Boston band blues band Mean Old Fireman And The Cruel Engineers sound pretty cheerful and funky on their second album Dumpster Fire, but upon closer inspection it becomes clear that main man, singer and slide guitarist Ned Bollé has had his share of bad days. He is a Berkelee graduate who became a paramedic driving an ambulance and a firefighter, two professions that had him dealing with quite a few harrowing experiences. He put it to good use for the originals Tour Three (about night shifts) and Got No Spoons (about saving a girl from overdosing).
He and his band are not purists, and breathe new life into classics like >Barefootin' and Rocket 88. Ever wondered what the Blues Brothers could have done with the Rory Gallagher song Too Much Alcohol? Of course they would have added a sax solo and Martin Philips rose to the challenge. Dumpster Fire celebrates the blues as a means to deal with problems of all sizes.
