The Sights Press

Some of the press on The Sights:

Magnet Magazine Issue #51 Sept/Oct 2001

Interviewed by Matthew Fritch

When phoning the home of Eddie Baranek, singer/guitarist of Detroit mod/garage trio The Sights, be sure to ask for Eddie Jr. The 20-year-old Baranek still resides with his parents and is taking his first "real" interview in stride, being modest about his band's knack for the perfect riff and keeping a clear head when you might expect it to be clouded by ego. For Baranek and the other Sights - 19-year-old bassist Mark Leahey and 22-year-old drummer Eugene Strobe - being boys in the Rock Club For Men is something they've been dealing with for a while.

"Mark and I can't even get into the bars we play, " says Baranek, who's been swapping songs with Leahey since the two were high-school freshmen. "And yeah, sometimes we'd get hassled for it (by the older crowd). 'Who's this kid thinking he's got soul? Who do they think they are?' But it's turned into a positive thing for us."

The Sights' debut album, Are You Green? (Fall Of Rome), is a big plus, combining the group's love of The Jam and Small Faces (classic, breathless vocal harmonies) with a pure-dirt fuzz sound (the LP was recorded with noted Detroit garage producer Jim Diamond). Think of The Sights as younger siblings to their hometown's wayback merchants like the Go, White Stripes, Waxwings and Slumber Party and you haven't gone too far wrong.

"We're very critical of doing something that's already been done," says Baranek, "but if we find ourselves dong a natural chord progression that's the same as some '60s band, we try to screw it up by a couple of chords." And if the guitars are only accompaniment to songs about girls, well, the subject matter has ably served rock 'n' roll for as long as any of us can remember. "I'm not that worldly of a person," explains Baranek. "As far as how the words come out, come on: We're 19 or 20, we don't know anything. We're not ashamed."

Any final confessions to make before the Sights' stock goes public?

"When we were 17 or 18," says Baranek, "we used to wear the whole thing: three buttons, collars, tight pants. I was obsessed with Paul Weller... Now, we're into '69, we listen to more Free or Thin Lizzy. No more power pop."

July 28, 2001 by Chris Morris

The new breed of Detroit rock 'n' roll is on display in Are You Green?, the debut album by Motor City trio the Sights.

The collection was originally issued last year by now-defunct Spectator Records but is being re-released by Fall Of Rome Records, a Detroit-friendly, L.A.-based label run by Mark Rome, who is also GM of Del-Fi Records. It's a high-impact mix of garage rock, psychedelia, and pop by a prodigiously young threesome.

Guitarist Eddie Baranek, who is joined in the group by bassist Mark Leahey and drummer Gene Strobe, says the band's sound is a product of its members' diverse tastes.

"Gene's more into psychedelic California sunshine pop," Baranek says. "Mark likes pretty much straight '60s and '70s rock -- Free, Thin Lizzy. I like greasy R&B, Memphis shit."

The Sights' style has evolved, according to Baranek, who says that while three years ago the group favored the mod stylings of the Jam, the Who, and the Kinks, "now, some of the newer stuff is bluesier...but we're not afraid to go pop."

He freely admits that the band's diversity might throw some listeners: "I guess it's asking a lot for people to take this all in."

The Sights try to eschew any easy categorization for their music, he says. "I don't want to label us with the whole Detroit garage-rock scene. We don't really fit in with it. I guess we're more into the song. There's a Big Star power-pop thing to it.

Starting Aug. 3, the Sights will hit the U.S. turnpike for a tour that will take them out to the West Coast and back through the Midwest.

Issue #48 by Bryan Swirsky

Fans of the all-powerful Supergrass, take serious, serious note: this very young, very talented, very rockin' 13-song debut CD will amaze and astound you in much the same way I Should Coco did. Or should have. Cut from the same melodic hard edged mod/punk/psych cloth as their overseas brethren, The Sights are all about setting aim for the heart of the fuzz, and they aim with a 100% accuracy rate. This is a great, great rock 'n' roll record filled with big hooks, and big sounds, not to mention intelligence, humor and attitude. The Faces cover, "Hey Girl," is a wonderful addition to the package. An essential purchase. Steal this if you have to! Jack, you can forget about getting your copy back! Mine!

Feb 12, 2002

FHM Online by Bob Johnson

Are You Green? is a confusing record. This debut album for the Detroit-based trio of Eddie Baranek (guitar), Eugene Strobe (drums) and Mark Leahy (bass) comes out the gate pretty hard with "All Night Long Stay," a rocking, harmonizing anthem that sounds more like classic Brit Invasion stuff than one would think this youthful trio could muster. Then, with "Want is You," their plucky guitar riffs and frantic drums disappear, and all that's left is a Mentos jingle. The Sights try to redeem themselves, however, as the album progresses - most notable with tracks like "Not One To Beg," and "She's Not The One," catchy Beatle-esque pop songs with layered vocals that are reminiscent of a simpler, happier time in rock and roll. And on "I Can't Stand You," lead vocals guy Baranek's voice sounds so much at times like Paul Macartney that you may get freaked and put on The White Album instead. But the band is not afraid to let it rock out and somehow manages to keep most of the hooks intact, so that most of the album ends up being a foot-tapper. The Sight's sound, while borrowed from bands like the Beatles and the Who, still works, although by "Are You Green" - the title and last track on the album - you've had enough new old-school pop for awhile.

Oct 2001 Issue by Jeff Clark

Hopped -up powerchord pop, occasionally approximating The Beach Boys-style vocals matched with The Who's scruffy mod aggression, and just plain rocking out the rest of the time. And it doesn't sound retro at all, unless you're a Godsmack fan maybe. Very cool.

Issue #4 by P. Edwin Letcher

It's amazing that someone hadn't ridden this particualr band name to the top yet. I mean who doesn't want to "see the sights" when they come to their town. Sorry guys, I couldn't resist. This is a three piece out of Detroit that mixes influences as diverse as punk, psychedelia and Brit pop to come up with their own brand of happy rock and roll. The band is made up of teenagers who draw on whatever works to come up with an eclectic stew. The songs all chug along at a peppy clip though, and never sound quirky. There is an instrumental that reminds me of Deep Purple somehow and a cover of a Small Faces tune, but most of the material is harmony rich, head bobbing pop that defies immediate pigeon holing.

Issue #31

Frug furiously! Heavy bubblegum rawk!

Immedia Wire Service

by The G-Man

The tempo changes in the middle of the songs and the basic riffs often seem like inversiojns of classic '60s rock lead guitar workouts, but it doesn't matter because this thing just flat-out rocks. Every number is dripping with a go-for-it attitudethat is deliriously uinfectious. If you liked the spirit, energy and raw excitement of groups like The Kinks, The Syndicate Of Sound and the early Stones, you will be captivated by The Sights. (Hey, notice there was not a single visual pun in this entire review? You're welcome.)

Nov 2001 by Claudio Sossi

People, get ready.

The Sights' Are You Green? takes the uncanny authenticity of Outrageous Cherry but instead of using a Velvets focus, The Sights take a few nods from the likes of The Who, The Kinks, as well as a dose of Motor City godfathers The Stooges and MC5. The total effect verges on overwhelming.

What do you end up after mixing these ingredients? Tracks like the rave up I Can't Stand You with it's fiery guitar lines and crashing Moon-like drums, frentic instrumentals like F#, and hip-shaking stop-and-start rockers like Finish Whatcha Started. There's very little wrong with that.

Not surprisingly from Detroit (fellow Detroiter Dave Shettler of Moods For Moderns sits in on the keys on a few tracks), The Sights hang on to the belief that rock and roll hasn't had much to offer in the last couple of decades. A debateable philosophy perhaps, but it's hard to find fault with the conviction that delivers the garagey That Ain't Right Little Girl. In fact, the only sign of sagging on Are You Green? is the closing title track (essentially a feedback-fest).

One of the year's nicest surprises.

October 2001

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it was about this band that first caught our attention. Part of the appeal was surely the lo-fi sound quality of this album (recently reissued by the folks at Fall of Rome). This album sounds very much like a young band who is just finding their ground and space...and the great excitement that these guys experienced recording this album comes through loud and clear. The music is basically pop/rock music with many similarities to bands from the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of just slamming out power chords, the guitarist has a really cool way of playing killer little guitar riffs that are difficult to resist. The rhythm section pumps gutsy juice without stopping...and the vocals are right on target. We can hear similarities to The Nazz as well as Jack Bruce (a man who the band obviously loves). In all honesty, the sound quality and slightly sloppy playing (which we love, by the way...) are probably going to alienate a lot of folks... But for those who like to hear a great band BEFORE they "hit it big"...well then, you may just wanna get your sloppy ol' paws on a copy of Are You Green? This is a totally rockin' and super cool little band that has all the key ingredients to become an underground legend. We cannot WAIT to hear what The Sights come up with next...(Rating: 4+++)

Oct/Nov 2001

For this Detroit trio, the sounds of psychedelia are a big influence, as well as pop, rock and blues. "I Can't Stand You"would fit well in a Delta 72 album, with a blistering beat and groovy organs. Harmonies are abundant, and the general vibe is one of a live recording, with all the instruments sounding "warmer"than usual.

Nov 2001 by DJ Johnson

Okay, try to keep up with this because I'm only gonna say it once. Guitarist/vocalist Eddie Baranek and bassist Mark Leahey start playing together when they're 13 and just keep workin' at it. Near the end of high school they form The Sights with some other drummer who is not Eugene Strobe, the guy who beats the living shit out of his drums on this CD. Not sure when the first drummer fell off the gravy train, but no matter. If he hadn't fallen Eugene woulda knocked him off the thing. So they record Are You Green in 1999. It's impossible to peg. One song sounds like it could come from the pubs of London, circa 1977, and the next one sounds like it's reverberating up through the grating above the Cavern Club, circa 1962. It's all about energy, though, and the energy most definitely translates well through the CD to your ears. Nothing lost in the void between the studio and you. Put that sucker out and let the accolades begin, right?! ... right? Yeah, uh huh, but only for a flash of a minute because the label folds and no more copies are pressed. It's been sitting in a can for two years now and finally Fall Of Rome records comes to the rescue. Thanks!! Available at last, Are You Green just needs to be heard now. In a perfect world, right? Eddie and Mark have been playing together so long it's like a successful marriage. If Eugene can hang in for a long haul as well, there's no telling how good this could get. Scary.

by Colin Bryce	This is an incredible debut by this young Detroit trio fronted by "boy about town" Eddie Baranek on guitar and vocals. Powerful late 60s psych heaviness ala the Attack through to beautifully melodic pop and overdriven-boogie disease with nary a hint of pretence. Green? Hardly! The band ably displays the chops of musicians thrice their age. Most certainly one of the up and coming young bands outta Detroit, or anywhere else for that matter. Search and enjoy!
by Jon Sarre	These Detroit non-deadly snakes are either potheads or pro-environment (or seasick) and that’s nice for ’em, cuz it’s good to have interests to balance out yer musical aptitude. Not like they don’t possess any, far from it, they probably got lots. Their songs sorta have a Brit-influenced ’60s-something deal goin’ on, almost like The Makers, sans those fancy dressers fancy dresses’n’oft interestin’ turns of phraseology both lyrical and rock’n’rollical. The Sights are less slight-of-handy, see, and that can be a bit of a stumblin’ block when ya wear short sleeves (like they do on the cover), so it goes to follow that there ain’t nothing up them. Understand?
by Billy Insencia	These boys rock it Detroit style! This album is all about energy. The band is tight and the vocals are well crafted. The album has a great garage production complete with record warble and manual panning. Lots of musical influences here too. I hear The Stones, Hendrix, Patti Smith, The Who, Sex Pistols, I could go on and on. This hybrid is a cool neo-classical of what we purists miss about mainstream rock and roll these days. Don't look for deep meaning in the lyrics, they're pretty much straight forward rock-a-type. It would be a shame to pigeonhole themselves into a specific genre. A band like this needs to evolve and fully explore and discover their musical souls. I'll spend a few bucks to see them when and if they come to New York City.
The Bob Jr. Vol. 2, No. 1	As cliched as it might be, it's getting hard not to think of Detroit as the "new" Seattle/Athens/Akron/etc. The last few years have brought a long string of bands from there whose records have found a home in my stacks. The Sights are a power trio, of sorts, who place more on the line stretching from the Amboy Dukes to Grand Funk Railroad than the stereotypical Stooges/MC5 axis. But like the 5 they can throw that changeup with ease. "All Night Long," track one, is a tight R&B/Garage rocker: fast, dense and grinding with buried lead shards but firm, controlled vocals (nice touches are the handclaps and the overlapping nature of the vocals, particularly in the outro). That immediately segues into "Want Is You," a classic '60s Pop-Rock number complete with backing "bah'bah's," tambourine and piano tinkling (the noise generation segment that is the break, I could probably do without). No. 3, "Sorry" starts out as this echo-laden, Psych-tinged rocker that inexplicably, before the halfway mark, devolves into this repetitious, portentious Prog-Rock thing complete with strings. Things continue to move between heavy (Hard Rock, like the gauzy "I Can't Stand You," the distorto instrumental "F#," the lumbering "The Hott Seat" and the epic length, swirling, efxed quasi-instrumental title track), the sweet (the nicely wrought, mid-tempo pop tune "Not One To Beg" with its shifting melody and the chorus of the equally segmented, driving "Talk To You") and the Rock and Roll (the quasi-Easybeats/post-'76 rockers "She's Not The One," "Finish Whatcha Started" and "That Ain't Right Little Girl"). And just for fun they rip through the Small Faces' "Hey Girl."

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