Me First & The Gimme Gimmes Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah CD

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes: Dave Raun, Fat Mike, Max Huber, Warren Fitzgerald , Spike Slawson.
America's greatest cover band keeps finding new worlds to conquer, and on their fifth album Me First and the Gimme Gimmes present a unique ethnomusicological document -- a field recording of our heroes performing at an actual Bar Mitzvah celebration in Malibu, California (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah features the Gimme Gimmes performing a selection of classic rock standards as only they can (fast, loud, and with a high snot factor) as they roar through "Come Sail Away," "The Longest Time," "Take It on the Run" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" for a seemingly puzzled audience of thirteen-year-olds and their parents. Of course, these guys make it their business to have something for everyone, so they also throw in a little bit of country music ("Delta Dawn"), an old Italian favorite ("O Sole Mio"), and not one but two versions of "Hava Nagila"! Pretty much everything is on-board reduced to a blurry haze of power chord hilarity, which is certainly true to form for the Gimme Gimmes, but the one-take live recording (complete with a set break) shows these guys have truly mastered their shtick by this point, and beneath the goofy surface of their style they have a strong grasp of what makes for a good hook and a cool tune, regardless of genre. It's not the same without the presence of the ice cream bar, but Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah is the next best thing to being there (and the enhanced video track allows you to witness the action first hand). So how much do these guys get to play a retirement party? ~ Mark Deming
On their 2004 release, RUIN JONNY'S BAR MITZVAH, punk-rock supergroup/cover band Me First & the Gimme Gimmes conspire to do just that with their trademark caffeinated versions of 13 great bar mitzvah band hits (and a blessing). For no more than the retail price of a full-length disc, you'll be hearing their sensitive tribute to weekend guitar-store heroes everywhere, "Stairway to Heaven," along with the inspirationally misplaced "Auld Lang Syne," and an unnaturally accelerated version of the Carpenters' "Superstar." But wait--there's more! You'll thrill to Swingin' Utters' bassist and Gimmes vocalist Spike Slawson's take on the bar mitzvah classic "Havah Nagila," here performed to the tune of "Feliz Navidad" (resulting in what sounds like the confusion of all concerned), and Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett's shredding of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever." You'll pogo to the band's take on Blondie's "Heart of Glass," you'll gasp at their strangely competent version of Helen Reddy's (and Tanya Tucker's) "Delta Dawn," and you'll plotz at Lagwagon drummer Dave Raun's incendiary performance on Styx's "Come Sail Away." Operators are standing by.Alternative Press (p.84) - 5 stars out of 5 - "[I]nspired, brilliant - and guaranteed to usher you into manhood."