back and change things, but also realizing that it is impossible
to do so. “You lost it all in a faithless kiss/Now it’s
too late” McGrath sings in “Exit 140A,” a song about
disillusionment; the title is also a tribute to the Garden State Parkway.
“You’ve gone too far, you’ve crossed that sacred line/It’s
too late now, you can’t go back this time” bluntly sings
McGrath in the song “Not This Time,” aided by wife Kelly’s
haunting background harmonies. Regret is also a recurring theme in the
album, whose lyrics and music were written entirely by McGrath: In the
touching husband-to-wife tribute “Outta My Hands,” he sings
that he regrets not being there more for his family.
McGrath’s rough vocals, numerous harmonica solos and straight-up
rock style may remind some of a young Springsteen, and this is a likely
coincidence – both have had their start in Asbury Park. Backed
by the strong rhythm section of drummer (and Hofstra University student)
Johnny Macko and bassist Marc Gambino, the quartet creates an effective
sound reminiscent of both the Lower East punk rock scene of the late
1970s and early 1980s along with the Jersey shore scene of the same
era.
While a good part of the album focuses on regretting the past and actions
taken that cannot be changed, the album’s two standout songs are
optimistic and tell of hope for the future. The ballad “Somehow,”
the centerpiece of the album, transitions from a song about disenchantment
with life (“Did you ever get yourself lost to see if you could
find your way back home?/Did you ever piss off all your friends to see
if you could hack it on your own?”) to a song about looking beyond
one’s current pessimistic situation: “If you wanna disappear/We
could get right out of here/We could find a way/Somehow.” The
last and best track from the album, the up-tempo and optimistic “Ours
for the Takin’,” is hopeful for the future: “You say
it’s too late to change anything/ But I’m not so sure you’re
right this time.” The final line from the song’s last verse
sums up the album’s message that despite one’s current situation
and nervousness about what the future may bring, there really is a light
at the end of the tunnel: “My hands are empty and they’re
shakin’/My heart’s heavy but it ain’t breakin’/
‘Cause it’s all ours for the takin’.”
Perhaps Maybe Pete may never make it big like another guy and his band
from the Jersey shore, but they remain a hidden treasure among Asbury
Park’s beachfront ruins and decaying facade. In concert, they
show off their impressive musicality and showmanship; on the album,
Frankie McGrath’s lyrics are the showcase.
So what if they never play to an audience bigger than that crowded into
the Stone Pony on a summer evening? Between the City and the Stratosphere
is arguably the best album to come out of the Asbury Park scene this
year, and the band is one to watch as their fan base expands via word
of mouth into New York and beyond.
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BlowUpRadio.com - March 7, 2005
Album of the Week
By LAZLO
Their website describes them as “a straight up rock band based
in northern New Jersey with a sound best described as the Bowery meets
Asbury Park.” It could just as easily use comparisons like the
Clash meets Bruce Springsteen or punk rock meets singer/songwriter rock
anthems, but ultimately they summed it up perfectly by just saying they
are “a straight up rock band.” The songs are poetic stories
that could be done acoustically with amazing resonance, but done electrically
it’s as exciting as the first time hearing the Clash’s “London
Calling” or Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
Yeah, it’s that good an album, but don’t take my word for
it, go get a copy for yourself.
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The Aquarian Weekly - February 23, 2005
Quick Cuts
By AL MUZER
Not afraid to toss in a few “Sha La La’s” and a couple’a
heartfelt searches “for the promised land,” unabashed Springsteen
disciple Frankie McGrath (vocals/guitar/songs) wears his influences
proudly as he crafts vivid story songs that pick up momentum with each
shimmering chorus, memorable hook and crunchy burst of guitar.
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asburymusic.com - February 12, 2005
Close Enough For Rock-n-Roll
By GARY WIEN
I arrived at the Saint sometime around 9:15 or so. Outside the building
was Kelly McGrath of Maybe Pete. She was on the cell phone and looked
rather nervous. I asked her what time the band was supposed to go on
and she said "9:30... but Frankie's not here yet." And so
began a rather tenuous twenty minutes for the band as they got ready
for the CD release of Between the City and the Stratosphere.
It's rather surreal to watch a band try to set up for a big show when
their lead singer is nowhere to be found. You could tell that their
minds ranged from nervousness about whether Frankie was in a car accident
or stuck on the highway somewhere to flat out pissed off that he might
actually miss the show. Apparently, the band had thought they were going
on at 10pm.
As 9:30 came and went there was still no sight of Frankie. Visions of
that scene in "Eddie & The Cruisers" where Joanna was
forced to sing the entire set as lead because Eddie walked off the stage
(Wendell Newton, his sax guy and best friend had just died the night
before) suddenly popped in my head. I noticed Mark Linskey of the Hudson
Falcons outside and knew that he probably knew all of the songs as well.
I started thinking about what would be the order of lead singers. Maybe
Kelly McGrath, Mark Linskey and then Marc Gambino? Who knows?
Finally at 9:40 Frankie showed up. The band and Frankie frantically
raced through as quick of a setup as I've ever seen them do. With a
cigarette dangling from his mouth, Frankie and the band kicked into
gear with a blistering version of "Whatever You Want Me To Do."
From there it was a non-stop race through the album with the band moving
from "Ours For The Takin’" to "Outta My Hands"
and finally "Somehow" before Frankie took a breath. Normally,
Frankie jokes with the audience and does a few impressions - not this
night. Maybe it was the seriousness of a record release or maybe it
was because the band had only a limited amount of time on stage and
lost some due to him being late, but it wasn't until the fifth song
that Frankie even opened his mouth to talk to the audience. He went
into a story about seeing Tommy Stinson (of the Replacements) do a solo
show in the city. Tommy was taking forever to get his guitar in tune.
After a while, Frankie yelled out "Tommy it's close enough"
and Stinson replied, "yeah, close enough for rock and roll"
before proceeding to create a God awful sound. While Frankie admitted
being a bit embarrassed for forcing him to play in that state, he was
not only amazed that Tommy Stinson was talking to him - he found the
name for a song... "Close
Enough For Rock And Roll."
Maybe Pete followed with their cover of Abba, which ended abruptly when
Frankie realized he forgot to strap on his capo so he was singing in
a different key than the rest of the band! Capo on, the 70s cover continued.
This is one of the band's most popular cover tunes and it seemed to
provide a breath of relief for the band. The final song was “Exit
140A,” a brilliant cut from the new album. With the crowd screaming
loudly, Maybe Pete came back to do "Between the Love and Fear"
for an encore.
Technical difficulties aside, it was probably one of the best performances
I've ever seen Maybe Pete put on. It's a shame they didn't have more
time, but they certainly made the most of it. Maybe next time they'll
come back as the headliner. They're getting close...
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