![]() ![]() The vocals, along with some additional instrumental tracks, were added later at Bill's home studio, Lumania. This session quickly yielded three tracks: "Standing on a Mountain," "The Beast and the Best" and "Feed My Hungry Heart." Vicki says that "Hungry Heart" still reminds her of the fresh surprise she felt over how great they sounded together. They recorded old-school - no vocals at first, just the four playing together live in the same room. The vintage '70s vibe there appealed to them. In January 2014, they booked time at ReadyMix Music, the fabled Southern California studio where Jackson Browne and Little Feat had worked. Creating these rough demos was so much fun, Vicki reveals, "that it was obvious the music-making part of the enterprise was gonna be a blast." After fleshing out, or finishing, the songs, Vicki and John would rendezvous at Bill's house where the trio would work on the songs and then send the demos to Rick. "They must've thought I was insane," he admits about how many song ideas he sent to the couple. He would send his semi-finished tunes - and there were a lot of them - to Vicki and John. Bill, instantly inspired by this band idea, started writing songs like a fiend. So, their rather unique collaboration started. Rick, who'd also played with John before, got excited hearing about this new project and wanted in. Affectionately known as "Rick the Bass Player," the in-demand sideman had worked with Neil Young, Joe Walsh, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ron Wood, and the latter-day incarnations of Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y. "It was clear to me from the first night," Vicki recalls, "that we had an interesting blend of three very different-sounding voices." They quickly agreed to see what would happen if they worked together with original material.Ī few days later, Bill happened to have a gig with Rick Rosas. They wound up around a piano having a wonderful time singing Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and other classics into the early morning - and a spark was lit. The three found themselves at a Christmas party in 2013 hosted by Bill's Lost in Space "sister," Angela Cartwright. It was a bit of serendipitous singing that brought Action Skulls together. Driving rockers like "The Luckiest Man Alive," "The Beast and the Best" and "Mainstream" intermingle with the more melancholic "If I See You in Another World" and the haunting, acoustic-based "Map of the World." The noirish "Standing on the Mountain" fits in effortlessly with bluesy ramble "Feed My Hungry Heart" and the modified Bo Diddley-beat stomper "In the Future," and everything gets tied together with the trio's gorgeous vocal arrangements. It is music that Vicki describes as "Canyon Rock" - partially because they all live in the canyons of Los Angeles but also because the songs reflect influences of the classic '70s Laurel Canyon scene.Īngels Hear also holds a swirl of styles and moods that suggests music echoing through the canyons with the sun peeking through storm clouds. You may hear elements of their past work on Angels Hear, but what the three have conjured up as Action Skulls is a slightly darker version of the sunny Southern California sound. The band name may not be familiar but the members' names are - Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, her husband John Cowsill from the beloved family band the Cowsills and currently part of the Beach Boys touring band, and Bill Mumy, the musician/actor/producer who co-founded the cult duo Barnes & Barnes, is a veteran of the band America and is an Emmy-nominated composer. ![]() This album is the debut offering from the group Action Skulls. New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Angels Hear is the long-in-the-works CD that you didn't know you were waiting for from a band you probably weren't aware of.
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