Album Of The Week: Chadwick Stokes’ The Horse Comanche
He’s an integral part of Boston-based acts Dispatch and State Radio, but Chadwick Stokes has also built a reputable solo career. Straying from the jam rock of Dispatch and the reggae-infused punk of State Radio, Stokes’ solo material revolves around folk music that sounds like something you’d listen to while sitting around a campfire with a few close friends. His new album, The Horse Comanche, is a continuation of Stokes’ solo style in the most excellent form. With a few added dimensions, Stokes’ take on folk is broadened and expanded with each track.
Produced by Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, the quality of sound in The Horse Comanche is impeccable. Stokes doesn’t limit himself to just one type of music; there’s a great variety of styles exhibited and you get an introduction to Stokes’ versatility when it comes to writing a song and strumming his guitar. Some tracks have an infectious groove while others have a lot of heart and passion, making The Horse Comanche pleasurable in all sorts of ways. There’s a certain catchiness with a few songs as well, but not in an annoying way where you’re praying to the heavens to get those meaningless lyrics out of your head.
Don’t let all of this New England snow get you down. Take the opportunity to nestle in your favorite blanket and snuggle with my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week. It might not warm you up, but your music taste will benefit.
As a lover of deep tracks in an album I don’t usually gravitate to the lead single, but “Our Lives Our Time” has definitely left a positive impression on me. A simple strum and intelligent lyrics about the issues facing the world today give this track a feverish quality that you can’t help but enjoy. A song for all you lovers out there, the chorus of “I Want You Like A Seatbelt” will make your heart jump for joy once you give it a listen. Featuring the assistance of Brooklyn indie-pop act Lucius, “New Haven” is a great ballad that has a lot of feeling and sincerity that you don’t get with a lot of ballads these days.
Chadwick Stokes will stop by The Met on Feb 24 for what should be an amazing night that any New England music fan shouldn’t miss. While you’re at the show, grab a copy of The Horse Comanche. It’s a beautiful album with a lot of heart and soul, and it shouldn’t be overlooked. chadwickstokes.com
Album Of The Week: Two Gallants’ We Are Undone
San Francisco might be getting a lot of attention in the independent music world for its burgeoning psychedelic and garage rock adorned music scene these days, but Two Gallants is one duo from The City By The Bay has been kicking ass since the early 2000s with an exquisite mix of electrifying blues and heart-on-the-sleeve folk. Consisting of Adam Stephens on vocals and guitar with Tyson Vogel on drums, Two Gallants are back with their fifth studio album We Are Undone, and it’s already in the running to be one of the best albums to come out in 2015. They’ve really turned it up a notch with a bunch of scorching rock ‘n’ roll tracks, along with a few ballads.
Being brothers in the name of rock ‘n’ roll since their early teens, Stephens and Vogel show how much they’ve come along the artistic path since their debut album, The Throes, hit the music scene in 2004. Still raw but rhythmically forceful, Two Gallants keep a dark edge that has always stuck with their sound, but they achieve the near impossible by putting even more feeling into songs that exude heart and soul. Haunting lyrics that shoot shivers up your spine are all over the album as well. It’s bound to give you all sorts of feelings, but that’s what good music does. Snow, snow, snow and more snow. New England has become a shade of white, as if it was part of the planet Hoth in Star Wars. Before you saddle up your tauntaun and try to make it past the first marker, give a listen to my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week. That opening riff on “Incidental” has a certain groove that stays with you, and the tale of a woman’s surgery at a hospital gives the track a taste of the macabre. Catchy in all the right ways, “Fools Like Us” is another anthem for the outcast. The chorus of “fools like us just don’t belong” is bound to stick in your head after the first listen. The title track off of We Are Undone has an introduction that’s a tad avant garde and then kicks things into high gear when the guitar and drums combine for some truly powerful stuff. One of a few tracks that includes a grand piano, “Invitation To The Funeral” is a deadly ballad with eerie tendencies and spooky vibes. On April 29, Two Gallants will set Brighton Music Hall ablaze in Allston, Mass. Until they come through your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab yourself a copy of We Are Undone. It’ll grip your soul with haunting effect. Two Gallants’ Website: twogallants.com
Interview with Tanya Donelly
Over the past few weeks Newport musician Bob Kendall has curated a series of acoustic shows at the brand new upstairs venue located at The Salvation Cafe on 140 Broadway in The City By The Sea. Rhode Island-based musical acts and artists such as Haunt The House, Allysen Callery, The Silks’ Tyler-James Kelly, Jess Powers, Smith & Weeden, Luke Randall and William Schaff have been part of the series so far and on Jan 29 and 30, a highly influential Newport native will be headlining. You might know her from ’80s alternative rockers Throwing Muses or ’90s alt-pop act Belly, but Tanya Donelly has also forged a path as a solo musician. I had a chat with her about being entwined in both music scenes in Boston and Providence, nervousness on stage and the Swan Song series. Rob Duguay: What do you enjoy most about playing in your hometown?
Tanya Donelly: It’s been a really long time; I guess it’s been about 15 years or maybe longer. It’s interesting because in looking forward to it I feel comfortable and also really terrified. I think because it is a room full of people who have watched me grow up and vice versa. It can be a very nice feeling and I’m really looking forward to that and most specifically looking forward to playing with the musicians I grew up with and who sort of made me the musician I am now. It can also be nervewracking to sit in front of these people. RD: Around these parts, musically it’s always been a tale of two cities with Providence and Boston. You’ve made your mark in both areas by putting yourself in both music scenes, sometimes at the same time. People say that there’s a little rivalry between the cities, especially now when both Providence and Boston have so many talented local musicians performing and honing their chops. What’s your opinion on what’s happening in both cities right now? Is it any different than when you were starting out in the early ’80s?
TD: I think that scenes always regenerate themselves generationally; that just happens and it’s always been the case. I can’t really speak about what’s new about what’s coming out of either city, which is sort of shameful, but for the most part when I play out and when I go out, it is to see the old guard of people that I continue to write with and play with. Occasionally there will be somebody new who floats into my limited orbit, but for the most part I’m not as on top of things as I used to be. Rhode Island has the most amazingly fertile, creative soil. There’s non-stop artistry and there’s this musical reinvention that always happens, which is pretty amazing. Boston has that too, but most of the people there came from somewhere else where in Rhode Island there are a lot of natives, which makes it a little bit different.
RD: You mentioned earlier that you feel a little “terrified” about performing at The Salvation Cafe. Some musicians I know have said that they feel a little more nervous performing by themselves than performing with a band. So what do you do to calm the nerves when it’s just you and an acoustic guitar?
TD: I’ve remedied that by asking people to come play with me tonight. I have Dave Narcizo, who I played with during my time in Throwing Muses; Fred Abong, who has played with me in both Throwing Muses and Belly; Gail Greenwood, who was in Belly with me; Bob Kendall and his brother are going to play; my husband is going to play; and Craig Jordan, who I’ve collaborated with a lot, is going to be on stage with me. So I’m having people stepping on and off with me all night.
RD: So you kind of have an all-star collaboration thing going on.
TD: Yea, I am a collaborator and a team player. I don’t like doing things by myself. For me, music is a communal experience so that’s how I always choose to do it.
RD: That’s a great way to look at it. You can very well be considered one of the first torch bearers of independent music in the early 1980s, so what do you think has changed the most when it comes to independent music in the last 30 years?
TD: The most glaring change is the fact that people are genuinely DIY now on a level that was not possible back when I was starting. I know there are a lot of quirks and issues to work out on the Internet in terms of people being unfairly treated via Internet distribution, but I think in general it has been an amazing tool for people to forge their own musical path in a way that is really exciting. I think it’ll become even more empowering in the future.
RD: Do you think that there will be a big growth in digital purchases because of the Internet, or do you think that the boom in vinyl sales will combat that and both will come to a head?
TD: I think they are very complementary to each other, to be honest. I think having it available in both formats is perfect. In a lot of instances, the vinyl people are calling for the vinyl after the digital release, and so the one leads to the other and I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I like having something in my hands.
RD: Would you consider yourself a vinyl junkie?
TD: Yes. I have a 15-year-old who genuinely is; she’s a huge collector and that’s pretty much all of what she listens to when it comes to music. I am to a certain extent, even though I’m much more iPod focused than she is. She’ll be up in her room with the turntable and I’ll be downstairs listening on the iPod, so that’s a tad odd. That tactile experience of having something in your hands, I think it’s a human impulse so I feel that vinyl will always exist, CDs will always exist or whatever else it is that’s in your hand is still part of music. I don’t think that digital will ever replace the need to hold something.RD: I think that people naturally enjoy the physical aspect of things and that need itself will either neutralize digital music or at least keep the two level. Recently you’ve been doing a series of EPs called the Swan Song Series, with the most recent 5th volume being released last year in March. You’ve referred to the series in the past as your way of taking control of an exit strategy as you retire from the music industry. Is your show at The Salvation Cafe one of your final shows or will you still be making music over the next few years?
TD: I’m still going to be making music for the next few years, but the reason it’s called the Swan Song Series, which is slightly tongue in cheek, is because it’s a series without a definitive end. It’s the last outlet, basically, so whatever the last song that appears in the Swan Song Series is that’ll be the last song, period. I don’t have a time, there’s no end date to that. Mainly because I’m continuing to collaborate and people are still sending me stuff. Authors are sending me stories and musicians are sending me music. So until that dries up, I’ll continue on recording EPs. That’s the plan anyway.
RD: So would you say that you’re playing it by ear with this timetable?
TD: Yeah, I am playing it by ear. I’m not going to be doing big world tours or any of that kind of stuff anymore. I’m envisioning in the next couple of years just focusing on the benefits that I do; I will always say yes to that. There is going to be a point where I’m not seeking out proper shows anymore.
RD: Now what does the post-music career of Tanya Donelly have in store?
TD: I’m sort of a very part-time postpartum doula, I work with new moms a lot. I’m not sure, I do focus on my kids quite a bit so that’s a huge priority for me.
The Jan 29 show at The Salvation Cafe is sold out but there might be tickets available for Jan 30’s theatrics. Regardless, you can listen in on 90.3 WRIU where Boudin Barndance will be live broadcasting the show. Bring a canned good that will be given to families in need courtesy of the Martin Luther King Community Center. See you there and don’t be square. Tanya Donelly’s website: tanyadonelly.com
Album Of The Week: Dirty Dishes’ Guilty At times they are fuzzy, at times they are emphatic, and you can’t deny the brilliance of the Los Angeles via Boston shoegaze act Dirty Dishes. Jenny Tuite and Alex Molini combine to up the ante of their debut full-length, Guilty. A lot of force throughout each track, heavy amounts of reverb and distortion are all over the album like icing on a layer cake. With a haunting vibe is absolutely chaotic at certain instances, Dirty Dishes are back and louder than ever with a sound that breaks down barriers of all shapes and sizes.
Their first release since moving to The City Of Angels in 2013, one thing that’s interesting about Dirty Dishes’ new release is that Tuite & Molini employed a few drummers on a few tracks — Zach Fierman, Brian Levy and Marc Slutsky. Bassist Doug Wartman joined in on a couple of them as well. You’ll notice on Guilty a variety of rhythms that please different tastes, which gives the album a unique character that impresses the senses. The originality of Dirty Dishes has progressed at a steady pace since hitting the Boston music scene with their self-titled EP back in 2010, and Guilty is a testament to that. Get the bread and milk — there’s probably 2 feet of snow outside your house if you’re in the New England area. If you’re reading this on the West Coast, some of us in the Northeast are a tad envious of you while others around here are thinking that you’re just plain soft. Don’t take offense, it’s just the cold getting to us and we’re in serious need of some chowder. Whether it’s chilly or sunny where you are, dive in to my top tracks off of my Album Of The Week. Hitting you like a punch in the face, “Thank You Come Again” shreds with Tuite’s cryptic vocals and raging riffs on guitar bringing the noise. Another noisemaker is “Red Roulette.” The bass from Molini is a fuzzy cloud of rhythm that keeps this head-ripper afloat. Acoustically pleasing and vocally melancholy, “Androgynous Love Song” is one of those tracks that sticks with you by having strong lyrical emotion and just the right clash of sounds. Dirty Dishes don’t have any shows happening imminently, but expect them to hit up their old stomping grounds in Boston or perhaps grace Providence with their presence by the end of the year. Until they blow the roof off your friendly neighborhood music venue, I highly suggest you get yourself a copy of Guilty. If you like it loud, distorted and fuzzy, it’ll be exactly what you’ve been looking for. Dirty Dishes’ website: dirtydirtydishes.com Album Of The Week: The New Highway Hymnal’s Reverb Room
With a whole lot of fuzzy distortion, infectious rhythms and a psychedelic vibe that’s as cool as the other side of the pillow, it’s difficult to pick another band that’s bound for a bigger year than The New Highway Hymnal from the north shore of Massachusetts. Their second full-length album, Reverb Room, is out and it’s a rip-roaring gem. It’s as if the ghost of Lou Reed came back to haunt us while exuding the styles of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club & The Jesus and Mary Chain. You can make all of the rock ‘n’ roll comparisons you want, but once you press play on this you can’t deny The New Highway Hymnal’s original spin on things.
Hints of surf, shoegaze, blues and garage rock are all over Reverb Room, and it’s perfect for anyone who likes it loud. It has a groove that’ll make you move, harking back to late ’50s rock ‘n’ roll dance parties when people would boogie down at a hop. Frontman Hadden Stemp gets sensual with his lyrics while bringing an intensity that’s rivaled by few. Reverb Room will make the ladies strut while hitting the guys straight in the gut. Good music can give you a buzz like a shot of espresso, keeping you up for hours on end. Wanna get rhythmically caffeinated? Take a sip from my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week and enjoy. The best song I’ve heard so far this year has to be “Isolation.” The riffs on this anthem for the introverted are simple and beautiful. “Television” will make you dance like a lunatic. The doo-wop joint vocals and the howling really go well with a bass-heavy sound that is an absolute hip shaker. The surf rock of “By The Pool” would make Dick Dale jealous; stupendous drum playing serves as the backbone for this one to create energetic rhythms. The New Highway Hymnal don’t have any shows planned, but expect big things from them in 2015. Grab a copy of Reverb Room now; it’s bound to be on a lot of people’s best-of lists by year’s end. It’s a rocker with the power to crush brick walls with authority. Stream of Reverb Room: soundcloud.com/the-new-highway-hymnal/reverb-room Interview with The Reverend Horton Heat
Photo Credit: Harmony Gerber
When it comes to modern rockabilly and psychobilly these days, the consensus is that The Reverend Horton Heat is a pioneer in both styles since his ascension in the mid-’80s. The living legend will be performing in the ballroom at Fete on Jan 21, and we chatted about seeing The Cramps in Dallas, being a sound guy for warehouse shows, the changes in the music industry and life as a musician in 2015.
Rob Duguay: I heard a story about an epiphany you had after seeing The Cramps in Dallas during the late 1970s that had a huge impact on you as a musician. For people who are not familiar with the story, what happened on that night in Dallas? Reverend Horton Heat: Well during the late ’70s in Dallas, punk rock was still kind of a fresh thing in ’79 and ’80 — it didn’t really get off the ground until ’77. I was hanging out with a friend of mine and he said, “Hey, I wanna go see The Cramps.” I said, “Okay.” I’ve never heard of them so I thought it was just a punk rock show and there were so many of those types of people there. It was at a club that normally had heavy metal bands and it was super wild because that’s what The Cramps do. Lux Interior was half naked and rolling around on broken glass and all sorts of crazy stuff. It was really wild and there were a lot of people there; the whole time I was thinking that it was ’50s music. They were playing “The Way I Walk” by Jack Scott, “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen, a lot of twangy Duane Eddy type guitar licks, except it was a little bit fuzz toned out and with all those types of songs and rockabilly stuff it just made me realize that rockabilly and the music that I was connected to would work in this new punk rock way. That kinda led me to realize that the ’50s rockabilly can be considered the earliest form of punk rock. A lot of it got rehashed, The Ramones did stuff like that. Then again a lot of rockabilly bands like The Blasters and The Rockats when they came through Dallas would play the punk rock club and we had a really good punk rock club called The Hot Klub. I asked my wife, Ivy, about that show because what happened that night was that the heavy metal guys did not like the punk rock people in their club. There was a giant rumble in the parking lot after that show between the heavy metal guys in their Camaros with guns and the punk rock kids who were waiting for their parents to come pick them up. It was a dangerous scene; the cops showed up and it was just crazy. The cops forced us to leave Dallas. They said, “You gotta leave town right now.” The cops followed everyone out to the Dallas city line and ran them out of town. RD: Now there’s this other story of people knowing you as “Jim the sound guy” where you would do sound for shows that took place at a warehouse in Dallas during the mid-’80s. While doing sound, what was the weirdest experience you’ve ever had with a band? Did you ever have to deal with any divas? Did you ever have to deal with anyone who was flat-out weird? RHH: One thing that I discovered back then was that sound men get yelled at a lot. If something doesn’t sound right they obviously will blame the sound guy even though the show is in a big, square brick and concrete warehouse. You could put the best PA system in there and it’s not going to sound good. I kinda learned to get yelled at a lot. I was always the last to leave those shows because I would be tearing down my PA and loading it into a trailer by myself. One night I finished loading out, I was kinda tired and I just sat myself down out in the alley and here come the skinheads. Twenty of them come marching down the alley and I was thinking that I was about to get my ass kicked, but they walked right by me and they left me alone. Late at night, weird stuff happens and I avoided getting my ass kicked and stuff. But I was into rockabilly and a lot of these clubs were into punk rock and there were these hippies and punk rockers who thought I was from outer space. RD: In those situations have you ever identified with being an outsider? RHH: By that point I was focused like a laser on all things rockabilly, surf guitar, hot rods and all that. I used to work at an art gallery where these hippies would hang out and I would think to myself, “Man, these people really think they know art,” when I actually thought that they were a bunch of idiots. My thing was that I pretty much tried to fit in with everybody, I like people. Sometimes it’s cool being the token rockabilly guy so I did pretty much fit in. RD: You alluded to this a bit earlier but people consider you a pioneer in modern rockabilly and psychobilly. You’ve also have never been afraid to put some sort of country tinge on your music. In American music there’s this folk revival happening in terms of popularity where you have musicians like Justin Townes Earle, Bobby Bare, Jr. and Ray LaMontagne drawing crowds and touring around all over the place. As a musician who kind of puts that spin on his music, what do you think of folk music becoming popular again? RHH: To be honest with you, I don’t know that much about it. My job is kind of the opposite of what a music writer does. A music writer is someone who has to stay on top of the new trends that come out and all of the new artists and stuff. My job is to completely ignore that, so I don’t really care. If some of those people come out and I like it, and there are a lot of new trends that come out when people do stuff, then I’ll think it’s okay. Jimmy Rogers and Woody Guthrie — that’s folk music to me. RD: That’s completely understandable with a schedule that must get pretty hectic for you from time to time. For the past 15 years or so, the Internet has become an accessible outlet for a lot of bands to get their music heard. Do you like the notion of the Internet becoming an open forum for music? RHH: It really is a double-edged sword because on one hand it’s freedom, and I’m all about that, with there being a really big push from politicians to censor the internet — especially Democrat politicians who have ties to Hollywood. Hollywood really wants to censor the Internet and I’m totally against that. At the same time, the music industry is part of that crowd that wants to control what’s on the internet because they’ve lost a lot of money due to piracy. I don’t like Internet piracy because it hurts my industry, but it also gives me creative freedom, so it’s a double-edged sword. I really see how it has hurt musicians a lot, but the good thing is that it’s hurt the big boys in Hollywood who act like they own the musicians as some sort of property. To see the big boys all of the sudden having to scramble around because their once unbelievably lucrative business in selling CDs is now not very good. It’s cool and I like that, but of course the musician is the one who has to take the fall in the end. For instance, I enjoyed getting royalties from the songs that I’ve written and I don’t like seeing those types of things go way down. It hurts to see old guys that I really respect and have made some of the greatest records in history and guys who I’ve know who’ve produced some of the biggest albums ever who are counting on that money see it just drop to zero. It’s heartbreaking. RD: Nearly a year ago today you put out your 11th studio album titled Rev. Do you plan on making another album in 2015 or do you plan on just doing a bunch of touring and maybe hitting the summer festival circuit? RHH: We’ve already started working a bit in the studio, but the next album is not going to come super quick because we’re still really on a roll promoting Rev. One thing that’s really interesting for us at least is like you said, we have 11 CDs out and once a band has that many CDs if you start releasing more in a short period of time it can really piss off your fans. It doesn’t make them happy, so I’ve found that whenever we release a new CD it takes like two years for the songs off that CD to start sinking in to the fans. Early in our career we surely would wait for two years in between albums, but now at two years after the release, a new album hits and people are just getting used to the one that you just did. It’s almost too much for them to handle, so we’re just going to take it easy, we got 11 CDs. It’s kind of hard to make all this music, write all these songs and there’s no way to really to fit it into our live set. People pay money to come see us play and they want to hear the songs that they love from our back catalog. It’s not really fair to them to just go out and say, “We don’t care what you want to hear, we’re going to play everything off our new album.” It’s really not fair to them, so then we’re in a situation where I’m writing all these songs and some of them may be great and some of them may not, but we can’t play some of these songs ever live. You don’t want to pile up too many albums in a row. Get your tickets to The Reverend Horton Heat’s Jan 21 show at Fete here: ticketweb.- com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5392695&pl=fete
Album Of The Week: Sidewalk Driver’s My Face Boston’s Sidewalk Driver has been raising the ideal of glam to whole new levels. With a sound that mixes the styles of Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, power pop pioneers Big Star and early ’80s arena rock, this eclectic act has a knack for being catchy and exuding a contagiously fun vibe. At times you’ll be cutting a rug and there will be moments where you’ll be a headbanging inferno causing a ruckus. With impeccable quality from track to track, Sidewalk Driver’s My Face is kicking the year off just right for the music scene in Providence’s neighbor up north.
Along with the heavy tones of glam and pop, you’ll notice tinge of doo-wop come into play when frontman Tad McKitterick and rhythm guitarist Kate Murdoch join forces on vocals. It makes for a hip- shaking sound that makes listening to My Face a must. Powerful riffs from Murdoch and lead guitarist Jared Egan, along with the seismic skills from drummer A.J. Locke, are bound to leave a lasting impression. Being around for nearly a decade, you can tell that Sidewalk Driver has a syncopation that rivals the most seasoned of music vets to resonate vibrantly tight rhythms. This is the time where I suggest you grab a pair of headphones. Why? Because you’re probably reading this in a cubicle somewhere and I don’t want you to get fired for what you might do. Call me psychic, but you’re probably going to listen to my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week at full blast. Don’t bother your boss, you can do that later today. I dig the bluesy guitars on “Five Steps,” and McKitterick’s story about a crazy after=hours experience with a certain female gives this track a true sense of sexiness. The sheer rock ‘n’ roll of “We’re Going Down” is bound to get you jumping. Speaking of jumping, that beat on “Call My Name” will get your heels clacking on the floor in no time. Sidewalk Driver will celebrate the release of My Face at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., on Jan 17 with fellow Bostonians The Organ Beats, Worshipper and LeoLeo. If you’re in the Boston area, hit this up because it’s bound to be one hell of a show. While you’re at the soiree, grab a copy of My Face. It’s glittery, glamtastic rock ‘n’ roll that will excite and amaze. Sidewalk Driver’s website: sidewalkdriver.com
Interview with High On Fire’s Matt Pike
Photo Credit: Travis Shinn
Tonight at The Met in Pawtucket, local metalheads Churchburn and New Orleans instrumental hellions Mountain Of Wizard will be opening up one hell of a show with Oakland, Calif., sludgeheads High On Fire. Before this evening’s festivities I got to have a chat with frontman Matt Pike about the reuniting of his old band Sleep; the rebirth of sludge, stoner and thrash metal bands; the genre’s credibility; performing without a shirt on and many other things.
Rob Duguay: Along with being part of High On Fire, you’re the guitarist of the influential metal band Sleep. Eleven years after Sleep broke up in ’98, the band got back together and Sleep resumed performing live. Does managing your time ever get difficult when playing in both bands? Matt Pike: Oh Jesus, yeah. It’s now getting easier to deal with, but at first it was a nightmare. Playing in Sleep is only part time where being in High On Fire is a full-time thing, but it does get a little difficult when it comes to managing my time. I’ve had trouble with being at home because I’m never home. But that’s part of the business. RD: I can imagine that when Sleep got back together it must have taken you a little while to fall into a type of routine without destroying yourself. MP: It can get pretty hectic and it does take a lot out of me. RD: Lately in metal there’s been a huge boom in sludge, stoner and thrash metal bands. Mastodon, Torche, Kylesa, Baroness, Gojira, Kvelertak, Toxic Holocaust and many others, along with High On Fire, are gathering huge followings and getting a lot of press. As a musician who has been associated with the metal genre for your whole career, how to do you feel about this new explosion? MP: Well, it’s good for me. Obviously my career recently has gone kinda crazy, which is awesome, and it’s what I’ve worked at for my whole life. On a personal level, it’s great for me and my fellow bandmates. There’s been a huge sense of success going on and it makes it a lot easier for us to keep going and keep creating. Every time you have people who want to hear something that you’ve created, the market gets larger and it keeps me employed. RD: It is great seeing hard-working musicians having their work pay off in a big way. Metal has to be the most wide ranging genre of music with all the styles it encompasses. You have black metal, doom metal, death metal, extreme metal, progressive metal — the list goes on. Do you think that all of these classifications water down metal or do you think it just solidifies metal’s credibility? MP: It depends on the bands, but I think it gives metal more credibility. As a musician I try to be well- rounded, I don’t want to be put into just one category. I like having my other band members run stuff off me that they wrote. Some of it might be proggy, some of it might be thrashy, some it might be a little doomy. Whatever their music is, I think a good band has a lot of different tempos and a lot of different rhythms while conveying emotion. Being well-rounded just makes for being a great band, along with covering all the bases. It gives metal credibility because it shows that the people playing are incredibly talented while mostly likely they’re also messed up with some sort of emotional problem, which usually makes for a good musician. RD: One thing a lot of metal fans know about you, and it’s not a rare thing nowadays, is that you have a habit of performing without a shirt on. Has there ever been a time at an outdoor festival where it’s late at night, you’re in the middle of a set and because it’s chilly out you would like nothing more than a sweater or something? MP: I’ve worn shirts before. I feel more comfortable without wearing a shirt, but it’s kind of become of expected of me now. Sometimes I’ll wear a shirt anyways. I’ve always felt comfortable with the way a guitar strap moves across me, it’s just a comfort thing. RD: There have been rumors floating around for a little while now that both Sleep and High On Fire are working on new albums. Can we expect either band or both bands to have a new release this year? MP: Yeah. High On Fire is actually heading into the studio tomorrow to record with Kurt Ballou from Converge in Salem, Mass. With Sleep, I’m not sure what we’ll be doing next. Get ready for a whole lot of metal at The Met tonight, you might even hear some unreleased songs live from High On Fire. Be there or be lame. High On Fire’s Website: highonfire.net Tickets to High On Fire @ The Met: bit.ly/HighOnFireMet
Album of the Week: Cotillon It’s a new year and 2015 already has a bunch of exciting new releases due out, including the debut full-length from Los Angeles fuzz pop act Cotillon. The moniker of singer-songwriter Jordan Corso, the new album has a cool mix of garage rock and Beatles-style pop with hints of different dimensions on each track. Overall, Cotillon’s debut absolutely rocks with jazzy horns, steady beats and a lo-fi sound, and a Lou Reed-esque charm that’ll hook you like a fish on a line.
One crazy thing about this album is that it was tracked at East West Studio 3 in LA, which fans might know as the place where The Beach Boys recorded their landmark album Pet Sounds. The vintage tones from Cotillon’s album show the production quality doesn’t fall far from the proverbial tree. No wonder why it’s being released on the underground indie rock label Burger Records — there’s a distinct vibe that mirrors The Velvets. It’s weird, mellow and emphatic at the same time — hard-hitting while making your ears feel that they’re being seduced by a feather. So far this year an artist decided to make dentures that look like David Bowie’s teeth that you can buy for $15,000. Looks like we haven’t wasted much time continuing the craziness of 2014. To take a break from the sickeningly entertaining madness, check out the top tracks from my Album Of The Week. Will it get weird enough for you? Let’s hope so. One track that really gets me is “Infection.” A mix between the early material of Guided By Voices and Jay Reatard, this is the most danceable song off of the album. Another groovy one is “Call Me Up.” This has those horns in it that complete the chorus brilliantly. Starting it off with a classic rock style riff that reminds me of The Allman Brothers’ “Melissa,” “Holding You Back” is a lovely number that will have your heart swooning. Cotillon will perform at Noise Pop 2015 at the Great American Music Hall in San Fransisco on Feb 25, but let’s hope Jordan and his band hit up New England to do a show here soon. Until then, grab a copy of Cotillon’s debut when it comes out on Jan 26. It’s a rad record that you shouldn’t ignore. Cotillon’s BandCamp: cotillon.bandcamp.com
Top 10 Providence Shows of 2014 Every year in Providence, there are plenty of unforgettable shows that’ll leave you in a state of astonishment and bliss. Nights of excitement and energy that seem to never leave you. With legends, diamonds in the rough and local up-and-comers gracing the many stages in The Creative Capital, it’s safe to say that 2014 was another great year for live music in our little city. Therefore, here are my Top 10 Providence Shows of the year: 10.) The Devil Makes Three @ Fete 4/18 An initial treat for all Providence music fans on this night was seeing Joe Fletcher and Brown Bird’s MorganEve Swain sharing the stage as part of The Wrong Reasons to kick off the show and The Devil Makes Three were the cherry on top with an incredible set that lasted nearly two hours. When this folk trio from Santa Cruz, Calif., gets together, people start dancing and going absolutely crazy. They absolutely did this time around at the big Ballroom at Fete. 9.) Atlantic Thrills Album Release Show @ Dusk 2/1 A show that almost didn’t happen, Providence garage rock ragers Atlantic Thrills celebrated the release of their highly anticipated self-titled debut album in front of a packed house at Dusk. With an all-local bill that also included revolution rockers Ravi Shavi, surf punks Gymshorts and shoegaze dreamers Littlefoot, this night was a complete riot from the start. I’ll never forget the scene of nearly 100 people dancing while Atlantic Thrills were blowing the roof off the place with “Acid Rain.” 8.) Roz and The Rice Cakes “Need To Feed” Album Release Show @ The Met 4/4 (I know The Met is in Pawtucket but since it’s a stone’s throw away from the city it counts as a Providence venue) If this show didn’t make people believe in the buzz around the music scene in Providence, I don’t know what will. For a person who has been following The Rice Cakes since they were first starting out, seeing them nearly sell out a place like The Met was jaw dropping. They had a few cool bands with them too — Richmond, Va., psychedelic math heads Houdan The Mystic, Providence rock ‘n’ roll supergroup Dr. Jones & The Shiners and psych-folkers The Low Anthem rounded out one hell of a night. Seeing people jumping up and down while The Rice Cakes were playing “Magma” was quite the sight. 7.) KRS-One @ Simon’s 677 4/16 Now I’m not the biggest fan of shows that have eight acts with most of them not getting paid and half of them sucking, but when a hip-hop legend comes to town you have to take notice. With “Tha Teacha” took the stage at Simon’s on this night there was an incomparable feeling of electricity resonating throughout the room. Getting the crowd revved up with classics like “South Bronx” and “My Philosophy” and then having a tribute to “The Godfather Of Soul” as the finale, this was a hip-hop show like none other. 6.) Atmosphere @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel 11/18 Another spectacular hip-hop show was brought to the legendary Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel when Minneapolis, Minn., duo Atmosphere came to town. With Slug leading the way with jams like “GodLovesUgly,” “Reflections” and “The Woman With The Tattoed Hands” and finishing everything it off with a thunderous rendition of “Trying To Find A Balance,” the packed crowd was crazed. Great vibes all around, it was a pleasure finally seeing an independent hip- hop icon live. 5.) Dinosaur Jr. & King Buzzo @ The Met 7/11 It’s rare when you magically get to see a double headliner on a bill anywhere nowadays, but when The Melvins’ King Buzzo and Dinosaur Jr. shared the stage at The Met it was incredible. Buzzo started things off acoustically as part of a special tour this year and then Dinosaur Jr. came on with a wall of amps for a ridiculously loud experience. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dinosaur Jr. live a few times before this night and this time around was absolutely the best. 4.) Bob Dylan @ The Providence Performing Arts Center 11/15 In this day and age, there are music legends and then there’s Bob Dylan. The man is a little older and he has changed his tune a bit since his glory days in the ’60s and ’70s, but on this night he still proved that he can put on one hell of a show. “Workingman’s Blues #2,” “Tangled Up In Blue,” “Love Sick” and “Simple Twist Of Fate” highlighted an amazing set and an encore of “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “Stay With Me” capped off a perfect night. 3.) Queens Of The Stone Age @ The Providence Performing Arts Center 7/14 Along with housing a legend, The PPAC also housed one of the best rock acts around today with Queens Of The Stone Age this year. They kicked off their set with raucous effect when “You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar but I Feel Like A Millionaire” blasted off the stage and numbers such as “Little Sister,” “If I Had A Tail” and “Go With The Flow” were part of an obliterating performance. Living up to the billing and the fame, Queens Of The Stone Age gave Providence music fans the time of their lives. 2.) Mastodon, Gojira & Kvelertak @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel 10/30 It’s perfectly fitting to see a metal show around the time of Halloween and the night before All Hallow’s Eve at Lupo’s was insane when metal monsters Mastodon, Gojira, and Kvelertak rolled into town. Crowd surfing, drunken shenanigans and flat out mayhem was abundant while each band had a blistering set that left me in awe. An absolute gem of a night that no metalhead would ever forget. 1.) Celebrating Dave Lamb @ The Columbus Theatre 4/8 One huge blemish for the Providence music scene and music in general this year was the loss of Brown Bird’s Dave Lamb to leukemia. He was loved and adored by many, and fans had the opportunity to pay their respects to Dave and his family through a free show at The Columbus Theatre featuring Joe Fletcher, Death Vessel, Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores and Last Good Tooth. Two things I’ll never forget from this night was the humungous line of people waiting outside of the theater and Joe Fletcher leading the performers in a haunting rendition of Tom Waits’ “Come On Up To The House” for an epic finale to an emotional evening. It was more than just a show, it was a celebration of a man who touched so many lives with his music and it was a community coming together to rally around the loss of one of their own. 2014 was a magnificent year for going out and about around Providence. What will 2015 have in store? Well you might just have to walk around and see for yourself.