Rick “L.A. Holmes” Holmstrom: Gonna Get Wild

Rick “L.A. Holmes” Holmstrom of Rod Piazza’s Mighty Flyers, makes an auspicious debut as a leader on the aptly named Gonna Get Wild (Tone-Cool 1176; 47:41). A purveyor of the raunchiest guitar tones since Willie Johnson recorded through ripped speakers on early Howlin’ Wolf sessions, Holmstrom lets loose with raucous abandon on 13 jump blues and boogie originals like a kind of punk Pee Wee Crayton. The title track is sheer decadence in rhythm while the infectious New Orleans-flavored R&B romp “Have You Seen My Girl” (complete with zydeco rub board) is bound to be a new anthem South of I-10. The instrumental “Wiggle Stick” is a jump blues on Louis Jordan’s “Caledonia” mode while the buoyant “I’d Hate to See You Cry” has echoes of B.B. King’s early ’50s sides for the Kent label, with a few direct cops from “That Ain’t the Way to Do It.” Holmstrom cranks out more retro grunge tones on “Lovin’ Ways,” “Just Right,” the wacky instrumental “Uno Mas” and the jumpin’ closer, “Lost In The Shuffle.” Most modern day producers would never let Holmstrom get away with such raunchy tones in the studio. Thank goodness he didn’t have them on this retro-cool session.

Originally Published May 1, 2000