MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP: Everybody’s Got One Oct 17, 2007 By Eric Davidson

Available photos of this Bowling Green, Ohio combo imply that their costume budget only allows for gas station shades. Or maybe it proves they’re only half-kidding with the rock star ‘tude that permeates every riff and shout on this self-released debut. There’re no devil horns, acid-washed jeans or whatever else them big-city irony-metalers are sporting for these dudes. Because when you reside in a small college town near enough to Toledo to know boredom is no joke, and if you’re close enough to Cleveland to have a scholar’s knowledge of classic rock deep in your genes, the need to mock what you supposedly love seems a waste of time. Hence, the Matt Truman Ego Trip wastes no time in getting down to the decadent rocking. Yalping out a fist-shove singalong chorus like “The record company buys my cocaine,” ignores (humorously glorifies?) the fact that record companies can’t afford much more than covering lunch at Subway these days. It’s the rhythm of the words, the kicking of the riffs and the delight of the crowd that seems to most interest this fivesome. Speedy arena jumpers (“Ruin,” “Ohio”) are total cheap tricks. “Toni Wants To Fight” is Kiss-ed bumble boogie, that meager costume budget be damned. And their expected if still solid Stones-y slow-downs (“Chrissie”) and dredged up titular declaration of, “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up,” are only as cheeky as, say, Redd Kross—which is pretty cheeky, like ass cheeks shaking and face cheeks getting red from all the shits ‘n’ giggles.

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