RICHARD REIDEL and the CCQs

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CCQs In The News


PROFILE:  RICHARD REIDEL & the CCQs
Humphrey Mbuga, Philadelphia Observer

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- High above the Hudson River … deep in the bowels of the earth beneath Washington Hall … the CCQs are tuning up their guitars.

On a cold, overcast day in late November, I made my way to the storied institution to interview Richard Reidel & the CCQs.  I had received a brief, cryptic e-mail containing directions to their secret rehearsal space, far below the enormous building which serves as the Cadet Mess Hall.  Everything appeared gray:  the sky, the uniforms of cadets darting here and there, and even the stones which seem to comprise every building in this historic place.  I wended my through the barracks area -- forbidden to most visitors -- along back roads, stairways, and obscure passages.  Down I went until I encountered a dank passage which housed the steam tunnels.  A faint noise reached my ears, which sounded like the muted strumming of power chords, worlds away.  I was in the right place.

Following the steam tunnels for fifty yards or so, I came to a clearing which was faintly lit by a dim, lonely light bulb.  Two West Point cadets, dressed in casual blue uniforms which I came to learn was "As For Class", were sitting on makeshift seats, guitars strapped over their shoulders.  Suddenly one looked up and spied me.

"Halt!  Advance and be recognized."

For a moment, the thought crossed my mind:  "What the hell was I doing there?"  But I approached slowly and cautiously until I stood about fifteen feet away.  "Halt!", again.  "Who are you?" 

"Humphrey Mbuga of the Philadelphia Observer," I managed to stammer.  "I'm looking for Richard Reidel and the CCQs?"

"He's cool," said the other. 

"Sorry," said the first.  "Can't be too sure.  You never know, with music pirates and stuff."

And so, with the ice finally broken, I got to know Richard Reidel and the CCQs.  Or at least the CCQs.

"There are only two of you,"  I observed.  "Is one of you Richard Reidel?"

"Nah, he couldn't make it," replied one.  "He's on room con right now.  He's real sorry, though."

Room Con?

"Room confinement," they explained.  "The TAC caught him in the rack during SAMI, and they gave him room con for the weekend."

Oh.

"Nice day for rehearsal," one said while taking a sip from what appeared to be a canteen. 

"Better than walking the area," said the other.

Richard Reidel & the CCQs play a rough, meaty rock and roll with hints of the Ramones, Beatles, Green Day, Kinks, Cars, Offspring, and early Rockabilly heroes such as the Stray Cats and Joe Ely.  Guitars forward, thick bass and pounding drums.  Vocals which are alternately earnest and sneering.  Songs about the West Point experience which love it with one hand and smack it with the other.

"Wanna hear something?" one asks.  And without so much as a count-in, they launch into the deafening chords which open "Liaison Lady", one of their flagship songs.  The blast nearly knocks me over.  The air fills with their unique sound, and I'm captivated by the gut-crunching vocal with the hysterically tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

There's nothing tongue-in-cheek about the CCQs, though.  They are dead serious about their music.  When I mentioned how funny their lyrics are, they looked at me as if I had two heads.  "Funny?  We never thought of them as 'funny'.  We just write about stuff that's relevant.  You know.  Boodle.  Rack.  PMI.  That kind of stuff."

Okay.

I asked about Richard Reidel's role in the group.  "He's our leader, man.  He's the guiding force.  Without him, man …"  and the voice trailed off into a wistful, breathy, "poof".

Note that I have not used either of the two CCQs' names in this article.  That's because they would not divulge them.  "It's not important," one posited.  "What's important is the music." 

I asked, "Then what do you call each other?"  They looked at each other, and one eventually replied, "Hey."

Richard Reidel & the CCQs have been playing together for a little less than two years.  "We met during Plebe Parent Weekend", said one.  "Everyone's family was around except mine, so I was just jamming in the latrine.  You get great echo.  And then I look up and there's this other guy standing there" -- points to his partner -- "and he says, 'Want me to show you a B-minor?'  So I says, 'Okay', and after that, we wrote 'Are You Alright', 'Liaison Lady', and 'Tactime', just like that, all at once."

And Richard Reidel?  "Dude, he was there from the beginning.  We both knew him from way back.  He was in the next stall, while we were playing."

Local gigs followed:  Cullum Hall, the First Class Club, the Fourth Regimental Stoops.  "We didn't care," they say.  "Anyplace is good."  Recent appearances outside West Point include Highland Falls, Newburgh, Fort Montgomery, Bear Mountain, and Duluth MN.  Their new live CD, "Are You Alright?", was recorded at the VFW in Poughkeepsie NY.  "Great gig," they exclaimed.  "You gotta love a VFW.  Must have been twenty people there."

When pressed to categorize themselves, the CCQs admit to being "an underground punk group".  "That's why we practice down here," says one.  "If you're an underground group, you gotta be underground."

"Good echo, besides," added the other.

Indeed.

I left the CCQs feeling that this is a band to be reckoned with.  They're hard to define, and they like it that way.  Their story is as tangled as the dark, greasy hair atop their heads, and their identities are as opaque as the thick glasses which shield their eyes.  But their music is direct, crunchy, and as hard-hitting as a pugil stick to the gut (sorry, they gave me that one).  Notwithstanding the dense West Point jargon, their music is not to be missed.

Are you alright?

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RIOT ENSUES AT CCQs CONCERT
Danny Eschenbach, Duluth Herald-Tribune

DULUTH MN -- A riot broke out during last night's concert by Richard Reidel and the CCQs at the Chasm, a popular Duluth nightspot.

Pandemonium erupted after a set by the opening act, The Head Pins, a group from Hibbing.  It was announced that the headlining act, Snake Oil, would not be playing and would be replaced by Richard Reidel and the CCQs.  Immediately after the announcement, chairs flew, bottles were smashed, and fighting took place among the approximately 150 patrons in attendance.  Police were called in, and order was restored in about twenty minutes.  Sixteen people were taken to Duluth Memorial Hospital, treated for minor injuries, and released.

Richard Reidel, the leader of the group, was not present for the concert.  According to reports from the group, he was unavoidably detained back at West Point, assigned to guard duty at Grant Hall.

It is not clear whether the announcement of Reidel's absence was an aggravating factor in the riot.

Richard Reidel and the CCQs are a self-described "underground punk band" from the United States Military Academy at West Point NY.  When asked to comment on the riot, they remarked, "It's okay, man.  If I was missing Snake Oil, I'd probably riot, too.  We're just glad nobody busted an leg or anything."  

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RICHARD REIDEL & THE CCQs ROCK BEAR MOUNTAIN
Caroleen Smith, Fort Montgomery Press

 BEAR MOUNTAIN NY -- The hills came alive with the sound of music last weekend when West Point's Richard Reidel & the CCQs played a special "Beat Navy" concert at the Pavilion in Bear Mountain State Park.

Approximately forty people braved the chill to hear the group play all their recent hits, including "Are You Alright", "Liaison Lady", and "Table Bored". The absence of group leader Richard Reidel did not diminish the enthusiasm of either the group or the crowd during the raucous thirty-minute set. The theatrical highlight of the evening was when both singers stood atop a folding table and drank bottles of A-1 Steak Sauce in full view of the audience.

The band's ear-splitting guitars and howling vocals could be heard as far away as Cold Spring. Scattered complaints were reported by local police departments but no charges will be forthcoming.

The concert was a success on all fronts except for its brevity. When queried about the unusually brief concert, one of the CCQs said, "We'd have played longer, but we had to be back by taps."  

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CCQs Nix Guitar Deal
by Caitlynne Krause, El Paso Daily Sun

All that glitters does not translate into gold, apparently. Richard Reidel & the CCQs, a musical group originating from West Point NY, have reportedly turned down a $20,000 offer to endorse Norma guitars.

Norma, a brand name of electric guitars made by the Romanian firm Banciu Dobrogeanu, is known for its trademark glitter finish and low price. Norma guitars are offered for sale throughout the U.S. and Mexico in convenience stores, supermarkets, and certain "big box" department stores at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The original offer called for a special "Liaison Lady" model featuring the autographs of Richard Reidel & the CCQs, accompanied by print advertisements and a promotional tour during the early spring. Also discussed was a new "Striper" model, mimicking the look of West Point's full dress gray uniform. A suggested slogan, "Put a Norma in your rifle rack", had already been trademarked.

Richard Reidel, the nominal group leader, could not be reached for comment. But his bandmates, the CCQs, said, "We got nothing against Norma guitars. But we don't play them, so we don't think we ought to push them. That would be an honor violation, right? And besides, how would we split $20,000 three ways? You can't do it. Do the math."

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Legal Battle Rages for Academy “Punk” Band
Sheldon Stuart, Mason City Sentinal

 A recent court filing in Sullivan County has challenged a Mexican-based band who allegedly has “ripped off” the songs (and more) from the underground band Richard Reidel and the CCQs.

Two members from the CCQs band were interviewed yesterday on the court steps.  “Dude, they are so busted.  They didn’t even try to change the name.  C’mon…Ricardo Reidel and the Si Si Qs?  That’s so lame!”

In the aforementioned filing, three songs were mentioned (claiming direct copyright infringement).  The first was “Chica Verde” apparently penned by Richard Reidel under the English moniker – supposedly a song about "green girls", which are blankets frequently used by West Point cadets.  Further details about the song’s lyrics were not available at time of press, but the song appears to a nearly note-for-note copy of the CCQs' hit, "Get a Haircut".

The second song mentioned was “Tiempo Para Mi Tac” which bears uncanny resemblance to the current hit climbing the charts “Tac Time”.

The last song, “Tu Bien?”is apparently a clone of “Are You Alright”.

While many details surrounding this case are still unfolding – there was enough of a spectacle on the court steps (where the band took questions from a crowd of over 150 people) that we wanted to bring you this one “Hot Off the Wire”.  Traffic on East Maple Street (in front of the courthouse) was backed up for 45 minutes - while this impromptu press conference occurred – angering many local businesses and residents. 

Group leader and frontman Richard Reidel was not present at the courthouse, due to a conflicting engagement with his Math professor.  "He's got AI," explained his bandmates.  "He can't miss AI, or else he'd get hours."

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