The 700 Machines

Bourbon. Cowboy hats. Smoke-blowing pick-up trucks. More bourbon. Notorious saloon bars...

You get the picture pretty much - the 700 Machines play bad-ass 70's-inspired southern rock music that can blow your minds off in an instant. As stated by the band members themselves:

"Formed in 1999, their sound is an explosive Rock 'N' Roll cocktail combining revolutionary Detroit Proto-Punk, Motown Soul, Aussie Punk, 60's Garage Punk, psychedelic and 70's Hard Rock."

I need not say much more about their influences - think Lynyrd Skynyrd and Nashville Pussy drinking and jamming together...They also come from Athens, GR (as do the excellent garage-sounding girl group, the Meanie Geanies - respect to Athens R n'R!) and I personally saw them live supporting the (also excellent) Backyard Babies in March 2007.

More info, as well as MP3 samples and downloads can be found on their Myspace page.

The Meanie Geanies

These guys (well, ladies mostly) sound like they jumped out of those long-forgotten, second-hand vinyl records that you can buy in well-hidden downtown record stores...yes, the ones vinyl collectors could spend a fortune on. And not without good reason, as these ladies are no joke.

The Meanie Geanies play an excellent blend of mid-60's US garage sound - the kind of music you would expect to hear in latest Quentin Tarantino films and psychedelic garage revival festivals - atmospheric female vocals, non-stopping keyboard melodies, 60's-sounding production...these ladies sound so authentic and original they make the Raveonettes sound like a rip-off.

If you are into vintage garage sounds by bands like the Fuzztones, the Sonics, early Yardbirds and 13th Floor Elevators (yeah!), these girls will not let you down...Keep rocking your socks off, ladies!

They also happen to originate from my hometown as well (Athens, GR), so I hope I can catch them to a gig sometime soon (good ol' An club, maybe?)...More info and MP3 sounds can be found on their Myspace page.

The Jills

I haven't been around enough lately in order to update on good ol' rock n' roll stuff, but now is the time to make up for some of the lost time: The Jills.

The Jills come from magic Portugal, a beautiful southern European country with beautiful beaches and even more beautiful women - I admit I haven't had much experience with Portuguese rock n' roll before, so if you wish to dig a bit more into Portuguese Rn'R mayhem, the Jills is a great place to start.

These lads feature a powerful mixture of punk-rock infested vocals, raw-sounding power riffing and anthemic choruses that bring back memories from the Sunset Strip-based party animals of the mid 80's.

If you want a taste of party-starting, loud as hell southern European garage punk, definitely give' em a chance. More info, as well as MP3 sounds and downloads, can be found on their Myspace page.

* Thanx to our reader Nick669 for pointing out this little gem to us...Keep rocking, mate! :)