Review: Mike Keneally's "hat." and "Boil That Dust Speck"

by Mark J. Rabuffo.

Mike Keneally originally released hat. and Boil That Dust Speck in 1992 and 1994, respectively. They have been out of print for awhile, but thankfully, Keneally has obtained the rights and re-released them in an expanded format (i.e., additional tracks and/or track length, and an accompanying DVD) through his own Exowax Records. These reissues serve as a great introduction to the wacky yet musical world of the last in a string of brilliant “stunt guitarists” for Frank Zappa. If you want to delve into the musical genius that is Mike Keneally, start with these CDs.

Keneally has released quite a few albums - both solo and as part of various groups - but some of his solo CDs in particular were hard to find. My personal quest was in vain, and in order to hear Keneally outside of the Frank Zappa and Steve Vai realms, I had to search for other discs that Mike was part of. I found the first Mullmuzzler CD (with Dream Theater’s James LaBrie) and former Dixie dregs bassist Andy West's Rama 1 (listen to “Old Meat Frame” for a peek into Keneally’s lyrical style). Keneally also played in Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa’s band, Z, in the early '90s.

When I found out I would have the opportunity to interview Keneally and review hat. and Boil That Dust Speck as part of the deal, I jumped at the chance. I also used the opportunity to buy Dog and the deluxe version of Guitar Therapy Live for – uh - research purposes.

The more I listened to hat., the more I liked it. The disc is a veritable smorgasbord of sounds and styles. Combining vocal and instrumental tracks into a conglomeration of short (the six second “And That’s Why It’s Called Spunk”) to extended (the 14-plus minute track “Lightnin’ Roy”) songs, Mike proves himself to be very adept at melodic songs with unique structures and clever lyrics. Oh yeah, there’s also some killer guitar, too. Did I mention Mike also sings and plays piano and keyboards? Mike is truly multi-talented, and assisting (in no particular order) are Doug Lunn, Scott Thunes, and Doug Booth on bass, Toss Panos, Tom Freeman, and Alan Silverstein on drums, and Darryl Monroe, Mark DeCerbo, Carlos Olmeda, Cici Porter, Bob Tedde, Kevin Gilbert, and Andy Vereen on a variety of vocals and vocal.like sounds. Marty Eldridge also adds percussion, and Marty Keneally effects guitar.

During the first four seconds of the first song, “Your Quimby Dollars at Work,” Mike thanks me for buying hat., then proceeds to lay down some dirty guitar licks through the remainder of the song. “I Can’t Stop” is next – one of my favorite songs on hat. Catchy melody and chorus, great lyrics, tasty guitar work, and on top of that, a quirky punk vibe. In fact, throughout this disc, I am reminded a bit of XTC and Devo.

Up next is “Ugly Town,” which starts with a nasty, medium tempo guitar riff with some tasty bass underneath (courtesy of Doug Lunn). This song has pseudo-munchkins singing and other interesting vocal sounds. Then comes one of the best lines in rock: “You are as useful as a urinal in a convent,” sung with such a beautiful melody and sparse acoustic piano that I had to go back and listen to make sure I heard it correctly. Since I was listening through my iPod at the time, I got some strange looks when I laughed out loud. In fact, I recommend listening to this disc with headphones to catch all of the amazing sounds – both lyrically and musically.

This disc also contains some amazing guitar instrumentals with some of the nastiest guitar tones ever converted to the digital realm – especially on “Fencing.” Backed by old pal Scott Thunes on bass, this medium tempo aural assault showcases Mike’s cool outside note choices and some wicked effects. This segues right into the jazzy piano piece “Always Man” - also with a great vocal melody; another of my favorites.

While listening to the disc and reading the liner notes, I began wonder how Mike picks song titles for his instrumentals. Perhaps a bug smashing orgy was the inspiration for “My Immense Superiority over the Silverfish”? And I never knew someone who disliked cinnamon chewing gum so much that he had to write a song about it.... Chemical warfare, indeed.

“Eno and The Actor” is a humorous spoken word piece that morphs into a Broadway-type finish, followed by “The Car Song,” another of those quirky pop songs with hilarious lyrics and more savage guitar. I even found myself humming to the chorus of this one after a few listens; wish this was on the radio. This is also one of the songs benefiting from the re-issue due to the now-extended CD length not available in 1992.

“Heaven Likes You/Apple Pie” is a bouncy popish tune that showcases Mike’s piano and vocal abilities, and also has the Broadway vibe that sounds like a botched audition - then the stage goes black except for a spotlight on Mike and his piano.

“Backstage with Wilson Phillips” is another instrumental that allows Mike to stretch out with some geetar madness, and - to my ears at least - just has to be the sound of guitar having a threesome. “Here is What I Dreamed” and “Here is Why” go together in a crazy sort of way, but check out the lyrics on the latter song – very hypnotic. “Snowcow” hurt my ears – but in a good way.

With “Rosemary Girl,” Mike proves he can write a “typical” rock song with the best of them. It’s too bad this song didn’t get the exposure it deserved. Ah well, it’s now on heavy iPod rotation.

“Lightnin’ Roy” closes out the disc with a 14-minute-plus barrage of the most Zappa-inspired, country, Broadway, modern classical, progressive and shred amalgam of sounds ever recorded in the history of the known universe. And wait ‘til the very end of the song.... I know I’ve heard that ending somewhere before – but where? This song also benefits from the re-issue’s extended length to capture Mike’s insanity in its entirety.

The DVD that comes with hat. features 1992 recording session footage, an entire 1993 concert, a 2006 player’s reunion (check out “Cheddar”) and an assortment of “odds and ends – mostly odds” to quote the liner notes.

Boil That Dust Speck is a bit darker, if you will, than hat. Mike states in the liner notes that “emotionally it was a tough time” - the birth of his daughter Jesse, and the death of his father and Frank Zappa all occurred during the sessions. That would have most people running on autopilot – if at all - but Mike persevered, and in doing so, created an album that further cemented his standing as a major talent.

Players on this disc include Bryan Beller and Doug Lunn on bass, Toss Panos, Joe Travers and Tom Freeman on drums, Mark DeCerbo and Bob Tedde on backing vocals, Doug Booth on flutes, Stutz Bearcat on spoken word, Satnam Ramgotra on tabla, and Alan Silverstein on percussion.

The liner notes on this disc are quite informative, with Mike providing glimpses into the creative process and/or his mindset during the recording, as well as the lyrics. Mike is very well spoken, with a sharp wit.

I found Boil That Dust Speck to be a little stronger vocally than its predecessor, reflecting Mike’s maturity as a song writer, and also heavier, again, reflecting what was occurring in his life at the time. Some highlights are “The Desired Effect,” which is a great ballad with a memorable chorus, while “Skunk” is another of those bouncy, hypnotic vocal tunes that Mike creates so well. “Aglow” is a great vocal tune, which starts with some tasty fretless bass and acoustic guitar, then launches into another funky rocker with a signature Keneally solo during the outro.

The serendipitous dolphins medley (“Them Dolphins Is Smart,” “1988 Was A Million Years Ago” and “Yep, Them Dolphins Is Smart, Alright”) is also included here and reflects Mike’s fascination with writing about animals (cows, dogs, et al.), as seen throughout his recorded work. This also led to the Keneally band name Beer For Dolphins thanks to a quip by Toss Panos.

There are fewer instrumentals on this disc than on hat., but “Bullys (sic)" is a gem. And as with hat., there are short song snippets peppered throughout (my favorite being the 9-second “I'm Glad There's Lemon-Freshened Thorax In You”) in a purposeful manner to add some interesting textural juxtapositions. Bryan Beller provides slinky bass funk on “My Dilemma,” with Joe Travers laying out the groove a la “Funkadelic 1972.”

“Blameless (The Floating Face)” is a sad but somewhat humorous song (what else?) with Mike questioning God - as one is wont to do during times of acute personal turmoil – yet ultimately appears to be resolved, which of course, is required in order to carry on. For more in this vein, be sure to listen to “There Have Been Bad Moments.”

“Scotch” is a cool medium-tempo rocker, heavy on the sludge – and check out the lead-in from the previous track.

The disc closes with “The Old Boat Guy, Parts I, II and III,” which were written and recorded on December 4, 1993. The idea was to add to the track at a later date, but events of that day precluded that from happening. The song is for Frank who passed away on December 4, 1993.

As with hat., a DVD is also included in the special edition of Boil That Dust Speck. It includes a 90-minute presentation of “The Making of Boil That Dust Speck,” featuring extensive video footage of the 1994 album sessions, newly-shot interview footage, and live-in-the-studio performances from Keneally, Doug Lunn and Toss Panos of “Weekend,” “The Desired Effect” and “Skunk.” The DVD also features an audio archive, with more than 20 alternate mixes and unreleased tracks, including an unreleased recording session with Mike’s rarely documented band Drop Control, playing together for the last time.

Related Links
Mike Keneally Interview
Mike Keneally's Website - a "must visit" for any Keneally fan
Dweezil Zappa Interview

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