Jimmie’s Chicken Shack
Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope (A&M)
by Sheril Stanford
Beloved by legions throughout the land, or at least by many in their native D.C., plucky Jimmie’s Chicken Shack has finally made it to the big time with the tastefully titled Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope, their first release on a major label. The band, which was named after a blues joint in Harlem that was once the stomping ground for the likes of Charlie Parker and Malcolm X, has, since its formation in 1993, recorded on its own Fowl (proper noun, not adjective) label, but has now been scooped up by none other than Elton John’s fabulous Rocket Records. And no one can ever say Elton doesn’t know his poultry. Jimmie’s bears more than a passing resemblance to Primus – musicianly metal propelled by beefy, funkified bass and witty lyrics. The similarity is particularly evident on “School Bus,” on which frontman Jimi HaHa (James Iha, if I were you, I’d take this as a direct challenge) rages as if his life depended on it, “Big, yellow, black stripe down the side, I ride you two times a day, up and back…,” while bassist Che Lemon steers the bus with a fat, thumb-slapping bass line.
Two inspirational tunes, “Spider Web” (“Don’t ever give up on yourself…) and “Hole” (I know I’m better than this… Pull myself up from the hole I dig…”) follow a similar route. Jimmie’s gets a little more serious with “Blood,” apparently about the dangers of unsafe sex – the tune is deceptively upbeat with a touch of ska mixed in – and “High,” which poses the musical question, Why do you do it? “When You Die, You’re Dead” pays homage to Henry Rollins. Those fortunate enough to be familiar with Jimmie’s will recognize a number of previously released tracks, re-recorded and served up by the Chicken Shack hot ‘n’ fresh. Without giving the impression that Jimmie’s Chicken Shack ever takes itself particularly seriously, the newer tunes do seem to deal with familiar life issues with more gravity than earlier ones. The personal affirmation of “Spider Web,” the weightiness of “Dropping Anchor,” and the questing lyrics of “This Is Not Hell” (“You’d think one day that I might learn…”) are the indications of a band on the run.
