Impulse: The 70’s Power Trio That Wasn’t : Music Review

Impulse: The 70’s Power Trio That Wasn’t | Music Review

IMPULSE: “The Greatest Band Never to Make It Out of Mom’s Basement”–Ditch Magazine

This classic quintessential southern power trio featured the guitar chord ferocity Benny Hopkins & vocals, and brothers Kenny “Stink Hand” Suggs on the drums and Doug “Thug” Suggs on bass.

Mostly  re-known for power ballads and 27 minute rock operas lamenting the working class struggles of after-school laboring for the Sugg brother’s dad’s lawn care service,  Impulse looked deep inside to confront their inner demons face-to-face on the 1977 double EP “Paneling & Shag” — a tribute to where the boys spent days and nights crafting their trade while playing Pong– in the basement bedroom/laundry room/family room of Benny’s family’s modest ranch home.

Such notable songs emerged from the annals of this dark period including “Quick! Hide the Weed, She’s Coming Down To Do Laundry!”,  “Quick, Hide The Beers I Think My Sister’s Home!”, “Pong Bong Heroes” and “Seriously, I Gotta Go Up & Unload the Dishwasher Now!” But no song defined Impulse’s contribution to this momentous era in rock history than the stirring ballad, “Dude! You Broke a Ceiling Tile! My Dad’s Gonna Kill Me!” Who could ever forget such a stirring, self-effacing chorus that united a generation?  It’s still a hook that creeps into my conscious and every once in a while…

“Dude you broke a ceiling tile! My dad’s gonna kill me!
The hell ya didn’t! What the fuck?
Why would you throw my mom’s hummel in the air like that?
It’s not funny! Yeah,  like you’ve got the five bucks to replace it!
Hell, yea he’ll notice the duct tape!
Shit,  you broke a ceiling tile! My dad’s gonna kill me now!
Yea, yea, he’s gonna kill me know”

Unfortunately, in the days following, the boys of Impulse struggled to recapture the creative magic of “Paneling & Shag” and soon succumbed to pressure. Shortly after their homemade cassette tapes hit the sales counter of the Sugg brother’s uncle’s carpeting & tile store, infighting ensued over “mustache rights” and who “could grow the thickest.” That… and Donnie’s family moved to a new residence… one without a basement. Sadly, the boys of Impulse formally parted ways two weeks later.