Indie Music Album Reviews

HebbaJebba - Number 2

10/25/2024

HebbaJebba

Number 2
self-released; 2024

By Dino DiMuro

HebbaJebba is an amusingly-named rock group from Minneapolis who call themselves “The best high school band, though not while in high school. Not even now. But that’s a goal!” Both the band’s photo and influences point to a group of players way beyond high school, but the music feels young, energetic and light on its feet. Their newest album is called Number 2.

Before I knew anything about the group, I clicked on a 2021 Bandcamp track called “It’s Not You” and immediately thought of Tom Petty and “Won’t Back Down.” Turns out I was right on the money. Ted Hajnasiewicz (songwriter/guitars/vocals) loves Petty, Jeff Tweedy and Willie Nelson. Mark Ganje (“the good guitars”) has been influenced by Queensryche, Randy Rhoads and Derek Trucks. Tom Carlon (bass/vocals) and Paul Gordhamer (drums/vocals) like “everything from Marty Robins to Japanese pop metal.” Brendan Ober (keys/all the rest) loves John Lennon, U2 and Alice in Chains. Hajnasiewicz says: “We just try to honor our heroes, and write as honestly as we can. Rock and Roll is the best way to say it.”

As the opening track, “Rock and Roll Band” has both a title and a sound that points back to HebbaJebba’s forefathers. Though Hajnasiewicz is careful to credit Mark Ganje with playing “the good guitars,” in actual practice the band’s sound consistently features at least a couple axes playing interlocked riffs or bouncing chord variations off each other, along with a solid tube-amp tone. This is a two-minute rocker that acts as a kind of “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees” curtain raiser. In “Swagger” the guitars have an Eagles-like shimmer while Hajnasiewicz does his best Tom Petty (Ober’s Heartbreaker keyboards help, too). Most of the band members are also credited with vocals and I assume the nice harmonies come from them. Ganje takes a short but note-perfect guitar solo.

For anyone who has trouble keeping an electric guitar in tune, “(PF)” has lovely strummed chords that will make you cry with jealousy. The big sustained guitar slashes join in right alongside, building a glittering edifice of rock magnificence over which Hajnasiewicz effortlessly sings. True rock majesty! “Down To The Wire” fully embraces riff rock from the Zeppelin-Bad Company school. It’s amazing that with all the power of the band, Hajnasiewicz has no trouble singing along and being heard. “It’s Fine” is a power ballad with a neat Reggae middle section and some incredible bass tracking, plus more group vocal harmonies.

I was hoping “I’m A Weed” was written by guitarist Mark Ganje (Ganja. Get it?). At any rate this one harkens way back to the riffs and sound of “So You Want to Be a Rock ’N Roll Star” but filtered through Blue Oyster Cult and played about 100 times heavier. “What Do You Want Me To Say?” has a Black Oak Arkansas swagger, featuring cool rooster-like guitars clucking away. “Wings Of A Dove” sounds like the title to a Bette Midler song, but is instead a sweet lament featuring achingly beautiful guitar chords and melodies with a mostly single-note vocal line by Mr. Hajnasiewicz. One of my very favorites. “Change My Heart” is the almost eight-minute epic conclusion, started with environmental sounds and leaning on acoustic guitars and lush vocal harmonies. I mean no disrespect by pointing out a similarity to the songwriting style of Neil Diamond, especially in the choruses. A quite interesting and lovely finish.

In all honesty this kind of straight-ahead rock is not my usual jam, which just shows how diverse and awesome every one of these ten songs are, along with absolutely stellar recording quality. I couldn’t get enough. Totally recommended!