Lighter Fluid, the debut collection of eight instrumental-guitar songs from the aptly titled trio Forest Fire, absolutely smokes. Think Joe Satriani meets Stevie Ray Vaughan at an Eddie Van Halen love fest. A few well-chosen covers (Eric Johnson's "Trademark" and "East Wes," plus Charles Brown's "Driftin' Blues") alter the album's pace and indulge in jazz and blues tendencies. What's more, with each blazing track clocking in at less than five minutes long, you know these Wisconsin boys - barely out of high school and led by guitarist Evan Johnson - make their musical point quickly. That said, Johnson needs to become less self-indulgent and let Forest Fire's other two players shine a bit more. Right now, Johnson's brother Nick (drums) and Shane Verwey (bass) seem to be merely straight men for Evan's blistering prowess. I think they've got much more potential than that.
Also worth noting is that Forest Fire is one of the youngest bands ever to perform on the Mountain Dew Rock Stage at Milwaukee's renowned Summerfest. In the great Midwest, that's a very big deal.
Track Listing:
1) Lighter Fluid
2) Dolphinsanity
3) Stompede
4) Trademark
5) Flight of the Bluejay
6) Cloud Canyon
7) East Wes
8) Driftin' Blues
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