The Split Squad

This is the story of five men who’ve been there and done that – from the Bowery to the Arctic

Circle, from countless dive bars to one of the landmarks of baseball – and when they had done

it all, well, they went out and did it again. And again after that. And when they finally stopped

to catch their breaths, they saw each other and said let’s get together ... and do it again!

The Split Squad, founded in 2011, is one of the finest all-star teams you might never have heard

before. They don’t get together too often, as, hey, they have these other gigs, too. But when

they do unite, watch out! Five fingers of a closed fist.

Now they’re back with Another Cinderella, their first full-length album since their 2013 debut,

Now Hear This... (In between was 2018’s The Showstopper EP, which spawned an Underground

Garage Coolest Song in the World, “Stop Me (If You’ve Heard This One Before)”.) This

generation of Cinderella Men can take a punch and give one back that’s just as hard, if not

harder. And they skillfully mix up a variety of punches. They come to the center of the ring in a

hurry and a flurry of relentless power-pop beats (“Hey DJ,” “Another Cinderella” and “Sinking

Ship”), rope-a-dope with some deep-fried blues (“Palpitation Blues”), counter with psychedelia

(“Taxi Cab” and “Bigger Than Heroin”), then unload a romper-stomper (“Invisible Lightning”),

assault you with a combo of late-‘60s-style soulful rock (“Showstopper” and “Trying to Get Back

to My Baby”), a jab of ‘70s hard rock (“Not My Monkeys”), set you up with a gentle ballad (“As

Bright as You Are”) before catching you and sending you to the canvas with a full-on uppercut

to the jaw (“Hey (Soul) DJ”). A TKO.

So who are these bare-knuckled stars of the musical ring, anyway? Let’s go to their corner:

Keith Streng: One of the four handsomest guys in rock’n’roll, an uncrowned king of pop and

soul, Keith and his glitter boots have trod on stages all over the globe the past four and a half

decades as the guitarist and co-founder of one of the most enduring bands of all, The

Fleshtones. These days, he also can be found recording with other acts, from Radio Birdman

legend Deniz Tek to Swedish garage fiends Stupidity, Strengsbrew, and The Master Plan.

Clem Burke: The band’s resident legend. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer, and Blondie

founding member, is still bashing away with the same passion, fury and timing he’s had since

before he first walked into a Blondie rehearsal session. Constantly moving and always playing,

Clem is still highly in demand as a session musician, having worked in the past with Pete

Townshend, Bob Dylan, The Eurythmics, and more recently with The Tearaways, The Rockats,

and Echo & The Bunnymen.

Michael Giblin: Working from his laboratory deep in the center of Pennsylvania, Mr. Giblin, the

well-dressed bass player, singer, keyboardist, producer and connoisseur of fine cuisine, is the

glue that keeps the band together and the fuel that keeps it moving ahead. A member of ‘90s

power-popsters Cherry Twister, he assembled The Split Squad after his current band, Parallax

Project, encountered the other band members on various tours and recording projects. He also

has a pretty extensive career as a sideman bassist, having recorded and/or performed with The

Minus 5, Dan Kibler, Peter Buck, John Wesley Harding, and many others. Michael has also

recently seen his stock rise as a producer and engineer, having his hand on new releases from

The Fleshtones, Dan Kibler, The Cynz, and Stupidity.

Kurt Bloch: Long regarded as one of the secret architects of the Seattle music scene from his

days in The Fastbacks (cited as a big influence by no less than Kurt Cobain), Kurt has gone on to

leave his mark on the music of The Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5, Alejandro Escovedo, The

Filthy Friends, and countless others. A highwire act of the first order on guitar, Kurt’s unique

blend of precision and chaos, as well as his keen ears as an engineer and producer, have made

him one of the most revered figures of the American Underground.

Josh Kantor: How many people in the biz can say they played with four Rock and Roll Hall-of-

Famers (Clem, Peter Buck and Mike Mills of R.E.M. and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin) and at

least one future Baseball Hall-of-Famer (and maybe more)? When not playing with The Split

Squad or The Baseball Project, Josh is the longtime organist extraordinaire for the Red Sox. Yes,

those Red Sox, the ones up in Boston. From his perch at Fenway, Josh dishes out arguably the

wildest array of songs in the history of the game, many by request, and has been on board for

three World Series titles.

If that’s not enough of a punch, Another Cinderella also features an all-star cast of guests,

including Eddie Munoz (The Plimsouls) Jason Victor (The Dream Syndicate), Brian Hurd (Daddy

Long Legs), David Minehan (The Neighborhoods/Aerosmith/The Replacements), Scott

McCaughey (R.E.M./The Baseball Project/The Young Fresh Fellows), Joe Adragna (The Junior

League) and violinist Deni Bonet. Because they know a hit when they see or hear it.