If you like baseball and you love the Ramones and the Hanson Brothers, you will love the Isotopes. Because what the Hanson brothers have done for hockey themed punk, the Istopes hope to do for baseball themed punk.
 Aptly named after Springfield’s baseball team from the Simpsons, the Isotopes Punk Rock Baseball club have a lot of fun playing with baseball. Their latest CD The Isotopes hit 11 home runs  on “Nuclear Strikezone” featuring a variety of Baseball related topics like steroid use , road games, baseball fans, magic loogies, mascots and playing baseball on acid.

Musicially, Nuclear Strikezone is straight ahead, fast paced, no holds barred,  fun,  pop punk with buzzsaw guitar and shout along lyrics.
They open up with an introduction of the players in the middle of  “ Never been Caught,” which draws the listener into it.

Some of my favourites are “ Situation No No,” “ Total Juicehead,” “Chicks Dig the Long Ball,” and “Bleacher Creature,” just to name a few.
It’s all good and actually kind of surprising nobody else  has previously decided to do baseball themed punk.

CD: Nuclear Strikezone
Band: The Isotopes

Genre: punk

Papa King Cole has been a familiar face on Lethbridge’s music scene for many years. He rarely plays live and records even rarely so his new CD is a special treat, not only because it features music he has been working on for a long time, but also features some of Lethbridge’s hottest young talent backing him.
 “Gutted to the Studs” features the lead guitar of Scott Mezei sprinkled throughout. He plays with several local bands including Adequate, and is a familiar face to fans of New West Theatre.

 The Cd also features long time band members,  guitarist Darryl Düus and Evan Uschenko , who have moved away to Lethbridge so it is nice to hear them both on a recording. Steve Keenan, who has played with Zojo Black and Paul Kype and Texas Flood lends a solo to “Beale Street Boogie,” one of my favourite Papa King Songs.

But front and centre is Papa King’s big, gravelly Tom Waits/ Dr. John timbre voice and a plethora of different acoustic guitars, (which are lovingly listed  on each song they are featured on)  picking beautiful delta style blues music. The CD is expertly and crisply recorded. So you hear every single note as clearly as if King was playing in your own kitchen.

 the CD mostly features King’s original music including several inspired by his day job as a long haul trucker like “Fiver Hundred Horses” as well as long time crowd favourites including “Beale Street Boogie.”
 He also puts his own stamp on blues classics like Big Joe Williams’ “Please Don’t Go” plus  WC Handy’s “Hesitation Blues” ( which features Paul Kype and Texas Flood]s Earle McAuley on j keyboards and Suite 33 bassist Doug Freeman) and  “Saint James Infirmary.”

It is tough to choose a highlight off the CD as all of the songs are so well done.

“Sugar Bee” is a catchy shuffle while pretty much everyone  will be able to identify with the sentiment of “ Early Mornin’ Blues.”
“Box of Tools” also stands out with it’s smooth, slinky Pink Panther  groove.
 The groove is strong in “Shaken” as well which will get your toes a tapping.

 Also very cool is a live jam caught between King, Uschenko and Düus called “Right on Time.”
 He ends on the  traditional blues  shuffle of “ Hesitation Blues.”
The CD  is very folksy and personal. Like a lot of modern folk and blues CD, King provides liner notes lovingly listing the performers and anecdotes about what inspired the songs and the stories behind some of them. As he doesn’t have them on sale online, you’ll have to get a copy for your very own by going to one of his  shows, such as Jan. 9 at Plum.

CD: Gutted to the Studs Blues and Boogie Reno
Artist: Papa King Cole
 Genre: blues