You don't understand a single thing about anything until you've heard Tweed Sneakers. You just don't.
Luckily for me, I've been listening to them since I was born. You see, I grew up in home where these guys were played on a constant basis by my father, who saw them play some amount of times. A very blessed person...
(note; this is just what I've heard/read about The Tweed. I'll send ya love forever if you correct me because anything you can offer about them would be greatly appreciated.)
Tweed Sneakers are a band started at some point in the mid-to-late-eighties. The point of the band was to try make some cash to help pay for college. All the members of the band attended JMU and were based out of Harrisonburg, Virginia. I suppose they liked the whole funk, ska, reggae deal too. Whatever. They played fairly often around the college party scene and at other venues in the Virginia Beach area. They released their first album Tweed Sneakers & the Mle Mle Horns in 1988. It was only released as a cassette and as far as I can tell, independently. The tape included four songs "Tweed Sneakers" / "Imperfect Girl" / "Life's A Beach" / "Walk Away". Right from the beginning you get to hear the sweet funk bass skills of Pat "Beist" Weist on "Tweed Sneakers". Its a fairly driving song featuring the distinct vocal style you will come to love by the end of the tape, if not the song. "Imperfect Girl" is where you start to hear the spectacular horn section of the band. I would say this is song is more definitive of The Tweed, but come to your own conclusion. The instrumental breakdown midway through might just blow your mind. The third song is an up-tempo masterpiece, nothing else to say here. The tape ends with the reggae-infused goodness that is "Walk Away".
Fast forward a couple years to 1990. Tweed Sneakers hits you in the face with something better than that old cassette. AKA, a CD. Yes digital? I think so! The production improvement alone is enough to make you want to do some sort of thing. Space Shark is definitely the next step-up for Tweed Sneakers and you'll hear it. I believe it was still released independently, but there seems to be some in-joke about Attack Rats protecting the album (Which is genius if you think about how rats can bite through wires, digital piracy doesn't stand a chance. However, this was 1990 so...). The album starts off with what is quite possibly the best intro ever on "Take a Chance". It's a funky song with some great bass all the way through. "She Won't Dance" is boiling pot of vocal harmony gold. From beginning to end you are pulled in by the upbeat tempo and catchy vocals. "Cloudy Days" gets you with its sweet harmonica and catchy, well-flowing chorus. "L.O.E." (life on earth) is a song about Jesus-freaks. It's catchy and up-tempo. "Space Shark" is an absolute amazing song. The guitar might make you headbang a little and combined with the perfect vocals, perfect lyrics, perfect drums, perfect bass, and perfect horns you'll probably think you're in so some sort of ska heaven.
What happened to the band after those two releases, I don't know. According to a quote in the article from a music magazine called Tempest Tweed Sneakers planned on going full time. For some reason, I doubt that. Had these guys gone full on with the band surely they would have easily been at the top of all those ska bands that were popular in the '90s. Who knows what could have happened?
No really. Does anyone know what happened??
Does anyone know anything about them?
And no, I won't leave you guys without any material.
Listen:
Download both releases here:
Space Shark and Tweed Sneakers and the Mle Mle Horns
NOTE: A huge thank you to Craig for scanning the magazine, writing it, and then letting me use it! And a thousand thanks to my father for playing Tweed!
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