-Worcester Phoenix
The Forty-Fives are a hellraising, rough and tumble, rock-n-roll combo from Atlanta, GA. Here’s history…
Having started up back in 1998, guitarist Bryan G. Malone, bassist Mark McMurtry, and drummer Adam Renshaw worked tirelessly honing their sound as a trio. The band ingested and spewed all the best of early rock and roll, including Kinks and Beatles-era hooks, the explosive live delivery of the Who and the MC5, and enough smarts to make it all cohesive. A bit later, Trey Tidwell rounded the band out, playing the crazy Hammond B-3 sounds.
This formative Forty-Fives line-up would then soon be in the studio recording demos for what would become the Get It Together LP (Ng Records, 2000). After a relatively quick in-and-out to the studio netted the material they needed for the record, the band hit the road. Soon they were opening for the likes of Link Wray, Andre Williams, Wayne Kramer, Marky Ramone, The Real Kids, The Dickies, The Fleshtones, etc. Out on the trail, the local press began to issue forth seals of approval…
'Soul-drenched, mop-top rock and roll like this has been missing from the universe for far too long. It may be a debut disc, but it already sounds like a greatest - hits package. No wonder the band calls itself the Forty-Fives.' - Arizona Republic
'This is the British Invasion turned on its ear, with a furiously American attitude. The Forty-Fives have rediscovered the art of the catchy ditty - and reclaimed power pop for American Musicians.'
- Columbus Alive
The band then went on to criss-cross the U.S.A. four times, stopping in at a number of studios to record new material before a brief stint at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis. But choosing not to release any material from that session, The Forty-Fives ended up re-recording a number of the songs originally tracked there with Rick Miller from Southern Culture on the Skids. The result shall be the band’s sophomore effort, a raucous, rollicking grinder of a record appropriately entitled, Fight Dirty within whose 12 songs one can sample The Beatles (Hamburg-era, of course), Steppenwolf, the MC5, the Stooges and Jerry Lee Lewis. Yes, more of the glorious same for The Forty-Fives- a healthy helping of garage anthems like left hooks and jabs, not to mention the occasional kidney shot.
Adam Renshaw - drums
Mark McMurtry - bass
Trey Tidwell - hammond organ
The Forty-Fives are a hellraising, rough and tumble, rock-n-roll combo from Atlanta, GA . They have released one album (with another one in the can), a few singles and have travelled far and wide to promote their unique brand of in-your-face music. In fact, they have stayed in constant motion for the last couple of years doing so. Why in the hell would they want to do that, you might ask yourself?
Because someone has to make a stand against the current dreadful state of "modern popular music". With a tip of the hat to the past, and a knowing smirk towards the future, The Forty Fives will do anything in their power to end the reign of teenage, cookie-cutter corporate entities. Their current line-up dating back to 1998, guitarist Bryan G. Malone, bassist Mark McMurtry, and drummer Adam Renshaw worked tirelessly trying to hone their sound as a trio. The band was looking for the right mix of Chuck Berry-style guitar, British Invasion-era hooks, the explosive live delivery of bands like the Who and the MC5, and enough moxie to make it all cohesive.
It was pure coincidence that future keyboardist Trey Tidwell would be in the audience one evening and approach the band about adding a fourth instrument. The new line-up would soon be in the studio recording demos for what would become the "Get It Together" album. After a relatively quick trip to the studio netted the material they needed for the record, The Forty Fives began pounding the pavement fervently.
Soon they were opening for the likes of Link Wray, Andre Williams, Wayne Kramer, Marky Ramone, The Real Kids, The Dickies, Dead Moon, The Fleshtones, etc. Full-scale tours were done with Deadbolt, Man or Astroman?, and Southern Culture on the Skids. Proving they can fit into any situation, The Forty-Fives have opened up for everyone from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, and Guided By Voices to country acts like BR-549 and Steve Earle to comedian David Cross. Their performances on the music festival circuit include stops at CMJ, multiple appearances at South By Southwest, The Las Vegas Shakedown, The Atlantis Music Conference, Chapel Hill's Sleazefest and Sleazefest West in San Francisco, Atlanta's Music Midtown and Drive In-Vasion and Chatanooga's Riverbend Festival.
The Forty-Fives have been to a number of fine recording studios as well including a memorable trip to the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis. Choosing not to release any material from that session, a number of the songs tracked there have been re-recorded for their new album. Recorded with Rick Miller from Southern Culture on the Skids, September of 2002 should see the release of a new full-length with extensive touring to begin thereafter.
"Soul-drenched, mop-top rock and roll like this has been missing from the universe for far too long. It may be a debut disc, but it already sounds like a greatest - hits package. No wonder the band calls itself the Forty-Fives." - Arizona Republic
"This is the British Invasion turned on its ear, with a furiously American attitude. The Forty-Fives have rediscovered the art of the catchy ditty - and reclaimed power pop for American Musicians." - Columbus Alive
"Get It Together, a lucky 13 track monster that rumbles along with a single-mindedness of ripping things up - dance floors, eardrums, apartment leases, convention. Somewhere between the Remains on a serious amphetamine jag and the Makers without the phony tough - guy schtick (and a lot more talent), the Forty-Fives are serious-as-a-heart-attack contenders for the trash-rock crown." - Worcester Phoenix