Artist description …LAND OF THE EL CAMINOS were the guys in high school who listened to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, who could air guitar every solo on Ride The Lightning with frightening accuracy, and who saved all of their money they got from cutting the neighbors’ lawns to buy the used Silvertone Les Paul copy at the local music store. Then, they went to college and discovered the Pixies and, suddenly, their whole outlook changed. Their guitar sound is the bombast of their youthful heroes crammed with the clever melodicism of their college rock heroes…

Music Style Hook-laden noise rock

Musical Influences Smoking bongs, Husker Du, Priest, Old Dino Jr, Maiden, Slayer, Archers of Loaf, Built to Spill

Similar Artists A. C.

Artist History Imagine a closed 2-car garage in the Chicago suburbs with the muffled sounds of half-learned Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs trying to escape through the walls amid the stench of Old Style beer. High school juniors Dan Fanelli and Ken Wallin sweat furiously hoping to get a few more riffs in before the jerk of a neighbor down the street comes and shuts them down. Soon enough the fall of ’88 would roll around and the kids would go away to different colleges. The music would end…for now.In early 1996 Wallin moved back to Chicago and the boys knew it was time to resurrect the dead. But this time it was going to be more than high school rock dreams. This time it would be for keeps, but what about a name? Land of the El Caminos, of course. This was the fictional album title and realm that Fanelli and Wallin invented in a drunken stupor one morning in Wisconsin. Little did they know that several years and thousands of beers later that this mythical concept would become a reality. They began working off of the 4-track demos that Fanelli had been writing for the 2 years or so that he had been back from school…waiting. Soon after they started playing shows in Chicago as a 2-piece and looking for the right bass player. The answer finally came on Halloween of 1996 in the form of a newly relocated punk rocker from Southern Cal. named Aaron Cleall. Aaron fit in perfectly: he could play, he liked to booze, and he shared Ken and Dan’s love of punk rock, old school metal and 80’s new wave. The wheels were in motion.By the time Cleall was fully worked into the line-up, the boys started getting ready to record their first full-length record, LOTEC. This 1998 release contained the gems, “White Noise”, “Swim” and “Dreamer”, and immediately set the stage for things to come. Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times raved, “Dan Fanelli has the sort of throat that speaks of countless cigarettes and beers consumed,” while Chicago’s Q101 and WXRT featured the release on their local showcases.When the summer of 1999 came, they had their second full-length Doll Face mastered and ready to press. Doll Face found the band delving even deeper into their formula of melodic angst-ridden pop. Songs like “Mech Man” and “Upside Down” and “Idiot” are perfect examples of the hook-laden noise rock that defines Land of the El Caminos’ sound. The production, the songwriting, the hooks; they were all there. The incessant gigging and touring was earning them a reputation as one of Chicago’s most exciting live bands. They played with such bands as Royal Trux, Verbena, Queens of the Stone Age and Local H to name a few. And finally, in March of 2000, Doll Face found its way onto the CMJ Top 200 charts and was charting on over 80 college radio stations.Soon after charting on CMJ, Land of the El Caminos were approached by local indie label, Veronica Records, and were offered a distribution deal. The boys formed their own imprint, Boojm Records, and re-packaged and re-issued Doll Face, now with full distribution. 2001 finds Land of the El Caminos working harder than ever and their reputation as the leader of the Chicago rock pack continues to grow. They just finished their third record, tentatively called Subourbon, and are currently putting the final touches on the recording which will be released by a label un-named as of yet. It is their strongest work to date. Keep your ears open and catch them on their 2001 east coast tour!

Group Members Dan Fanelli - guitar and vocals Aaron Cleall - bass Ken Wallin - drums and vocals

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Drums

Albums LOTEC, Doll Face, Subourbon

Press Reviews …Doll Face is the rock music you wish you had when you didn’t know that you wanted it. It’s the missing link between the long nights of hanging out uselessly on a Thursday night with your white trash friends in a smoke filled basement watching Get Smart reruns silently to a sound track of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath…Mike Wilshin, Cageliner, Dallas, TX …The punky power trio has a vibe that indicates a familiarity with early Nirvana, earlier Husker Du, and the snottiest Replacements albums. But the El Caminos know that Steve Albini is lurking around in a shadowy corner somewhere in the Windiest of Cities, so they peel away some of the civility of their influences, and throw in flecks of Big Black and the Fall and early Gang of Four. One of the unique aspects of the El Caminos is that women word about half of the songs on Doll Face. A fascinating twist in a testosterone-fueled genre…Brian Baker, Chin Music, OH…On vocals, Dan Fanelli sounds like an early Trevor Keith (Face To Face) with a sore throat holding a knack for both lead and rhythm guitar, while playing perfect complement to Aaron Cleall's tremendous bass fills. Drummer Ken Wallin is at all times powerful as he shows in Ira Elliott (The Fuzztones)-meets-Dave Grohl (circa Nevermind) mode…Darren "Hollywood" Paltrowitz, Under the Volcano, NY3 guys, a garage, a case of beers, and a love for raunchy rock ‘n’ roll…Donofthedead, Flipside, Pasadena, CA …out of nowhere, this band, Land of the El Caminos, climbs on stage and proceeds to knock me out of my chair with a ragged glory that made me remember why I go see bands in the first damn place…I’m happy to report that all their hooks, heart and intensity are captured on Doll Face, their self-released CD. I don’t claim to understand why the same three chords can be listless and worthless in the hands of a lesser band and gospel when wielded by the likes of these cats; I just enjoy the result. There’s not much else to be said, because you like the rock or you don’t. If you do, Land of the El Caminos is your new favorite band…Keith Bergman, Toledoentertainment.com…Their tight, organized chaos is bound by a classic wall of guitars, drums and bass, but each musician still packs his own individual punches. Land of the El Caminos are for jumping around soaked in beer and living out your glory days. Faster, Land of the El Caminos! Kill! Kill!…Lisa Phillips, Chicago Metromix… they are loud, from Chicago and singer Dan Fanelli will be in need of Vicks Vapor Rub for a sore throat by the end of the CD. Thick, heavy rock and punk stuff with the sensibilities of female written lyrics in over half the songs. What they do to the Cure’s “Let’s go to Bed” has to be heard to believed. It sounds like several large beer soaked men inviting strippers of their dreams back to their back to the trailer for more flying flannel. The funny thing is that with this version at least the lyrics are intelligible…Laurie Green, Juice, Venice, CA …in a tradition that stretches from Cheap Trick to the Replacements…Dan Fanelli has the sort of throat that speaks of countless cigarettes and beers consumed, while the rhythm section keeps him running. On their second self-released long-player, Dan Fanelli and his two bandmates continue to lead the (Harley) pack as prime local progenitors of stoner rock--loud, overdriven, fuzz-crazed, and thundering like the cool muscle car their name evokes, sans muffler…Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times …the copy we received from this 3 man Chicago band was so raw the album title was hand written on the CD. The sound is pretty raw too, which is just the way we like it. Raw grating vocals (how does he sing like that?) shouted over raw distorted guitars at a tempo that will leave your ears raw…anyway, very fun punk-garage-rawk…Undergroundradio 3WK, Internet Radio …traditional, powerful Chicago sound…crunchy guitars in the vein of such local heroes as the Effigies, Naked Raygun…there’s a definite power-punk feel here as in days of yore…the vocals are more like an East Bay pop-punk band, all gruff and everything like those old Gilman St. bands …thumbs up…Paul Silver, Jersey Beat, NJ …Traditional, power-pop-punk is what you get when you pop in Doll Face, the second disc by Chicago's Land Of The El Caminos. The disc's liner notes state that the band "drinks Old Style," which is actually kind of a good way to describe the band. Some good ol' street-level, down-to-business rock 'n' roll for folks who just don't want to hear shit from you smart-ass journalist types…Matt Sonzala, Illinois Entertainer …Land of the El Caminos is in a hurry to make some noise. They are not afraid to use the F word. They do not observe the speed limit. They speak ill of the dead. They dine on unhealthy food while plotting their own demise. Choose whatever cliché you want, this band is wide open, all about how much damage can be done with guitar bass and drums. The song topics are expectedly hopeless and angry, speaking of things left out, sharing that lack with us interspersed with ripping chords. This is music to vent by, with no hope of passive listening…Glenn Stewart, Instant Magazine, Boston …Amidst a world of overproduced and overhyped punk bands, it seems so hard to find a down-to-earth, gritty, dirty, hard-rocking garage-style punk band. Not that "LOTEC" are, strictly-speaking, a punk band--to me, they sound like they've been learning a few tricks from the emo and metal crowds--but they have all the energy and roughness that makes punk rock so great…RamenBoy, dmusic.com

Location Chicago, Il - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).