“Ants in Your Pants” is the Carpenter Ants at their gospel-fired, genre-bending best
THE CD: “Ants In Your Pants”
PERFORMER: The Carpenter Ants
By Nick Scala
The question was posed to me while talking to a friend about the Carpenter Ants: ‘What kind of music do they play?’
The first thing that came to mind was ‘gospel. Then, understanding that gospel music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I quickly blurted out “R&B … soul … country … rock ‘n’ roll … umm … Ya’ know… Music.”
It’s made all the more interesting by the way the Ants are able to seamlessly juxtapose a soulful gospel number alongside a raunchy secular hip-shaker. The inability to categorize the Carpenter Ants is what makes them fun to listen to. You don’t know where the next song might take you. But it’s a pretty safe bet you’re going to enjoy the ride.
That’s the spirit of “Ants in Your Pants,” the Charleston-based band’s third CD. The blend of styles is outstanding, and it’s backed by a few improvements over its predecessors: original songs (absent from previous efforts), better production values and a bigger dose of the fine guest musicians the Ants seem to attract.
If you’re a regular Wednesday- or Sunday-night patron of the Empty Glass, chances are you’ve heard most of the songs on “Ants in Your Pants.” The album, though, gives you bonuses you might not always get when you visit the band live, such as a second guitar to accompany Michael Lipton, or keyboards, or a sexy-voiced female vocalist.
Core ants, who include Lipton, Jupie Little (drums), Ted Harrison (bass) and Charlie Tee (vocals), are joined throughout the album by guitarist Steve Ferguson, who made his bones with NRBQ, another multi-genre, uncategorizable band that hit its stride in the 1970s, as well as Jon Carrol, keyboard player for Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
We also get an all-too-brief contribution from Robert Shafer, whose credentials merely include being twice selected as the national flatpicking champion and who added so much to the band’s first album, “Long Live the Queen.”
Credits are also given to drummer Ammed Solomon (Mountain Stage Band, Voodoo Katz), vocalist Larry Groce (of Mountain Stage fame), producer Don Dixon, who chips in with guitars and vocals, and vocalist Laura Nadeau. The album is a tribute to the aforementioned diversity of sounds.
Meet the Ants in song
The CD opens with “Picnic With the Lord” (What I still can’t figure is why this song wasn’t included on the Ants’ second album, the all-gospel disc titled “Picnic With the Lord.”) The difference in this one is that it’s written by Lipton. It’s a sassifying gospel rocker — what better way to get things started?
Next up is “Charlie Tee from NYC,” the first of three Lipton-penned musical bios about the band’s core members. (My question to the Ants: Isn’t it about time one of you guys wrote one about Lipton?) The song is about — and sung by — Charlie Tee, the lead singer whose huge stage presence is matched by his passion. I’ve seen Charlie a few-dozen times now and have never seen him without a smile on his face. What I can’t imagine is that smiling face under the funky ‘fro of many years ago that Charlie sings about. That I wanna’ see, because, these days, his head is smooth (and so, we’re told, are his moves).
“On My Way Home” returns us to the gospel soul train and keeps hands clappin’ and feets tappin’, with Charlie and the mellow chorus leading the congregation down the road to rapture. We return to the biographical sketches with “Jumpin’ Jupie Jive,” concerning drummer James “Jupiter” Little and his zest for life, including chicken, Hennessey and … other stuff.
I suppose the country-funk of “Sausage Song” is as close as we’ll get to self-revelation from Lipton (well, maybe “Mama was a Big Un” may qualify). He turns the tables on the age-old question asked by us single menfolk, you know the one: ‘Why buy the cow when the milk’s for free?’ Well, this one’s from the ladies’ perspective — Why buy the hog when the sausage is free? Lipton shares the lead vocal with Nadeau, lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist for Stella, a popular band from Athens, Ohio.
The third and final installment in the Meet the Ants series is “Ted’s on the Move,” which intimately introduces us to rock-steady bass player Harrison. The album then returns to its gospel roots, slows things down and hands the lead vocal to Jupie on “Cryin’ in the Street.” (Jupe also gets credit for additional lyrics.)
The Ants March On
I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that, during the break, that’s Lipton on rhythm and Ferguson doing the solo work. Fergie spent lots of time this summer and fall with the Ants, and I always looked forward to hearing him do the decidedly secular “Downtown” song. Why isn’t that on the album, dagnabbit?
The countrifried hook returns on “Mama was a Big Un,” on which Lipton speaks of genetic progression and pays a quick, smile-inducing tribute to the 1960s one-hit-wonder classic “Countin’ Flowers on the Wall.” He gives us another peek at where he’s been, and lets us know that bigger is, indeed, better. (I still think Charlie, Jupe and Ted owe him one.)
“How I Got Over” is another spirit-lifting hand-clapper in the gospel mold, leading into “Get Outta Here,” on which Charlie sings about a parent who’s not exactly enthralled by his daughter’s choice of beaus. Good stuff, specifically the guitar crescendos throughout.
Shafer’s dynamite contribution comes in on “Insect Ball,” sung by Little. The penultimate offering is the fast-paced gospel-rocker “I John Saw,” punctuated by Ferguson’s unmistakable voice on a solo refrain.
The album ends with “Ant March” (not to be confused with Dave Matthews’ “Ants Marching,” which would be appropriate for these Ants to cover if they could come up with a fiddler). This one is basically filler at the back end, where Ferguson, Lipton, Harrison and Little were just messing around between numbers. I’m told that Dixon, emerging from the bathroom, kept the tape rolling for a couple-three minutes because he loved what he heard out of the jam.
Give “Ants in Your Pants” a listen, and I’m guessing you’ll love it, too.
WHERE:To order a copy, call 304/342-4412, e-mail mlipton@gmail.com or visit CDBaby.com.
RELATED: “The Spirit Behind the Ants New CD,” by Bill Lynch
December 15th, 2005 at 3:39 am
There was song penned about Lipton in 1994 by Tim Nicholas of the Charleston band The Todd Who Project. Known for his biting lyrics, Tim’s song about Lipton was none too flattering. Comparing him to a “lapdog licking” when in the presence of “big names” the song ends by saying “You used to roar like the wind, now it looks like a high school dance is more your style.”
I hope there is a new song done by one of the Ants about Michael - perhaps a blues number entitled “It Ain’t Easy Being a Big Fish in Such a Little Pond”
Maybe Tim Nicholas could be tracked down to collaborate?
December 22nd, 2005 at 3:01 pm
Nick1 — you rock!–>