MOD EV – XTC CD Review
Article by Distortion David Kupczak
What I am presenting to you is a long overdue review of MOD EV’s CD, XTC.
There are a thousand stories, reasons and excuses for why this has taken such a long time to get this written but rather than bore you with my personal problems let’s dive right in to the nitty gritty of what this reviewer has discovered over the months of carefully analyzing the fine Hard Rock/Heavy Metal group known as MOD EV, shall we?

This album is certainly not for the Britney Spears crowd. I witnessed them on several occasions and they tore up the stage at Freedom Hill for the “Harleyfest” musical marathon and needless to say I was quite impressed. Once again, in a genre that seems to be dominated by males who dress like women MOD EV have what it takes to compete in this particular category. Tonya can growl as well as anyone and within the same sentence come back with a sweet, sexy whisper that just plain melts my heart. And then there’s Eva, their sole guitarist who plays so well that it makes me wonder how she got so good!

With R.J. holding down the bass bottom and Rockin’ Dave on these canons that he calls drums what we have is a very professional Rock Band. Why they’re not signed to a major label is beyond me but here’s my two cents: Record labels are the same species that suck the bottom of my aquarium clean so if a band is ready to sign with a major label prepare to bend over and compromise your art form. “Behind the Music” didn’t need to inform me of all the bad deals that bands have had to contend with over the last four decades, I’ve learned this watching my friends in the business get the shaft and it ain’t pretty!

Enough of my preaching; let the music do the talkin’!

First cut: In Your Misery. Stone Temple Pilots with a killer female vocalist. I mean no disrespect when comparing this tune to the Pilots, it’s just plain that heavy, and that’s a good thing! Tonya goes right for the throat and sings this with honesty that I haven’t heard since I was a teenager. I still believe Rock music can save the planet but refuse to listen to radio since play lists have corrupted it. Payola still exists my friends; it’s just morphed into a different form. Speaking of “In Your Misery”, Eva can give nearly any guitarist a run for their money. She can blast along with the best of them without a doubt.

A powerful song indeed! Always a good idea to begin your record with a strong tune. Second cut: Dick. Another good idea is to follow that first great song with an equally powerful song and that is exactly what MOD EV had chosen to do! “Dick” is in your face from the get go. Metal/Hard Rock with a Punk attitude, which immediately sucks you in for one hell of a ride. This band definitely has something to say; they’re as tired of all the deceit and lies and plan on sticking to their guns and playing on their own terms! Thank God for integrity. I don’t imagine they’ll be “selling out” musically anytime soon. Ah, just like a breath of fresh air. MOD EV is short for Modern Evolution and I envision them going far with their music because it is progressive and a definite slap in the face to all those “let’s jump on the bandwagon” acts that regurgitate the same old flavor of the week garbage just so they can make some cash and get in line for corporate sponsorship.
Pepsi, anyone?
Third cut: April 20th. I admire them for being politically conscience and tackling a bleak subject matter such as the Columbine slayings. I am the proud father of a wonderful eight-year-old son and would be horrified if this happened at Dan’s school. The subject matter makes me want to vomit at the thought of the state of the world today and the band is correct in pointing attention to this atrocity. Unfortunately I choose not to tune in to the “disaster de jour”. When I have my morning coffee the last thing I want to hear is about the body of “fill in the blank” being discovered in the trunk of a car or in the streets of Detroit or ANYWHERE for that matter. Whatever happened to love thy neighbor?

Great song but I, although happily divorced, still believe in family values and I know that is the point they are trying to put across. The lyric states “tell me how we can love again” and they are so on the money with just that simple statement. I have a strong stomache but despise violence and would rather not hear about it. Coward? Au Contraire!

I’ve seen enough violence in my life, thank you very much.

Fourth cut: Everything. This song (no pun intended) has everything! Splendid vocals, great hooks, killer rhythm section, excellent guitar work, not to mention first-rate background vocals. This is truly a case of ensemble playing with well thought-out arrangements! This song is quite possibly the radio-ready single that can push MOD EV to the next logical plateau, which would be radio airplay, and deservedly so. By my statement that this song should be on the air in no way translates to “this belongs in the same realm as all the drivel we are being force-fed these days”. If it sounds good then it IS good has been my rule of thumb, regardless of demographics or genres!

Fifth cut: I’ll Try. This song is the closest thing to a ballad on the entire CD. My mind sort of draws a blank. I think that male or female we all want the same things, love, reassurance and someone to share your happiness with. Personally, I just want someone to kiss me on my head and tell me everything’s alright. (Apologies to the Black Crowes’ song “Virtue and Vice”). I’ll Try seems to be sending the age-old message of trust and respect and I tip my ‘do rag to the band for perhaps being sentimental fools such as I.

Sixth cut: He Said. Whoever is responsible for the lyrics to “He Said” was tricked by the sort of guy (not a real man) who lied, used and manipulated her until he had his way with her and promptly threw her to the dumpster. Just when you think you’ve found your Mr. Right you’ve slowly realized that you’ve been duped. What a nice guy! I love the line that he used: “I won’t hurt you”. We’ll see you in hell except I won’t be there to greet you or save you a seat. Unfortunately a majority of my gender treats women this way.

Now that I’ve gotten carried away I should mention that this is a killer song and reminds me of STP’s “Vasoline” just a bit. Very heavy, just the way I like it!

Seventh cut: I’ll Probably Do It Again. Now here is the flipside to the previous track. It seems that the woman in this instance has cheated on her man and admits that she’s sorry, it happened in a moment of weakness, wants forgiveness, admits she really made a mess this time but also says that she’s only human and would probably do it again. This finds me in a peculiar situation since I just chastised the jerk involved in “He Said”. Look, if ya gotta cheat on your lover you should probably stay single so you can have a hot romance with no guilt involved…. like with me for example! No disrespect intended, incidentally.

Eighth cut: Heaven Sent. This poor gal has had her heart ripped out more than once, as the lyrics will show you, however this is an uplifting song of hope, faith, having given up and struck by lightning. This is the kind of love I’ve always gone for. It seems that the lyricist and I have something in common: I refuse to settle for second best or Ms. Right Now. We’re all in search of the perfect soul mate. I don’t know about you but I’m standing my ground and sticking to my guns for the one that the angels seemingly put in my path at just the right time. Drugs, alcohol, driving down the freeway at 120 miles an hour, I’ve found no better high than falling in love again. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, in sickness or in health, for better or for worse!

There are four more songs on this CD, number nine being “And Then”. Track ten is (surprise!) “Mr. Right”. Each of these are good tunes but since I seem to write such long reviews I thought it best to let our readers who by the way must purchase a copy or two of this CD and decide for themselves if my perspective of this work of art is right on the money or just another opinion coming from some hack who has no business in the field of Rock-n Roll journalism. In closing I would like to mention that track eleven, “Sugar” is another gem amongst the wealth of greatness on this project and to my surprise, the closer, “One Night” is a bluesy number which caught me off guard in the best possible sense. It does all the right things by leaving me wanting more from this incredible band!


This will surely not be the last we hear from MOD EV and has found a happy home in my collection of outstanding audio that will be played again and again, until the day that I die. This is not meant to be a morbid statement since my son Daniel D. loves hearing their music and will probably be overheard bragging to his friends how much his dad has turned him on to the best music that can be found out in that “underground” realm that his proud papa lives in and thrives for. A sincere thank you to R.J., Dave, T and Eva for keeping the torch lit for people like myself who are not easily impressed. God Bless You!

“Distortion” David Kupczak, Keeping the Faith!