Posted on 05/25/2004 7:54:51 PM PDT by morphine
Review: New Poker Face album politically, musically stunning Andrew Griffin / Staff Reporter Posted on May 16, 2004 Where to begin? After listening to the latest album by the Allentown, Pa.-based rock band Poker Face, I was a bit stunned and encouraged by what I heard.
Not just because it is so good musically, but because of the political and spiritual messages offered on "Made in America" are unlike anything going on in the rock world today. This is their follow-up to 2000's hard-hitting "Sex, Lies and Politiks" which featured the hit "Illuminati."
These are songs addressing faith and freedom while also exposing political corruption and the increasing loss of our civil liberties.
I have to say that I liked Poker Face from the first guitar chord and the first snap of a snare.
"Kontrol," the powerful opening track, is about fighting a system that ultimately wants to enslave the people.
"Satellites in the sky / broadcasting lies to billions of people / cameras on the streets, tracking who we meet / you call this liberty?"
Poker Face has managed to offer the listening masses a record chock full of straightforward rock that reminded me a little bit of the more melodic material by 90s-era grunge band Alice in Chains.
In fact, lead singer Paul Topete reminded me vocally a little bit of late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley.
This libertarian four piece - Topete, Dennis Beidler, Brett Griffiths and Rich Valentin - have been performing for over a decade and are committed to freedom and our Constitutional form of government.
But what's more amazing about this band are the political and spiritual beliefs they incorporate in their music. They address issues that few bands (or corporate media outlets) are willing to address. It's no wonder that they have gained the nickname "America's House Band."
On the anthemic "Prayer for America" the band not only showcases their love for their country but also shows their knack for recording songs that touch the heart while remaining determined and strong. I should also note that the production value on this album is quite good.
The band knows that there are people who don't want freedom and are eager to turn our Republic into a police state. Exposing the dehumanizing games of the controllers is an issue that Poker Face takes seriously. This is what makes them unique in the world of rock and metal.
The band not only included the lyrics to all their songs but they also cram tons of information - pro-freedom Web sites, art, personal thoughts and other stuff - in the liner notes. The disc also includes interesting interactive material which is a must-see.
Poker Face will be performing at the Libertarian Party convention in Atlanta later this month.
Related Links • http://www.pokerface.com
They played for Free Republic's March for Justice a few years ago.
Oh yes. They played at several FR events. Very good band although I disagree with much of their politics. It's great music, even in Spanish. They are incredibly talented.
Yes, I have heard of them. They are a bunch of antisemitic jerks. They also think the WTO protesters are on the right side. They may be patriotic, but they are scum.
AntiSemitism seems to be a term that is freely bantered about today. And has begun to have lost its meaning. Today it seems it is more one whom the jews hate more then what it was of one who hates jews...
Case in point Mel Gibson and The Passion... I saw the film... didnt see any anti-semitism in it. Last thin g I wanted to do coming out of the movie was to kill or hurt anyone. It seemed that all the Anti-semitism hullabaloo was directed at Mel so the movies main tenement of Christs sacrifice put to the gory details of what that supreme sacrifice was about is what I felt TPTB didnt want the masses to get. Empathy for 'The Christ'...
When I read these kids lyrics I see love of God, and country... pro-America Firster values... Check out their songs"Id Rather Die then Be your Slave' or "America'
As for the scum comment... do you know them personally, or are you bias by nature.
And lastly, you think the job robbing, production moving, job outsourcing crappy WTO/Free Trade/NAFTA is a good thing??? Are you serious man. Look at the jobs being lost by the millions... Maybe the kids arent so wrong on this one, and you need to have a little clue.
m69
Shouldn't you be over at CTU torturing somebody?
Pokerface is NOT anti-Semetic...you've been brainwashed by the MSM, and ADL reports.
Now get back to work and find those damned terrorists!
The thought police are now turning into the music police, if a recent incident at Rutgers University in New Jersey is any indication.
One of America’s brightest young entertainers was recently barred from performing on the Rutgers campus, not because of any “controversial” lyrics in his music, but simply because his Internet web site contained political commentary that some people deemed to be “offensive.”
Paul Topete and his rock band, Poker Face, have been entertaining audiences—young and old and of all races and creeds—at concerts and gatherings up and down the East Coast for over a decade.
But Topete and the band have also carved out a particular niche in what has been called the “patriotic” movement because there is a distinct pro-freedom slant in the lyrics to some of their songs.
Because of this—plus because the group’s music is just plain great—Poker Face has become well-known for its appearances at patriot gatherings. The Poker Face band members believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and bring a message of peace and liberty in their appearances.
Despite all this, Topete and Poker Face recently came under savage assault from a tiny yet bellicose left-wing pressure group, calling itself the One People’s Party (OPP).
The OPP was determined to keep the band from playing at the state convention of the Libertarian Party of New Jersey, an event being held on the campus at Rutgers University.
In fact, this would have been a repeat performance for Poker Face, which played at last year’s Libertarian convention.
OPP began a loud and aggressive smear campaign, raising a ruckus not because of anything in the music of Poker Face. The group went after Poker Face because its web site featured, among other things, commentary critical of prosecutions of thousands of people in Europe—including internationally-known best-selling historian, David Irving, sentenced to three years in jail in Austria—on thought control measures that level criminal charges and imprisonment upon those found guilty of the ambiguous accusation of “denying the Holocaust.”
Topete—who has both Jewish and Israeli friends who are fully aware of his opposition to laws prohibiting freedom of expression—was accused by the OPP of being “anti-Semitic.” And, perhaps even worse, Topete was accused of being a “Holocaust denier” himself—not because he questioned the Holocaust, but because he dared to defend the right of free speech for those who do.
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