April 1st, 2024 - Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello, Hola, and Aloha!

 

Hey there rockers and craft brew lovers!  Happy Monday!  Your favorite rock and roll drinking buddy, the Meista here pairing a deliciously crisp Hola Aloha from the fine folks at Ogden Beer Company and Cheap Trick's wonderful "Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello" album (happy 8th birthday)!  Cheers!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: 
• Cheap Trick
• Title: "Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello" 
• Recorded: 2015 
• Release date: April 1st, 2016 (17th studio album by Cheap Trick)
• Record company: Big Machine
• Production: Cheap Trick and Julian Raymond
• Album cover art: 
• Personnel: Daxx Nielsen (drums and percussion), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar and backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass and backing vocals), and Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Chris Deaton (backing vocals), Johnny Keach (backing vocals), Wayne Kramer (guitar solo on "Do You Believe Me?"), Tim Lauer (keyboards), Zac Rae (keyboards), Julian Raymond (backing vocals), and Bennett Salvay (keyboards)
• Musical style: Rock and roll, hard rock, power pop
• Sound: Loud, crunchy guitars, powerful riffs, and sweet, sweet melodies, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello" is one of those albums that just moves you from the opening riff to the final fade out!  With a foot in the past and foot in the present, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello" has a classic Cheap Trick sound, but with a very fresh, modern approach.  There is a very Beatles-esque sound to the album (the Japanese press calls Cheap Trick "the American Beatles"), especially in Robin Zander's vocals and lyrics, which are reminiscent of John Lennon's later work.  Daxx Nielsen's drum work is solid and driving.  Tom Petersson's bass work is rich, meaty, and brimming with pop depth.  Rick Nielsen's lead guitar work is as masterful, beautifully textured, and intriguing as ever... true genius!  And Zander's rhythm guitar work and vocals are perfection!  The tracks are wonderfully balanced, wonderfully written, and wonderfully executed power pop/rock and roll classics!  This is solid rockin' goodness my friends!
• Major themes: Relationships (lasting and broken), love, romance, betrayal, life, lust, loss, change, rock and roll, etc.
• Tracks:  
1. "Heart On The Line"
2. "No Direction Home"
3. "When I Wake Up Tomorrow"
4. "Do You Believe Me?"
5. "Blood Red Lips"
6. "Sing My Blues Away"
7. "Roll Me"
8. "The In Crowd" (Dobie Gray cover)
9. "Long Time No See Ya"
10. "The Sun Never Sets"
11. "All Strung Out"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ogden Beer Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: http://www.ogdenbeercompany.com/
• Brew: Hola Aloha
• Style: Wheat Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Hola Aloha pours a clear, light reddish hue with a thin, bright white head that dissipates to a thin ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a characterized by floral, fruity, and grainy aromas.  There are aromas of cracked wheat, light cereal grains, lemon, hibiscus, light raspberry, light cranberry, wildflowers, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: Very well-balanced, the Hola Aloha has a nice blend of fruity, floral, malty, and grainy flavors.  There are notes of crackery biscuit, wheat bread, lemon zest, hibiscus tea, light raspberry, and a hint of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light in body and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very smooth with a crisp and refreshing profile.  The finish is dry and very clean. 

Overall pairing: The OBC Hola Aloha is a tasty, slightly tart, refreshing, and inviting brew... perfect for sipping whilst rocking out to the brilliance and good fun of Cheap Trick!  The flavors and aromas of this tasty brew blend wonderfully well with Nielsen's fiery guitars, the rock-solid rhythm section of Petersson and Daxx, and Zander's indelible vocals!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!