Photo Credit: Paul Geortzen
Vancouver-based songwriter C.C. Voltage has just announced the release of his newest single “Berliner Pilsner” b/w “Bummer Party” with this exclusive premiere at The Big Takeover. The single releases February 6th on Ausländer Music and on 7-inch vinyl via Spain’s Snap Records. The new single follows Voltage’s tradition of crafting sing-along pop anthems with garage-rock-grit. Voltage’s roots in the North American and European underground rock scenes informs the stripped down recording style on the recording. With redlined drums, roomy guitars and hot vocals, the single calls to mind Voltage’s influences: Sweet, Cheap Trick, The MC5, Bad Nerves and Wine Lips.
Regarding the theme of the new single, Voltage explained, “While I was living in Berlin my favorite beer company, Berliner Pilsner, had a song writing competition. I wrote the tune in full 80’s beer commercial style, thinking that it’d be a shoo-in with the judges. I’m not sure if it was the crappy demo I submitted, or the fact that they were looking for German lyrics, but I didn’t even get a response on my submission. Rich Jones and I revamped the song, made it rock a little harder and enlisted some pals to make it more interesting. We still love Berliner Pilsner beer, even if they don’t like the song.” Cutting through both singles’ lyrical content is Voltage’s tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Berliner Pilsner takes the listener on a silly beer-soaked boat voyage, while Bummer Party references an elusive party that, when ultimately found, is (as the lyrics describe) “lame”.
It wasn’t until he began a pandemic-motivated cleaning of his hard drive that Voltage revisited a batch of Berlin-era songs and decided to finally complete them. On this new release he is accompanied by an international cast of friends: Jason Solyom (La Chinga, Nasty On), Jay Millette (The Black Halos, Darlings of Chelsea), Rich Jones (Michael Monroe, The Black Halos, The Dogs D’Amour, The Loyalties, The Yo-Yo’s), Graham Tuson (The Spitfires) Marcel Lafleur (Arson, Smashed Gladys) and James Sullivan (More Kicks, Suspect Parts).
C.C. Voltage’s career spans decades in the international music industry. Best known for his time spent in Vancouver’s Spitfires and the Black Halos, he was also a member of The Awesome Dudes in Cologne, Germany, The Loyalties in London, England, and The Dysnea Boys in Berlin, Germany. More recently he founded the new wave group Autogramm, consisting of members of Black Mountain, Night Court and The Catheters. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as C.C. Voltage gets ready to share more music and a Jack and Coke with the world!
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