Search - Honcho Overload :: Smiles Everyone

90's College Rock Deluxe

D. Cepulis | Texas | 03/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Former members of HUM, Poster Children, Bad Flannel make up this

great midwestern punk-grunge band. "Miserable" is the hit single from this effort. Give it a try. Smile."

Honcho Overload "hummed" with power

Sal Nudo | Champaign, Illinois | 11/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's impossible not to compare Honcho Overload with the band Hum, since two Hum members -- Matt Talbott and Jeff Dimpsey -- are in Honcho. Interestingly, Talbott assumed bass duties and did not sing much on "Smiles Everyone" (if at all), while Dimpsey, who normally plays bass for Hum, played guitar for Honcho Overload. Rounding out Honcho Overload were singer Bill Johnson, guitarist Kevin Driscoll and drummer Mike Rader. Some of these guys met at a restaurant called Treno's in Champaign, Ill.



This is hard-driving 1990s rock `n' roll music at its finest, with no ballads or meek songs allowed. If you dug all those Seattle rock bands of the aforementioned era, then Honcho Overload will be right up your alley. The vocals of Johnson, when he sings in a softer mode, are not all that different from Talbott's, though he does have a bit of a higher register. When he screams his powerful raspy scream, though, Johnson definitely differentiates his voice from Talbott's. It should also be noted that the volume of Johnson's vocals are pretty evenly matched with the music on "Smiles Everyone," which give them a somewhat drowned-out, on-the-spot feel.



Honcho Overload features a twin-guitar attack from Dimpsey and Driscoll, whose wall-of-sound noises and crunchy riffs feel much looser, less clean and even harder rocking than Hum's. Overall, Honcho has a less melodic, less atmospheric sound than Hum. Like Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Johnson sometimes likes to yell and repeat his choruses in an addictive, catchy way. And like Nirvana and many bands of that period, the songs are either one-worded or aphoristic in nature ("Stun," Homunculus," "Wish," "Miserable," "Wrist Rocket"). Rader's lively drums positively bounce, giving Honcho Overload a spirited, youthful vibe.



The songs on this CD are one-dimensional and may run together a bit, but that doesn't mean "Smiles Everyone" isn't memorable. As mentioned before, the choruses on these songs are addictive. And songs like "Sugarfoot" and "Oklahoma" are even heavier than normal Honcho or Hum fare, veering toward an almost heavy metal-like path. Amazingly, the tune "Miserable," the last one on this CD, is reminiscent of the Rolling Stones during that band's 1970s heyday, which meant Honcho was capable of some diversity to its sound. Three-fourths hard-rocking "grunge," with elements of heavy metal and punk thrown in, Honcho Overload were a force to be reckoned with in the early `90s."

The Mighty Mighty Honch

W. Johnson | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 11/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Honcho Overload's full length debut, Smiles Everyone, features songs with duelling, sonic guitars and emotive lyrics. Produced by Adam Schmitt, it's quite simply a great album of honest rock songs. Sometimes chaotic, sometimes catchy this five-piece from Champaign is made up, in part, of members of Hum and the Poster Children.



One of the very best records I own! Stellar.



"...Does this mean that you should buy it unquestioningly? Strangely, yes... 'Miserable' is a french-fried love song for the '90s, powered by a guitar that sounds like a vacuum cleaner... Hurrah for Honcho!" -Alternative Press"