Spring Growth: New albums and local shows kick the season off right

The Z-Boys – Elwood

Here’s (I’m assuming) a Motif exclusive: Elwood, the sophomore album from Newport’s The Z-Boys, hits the streets March 6. They’re a band known for their high-energy performances. With tempos and influences all over the place, it’s like a dump truck careening along the edge of a canyon road. Fans will be pleased that the new album manages to keep much of the mayhem intact.

You may be familiar with the brand of “everything overload” the Newport band pours into the cauldron, throwing in blues rock, surf, Latin, country and more. Distilling a dynamic live band into an album format can be difficult. Studio constraints have the Z-Boys a bit more restrained, but without a lot of production fluff.

“You Lie” is familiar blues rock territory about lying, cheating, etc, and “Don’t Have to Hang Around” is a folk-Mariachi tune mixed with a pleasant country vibe. “Too Slow” is a Steely Dan-like shuffle with a barrage of drum fills, and “Wanna Be Sure” features chunky, arena rock power chords. The downside with the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink method is there’s no real standout track.

Elwood has the expected guitar fireworks present in every song, along with rock solid, tasteful bass playing. The drumming is enthusiastic if not overbearing at times, like Keith Moon on Lite Rock 105.

I think the best times are when they just fuckin’ go for it full bore without bothering with a melody. “The Duel” is a six-and-a-half-minute instrumental opening with a Bohnam-like, thunder-on-the- mountaintop drum solo that builds to a rock ‘n’ Latin flavor. The hard funk of “Stratus” gives us another 6-plus minute rager.

With Elwood, The Z-Boys show that they are unapologetically all in. But to me, it’s still essentially a live experience, so it’s time to get out to a show if you like what you hear.

The Z-Boys will celebrate Elwood’s release at Dusk on Mar 6 along with Tall Teenagers and Jesse the Tree. 9pm. Find Elwood at: thezboys.bandcamp.com

Lazy Magnet — Mahogany

Local music journeyman Jeremy Harris and his Lazy Magnet project is back with the atmospheric Mahogany, being celebrated with a vinyl release show at the Columbus March 10. You may remember his recent shoegaze project from a previous column. His newest effort puts forward his own brand of shadowy jazz standards.

Harris brings a singular, sweeping vision to each project. “Seahorse” and “Shade For” have a haunting quality that surrounds the swaying saxophone, vibraphone and the occasional classy cymbal swirl. But Mahogany goes beyond the low-lighting noir sound. “The Air You Breathe Is” has an appealing synth- pop minimalism with a great vocal performance and hook but repeats at length. “Hopeless Feeling” is a rocking blast of fuzz and guitars. Mahogany isn’t for the faint of heart or short of attention. The album unfolds into something out of a black and white foreign film soundtrack, but the plodding and slow tempos sometimes make it easy to lose focus.

Lazy Magnet is holding the Mahogany vinyl release show upstairs at the Columbus Theater on Mar 14 with Clay Camero. 9pm. Find Mahogany at: lazymagnet.bandcamp.com/album/mahogany-2019

Local Music Rundown

Sure it’s great to go see Brit Floyd (March 10) or Against Me! (March 13), but let’s stick to our roots. Here are some local (and local-ish) acts to catch:

Triangle Forest; Isadora’s 93 Club; Friday, March 6: A mysterious new venue in Olneyville appears out of the fog — the perfect place to take in the catchy synth pop of Triangle Forest. What does 93 refer to? Are there any other acts on the bill? The suspense is palpable.

Will Orchard/Myles Bullen/Dylan Lucas; Askew; Saturday, March 14: Will Orchard, the songwriter formerly known as LittleBoyBigHeadOnBike, joins a bill with The Horse-Eyed Men’s Dylan Harley and rapper Myles Bullen. Come get some fried chicken on a stick.

Varsity Club/ Well Wisher/ H.R. In Clover/Stereoflower; Dusk; Sunday, March 22: Sunday night is a time to get ready for the week, but why not get ready to rock instead? Dusk, located in the industrial hinterlands of the capital city, hosts a night of alt rock bands brought to you by Top 5 Fiend.

Rick from Pile (solo), Mountainess, TBA; AS220; Wednesday, March 25: Originating in Beantown, Pile has amassed an impressive following on the strength of their dreary, post-punk noise.

Ski Bunny/Viking Jesus/My Mother/Ghosts in the Snow; Parlour; Saturday, March 28: Parlour regulars Viking Jesus anchors a solid night of music. And the music’s not all — this show is your chance to check out the Parlour’s classy new stage sign.

Mass Manslaughter: But Less Than a Felony

As February rolls in, I don’t think it is possible to discuss rock ‘n’ roll without pausing to remember the victims of The Station fire, which happened 17 years ago. I remember the morning after, getting up to go to work with our LAN line ringing off the hook from my roommate’s mother calling to make sure he was alive. He was, but 100 music lovers were not. I went to work up in Mansfield, still not realizing the scope of the catastrophe, only to see my boss leave because two of his cousins were at the show. I can’t count over the years how many people have told me they were supposed to go or knew someone who went. It is chilling. In the end they found a patsy, a 26-year-old kid, doing what he was hired to do on every stop on the tour and never blowing up the room — till that night. The Derderians were taken care of because they were rich and well connected. Great White was banned forever from Rhode Island, but the real culprits of this mass manslaughter got off light. February 20 will always be a solemn day in here for our lost sons, daughters and everyone else harmed. We will never forget. Less Than A Felony – 27 Years

After speaking of mass murder, it is refreshing to move on to a band called Less Than a Felony. 27 Years was birthed in a safe zone where Less Than a Felony conjure voodoo in a shed in Smithfield. I was struck by how many of the tunes start in a prayer, notably “Somewhere In Between” and the title track. The melody takes you through like a U2 wave. Yes, these guys are Irish, but I maintain a lot of that guitar style emanated from Keith Levene-era Public Image Limited. “Comes And Goes” is a more aggressive guitar-fueled raver that takes the energy of Hendrix and mixes it with the swagger of Bo Diddley. I give this a solid 5.9 because with EPs, there isn’t much to choose from and one really needs that one classic song to carry the weight. Less Than A Felony is one of my favorite live acts, so it was an honor that vocalist/guitarist Charlie Greene took the time to talk about the history of the band and run through the stories behind the tunes of 27 Years with me.

Marc Clarkin (Motif): How did Less Than a Felony come together?

Charlie Greene (Less Than A Felony): We met in Jamaica Plain 17 years ago — three Irish lads looking to write some original music. Dessie, our first bass player, moved to Australia, so Ruairi and I moved to Rhode Island and we were on the lookout for a bass player. That’s when Damon Blair crossed our path. Then we started writing our second recording. After bouncing around several recording studios, we hit upon the late Great Joe Moody and completed our previous recording. We did some video with local legendary videographer Brett Davey, who coincidentally helped with and produced our latest video.

MC: Can you take us behind the scenes and into the infamous shed for some of the backstories behind the tracks?

CG: I wrote “Somewhere in Between” for a good friend who went through some unexpected departures with two family members. I penned it late night, when I do my writing accompanied by the solitude of the night. “27 Years” was about I lived in London at 19 years old. It was quite chaotic and turbulent, so my escape was catching Bob Dylan shows and Stiff Little Fingers while hanging out in some Irish pubs and listening to Irish folk music. Some days I’d walk Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus looking to buy old second hand LPs in basement record stores. It all seems like a lifetime ago.

MC: How about “Comes and Goes?”

CG: “Comes and Goes” is a fictional song that came to me in my time of creativity. It’s about a catwalk model who lived a double life robbing banks and strutting her stuff while everybody was oblivious to it. I hope to do a cool video, maybe with Brett Davie! We loved the music we put to it; it is very rocky excellent bass and drums.

MC: What about “Don’t Care?”

CG: “Don’t Care” is a song of observation. One summer night I saw a couple having a disagreement on the street. I thought it was a worthless exhibition, but they seem to have it down and then it just took a life of its own from there. We recorded at a nice big studio in Lincoln with Chaimes Parker behind the desk overlooking the Blackstone River. At our last show, Paul Jalette joined us on stage. He brought some untapped energy with background vocals plus guitar, and he’ll join us again too! We’re currently working on new music, so we hope everyone enjoys this EP cause there’s more to follow… Ms. Lauryn Hill

There is an expression in the music biz about having that “It” thing, and Lauryn Hill has it in spades. There is no denying her talent from her time in the Fugees to her classic solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I saw Ms. Hill at Lupo’s (before it was The Strand but after it was The Strand) with Nas, and she was a show stopper. She has a voice for the angels, and her mix of R&B and hip-hop is sublime. I wouldn’t count on this show going off on time, but it will likely be more punctual than say maybe Shane MacGowan.

Ms. Lauryn Hill will be at The Vets in Providence on February 18.

Lucero

It’s been 15 years since I first saw Lucero at the old Jake’s. I only remember the year because I had some friends in town for a 10-year college reunion. I was scrambling to come up with things to do with them that didn’t involve going to the “official” reunion activities at Providence College. I only knew that Jake’s usually had rock bands on Saturday nights and that night it happened to be Lucero. That night was a magical transformative show that made me a Lucero fan for life. I bought every CD they had at the merch table, signed the mailing list and followed them on whatever social media existed at the time. I am disappointed that we lost touch on MySpace. Nonetheless, if gritty whiskey blues played by punk rockers is something you’ve been craving, I’ll meet you at The Met for Lucero.

Lucero will rock The Met Cafe on February 22.

Three Other Shows to Rock You Into Another Dimension

Viennagram, Triangle Forest, Moodrunners and Sweet Dreams will join forces to rock Dusk on February 7.

The Linda Ronstadt Experience with American Idol Star Tristan McIntosh and Disco Biscuits brings the love to The Met Cafe on February 14.

The Mallet Brothers make their triumphant return to The Met Cafe on February 15.

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Sometimes an Ear Is Just an Ear: Baylies Band releases Freudian Ears

Baylies Band – Freudian Ears

Baylies Band is back with Freudian Ears, a new LP released late last year. A long-running local favorite, the group is a unique combination of zany spoken word, art rock, psychedelic noodling and guitar noise. The maestro is Eric Baylies on vocals and keys, a man whose flair for experimentation and thirst for truth knows no bounds.

The group first came to my attention at the Fourth of July fest last year at Dusk, where toward the end of a rollicking set, Baylies dragged a huge A-frame ladder onto the floor, set it up, and finished the show atop it. Total rock ‘n’ roll.

Now entering their “26th year of international underexposure” (Baylies’ words), Baylies Band’s material sounds as urgent as ever and reveals truths about … well, something or other. This iteration of the group includes members of Joy Boys, Tapestries, Throne Of Saturn and Bad Motherfucker.

Reached through the magic of email, Baylies described the themes of the album: “Mental illness and self medicating to overcome crippling depression in no uncertain terms in unsettling times,” he said. “I try as best as one could, considering limitations of reality and whatnot, to colorize a black and white, paranoid, drug-induced fever dream.”

“You’re Fresh” has the new wave tones of The Cars and includes the memorable line, “You got your boyfriend at Savers,” and “Out of the Can” is a minute-and-half of electro punk along the lines of Devo.

The eight-minute “Schizophrenic Valentine” is an indulgent, sprawling epic with spaced-out guitars and a driving groove. According to Baylies, this track is a “kind of musical bridge constructed of gold between our older Sonic Youth or Captain Beefheart influences to a more almost dance music like Sun Ra produced by Giorgio Moroder.” The guitar jamming borders on overkill, but you can’t knock it for lack of ambition.

So how does this all come together? “Sometimes I work with something from an improv and take it from there, and sometimes I present songs in their entirety and then the band really brings them back to life like Pinocchio on Easter,” said Baylies. “Some songs tell stories with a linear secret language, others are seemingly nonsense phrases pulled together from different memories and parts of my heart.”

“Fashion Mullet” is an experimental rock tune that includes a history lesson of sorts, back to the days when Baylies did have a mullet, and started legendary enterprises Eric Baylies Academy Of Dance and the Handsome Boy modeling school.

The closing track, “Rainbows,” features The Legendary Rich Gilbert on what I can only assume is the ripping guitar solo. The famed once-local guitarist who has played with Frank Black and Human Sexual Response, among other notable acts, agreed to play on the track after simply being asked, a fact Baylies calls “mindblowing.”

“Maybe you’ll be in Baylies Band next year, or maybe the judge will just grant you parole,” he added.

To hear Freudian Ears, visit: bayliesband.bandcamp.com/album/freudian-ears

Older Brother — Older Brother

The promise of a debut album is always exciting, and this is a promising release indeed from Providence trio Older Brother. Before the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle takes its hold and throws everything into a pit of despair, let’s enjoy a very focused, high-quality album that was a pleasure to listen to.

The album has a subdued lo-fi rock vibe like a Pavement for modern times. Older Brother has a minimalist, organic feel, with some three-note guitar leads and simple drums that give it the vibe of a spontaneous bedroom jam session. The opener, “Regain My Footing,” is probably the album’s single, and “Gulp It Down” sounds like vintage Built to Spill. “Loney”’s guitar harmonics and vocal harmonies make for a wistful, sensitive quality that doesn’t seem cheesy.

“Moving Forward” was the highlight, and the emotional resonance of “the highway always groans” line is the best thing I’ve heard in a while. Everything from the build-up, the comedown, the hi-hat flourishes and the noise of the outro make it all-around just a killer tune.

Older Brother is available at: https://myolderbrother.bandcamp.com/album/older-brother-2

Dylan Lucas — “Eye Took a Trip”

A shoutout to Dylan Harley for his new song “Eye Took a Trip,” in which he reimagines a psychotic break he suffered in 2012. It takes a somewhat standard folk progression and adds a kind of funky, stuttering groove on top. A kind of train track under everything and some pop-culture samples round out an intriguing song worthy of multiple listens.

Listen to “Eye Took a Trip:” open.spotify.com/track/3hCGAcMRon1t3UJ3aB5bxY?si=Vopu7sD- TrmJL4iCYOTBGQ

Long Live Rock

Though it happened a month ago, approximately 50 years in today’s news cycle, I’d like to mark the passing of Neil Peart. I’ve only ever been a casual Rush listener, but as a kid in drum lessons, it was kind of mind-blowing to learn that this guy had been playing those insane fills the exact same way since the ’70s. I’m too lazy to grab the actual article, but The New York Times described his drumming as something like “very flamboyant, and ultra precise at the same time,” which is a pretty great description. RIP Neil.

RIP Andy Gill & Moodrunning with the Bot

I want to start this one off paying respects to legendary guitarist Andy Gill of the band Gang Of Four who recently passed. I interviewed Andy in this space a few years ago when Gang Of Four was touring behind the album, What Happens Next, and he couldn’t have been sweeter. I was a little apprehensive going in between me not being the most knowledgeable Gang Of Four dude on the planet and him being this underground legend in a politically charged post-punk band, but it went great. We were supposed to talk for 15 minutes and ended up chatting over an hour on a Saturday morning. Rest In Power Andy — you will live forever in song.

Gang Of Four were known for pushing the barriers of sound through Gill’s innovative guitar chops. In this spirit of finding new sounds, I’m going to move on to a new band called The Moodrunners. Longtime readers of this space will remember our valued correspondent, Stimbot. As a quick backstory, Stimbot played a crucial role in the second act of the Midnight Creeps, had an underrated garage band called the White Devils (who had one hell of jam in “Monday Night Girl”), and dove deep to explore the depths of the inner soul of hair metal as the singer for TEAZER. Stimbot is in a new power pop band, The Moodrunners, that are steeped in the tradition of Cheap Trick meets Exploding Hearts while holding hands at the funeral of the bass player for The Knack. I sat down with Stimbot and amidst the constant haze from his rips off a mint flavored JUUL pod, we talked about his new band, what brands of hard seltzer inspired them, who the band is supporting for president, and his favorite place to get a burrito. You can catch The Moodrunners live and ask Stimbot equally important questions this Friday, February 7, at Dusk in Providence.

Marc Clarkin (Motif): How did The Moodrunners start?

Stimbot (Moodrunners): Chase hit me up last summer saying he had a band he wanted me to try out for on vocals or whatever (they already had the band name in mind). I got back to him mostly out of curiosity when TEAZER fizzled out a month later. He sent me some songs by some newish bands I had never heard of. We’d later run through them when trying me out. The songs were right in my goddamn wheelhouse, so I agreed to do it. I didn’t know these guys at all, so I was nervous when showing up at their space that first night. We ran those covers and then we tried some of the original song ideas they had. The melodies for those songs instantly came to me and after that we like, went down a rabbit hole of drunkenly playing everything from the MTV Buzz Bin circa 1996. I was sold at that point and now they’re stuck with me.

MC: If you had to pick the three influences to your sound, what would they be?

Stimbot: (After a long hit off his JUUL which he blows four perfect symmetrical rings of dank vapor) I dunno. I would say our sound is mostly influenced by White Claw, Bon & Viv, and that third kind of seltzer that isn’t as good. We did get some feedback from people after our first show as far as what bands we reminded them of, and you know, they were probably accurate, but I don’t want to name band names or anything like that. Let y’all decide.

MC: Who is your least favorite local band?

Stimbot: Hahaha! An old fashioned local band feud would add a bit of spice to life and I’m tempted, but yeah, we’re only about to play our second show. It’s probably too soon to start writing diss tracks and whatnot. Hopefully it’ll happen organically!

MC: What horse are The Moodrunners backing in the presidential primary?

Stimbot: Michael fucking Bloomberg, baby! You may as well call us the Bloomrunners! Don’t debate. Just throw money at everything. I dunno. We just can’t fuck this up in November. Hopefully 3 Doors Down has played their last inauguration.

MC: After a career in metal with TEAZER and career in punk with the Midnight Creeps, what made you turn to power pop?

Stimbot: It’s all rock n’ roll. It’s all good stuff. I keep lucking into situations where I end up with super talented bandmates. I really like what we’re doing. We’re keeping it kind of simple and fun, and we’re churning out new songs all over the place. I think we’d fit in fine playing on bills with punk bands, garage rock bands, electro-pop stuff, roots rock stuff, Amy Winehouse tributes, and whatever. Good songs are good songs regardless of genre, and I dunno, I guess I’m glad I don’t have to sing any W.A.S.P songs anymore. That shit was hard.

MC: Favorite place for tacos/burritos?

Stimbot: La Lupita has always been my spot for tacos around here though I can’t deny that the Garden Grille has my favorite burrito. I probably average about 30 to 40 of those things a year.

The Moodrunners will rock Dusk on a stacked bill that includes The Viennagram, Triangle Forest and Sweet Dreams on February 7.

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Album Review: Picniclunch’s Yor Boy

It is always great to come home to find a package containing some new vinyl waiting outside my door. Most of the time it is something I half remember ordering while hammered, but on this particular day it happened to be the new record from New Bedford’s Picniclunch, called Yor Boy. I plopped the sucker on the turntable and immediately got flustered during the first track, “Mitch (At The Edge of the Void),” trying to figure out whether it was intended to be played at 33 or 45 RPM. It kind of works either way, but after repeating the song three times and listening to a little bit of the second track, I established that Yor Boy, much like about 94% of all full-length records, was intended to be played at 33 RPM.

My first impressions of Yor Boy is that Picniclunch have this no wave starkness that reminded me immediately of bands like The Birthday Party and Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. “So Unavailable” has the feel of Jello Biafra singing a polka tune backed by a high school punk band at a very weird wedding. I’d like Picniclunch just for having a tune called “I’m A Beast” that acts as a war cry. The music here is kind of rad too — like a train crash in waiting that somehow manages to make it around the next bend. “Clover” reminds me of first record Sonic Youth meets Silkworm fleshed out with an improvisational jazz feel. “Control Yrself” here jumps as the one with the buried pop hooks underneath the river of alternately tuned fuzz. “These Blue Eyes Are A Weapon” is probably the biggest rocker of the bunch in the unconventional lo-fi way that Picniclunch rock. I respect the originality that Picniclunch brought in the approach to Yor Boy, so for that I’m giving it a 7.1 — catch them Thursday, Jan 30 at AS220!

Picniclunch will be joining Black Beach, Joy Boys, and Charlie Dollard to rock the house at AS220 in PVD on Jan 30.

Email music news to [email protected] All Aboard!: WhistleStop Rock Festival rolls into town

The WhistleStop Rock Festival is a rolling rock ‘n’ roll circus that is scheduled to hit six different New England cities (over seven nights) this winter and spring with more dates to be announced. The tour features all New England acts and will have eight to 10 acts performing per date. The festival kicks off Saturday, January 11, at Askew in PVD. To find out more about the festivals, I talked to Heather Rose and Lisa Middleton, from the band Heather Rose In Clover, who helped organize the festival.

Marc Clarkin (Motif): How did the WhistleStop Rock Festival come to be? Lisa Middleton: We were putting feelers out in the Boston music scene and started contacting some bands that we liked. The conversation shifted toward trading shows, and Cat Verliocco (from The Knock Ups, OTP and several other Boston-area bands) looped us into a group message with Simone Berk (Kid Gulliver, Sugar Snow). Little did we know that we were getting in on the ground floor of an amazing idea.

As more musicians were pulled into the discussion, we soon had a good swath of New England represented in what we now call “The Core 9,” (Justine and the Unclean, The Knock Ups, Cold Expectations, The Chelsea Curve, Field Day, Kid Gulliver, PowerSlut, Tiger Bomb and Heather Rose In Clover). Basically, our initial entry point into a conversation about swapping shows ballooned into planning a traveling rock festival tour – with like-minded musicians who wanted to be involved as much as their schedules allowed. That group message only happened in September, so we’ve been busy ever since working to pull WhistleStop Rock Festival out of fantasy and into reality.

MC: Were there any particular traits or common themes that were used to book the lineup? LM: It all started in a very RI way: the “friend-of-a-friend” method of sharing contacts. Another real magnetizing force with this group happens to be the fact that all of the bands involved have at least one female-identified member in them. Lynda Mandolyn from Tiger Bomb (out of Portland, Maine) has said that she’s always felt a kinship toward other musicians, especially women, and I really feel the same way. Many of us felt strongly about building a collective of other women who could pitch in and serve as a resource for each other, and what better way to support each others’ music than to pull together a collective of bands and a series of shows that essentially showcase the bands we’re all trying to support? We basically get to be fans and musicians at the same time, because I’d be going to these events even if I wasn’t on the bill!

MC: What are you most excited for? Heather Rose: I’m looking forward to the special guests we’ve added to each of the shows. For the Providence stop, I reached out to Tracy Garrity from the one and only dynamic rock duo, VulGarrity. She’s been talking about putting together an all-female rock band since we were in college, so WhistleStop Rock Fest was the perfect excuse to finally make that happen. For this one-night-only performance, Tracy is singing lead, I’m playing bass and we’re thrilled to have Amy Woodbine (Red Mantis) on drums, Lyn Kotuby (Metric Electric) on lead guitar, Brianna Kieon on keys and Heather Rose In Clover’s very own Lisa Middleton will hold down the low end on songs where I need to switch out my bass for rhythm guitar. The end result is an eclectic group of amazing Providence musicians that will add yet another level of fun to this full day of back-to-back power-pop-punk-rock bands! MC: What is next for Heather Rose In Clover in 2020? HR: Shortly after our calendars flipped to January, we brushed any remaining New Year’s confetti off of ourselves and headed to Zippah Recording in Boston. By the magic of what can only be described as a rare post-Christmas miracle, both Annie Hoffman (Weakened Friends) and Brian Charles (The Sheila Devine) were available to engineer/produce our new single and begin tracking some other new HRIC material! LM: Brian and Annie really are so impressive and fun to work with. They are connected at the brain it seems, and can make magic happen without even talking sometimes. It’s a dream to work with them and to be recorded at Zippah, and we’re thrilled to release some new music.

WhistleStop Rock Festival tour kicks off on Saturday, January 11 at Askew in PVD. Doors open at 3PM and the music will go all night featuring performances by Heather Rose In Clover, Justine and The Unclean, PowerSlut, The Chelsea Curve, The Knock Ups, Kid Gulliver, Cold Expectations, Field Day, and Trace-Face-It (RI Supergroup featuring members of Vulgarrity, Heather Rose In Clover, & Red Mantis); check out whistlestoprock.com for more.

Bob Mould

Most musicians have that one group or time period where they put out their most compelling work, and then there is Bob Mould, who 40 years into his career, is still putting out amazing records like Sunshine Rock (Merge Records), one of the best in 2019. I saw Mould on the initial leg of the Sunshine Rock in Boston and the show was mesmerizing. Mould and his band blasted through the classics from Husker Du, Sugar and Mould’s solo work while sprinkling in new tunes that more than held their own amidst the sonic tsunami. For this tour, Mould is playing solo electric, which is different from an acoustic performance in that it is still loud and soul shaking, but tends to accentuate different elements of Mould’s songwriting. This is a night not to be missed!

Bob Mould and Will Johnson will play the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on Jan 17.

5 Other Rad Shows:

Everclear is at the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich on January 16. Sweet Dreams, The Mood Runners, and Detroit Rebellion will rock The Parlour on January 16. The Devil Makes Three and Matt Heckler rock The Strand on January 17. The Quahogs and HOTT BOYZ deconstructed play the Columbus Theatre on January 18. Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show rocks The Met Café on January 25. •

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Anthony Savino Does a Good Job: The artist discusses his evolution and facing the abyss

What better way to kick off the new year than discussing Anthony Savino’s thoughtful, ambitious release Good Job, which tackles weighty topics like wealth, work and love — ideas that might have made an appearance in your resolutions for 2020.

For a decade, Savino fronted the New Bedford-based punk band Half Hearted Hero, which now plays as Dream Job. Savino’s solo work takes a more straightforward approach and puts the spotlight on the lyrics. Good Job’s unvarnished production doesn’t add a lot of fluff, and the playing is subtle enough to make the songs a vehicle for Savino’s rich storytelling.

“North” has a sort of bossa nova lite feel and explores the realities of growing up. “Someone Else’s Dime” is a take on the enterprise that is the American desire to succeed: “One size American dream/I’m free and bored and rich on someone else’s dime/I see the stores and silver circles fill my eyes.”

The stripped-down “Work Harder” candidly explores what it means to build your craft as an artist while balancing the need to make money and keep the plates spinning. “Thick Line” has a country ballad vibe and talks about the powerful men called out for their behavior in this more enlightened era.

I recently spoke with Savino about the new album and his thoughts on songwriting.

Jake Bissaro (Motif): You’re probably best known in punk/alternative circles for your work in Half- Hearted Hero. Was there a conscious transition to a more stripped down sound?

Anthony Savino: I’ve always tried to maintain involvement in both the punk and singer-songwriter worlds, so I don’t really have a demarcation for either style. To me, it’s all guitar-based music.

JB: Songs like “Pictures” and “Someone Else’s Dime” are frank discussions on politics, and in some cases the American Dream. Do you intend on a theme for your albums?

AS: Typically no, at least not initially. I tend to just dive right in. I’ve done the concept album thing, but I’m mainly trying to have the song say everything it needs to say first, then look at the album and see what the bigger picture may be.

I like to think that I’ve always allowed myself to explore whatever topics come to mind as I understand them. For this round of songs, trying to focus my songwriting approach made certain subjects stand that before may have been more oblique.

JB: Has your songwriting approach changed over through your time playing music?

AS: I certainly hope so. I like to think I’ve grown and developed over the years. I’ve really tried to seek out songwriting resources to apply to my own work, whether it’s reading materials or workshops. For a while I was involved with the Brown Arts Initiative songwriting course as a participant, then as co- facilitator. It’s a weekly meetup of songwriters, people bring their work and have it critiqued by the group.

JB: Tell me about the title track, which uses some history to explore the value of work. AS: I’m wary to talk too much about the songs, because as soon as you put something out, I see it as being in the hands of the audience. But on “Good Job” I wanted to lay out something in a direct way. There’s a little sarcasm and humor in there, and some family history.

JB: What was the recording process like?

AS: As with my last album, That Easy, I recorded in Portland, Oregon, at my friend Ben Barnett’s studio. I had been sending him demos beforehand, but pretty much just recorded for three weeks straight. I went crazy for a little bit, as one does when digging into the creative process — there’s always that moment when you’re facing the abyss. I had great support from his team out there, and Ben really understands songwriting, which is a huge plus.

JB: There’s some great playing on the album. Any notable collaborations?

AS: A. Walker Spring sang these great harmony vocals with me on the majority of the record. And Danny Aley on keyboards added a wonderful magic layer to everything with his thoughtful playing. He’s the kind of player you would show a song to once, and they come up with something incredible right off the bat.

Anthony is playing locally twice in the next few months:

Sunday, January 12 | Co-Creative Center in New Bedford, Mass | with Hayley Sabella, Seamus Galligan.

Friday, February 21 | AS220 | with Mountainess, Lindsay Foote

Hear Good Job at anthonysavino.bandcamp.com/album/good-job

Keep on Moving: The Technique Is No Technique: An interview with Daughters guitarist Nicholas Sadler

You may not know that one of the era’s premier industrial noise rock bands has its origins right here in PVD. Daughters formed in 2002 in the wake of grindcore band As the Sun Sets, becoming known for their unhinged live performances and aggressive touring schedule. After some band infighting, their well-received album Daughters was released in 2009 in the wake of a breakup. Eight years later, the reformed group released You Won’t Get What You Want, pushing themselves musically and gaining new levels of national attention and critical success. The album was even in the running for The Needle Drop’s recent “Album of the Decade” conversation.

Their music is often harsh and noisy with a dark intensity matched only by the relentlessly grating vocals and subject matter. The circular “Long Road, No Turns” has an industrial clanging over a buzzsaw guitar, and “Less Sex” brings some electronics into the mix, like a ghoulish Gary Newman. It reminds me of a slow disintegration in audio form. Not in the gaudy, Slayer, drinking blood kind of way, but rather a withering away, the soundtrack to the insidious elements that eat into your soul.

I recently spoke with Daughters guitarist Nicholas Sadler, whose textures create the macabre bedrock for Alexis S.F. Marshall’s vocals. Sadler, 37, who still resides in RI, moonlights as the bassist for post- punk band Way Out, and has formerly performed with bands like Fang Island. Other local music credits include doing live sound at AS220 sand managing Jam Stage in Pawtucket, and Sadler has also worked in music publishing and film scoring.

Jake Bissaro (Motif): What is your take on the scene here? Do you think this is a good place to make music or art?

Nicholas Sadler: I think we have a really cool, multi-faceted scene here, with many talented people in many different corners. Generally, the best places to start a band or play music are cities where you can live cheaply. There was quite an explosion here of great music and art for a long time — it seems less like that now, but I’d say still definitely a viable option, especially compared to place like New York. JB: Talk about the process of putting You Won’t Get What You Want together.

NS: Because we’re spread out (our drummer lives in Austin and our singer lives in Pennsylvania), it was a lengthy process. The album started with me working on it when I had time in between other projects. I’d come up with shapes and ideas for songs and share them with the band via Dropbox, which had well over 100 tracks at one point. Everyone listened in to figure out what they like and don’t like, and we settled on the ones everyone thought would work best for a record.

JB: How was recording at Machines with Magnets?

NS: We’ve made almost all our records with them, and love working there. This area is lucky to have a place for such high-quality recording and talented engineers [Keith Souza and Seth Manchester]. The biggest advantage is that they’re not trying to force anything on you, and will let you try out your weird ideas. In studios, you often have no wiggle room, and end up fighting with someone you’ve never met who wants to put their stamp on music you’ve spent years working on. With the kind of work they’re doing, I think they’re setting themselves up to be legendary in that space.

JB: Do any of the tracks in particular stand out to you?

NS: I’m particularly proud of “Satan in the Wait,” which sounds much darker than it actually is. We tried to step outside of the box on that one; no instrument overplaying, and there’s plenty of space, and a lot of repetition without becoming boring. I’ve always loved film scores and minimalism, so I’m really happy with that one.

JB: A lot of great guitar tones build the foundation for these songs. Is there a particular way that you shaped your sound?

NS: There’s no specific road map I use, but I’ve always found it helpful to force myself to do something I’m uncomfortable with. When I first got into guitar, the sounds I liked were seedy and weird, not something you could learn at the local store, so I had to figure it out myself. In a way, not having any technique became the technique.

JB: Was there any strategy to building an audience like Daughters has?

NS: I think making your band stick is part intent and part right time, right place. People take for granted that there are tons of factors in play that you can’t control. Our first record came out with a lot of hype, and we were in Rolling Stone and all of that. The second record took some chances and effectively buried the band for a while, and I have zero explanation for why the new record has taken off as it has. I’d say the advice is to basically just keep going. But there is something to be said for being realistic. Like, will you still like your life if you’re making music but nobody cares?

Daughters comes to the Paradise in Boston on Sat, Dec 21.

Release Madness!

Doris Duke – Need EP

Doris Duke is a Newport-based quartet that specializes in a mix of grunge and energetic punk rock, describing their sound as “angry music normally reserved for those half their age.” The EP may not share the ultra-refined refined pedigree of the namesake tobacco heiress, but it’ll definitely give you the hit of rock ‘n’ roll you’re looking for.

It’s a well-rounded five tracks, changing from breakneck speeds to sludgy riffs. The opener, “Ripper” is just that, and “Debt” reminds me of the politically charged punk rock of bands like Anti-Flag. “Need” is a midtempo grunge number reminiscent of Alice in Chains. The high point is the excessively titled “(Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner, but you so look like my friend) Shaniqua” for its deft stop/start timing and Descendants-like catchy hooks.

Need is available at dorisduke.bandcamp.com

Carinae — Carinae

A shoutout to my old bandmate Kasey Greene and his band Carine, which is out of Hadley, Mass, and recently out with their excellent self-titled LP. They take the swirling, vintage sounds of psychedelia and mix in an indie rock sensibility. Lose/Find yourself in the spacey keyboards and waves of delay in tunes like “Making Breakfast” and “Bread Mansion.” The epic “eta/Someday” has a powerful slow groove that builds into a some plain old rockin’ out. The catchy, playful tune Of Montreal-like “Honey Money” is the best for my money, but it’s hard to go wrong with any track on here.

Find the album at carinaeband.bandcamp.com/album/carinae

Chris Capaldi — Frequency EP

Chris Capaldi is out with Frequency, the follow up to 2018’s Far from Here. Capaldi is an excellent songwriter who can really wail on the guitar. The songs are very impassioned (sometimes overly so) and bring an element of heartland rock.

“Thin White Line” is a straight-ahead, Petty-like radio rock song and “Make it Out” is a smooth ballad. The arrangements are tight throughout, with tasteful backing vocals from Catie Flynn. Capaldi shows off his writing chops in subtle ways; the compressed funk of “Too Late” includes a refreshing post- chorus breakdown. There’s always something intriguing to unpack in his music.

Find Chris Capaldi’s music at: open.spotify.com/album/5YTe9CbZpjgfROwknt4EqK?si=EYKsn4c8TC6p0kcQYcZx-Q

Last but not least, there’s a great show happening as part of the Route 44 Music Series at the Harmony Lodge. On Thursday, Dec 5, Smithfield natives Sarah Potenza and Ian Crossman return for an intimate performance. Opening the show will be Sean Finnerty-Robcats, Biscuit City and Forever Young.

Keep on Moving: Three Points of Madness — Circus of Madness

The circus is coming back to town as Three Points of Madness release their third album, Circus of Madness, with a rager at Dusk this Saturday. Don’t worry, there will be no elephants! On Circus of Madness, Three Points of Madness bring it with a Tool meets Alice in Chains style alt-rock on nuggets like “Devil’s Face” and “My Sanctuary My Home.” “Nightmares” reminds me of …And Justice For All- era Metallica with an added prog-rock chaser. My favorite is “Evermore” because the chorus this one has takes me back to the early Kilgore Smudge of my misspent youth. I caught up with George Petrus from the band to learn about creating this Circus of Madness and to hear some of his inspiring story of overcoming addiction.

Marc Clarkin (Motif): I hear many things in your sound from metal to prog-rock stuff to alt-rock. How would you describe the band to someone who has never heard you?

George Petrus: I tell people we are a hard rock /metal act. If Tool, Alice in Chains, and Dream Theater had a love child together, we would be the offspring.

MC: Circus of Madness is your third album. Was there anything you tried to different this time around? Or anything in particular you hoped to achieve?

GP: We really took our time with this one. We tried a lot of new amp sounds and effects. We knew if we didn’t up the game on this one we were just chasing our tails. So we dove in and made sure we were happy with the mixes and didn’t rush the process. This is the first album we did completely by ourselves and we are really proud of the end product. We needed to evolve and attract more fans and so far, we have been getting a great response from a couple singles we previewed on the social platforms.

MC: I love the tune “Evermore” with its grinding riff that goes and bursts into this huge chorus. What is that one about?

GP: Basically, it is about how we treat immigrants now and how divided we are. Yes, we cannot have criminals coming into the country unchecked, but it is way beyond that. It has brought hatred to people just looking for a better life like our ancestors, and hatred toward immigrants who are new citizens just because they are not white. There used to be a middle ground; now it is one side or the other. So much hate, it is beyond sad.

MC: “Medusa’s Stare” is another one I like. It has a real Iron Maiden vibe. What inspired that? The Legend?

GP: Definitely the Legend inspired it and I put a little relationship twist in the chorus with “turned to stone for your love.” Our bass player is a huge Maiden fan as well. That is funny you caught the Maiden thing. We have shared the stage with Maiden New England, a great Iron Maiden Tribute Band, many times, and their vocalist, Adriana Solorzano, always told us how much she loved this song live so we asked her to sing on it. She also brings in that Maiden vibe with her amazing voice and vocal vibrato.

MC: When I listen to the intro into the album, it reminds me a little of the beginning of KISS’ Psycho Circus record. Was that an inspiration? GP: Well the album is called Circus of Madness and it is the title track, so I had to add that little circus theme in there. We are truly living in a circus of madness right now.

MC: You’ve shared with me in the past about overcoming drug addiction. How has music helped you in recovery?

GP: It has saved my life. I started with weed, cocaine, LSD and pills at age 15. I was a heroin addict for over 10 years in my 20s, sometimes living on the streets. I became an all-out thief and junkie as a young adult. It came to a head when I robbed the Sung’s Jewelers on Washington and Eddy right downtown, making the front page of the metro edition of The Providence Journal. I was living a life of evil. I knew I would be dead or in jail for a very long time. I did not care if I lived or died. I found music again and dove in headfirst. It gave me hope like nothing else. It also kept me busy; idle time is the devil’s workshop. We just need to find something we love and live it. Anyone ready to give up, know that there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel!

MC: Obviously opioid addiction is still a massive problem. Have you seen any changes especially with the prominence of fentanyl?

GP: I would be dead if I did not get clean when I did. It is far worse now and people are overdosing at a rate never seen before. It is truly a crisis. I know too many people who have died from drugs. I have lost many of my closest friends; it is beyond sad. I count my blessings every day and try to share my story of surviving as much as I can.

Three Points of Madness will host a release show for Circle of Madness with Galvanized and Oxblood Forge at Dusk on Fri, Nov 22.

Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock has been making music for more than 40 years and has released more than 20 records, whether under his name or as a member of the ’70s neo-psychedelia band the Soft Boys. It has probably been close to 20 years since I last saw Hitchcock, but he hasn’t really changed. Hitchcock was kind of Matthew Sweet before Matthew Sweet as far as taking ’60s Brit Pop harmony and sculpting it into song. Hitchcock has penned numbers like “The Ghost in You” and “Balloon Man” that seem like side B of a ’60s Kinks anthology. Most recently, he was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2018 romantic comedy Juliet, Naked, and teamed up with English pop legend Andy Partridge (XTC) for the EP PLANET ENGLAND.

Robyn Hitchcock will be at the Columbus Theatre on Sat, Nov 23. The doors are at 7pm; the shows starts promptly at 8pm.

Email music news to [email protected] Keep On Moving: Ten Years Of It: Ian O’Neil talks about the last decade of music

It’s been a hell of a year for Deer Tick guitarist Ian O’Neil. He released three albums with three different projects — Deer Tick, Happiness and his solo record, Ten Years Of It. This year also marked O’Neil’s 10th year in Deer Tick; however, his solo album title doesn’t refer to this, rather to the time period that O’Neil had been compiling songs since his time as a member of Titus Andronicus. O’Neil will celebrate the release of Ten Years Of It with a solo show at the Columbus Theatre on November 15 backed by Chris and Dennis Ryan from Deer Tick. Liz Phair also happens to be in the area, and she’ll be doing a set. I spoke with Ian in advance of the show to find out what these ten years were really like.

Marc Clarkin: From the title of the album, I imagine these songs were written over the last decade. How did putting them together as a solo album come together?

Ian O’Neil: The goal was always some kind of recording. It just so happened that this was the one point in time that there are enough songs to do that, and the songs didn’t end up going to a Deer Tick record. There weren’t any Deer Tick records on the horizon, and some of the songs seemed to be better suited to just kind of like, you know, arranging all the parts between me and Dennis [Ryan]. After just kind of collecting these songs over a long period of time and recording them in different studios that Dennis has put together, once there was enough for them, that seemed acceptable, it was just time to make the next move of putting it out.

MC: “Events” is probably my favorite song on the record. What is that one about?

IO: I think that one was a kind of you know, so much human consciousness. That one was written a couple of years ago, right around the time everything started falling apart. Climate change really started ramping up, so I think it’s about the inevitability of things happening to people and to the world and that’s why it’s called “Events.” It’s a loose enough concept where I think it can be applied to your personal life or if I had to, the world at large. I think it’s just about dealing with the inevitability that good and bad things happen to you without it being in your control.

MC: Another one of my favorites is “Buried Deep.” What was the story behind that?

IO: I wrote that song when I was still in the band Titus Andronicus, right after I wrote the Deer Tick song, “Hope is Big,” and that was written while on tour with Titus Andronicus. That was about being new to sacrificing my life at home when I was still living in New York before moving to Rhode Island to join Deer Tick. It’s about my interpersonal relationships with friends and my girlfriend at the time, stuff like that, and just accepting that the path I was on was going to be a sacrifice. I think it’s pretty much about how transient lifestyle as a younger person can strain your relationships, but if that’s what you set out to do, then you have to accept those consequences.

MC: Speaking of “Hope is Big,” I’ve always loved the song for the followup line “but they’re always going to win.” What was going on at that time that inspired it?

IO: It’s a concept that was still ripe during the Bush presidency, which was probably when that was written. A young person learning how to grieve through losses is something that was a big part of that song. It was at a time in my life that a lot of people I was close with were passing away for one reason or another. I think that sparked that kind of despair. I was also a politically active young person, so I think that was there, too. I guess in that way, the song hasn’t changed that much between being both personal and political.

MC: Another new tune is “German Bar;” the song obviously isn’t about the bar. Was there a place on tour that sparked that one?

IO: Yeah, that was taken from personal experience, but it’s also kind of a specific feeling while going through touring for so long and burning yourself out. I know that’s not the most universal concept in the world when it comes to talking with touring, but I think the whole album is about getting through the whole younger period of your life. I think all of us have some kind of “German Bar” in their life.

MC: This year you put out three different albums with three different bands. Another one of those bands is Happiness, which also consists of Rafay Rashid (Ravi Shavi) and Chris and Dennis from Deer Tick. Happiness to me has a different swing compared to Deer Tick and your solo record. How did Happiness start, and can you tell when you write a song, which band it would work best in?

IO: Happiness started with Rafay and I hanging out and wanting to write together in at his old apartment in Providence. We just started writing together and one particular reason why that never sounds like Deer Tick is because we all contribute to almost all the songs. It started as a collaborative project or exercise of writing together and taking our friendships with one another and putting them into songs. So that’s why that’s different than anything else, probably largely because of the influence of Rafay. He brings out something different in me, Chris, and Dennis that we wouldn’t have with just each other or with John (McCauley). Once the concept started rolling and the first one or two songs came out, it was like okay, let’s just go down this path of like the rejects of rock ‘n’ roll music. They are weird songs.

Liz Phair and Ian O’Neil will be at the Columbus Theatre on November 15.

Cool Weather Means Cooler Shows!

Bush Tetras and Hope Anchor (farewell show!) will be at Askew on Nov 15. Daikaiju, The Sleazies, M.O.T.O., and Bad Motherfucker will rock Dusk on Nov 17. Arrival From Sweden — The Music of Abba are at The Vets on Nov 19. Bob Dylan returns to the Providence Performing Arts Center on Nov 20. Letters to Cleo rock The Met Cafe on November 21. Three Points of Madness will host a release show for Circle of Madness with Galvanized and Oxblood Forge at Dusk on Nov 22. Booker T. Jones celebrates the release of his memoir Time Is Tight and companion album Note by Note at the Narrows Center For The Arts on November 22.

Email music news to [email protected]