Kingfish Fiasco

The guys of Kingfish Fiasco are weird. They cite beer and porn among their musical influences, but that is probably because they frequent the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe. They also claim to have bought their drummer, John Earl Gilmore, for $20 on eBay. Actually, the story goes that they bought a drum kit online for $20 and Gilmore happened to come with the set, along with an assortment of Skittles and M&Ms and Vaseline. Sarcasm and silliness aside, this Tempe band has managed to put together a real-deal debut CD, sleeping and i hear you. Good guitar work courtesy of Justin Barker (he apparently was not purchased from eBay) is rarely upstaged throughout the nine songs. The titles border on overly dramatic — “Of Trauma and Truth,” “Eloquence” and “Love in Vitro” — but the music is proficient and professional. Lead singer Travis Pack has one of those pop-rock “emo” voices, but he doesn’t overdo it — think Gin Blossoms when they were cool.