Ill Gotten Gainz

Ill Gotten Gainz The Pet Goat Artist's Label: Burnt Ramen Records Contributor: Eli Ellsworth Atop his unconventional inner sanctum, a grim figure emerges from the deep corridor and takes a long hard look westward, catching the final moments of a dying sun. The deafening bansheelike scream of a commuter train sends shockwaves through the frigid evening air as it fervently charges down the lonely steel rails. The light of day grows faint, and darkness begins to obscure the surrounding landscape. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

Ill Gotten Gainz The Pet Goat Artist's Label: Burnt Ramen Records Contributor: Eli Ellsworth Atop his unconventional inner sanctum, a grim figure emerges from the deep corridor and takes a long hard look westward, catching the final moments of a dying sun. The deafening bansheelike scream of a commuter train sends shockwaves through the frigid evening air as it fervently charges down the lonely steel rails. The light of day grows faint, and darkness begins to obscure the surrounding landscape. Nighttime is fast closing in over the city of Richmond, California. A malevolent smile lethargically cracks the grim figure’s lips wide as the weaning sunrays slither across his diabolically weathered face. Without warning, two equally menacing ghostlike shadows rise, bursting forth like demons from the gates of hell to join their desolate comrade. Just then, the streetlamps begin to hum incessantly, their sickly amber light permeating the forsaken city streets. The three infectious souls stare intently at the evening sky; it is their time once again. Each turns in purposeful unison and moves swiftly toward the mouth of their lair, descending narrow steps along a dim passageway. Once inside the resonating catacombs of the Burnt Ramen studios, these three ghoulish imps churn out their wickedly anguished symphony, singing demonic praises so that the dead may walk again. They are a cause for great alarm! They will plague you with the very terror! They are, Ill Gotten Gainz! Sounds creepy right? Well, it should! Shit, I didn’t write all that for you to feel good about yourself! Ill Gotten Gainz plays ball-punching rock 'n' roll with country charisma! Originally, Ill Gotten Gainz was a one-man band. Lead singer and guitarist Myk Ramen played by himself for years under the Mykee Hates LIFE pseudonym. It was only after several failed lineup changes that bassist Erik Brim (formerly of Angry Amputees) and drummer George Matthews (of The Malnourished) joined Myk and became Ill Gotten Gainz. The Pet Goat is Ill Gotten Gainz' follow up to their excellent debut record, Shadows Rise. On their second full-length release, the band stays true to form, singing about the things that consume their daily existence. Myk belts out deeply personal lyrics that are sarcastic, venomous, satirical and strangely meaningful all at once. Whether he’s ranting about traitorous, deceitful, emotionally/chemically dependent lost loves, as on “Dark Whore,” “Chemical Girl” and “Orpheus,” or raving about isolationism, war, censorship, televised lies and consumerism, passivity, governmental corruption, and organized religion, as on “Lonely Old Soul,” “Everything Is F.U.N.” and “Die for Oil,” Myk really wears his heart and politics on his sleeve. The music Brim and Matthews throw down is a complementary reflection of the anger, fragmentation and frustration generated through the lyrical content. The Pet Goat is quite a formidable record. Although I don’t feel that it is quite as good as Ill Gotten Gainz' first, I still thoroughly enjoyed the effort put forth, not to mention the two tortured lonely cowboy tunes! Rawk on Ill Gotten Gainz! Yeeeeehaw! This album was recorded, engineered and produced entirely at the Burnt Ramen studios by Myk Ramen. The man is a rather prominent figure in the independent Eastern San Francisco Bay Area music scene and the underground scene in general. Ill Gotten Gainz are steadily becoming a local force to be reckoned with. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

…shrink me down again