I first discovered the Forty Nineteens early in 2019. We had a mutual connection via Michael Des Barres, Little Steven’s Underground Garage, and SiriusXM. Over the course of this year, I’ve listened to their music, viewed their YouTube clips, and traded tweets with them. Somewhere along the line, I came to a conclusion.
This band is the original Paul Revere & The Raiders, without the Colonial outfits.
That’s a bold statement, and I’m not saying they sound like Mark, Paul, Smitty, Fang, and Drake, or Harpo. I’m telling you that the spirit and mojo that the band had on their first four, legendary albums that spawned their most memorable hits, comes off of this band in waves.
Virtually any time I name a legendary performer or band, they have a story about sharing a bill with them or naming them as one of their greatest influences. They’ve been around, and it shows in their music.
You can run down the list of what makes a band great, and with the Forty Nineteens, you’ll check off all of the boxes.
They’re a fun band, and if you watch their live videos, their between-song banter is filled with refreshing, self-effacing humor. They introduce their version of “Wild Flowers” by saying “We wrote this one some time ago, then some band from England stole it.” They have swagger to spare, but you’re made a part of it. It’s the 2019 equivalent of being on set while Dick Clark films this week’s episode of “Where The Action Is.”
They’re also a tight unit of guys who genuinely appear to enjoy playing together. They do shout-outs to each other in their live sets that remind me of the late, great Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens yelling “LET’S ROCK” before launching one of the band’s trademarked power-pop classics.
At times, they sound like the “Nuggets: Artyfacts Of The Original Psychedelic Era” come to life. Other times, they sound like the pre-“Tommy” Who in full roar. And earlier this year, they invited the Standells’ Tony Valentino onstage with them to perform that band’s “Dirty Water.”
They’ve been around, baby.
Oh, and they also acknowledge Elvis as the King of Rock & Roll, fully on board with the TCB credo.
If anything I’ve written here has resonated with you…if you think the notion of a band bursting at the seams with talent and the pure joy of rock and roll, without an ounce of pretense, appeals to you, head on over to Spotify to hear their albums, and if you like them, BUY them: