Press release -
Ricky Hell & The Voidboys: Cleveland gutter pop trio let loose with new LP | Quality Time Records
Ricky Hell & The Voidboys are raising hell on their new self-titled LP. Sporting a moniker that riffs off the iconic punk legends Richard Hell & The Voidoids, the group has released a jagged and jacked-up visual for a song, “The Feeling is Alright”, taken off their upcoming album. So hold on to your hats, buckle up your safety belts and shoulder harnesses as Ricky and the gang take you for a tour of their own little underground.
Even for the stuffiest of curmudgeons, it's difficult to tire of Ricky Hell's brand of "gutter pop". The melody, the bright guitars and big time hooks make for a music that can turn a shitty day better and a good day into a ripper. With Adam Spektor on clarinet/treatments, Ricky Hamilton on guitar/drum machine and Carter Luckfield on bass/Microbrute synthesizer/treatments, this trio is bringing clarinet back to Cleveland rock with their unconventional no-wave-meets-pop aesthetic.
To add to the peculiarity of Ricky Hell & The Voidboys, the group is comprised of three DJs who have been known to DJ their own shows to create and control the atmosphere. They also enjoy covering obscure punk and pop bands such as Snatch, 39 Clocks and The Warm Jets, preferring the single versions to any extended play. They've stated in interviews their favorite record labels are UK-based Sarah Records and Postcard Records, but they're so unmistakably Cleveland, you'd think St. Valentine Records had shelved their LP to promote My Dad Is Dead or Death Of Samantha.
LA artist Vinny Zazzero’s visual for the lead video single “The Feeling is Alright” is almost everything you would expect from the punky two-minute wonder. Time-lapse footage of driving about the freeways and city streets of Los Angeles is framed by animated barbed wire while karaoke-ready lyrics appear across the screen. But this is not your ordinary lyric video, as images of flies, old-school phones and cigarette butts flash amid unsettling visions of alien ships. Bright animations keep the visuals kinetic and connected to the energetic track as you are plummeted deep into the world of the Voidboys where there is constant action, excitement, danger and delight around every corner. Delivering something stronger than a jolt of your favorite craft coffee brew, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys keep the mood excited and strange, reminding you that “The Feeling Is Alright” and that maybe things will be alright after all in our wacky world.
With their third album coming soon, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys seem to be coming out with a constant stream of "gutter pop", or whatever Ricky decides to call it that day. After co- releasing their upcoming LP, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys with Quality Time Records and Greenway Records, the band plans to release another EP comprised of new recordings made in Cleveland, Columbus, and Brooklyn, New York. They plan to play at South by Southwest 2018, and will be making stops in Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana
Ricky Hell & The Voidboys
Ricky Hell & The Voidboys formed in 2017 on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio. Fronted by Ricky Hamilton, the band also features Adam Spektor on clarinet and Carter Luckfield on both bass and micro brute synthesizer. Their two albums—Killed by Ricky and Hell is Real—showcase dark lyrics mixed with catchy pop sensibilities. The band has toured Ohio and New York and has plans to play several shows at South by Southwest 2018.
Musician Ricky Hamilton created Quality Time Records in 2014 to address a lack of resources and exposure in his community and beyond. The Cleveland rock and roll/punk DIY label shares its resources with quality artists to book local shows and record, produce, distribute and promote new releases. Since its inception, Quality Time has worked with over 25 bands to release more than 40 vinyl, cassette and digital albums. Members of the Quality Time Records family have been featured in Maximumrocknroll,VICE’s Noisey, Impose Magazine, and more.
Independent Record Label based out of Long Beach, NY and NYC / Brooklyn with releases by Dirty Fences, Acid Dad, The Birds, The Routes, Las Roses, LA Witch, Thee MVP's, Abjects and much more.
Quality Time Records and Ricky Hell & The Voidboys is licensed and distributed Worldwide by Dirty Water Records via Cargo Records
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The Dirty Water Club started in October 1996 in the Tufnell Park neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston. The club's name is derived from The Standells' 1966 hit 'Dirty Water' which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts.
Past performers have included The White Stripes (voted by Q Magazine as one of the top 10 gigs of all time, Mojo one of the top 30 and Kerrang one of the top 100!), The Gories, Country Teasers, Black Lips, NOBUNNY, Kid Congo Powers, The Fleshtones, Billy Childish, Radio Birdman, The Dirtbombs, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The 5.6.7.8's, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to name just a few. The club has also seen some original '60s performers, such as The Monks, ? and the Mysterians, Kim Fowley, Sky Saxon, GONN, Michael Davis of the MC5 and more grace its stage.
Their in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, is one of the leading garage/beat/(real) R&B labels in the world.
