These Ogden boys sound like the kind of blues you might have found in a smokey tavern 30 years ago where the drinks were cheap and the waitresses underdressed.  The first vocal line by Dustin Bessire on “Somethin’ ‘bout the Way and Groovy Tuesdays” is a dead ringer for Dr. John, with a low, throaty growl behind the wail. 

Local Reviews: Fox Van Cleef

By
April 9, 2013

Local Music Reviews

Fox Van Cleef
Pleasure Junkies
Self-Released
Street: 08.06
Fox Van Cleef = Dan Auerbach + Dr. John + The Doors
These Ogden boys sound like the kind of blues you might have found in a smokey tavern 30 years ago where the drinks were cheap and the waitresses underdressed.  The first vocal line by Dustin Bessire on “Somethin’ ‘bout the Way and Groovy Tuesdays” is a dead ringer for Dr. John, with a low, throaty growl behind the wail.  The music is guitar-heavy with greasy, languid riffs spreading out over a tight rhythm section.  The jams are packed with enough hooks to catch a fish who isn’t even into blues, and the vocals will keep you coming back for more.  As my first exposure to Fox Van Cleef, Pleasure Junkies is perfect—not too psyched-out to keep my attention, but enough to tease me about what kind of circus their live show will be.  If you like this release, I’d use it as a jumping off point to check out their other material including Cigarettes, Terrorism, Etc. which came out last September.  Who knew Ogden had enough soul to produce this?