Surgery was a scummy, no-holds-barred, blues-drenched post-hardcore band from Manhattan's lower east side that included
Sean McDonnell (vocals), Scott Kleber (guitar), John Lachapelle (bass), and John Leamy (drums). S
igned to the noisy Amphetamine Reptile label, the band fit right in and made their full-length debut in 1991 with Nationwide.
The Trim, 9th Ward High Roller EP followed two years later. They then became part of the feeding frenzy that occurred in the wake of the major label signings of Nirvana and Helmet, and they made the hop to the WEA-distributed Atlantic for 1994's Shimmer.
The closest the band got to notoriety in the mainstream sense was when MTV's 120 Minutes program played that album's Off the A-List" a couple times (not that the band cared).
On January 18, 1995, McDonnell passed away, the victim of complications from asthma. Saddened by their loss, the remaining members of the band decided to quit.
Trim, 9th Ward High Roller confirmed once and for all that Surgery was a lot different from the noisy punk rockers prevalent on Amphetamine Reptile. With their bad-boy swagger, Surgery is really an early-'70s blues-rock band stuck out of their time, far more sleazy (à la the Rolling Stones and New York Dolls) than scuzzy (as all other Amphetamine Reptile artists, who seem more rooted in Richard Hell and Sonic Youth).
"Maldia" and "A.K" are thundering blooze rockers that wouldn't sound out of place on an early ZZ Top album, and with their lyrics about girls gone bad and drug deals gone sour.
Sean McDonald's voice is the key weapon here, a raspy, gritty instrument devoid of any punk affectations. Coupled with the skillful guitar of John Leamy, it gives the EP a feel unlike any other Amphetamine Reptile release. Trim, 9th Ward High Roller is an interesting standout in the Amphetamine Reptile catalog.
Anyway, my cd player reads only 5 songs but 6 are listed on the cover.
I don't know if it is me or the cd.
I think I need some Surgery right now!!!!
Enjoy!
