Recommended by Charlie.
So my first musical pick is going to be none other than Blasé DeBris label mate Ritz Carlton.
Ritz is the high concept alter ego of Ian Carlton, front man of Rocky Velvet, Thee Ummm and many other local acts. Part lounge singer, part garage rocker, 100% maniac, Ritz isn't for everybody but he's never boring. He has an arch-nemesis (Ritz Clifton), a beer named after him (Ritz Carlton MILF Stout), and whole lot of shirts that say "Vote for Ritz!" What's he running for? I don't know, but vote for Ritz. It says so on the shirt.
His new album "Ritz Carlton is Now Inside You" is genuinely out there. How out there? I didn't know I was playing it on the wrong speed until I got to the second song. The rockabilly track titled "Feed the Chicken" is probably the most normal thing on here. I won't even attempt to describe the closing track "Is it Compatible with Mine?" You just need to hear it. From twang to electronic to croon this album covers a lot of ground and sound in its eight short tracks.
Even if this doesn't grab you, I highly recommend checking out Ritz's Facebook live streams that take place Mondays at 8:00 PM EST. With the ongoing pandemic we've lost so many of our stages, luckily Ritz has found his in a different room of his house every week. It's one hour of Ritz doing Karaoke to fan submitted requests, many of which he has no business doing. Some really inspired cymbal crashing is pretty much guaranteed too. Anyway, it's nice to have a way to remember what day of the week it is every once in a while.
So if you're up for something different check out Ritz!
