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.