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Maybe the veggies don't fly quite as much as they used to, but there's still a good supply of produce on stage every time that Celery puts on their old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing, audience-baiting rock'n'roll show. The core of the band remains built around the twin talents of bassist Steve Marshall and guitarist Phil Browne, who split songwriting and lead vocal duties. Joined by solid drummer Barry Peirano, the group's patented style includes a complete lack of pretense, a commitment to energy and, at their best moments, hooks that come from each and every direction.
After playing around town for years, the trio released The Valsava Maneuver, satisfying the urges of fans who knew the group as a good live act with only sketchy demos to it's recording credit.
Bristling with wise-acre lyrics, punk sensibilities and arena-rock send-ups, Valsava has a couple of key tracks in it's arsenal. The over-the-top "Celery Goes to Brooklyn," for example, finds the group as punchy and powerful as ever; while "Sunflower" has the band equally doling out muscular strength and pop charms. After several slights, that track finally scored the group a spot on the latest PointEssential disc. Deservedly so; it's a track that establishes them not only as masters of the absurd, but with radio-ready tendencies, too.
Catching them live? Arm yourself with a sack of the afore-mentioned vegetable and a sense of humor for maximum viewing pleasure.
- By Thomas Crone (For PlaybackSTL)
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