Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems

(translated to English from Spanish)

You see them bumping into each other on stage, pouncing group thereunder, sweat, cry and dance is knowing that the halo of rock'n'roll is with them and with us. And all this fucking Tuesdays. Which he had already begun to taste. That of Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems , including for the occasion at the same Kurt Baker on bass and Zach Jones , with handful of albums behind, to the guitar, which is marked wonderful version of Squeeze . And Kris Rodgers, old buddy hipercativo Kurt Baker in several projects, as pays tribute also to the Beach Boys songs have the breath that inspired the first Costello or the urgency of Rockpile , wandering through the air to r & b and pop-soul of Burden on me or those winks that the piano gets to do the best Elton John , very present in several songs, with Waiting in line at the top. - Red River

Kris Rogers bursts forth with the title track, a sonic assault that recalls the late 70’s power pop of Joe Jackson. It’s no surprise he’s got an amazing band supporting him including Kurt Baker on bass, Geoff Palmer (The Connection) on guitar and mixed by Wyatt Funderburk. With that pedigree he doesn’t disappoint – “Waiting Fool” is what it would sound like if Bruce Springsteen did power pop.

Rogers has a soulful R&B influenced vocal, and his great keyboard performance makes him the closest thing I’ve heard to Billy Joel on “Up From the Ashes.” The strong composition continues on “No Complaints,” and the band rocks hard on a rare cover of proto-punk band Death’s “Keep On Knocking.” Next,”Leaving Town” is another winner, and a bit of Elton John’s influence is heard on “Borrowed Time.” Rogers is an amazing talent further buoyed by this band, it’s a shame it’s only eight tracks. Another highly recommended artist you need to hear. - Power Popaholic

And the hits just keep on comin'. Here, for your downloading pleasure, is a three song EP of Christmas garage rock from Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems from Portland, Maine. Its cold up there, so they rock extra hard to stay warm in the winter months. If you didn't know, "Fingers" Rodgers is the keyboard man on the Connection's latest Christmas record (which, if you haven't picked up yet, you need to) and a favorite of Little Steven's Underground Garage. It's "Can't Spend Another Christmas (Without You)" that rocks the paint off the ceiling for sure. The EP also includes covers of Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means To Me" and Elton John's holiday B-side "Ho Ho Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas)". - Stubby Christmas

Kris is one major component in the groups he's in, injecting texture and tons of energy into the mix. In his own lead outfit the keyboard is now at the center, driving the sound. The prime example of the piano led group is Elton John and indeed there was a little of that going on. Kris has a lot of keyboard technique and it shows up in his songs, which tend to be full of changes. Lyrically he has lots to say. So the songs seemed very generous. The kicker was that he had a husky mid-range voice that fit the material perfectly. It was a welcome change up to all the usual guitar centric groups that are my diet.
Kris has a cool Christmas EP…A Dirty Gems Christmas. and his Kris Rogers latest LP is called Headlines ...check 'em out!! And listen to one of his songs here. - Boston Groupie News

Since I have been with my wife we have never spent Christmas together. That’s five Christmas’ apart. This year will be no different. On Christmas Eve we will say our goodbyes for a week or so and decamp to our respective parent’s homes. We’re (slightly) ok with this, as it’s the way it’s always been, but it’s not much fun.

At last there is a Christmas song about it. What Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems have done is captured the feeling perfectly. Well done Rodgers et al, you might have released my favourite Christmas song this year! - This Year in Music

Every year around this time, there are certain Christmas songs that I just have to hear. It's not really Christmas if I don't hear Frank Sinatra's take on "Let It Snow" or Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". My Christmas is never fully merry without Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run" or The Yobs' naughty "12 Days Of Christmas". My holiday playlist is a sacred thing and has remained unchanged for decades. Well, actually I should say had remained unchanged. Because this year I've made two additions! One is "I Feel Fine (It's Christmas Time)" by The Connection - an absolute instant classic in my opinion. And the other is the equally good "Can't Spend Another Christmas (Without You)" by Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems. Both of these songs have been fixtures of my seasonal celebrations this year - and will continue to be for many years to come. Readers of this blog may recall my glowing post on Rodgers' excellent new album Headlines. And like his good pals The Connection, he's delivered a holiday-themed release that's as strong as any title in his catalog!

"Can't Spend Another Christmas (Without You)", a Rodgers original, kicks off a three-song EP called A Dirty Gems Christmas. This song combines two of the most timeless themes in the history of popular music: Christmas and unrequited love. It's a vintage Rodgers tune - mixing the rockin' side of Elton John/Billy Joel with a touch of Joe Jackson power pop. This is actually the perfect Christmas song for people who hate Christmas music - because it's a powerful ode to what it's like to be dying inside while the rest of the world is celebrating. Rodgers sings with such fire and soul that you can't help getting wrapped up in the emotion of the song. Featuring glistening production and lyrics that so many people will relate to, this tune has "monster radio hit" written all over it. It's one of my favorite songs of this year, period. And for those of you who do enjoy Christmas music, Rodgers and his bandmates have also treated you to a couple of nifty covers. They do an incredible version of "What Christmas Means To Me" off of Stevie Wonder's 1967 Christmas album. And while it would have been an obvious choice for Rodgers to tackle Elton John's 1973 smash single "Step Into Christmas", he goes outside the box and covers the B-side instead - the delightful "Ho Ho Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey On Christmas)".

Depending on your point of view, A Dirty Gems Christmas could either make your holidays more bearable or enhance your Yuletide joy. In keeping with the gifting spirit of the season, Rodgers has made the EP available as a name-your-price download over at his Bandcamp page. Check it out - and be sure to get hip to Headlines if you aren't already! - Faster and Louder

Kris Rodgers has one of the best rock voices in Maine. His first official full-length CD might be one of the best pop rock/piano rock albums we’ve heard around here. Elton John and Billy Joel meets Elvis (the nerdy one) after some slugs of whiskey. - Old Port Magazine

Stumbled across this whilst I was buying the new(ish) Kurt Baker live album and I have to say it's excellent. Superb grown-up pop/power pop whatever you want to call it, it's a great selection of songs played by a band at the peak of it's game. Kris' vocals and keyboard skills are second to none and it's easy to see why he's involved with so many other fantastic projects.
Highly recommended. - Respect the Rock

I have, in prior posts on The Connection and The New Trocaderos, lauded the piano work of Kris "Fingers" Rodgers. He plays rock n' roll piano with such passion and pizazz that I'm tempted to believe the reincarnated spirit of Johnnie Johnson dwells within him. He's a versatile performer- as comfortable entertaining in a piano bar as he is laying down studio work that would make Little Richard squeal in delight. What you might not know about Kris Rodgers is that he's been fronting his own band for a number of years - and he's got an unbelievable singing voice. Backed by a full rock n' roll band called The Dirty Gems, Rodgers has delivered the excellent Headlines - an album that takes us back to the heyday of piano-driven classic rock and pop-rock.

Out on Collectors Club Records, Headlines includes contributions from a number of individuals within The Connection/Kurt Baker family. Baker plays bass, Craig Sala is on drums, and Wyatt Funderburk mixed the album at his Nebulon II Studio in Nashville. The Connection's Geoff Palmer is one of several outstanding guitarists Rodgers recruited to play on the record. Headlines, without question, is an album worthy of its star-studded cast. In addition to being a phenomenal pianist and dynamite singer, Rodgers also excels at songwriting. He's written a number of tunes that sound like potential hits - or at least potential hits if 1976 had never ended. The title track kicks off the record with a bang- suggesting what it might have sounded like if Elton John had sat in with Cheap Trick when both acts were really killing it. The chorus just knocks me out, and Rodgers sings every note as if his life depended on it. If you didn't know this guy was a piano specialist, your first reaction might be, "Holy smokes, what a voice!" Elsewhere, tracks like "Waiting Fool" and "Up From The Ashes" have me fondly recalling a time when Billy Joel still wrote great pop songs. You'd expect Rodgers to be able to turn out a quality piano ballad or two - and he's given us two great ones in "You Don't Know" and "Borrowed Time". Looking for something unexpected? I'm pretty sure Rodgers is the first singing pianist to ever cover the legendary proto-punk band Death (the 1976 B-side "Keep On Knocking"). He and the Dirty Gems definitely make the song their own.

There are a lot of people of a certain age who will be pleasantly surprised to know that music like this is still being made. But by no means is Rodgers pandering to the geezer demographic. Headlines is not so much stuck in the '70s as it is inspired by the timeless recordings of some of that decade's finest singer/songwriters. Of course your dad will like this album - but so will anyone who's into today's garage/rock n' roll scene ("Headlines" will be featured next week as Little Steven's Coolest Song In The World). If there's one thing I could say for sure about this album, it's that it freaking rocks. Songs like "No Complaints" and "Leaving Town" should dispel any stereotypes about piano rock being wimpy or uncool, and it's not hard to imagine how any of these tracks could translate to a full-blown arena rock show. I just love the fact that Rodgers went to such great lengths to craft a pop-rock record in the classic style. He's such a formidable talent in his own right, but the terrific band he assembled really takes it over the top. And in collaboration with Funderburk, he's produced one of the best-sounding records I've heard in a long time. If you're like me, Headlines will leave you wondering why more rock n' roll bands don't feature piano! - Faster and Louder