Spider Rockets

Bar rock from New Jersey isn't always the most appealing prospect, but Spider Rockets do the "sleazy rock with seductive woman vocals" thing well enough. Tunes like "Twilight Zone" are undeniably fun, in that Bang Tango/Salty Dog kind of way, while the band show their chops elsewhere: "Break" features the best Slash guitar solo this side of, well, Slash. Too bad about the "moody, serious" fare, as songs like "Nothing Left" are just such a downer to listen to, all post-grunge and closing the bar down, and everyone's lonely and miserable after all, and who really enjoys songs that sound like this? But then album closer "Bring Me Around" gets the party started again with lively guitar work ― rock is alive, rock is well. Close call. With Slash putting out consistently good rock of this variety these days, it's good to know there are some groups out there of opening-band quality to get those awesome shows started right.