Alt-Nation: Start the Holiday Season with Some Shows
Murphy’s Law
It is always one shit-show of a party when Jimmy G from NYC and the boys from Murphy’s Law roll into town. Murphy’s Law are bona fide hardcore legends that date back to the 1980s, and they have never slowed down or lost their bite. Expect beer to be flying and shirtless old dudes to be dancing as Murphy’s Law play all the hits. I’ve been itching to catch Folding Foreign Car for a while, so that’s reason enough to go early and stay late.
Murphy’s Law, Held Hostage, Hellbound, and Folding Foreign Car rock The Café at the Parlor in Newport on December 2.
Vudu Sister
If the hardcore of Murphy’s Law isn’t your thing, then consider catching the vampire campfire of Vudu Sister. Vudu Sister released their third album, Mortis Nervosa, earlier this year and it served up an ample helping of Victorian grunge. By that I mean that the mostly acoustic album was a mix of gothic lyrical themes and folk music that had the head of the 18th century and the body from the 1990s. Haunt The House is a good match on this bill in what promises to be night of eerie tunes at a reasonable volume.
Vudu Sister, Haunt The House, and Warbler Roost play Firehouse 13 on December 2.
Black Oil Incinerator
This is just a great, loud local rock show. I put Black Oil Incinerator at the top because they are the headliner, but I could just as easily go on about Jets Can’t Land or Tall Teenagers for the duration of this column. To start with Black Oil Incinerator, they bring it with fuzzed-out stoner rock hymns for the hellions. Tall Teenagers churn out indie rock in the vein of the Pixies. Jets Can’t Land open the show with a truck bomb of ’90s indie rock. On an added note, Jets Can’t Land have a tune called “I Can’t Do That Dave” that is a contender for my local song of the year coming in the next issue. I don’t think I’ve caught Minibeast, but it features Eric Baylies from Baylies Band and Bad Motherfucker and Peter Prescott from friggin Mission of Burma, so they are probably pretty sweet.
Black Oil Incinerator, Minibeast, Tall Teenagers, and Jets Can’t Land will rock Dusk in Providence on December 2.
The Silks
I’ve probably written about The Silks as much as anyone the last few years, which presents a challenge in saying something new about them. There are only so many ways to say power trio, boot stompin’ blues meets early ’70s rock band with an electrifying guitarist. Trust me; I’ve even tried Googling additional ways. So while I may be running out of words, The Silks keep on rambling, having released a digital EP, Roughousin’ with The Silks, and digital album, Turn Me On, this year. I’ve even heard rumors that they have another record already completed. For now, let’s just say The Silks’ live game is on point if one is looking for a night of dancing to a live band.
The Silks, Wild Sun, and Divey rock Firehouse 13 on December 3.
Cannibal Ramblers
The flyer for this show says “Miami Beach – Where Wonderful memories are made,” which sounds lovely. I’m not sure this show has anything to do with Miami Beach, but as the days grow colder it sounds like as good of a place as any to imagine being as the music floods one’s soul. Cannibal Ramblers are a noisy burst of psychedelic swamp blues that come barreling like a locomotive into the senses. Cannibal Ramblers will have Bryan Minto back on harmonica after an absence touring Europe with The Low Anthem.
Cannibal Ramblers, Glockabelle, LaRochelle, and P. Everett will rock Dusk in Providence on December 3.
Remembering Dime: A Tribute to Dimebag Darrell
I was never a big Pantera fan or really much of a metal fan. I was more of a punk rocker growing up, and that is the spectrum from which I evaluate music. Total shocker I know, being the guy who writes about every time Murphy’s Law comes to town. I’m including this show not just because I’m looking to expand my reader demographics into fans of heavy metal, but also because Pantera were a band that had integrity. Dimebag Darrell’s murder while performing was really the first incident in what has become all too common at concerts today. If I were a Pantera fan, I’d be stoked that memorial tribute shows are still happening 12 years after Dimebag Darrell’s passing.
Remembering Dime: A Tribute to Dimebag Darrell featuring performances by Along Came the Flood, Deathwish, and more will go down at Fete on December 8.
The Blue Album
There are two types of people in the world – those who love the first two Weezer records and those mourning the death of Fidel Castro. This show is for the former. I caught The Blue Album a couple times this year where they did the first two Weezer albums, and it is probably more enjoyable than actually seeing Weezer in 2016. Not that Weezer of today is bad, it’s just that the songs are pretty formulaic and arena shows suck the life out the experience. I’d recommend wearing a blindfold and going to see The Blue Album over Weezer. They are so spot-on that it might as well be Weezer. WBRU Rock Hunt Champs Le Roxy Pro open the show.
The Blue Album and Le Roxy Pro rock The Met Café on December 9.
Email music news to [email protected] Album Of The Week: New Fries’ More
Experimental music is on a very broad spectrum; it can’t be pinned down and the listener never really knows what to expect when they press play for the first time. It also can be mind-numbingly boring or blissfully innovative. Toronto’s New Fries definitely bring the latter with their brand new album More. It combines straight-up noise with a groovy, bass-driven sound that’s weirdly captivating. The band is fearless in the way they continuously venture through rare territory to create purely original music.
It would be unusual to refer to New Fries as just a band. They combine elements of performance and visual art with the structure of a band to achieve the extraordinary. The quartet of Tim Fagan, Jenny Gitman, Anni Spadafora and Ryan Carley fuse styles reminiscent of Roxy Music, The Velvet Underground, Lightning Bolt and New York City’s no wave scene. All of that craziness results in entertaining tunes that’ll get you hooked and make your mind work.
Despite the many genres of music that exist, there are still a lot of possibilities to be explored. New Fries show that in their latest album. It proves that musicians are nowhere near done when it comes to going beyond basic song structures. There’s a bit of refreshing trailblazing going on with this act from up north. To see how refreshing it really is, check out the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week:
With a noisy introduction, “Jz III” starts the album off with a groove that’s accentuated by a killer bass line. There’s a bunch of distorted synth that adds another wild musical dimension to a song that’ll definitely get people to dance. “90 Yr Old Girl” has a spooky introduction and then the bass hits again. A plethora of abstract rhythms adorn the song. Another weird one is “Mary Poppins’ Pockets” with pleasant synth and a triumphant vibe.
Beginning on December 1 at The Garrison in Toronto, New Fries will be embarking on a mini-tour throughout their home province of Ontario, Canada, that’ll conclude at Silence in Guelph on December 4. Let’s hope they hop over stateside in the near future. It must be quite the experience to see this act live. Whether they come to your friendly neighborhood music venue or not, grab a copy of More. It’s something different for the senses, and you’re going to enjoy it. Stream New Fries’ More via Bandcamp: newfries.bandcamp.com/album/more; Like New Fries on Facebook: facebook.com/newfries
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of December
1. Saturday, December 3 and 10: 3rd Annual Holiday Benefit Cover Show; $10/15; All ages?; Aurora, 276 Westminister St, PVD. Along with the 3rd kinda annual Neutrinos holiday show, December 10 has the actual 3rd annual cover song show at Aurora featuring a number of Rhode Island area musicians. We have the good (At The Drive In, Descendents, Modest Mouse), the bad (Third Eye Blind, Pearl Jam), and the indifferent (Pinback). And, of course, the first name you often think of to tie together all these acts: Billy Ocean. I don’t have to look up details to guess that whoever is doing Billy Ocean is or includes Adam / Bi Anal Ham Sandwich / Sinatra Jr. If I am wrong about that one, I will eat my “2016 sucked” hat. There are two nights, so check out your local listings to make sure you don’t accidentally catch Third Eye Blind songs.
2. Friday, December 9: The Village Idiots, 10w30, Outcloud; 21+; Bishop Hill Tavern, 2868 Hartford Ave, Johnston. I used to play in a garage punk “band” back in high school, and the greatest show of my life wasn’t with some of the big national bands we played with or gigs in New York City or elsewhere on the road. We once played at Lincoln School For Girls and it was certainly one of the most flattering moments of my life. We also shared the stage with The Village Idiots that night, and it was almost 20 years ago. That mean ska punk outfit The Village Idiots have been at it for close to, if not over, 20 years. Unlike The Agents who come in and out of retirement regularly, Village Idiots are more of a Haley’s Comet. They play now, I believe, once a year up at Bishop Tavern, which is a great bar in Northern Rhode Island. Hopefully it’s unseasonably warm and you can play bocce ball out back.
3. Saturday, December 10: Lil Yachty; $25 advance / $30 day of; All ages; Lupo’s / The Roxy, 79 Washington St, PVD. Lil Yachty is a pretty polarizing artist right now in hip-hop. Every couple of years a new movement of young rappers comes up, and the older hip-hop heads get agitated and shake their hands at the sky. Other similar acts, like Kodak Black, 21 Savage, and Young Thug, are making serious in-roads with hip-hop crowds, but the older fans are reluctant to support it. I find Lil Yachty lyrically to be funny and engaging, though at times it does seem like he gets lost in the song. Check out his feature on D.R.A.M’s hit “Broccoli” and decide for yourself.
4. Saturday, December 17: Providence PsycheFest 2016; $7; 21+; Dusk, 301 Harris Ave, PVD. The best (mostly) local line-up of the month is right here at the Providence PsycheFest 2016. Providence’s Olneyville Sound System have been terrifying concert-goers around town for close to 20 years, a spastic battle of the contained and uncontrollable. If you haven’t seen them yet, I wonder how. And do yourself a favor and get to Dusk to catch them. The out-of-towners on the bill, Invisible Things, are new to me, but have members of bands I have seen (US Maple, Parts & Labor). From a quick listen, they are psyche with a touch of free-form jazz influence and should fit in just fine. Baylies Band (art noise punks from New Bedford), Craig Wreck (Craig from Doomsday Student’s delta doom and boom project) and Goon Planet (Providence no wave oddities) round out a great night at Dusk. 5. Friday, December 30: WBRU’s New Year’s Eve Eve with Gogol Bordello; $30 advance/$35 day of; All ages: Lupo’s, 79 Washington St, PVD. Like many of my friends in the industry, I almost always get stuck working New Year’s Eve. And with a ton of bar tip money received from the night before, I day drink myself into bed early in the day. A few years back I went so hard on January 1, I was in bed by 6pm. Well, new year, new me because this year I am going to get uber car irresponsible the day before New Year’s Eve AND at night! Gogol Bordello are the perfect party band, gypsy punk funk grunk lump anarcho political party of dance and well, party. What should I do now on January 1? I will most likely get day drunk again.
Also worth noting: December 1 — The Mallett Brothers / Frankie Ranks and the Freeloaders / Hip Bobsha @ the Met; December 4 — The Supersuckers @ Firehouse 13; December 8 — Richard Buckner @ The Narrows; December 9 — The Blue Album (Weezer tribute) @ The Met; December 10 — Churchburn @ Firehouse 13; December 10 — 3rd Kinda Annual Neutrinos Holiday Special @ News Cafe; December 10 — Z-Boys / Juile Rhodes @ Nick-A-Nee’s; December 14 — WBRU presents Warpaint, K. Flay, Joseph @ Lupo’s; December 16 — Bayside (acoustic), Hawthorne Heights @ The Met; December 17 — Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds @ The Met; December 23 — Therefore I Am @ The Met
The Roots Report: A Future Curmudgeon
Okee dokee folks … On Black Friday I woke up to find 55 e-mails in my inbox. Out of the 55, only three were from actual people. The others were advertisements. BUY, BUY, BUY!!! I admit that I do like to buy things. I am a musician and we all have what is known as G.A.S. – Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Too much is never enough. So when a great deal comes my way I find it hard to pass up. Some of the “Black Friday” deals are insane, but require that you go to the store and face mad hordes of hungry consumers vying for the same items. That is one thing I will not do. People are animals. They lunge at bargains like hungry wolves on the carcass of a freshly felled deer and fight each other for the bits of meat on the bones. I don’t want anything that bad.
If I shop on Black Friday, I do it online. I guess that is why Cyber Monday also has become a thing. People head back to work, get on their computers and shop online. At least this is more civilized. Black Friday shows you what people really are — they’re animals. (I already said that, didn’t I?) Deep down there is no denying it. We claim to be and want to be civilized, but we’re not. If we can’t get along when shopping how are we ever going to get along any other way?
Those of you who have read my column over the years may remember that I don’t celebrate holidays, especially Christmas. I quit over 30 years ago because it all became ridiculous. The aforementioned is part of the problem. ‘Tis the season of greed. A lot of you may disagree, but many people secretly agree with me and wish they could quit Christmas, too. Borrowing a saying from a store that was trashed in a Black Friday stampede, “Just Do It.” Many things in this society need to change, and going along with the status quo doesn’t help. Giving should be a year-round event and not tied to specific dates. And giving is best when done without expectation of reciprocation. That is what I do. I buy something for someone if I think it is something that they would appreciate. Not 10 or 20 things, but one. That way it means something.
If you shop wisely you can make two people happy with your purchase if you buy from a local artisan. The seller/creator is appreciative and it supports their creative endeavors. A gift doesn’t have to be a physical thing; it can be an experience. Take someone to hear music. There are so many ways to make people happy that don’t involve mass consumerism. Think before you shop. If you celebrate this time of year then “Happy Holidays” to you. I still choose “Humbug.” I aspire to “curmudgeonry.” Read on…
The 9th Annual Singing for Shelter Acoustic Christmas Concert for the benefit of Lucy’s Hearth and the McKinney Shelter will be held Thursday, December 8 from 7 to 9:30pm at Channing Memorial Church in Newport. This year’s performers include: Brenda Bennet (of Prince’s Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6), Zanricky Duo, Ray Davis and Mike Purcell, Jack Casey, Chief Noda, Rand Bradbury, Ed Ledwith Dan and Donna O’Neill, Toni and Chuck Cianuy, David Dragone, Jonathan and Chris Myers, Jimmy Winters, Rick Jones, The Slackwater String Band, Al Fresco Flutes, Leslie Grimes and Matt Bruneau and Mike Jackson. For tickets call 401-835-7209, or email [email protected]. A Washburn guitar valued at $1,000 will be auctioned off during the evening.
Over the past week I have been watching Toad The Wet Sprocket videos on YouTube. They were one of my fav bands from the ’90s, but I never saw them live. Whenever I mention Toad nowadays, most people seem to have forgotten them. Even though they broke up in the ’90s, they still get together for the occasional tour. Glen Phillips, the lead singer-songwriter, began Toad The Wet Sprocket in 1986, at the age of 15. By 1988, they had signed with Columbia Records, recorded five albums and embarked on many major tours until they disbanded in 1998. Three years later, Phillips released his first solo album. Since then he has recorded 10 solo albums and been involved with other performing and recording projects with other artists such as the members of Nickel Creek and Grant-Lee Phillips. As I was perusing the Narrow’s press release, “Glen Phillips, singer-songwriter for Toad The Wet Sprocket” caught my eye. The music fairies must have planted that need to watch Toad in my head. After I watched the videos I wondered if I would get a chance to see them live. Though this is not the band, it is the next best thing. He is touring to support his latest release, Swallowed by the New. He will perform as part of a duo, which seems promising as I like stripped-down performances. A quote from his site: “I enjoy the spontaneity of acoustic performance, where I can take the show wherever it needs to go and follow the lead of an audience instead of following a set list. There’s more talking, more stories and more of a loose feel.” Sounds good! I will be there on December 15 for this show. Also at the Narrows on Thursday, December 8 is Richard Buckner with Kevin Connolly, and the Amy Black Band performs Sunday, December 11. For more about these shows, Dulcinea to NarrowsCenter.org
The Providence Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Naughty or Nice!” They are making their list and checking it twice because they want everything perfect for this year’s holiday concerts. As the name implies, you can expect both traditional and not-so-traditional holiday fare at their concerts this year. The Providence Gay Men’s Chorus will put you in a holiday mood with their musical exploration of beauty, grace, silliness, lump-in-the-throat, humor and joy. This year’s benefit concert on Friday, December 9 at the Beneficent Church is for the Providence Animal Rescue League (PARL). For a century, PARL has been the haven for hundreds of thousands of unwanted, neglected and abused animals in the Greater Providence area and they are committed to finding solutions that help individuals and families with the resources needed to be successful pet owners. For more, empower over to provgmc.org
Time to squeeze a whole bunch in a little space! First Friday East Bay Contra Dance is at the Warren Armory on Friday, December 2 (EastBayContraDance.com). An Evening with Peter Mulvey is December 2 at the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street in New Bedford. For info: [email protected]. Common Fence Music Presents Tzibeles, An Evening of Klezmer Music on Saturday, December 3, and Aine Minogue’s 23th Annual Winter Solstice Concert on December 17 (CommonFenceMusic.org). An Evening of Holiday Music with Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Slater Mill/Stone Soup Coffeehouse on December 3 (StoneSoupCoffeehouse.org). Nick-A-Nees’ Bluegrass tHrOEDOWN is every Wednesday. On December 7 is Wilbur Hill, December 14 is Ricky Meir and the Ricktones, December 21 is Best Ever Chicken, and December 28 is Gather Rounders. Norah Jones will be at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium on December 8 (TheVetsRI.com). The Fat City Band will be at the Courthouse Center for the Arts Friday, December 9 (CourthouseArts.org). Aurora in PVD has lots of great stuff: On December 8 it’s the Sweet Little Variety Show, December 11 is Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores, The Huntress and Holder of Hands, Death Vessel, and Trois Corbeaux; and on December 12 is Vudu Sister (AuroraProvidence.com).
That’s it for now. I would like to thank the folks who came out to the Forever Young Tenth Anniversary Show at the Park Theatre last week. Five hundred of you made it extra special for all of us. Wow! THANK YOU and thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club Comes to The Met
Photo credit: Gary Isaacs
Whenever there’s a resurgence of a genre, few acknowledge the resurgence’s forerunners — the musicians who were playing a particular style before it became part of a so-called “revival.” You can say that folk and Americana have made a big comeback in the 2010s, and there are a lot of facts to back it up. With all that going on, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club have been playing their brand of gothic, folky rock ‘n’ roll since alternative rock’s heyday in the early ‘90s, and their influence on a lot of today’s music is evident. They’ll be taking the stage at The Met in Pawtucket on November 29 with fellow folks O’Death and The Huntress & Holder of Hands.
Ahead of the show I had a chat with Slim Cessna about his familiarity with the state of Rhode Island, the band starting their own label, being an outsider in regard to popular music and what his plans are for the holidays. Rob Duguay: Rhode Island always seems to be a prime stop when Slim Cessna’s Auto Club goes out on tour. What keeps the band coming back on to The Ocean State?
Slim Cessna: I actually used to live in Rhode Island for about three years from 2000 to 2003 and I still have friends over there. The venues have changed but there are people there who I love. We have songs about Rhode Island that almost encompass an entire album that was recorded in 2004. They’re either for or about Rhode Island.
RD: What part of Rhode Island were you living in?
SC: I lived right on the border of Providence and Cranston.
RD: In September, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club released The Commandments According to SCAC, the first full-length album released on the band’s label SCACUNINCORPORATED. What sparked the idea to start the label, and what advantages have you discovered from releasing material on SCACUNINCORPORATED?
SC: We just felt like things had grown a little stagnant and we needed to challenge ourselves. Some of that musically, but also in business; we needed to understand our business better. We figured the only way to do that would be to start from scratch. It’s been great, quite honestly. We’re certainly not getting rich, but through the label we’ve been able to at least offer ourselves tour support (laughs), so that’s pretty cool.
I’m actually on my way to buy a van right now. It’s a ’99 Chevy Express.
RD: Nice.
SC: We’ve been able to purchase that through our label (laughs). So thanks, record label!
RD: Awesome. Do you plan on making it exclusively for Auto Club releases or do you plan on making it available for other bands that are affiliated with the Auto Club or even your solo material?
SC: We’ve already had two releases on the label with one being a compilation with a live DVD. It was original an anniversary release we did with the label Glitterhouse in Germany, and then we decided to release it in the States and Canada on our own. A year ago we released another one of our projects; it’s not a side project necessarily because we love it too much to call it that, but the band is called DBUK. Four of us who are in the Auto Club are also in that group.
We’ll continue to do some of those things; we all have a number of projects that we all work on that are separate from the Auto Club.
RD: What do you consider the influences behind the gothic nature of the band’s music? Did you grow up reading a lot of Southern Gothic literature or was it later in your life? What made you lean toward that musical style with the Auto Club?
SC: I think the influence comes from a lot of different directions. One, certainly the primary, would be Munly’s role in the band. He’s the primary writer of a lot of the songs as well, and he tends to have those sensibilities in his writing. He has been compared to Cormac McCarthy and we use our strengths. He’s an amazing writer and we use him for that. Also even musically, gosh I was a teenager in the ‘80s and one of my greatest personal influences would be bands like Joy Division and things along those lines. Even in American folk music in general, the tradition of murder ballads is definitely another one.
RD: The band uses a lot of styles, the Auto Club isn’t your typical American roots act and you guys bring a lot of stuff to the table. Being a band that started out during the rise of alternative rock and the Seattle sound to 24 years later being in the thick of an era with traditional country and folk making a comeback into the mainstream, has the band always felt like the outsiders when it comes to what’s going on in music?
SC: I think that we have always been outsiders to anything going on that’s popular in music, which is an amazing accomplishment on our end. We do consider ourselves artists and individuals; we certainly have our own ideas about what type of music we want to play. There really isn’t a lot that we can get grouped into because of that, and in a way it’s kind of difficult on a financial and business side because our audience is exclusive to us. It’s financially difficult, but great artistically.
RD: Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up, what are your plans for the holidays? Does the Auto Club have any shows going on around that time or do you plan on spending it with family?
SC: For Thanksgiving we will be in Canada. We organized the current tour so we would arrange the routing so we would be in Canada because you can’t play Thanksgiving in the States because no one would be there. I’ll probably be eating poutine in Toronto for Thanksgiving (laughs).
RD: That sounds delicious.
SC: For Christmas I’ll be home. I’ll be up in South Park, Colorado, where my parents live and that’ll be amazing.
Buy Tickets to Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, O’Death and The Huntress & Holder Of Hands @ The Met on November 29: etix.com/ticket/p/8426597/slim-cessnas-auto-clubodeaththe-huntress-and-holder-of- hands-pawtucket-the-met?cobrand=themetri; Slim Cessna’s Auto Club’s Website: slimcessnasautoclub.com
Album Of The Week: NGHTCRWLRS’ Raging Hot Since the dawn of social media, bands have been spelling their names in all capital letters. Some even use witty abbreviations or a different spelling of a word to make a striking impression. New Jersey punks NGHTCRWLRS follow that trend, and it would be a tad comical if their latest album, Raging Hot, wasn’t so fantastic. It’s a scorching album with energetic rhythms.
The quartet’s second release is a great follow-up to their self-titled debut that came out in February of last year. Guitarists Frank DeFranco and Eric Goldberg, bassist Brian Goglia and drummer Max Rauch alternate on vocals and at some points they join their voices to create excellent harmonies. Their ability to walk the fine line between being raw and being polished makes their sound stand out. The tracks on Raging Hot are a mix of abrasive and intense rock anthems and jazzy and mellow tunes. It shows how much they dig having variety in their sound and the result is an enjoyable listening experience.
Given the current social and political climate, people are calling for another golden age of punk rock. On the other hand there are people like me who say that if you do your research you’ll discover that punk hasn’t been through as much of an ebb and flow as the mainstream likes to portray. The genre has always been going strong in the underground where it has been thriving for decades. Thanks to bands like NGHTCRWLRS, we can all be assured it will continue to thrive. For research purposes, let’s delve into my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:
The lead single “Are Two Dee Too” is one of the more mellow songs off of Raging Hot, but the chorus is hard-hitting and emotional. DeFranco’s and Goldberg’s guitars unleash electrifying fury that’s contagious. Not only is it a magnificent pairing, “Coffee and Weed” is a minute-long rager that’s extremely emphatic. There’s also the low-key reprise song titled “Weed and Coffee” that’s a bit more laid back. “Rot” has a distinct shoegaze influence with a dark tone and a fuzzy melding of all the instruments.
As of this writing, NGHTCRWLRS don’t have any shows announced for the imminent future. You can bet that they’ll be playing out more in support of the new album. Let’s hope they come play at one of the many great music venues in Providence sometime soon. Until they roll through your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab a copy of Raging Hot. Give it a listen and you’ll see that the album lives up to its name.
Stream Raging Hot via Bandcamp: nghtcrwlrs.bandcamp.com/album/raging-hot; Like NGHTCRWLRS on Facebook: facebook.com/NGHTCRWLRS
Interview with George Clarke from Deafheaven
So far this decade, metal has found itself in an identity crisis. All sorts of influences are coming into play with progressive, doom, black, thrash and stoner metal still present in the metal realm while other acts are trying to resurrect the glam days of the ‘80s. There are also metal bands forging their own path by incorporating different elements into a highly amplified sound. One of those bands is Deafheaven from San Francisco; they possess an interesting blend of black metal, shoegaze and post-rock to create music that’s hard to pin down. They’ll be bringing that blend to Fete Music Hall in Olneyville on Saturday, November 19, with British extreme metal legends Carcass and Richmond, Virginia, act Inter Arma.
Before the show I had a chat with frontman George Clarke about the band’s origins, all the screaming and growling he does, working with producer Jack Shirley and plans for next year.
Rob Duguay: Deafheaven began as a two-piece with you and guitarist Kerry McCoy in 2010. How did you and McCoy meet and what forged your songwriting partnership?
George Clarke: Kerry and I have been friends for a long time — since we were 14 years old. When he started playing music along with me doing the same, we jammed together a lot during our teenage years. Both of us moved to San Francisco when we were 20 for lack of anything better to do. We started writing some songs and those songs became the first Deafheaven demo.
RD: Where did the two of you grow up?
GC: We grew up in Northern California, about an hour and a half outside of San Francisco. I kind of grew up all over, but we met each other in a small town called Modesto.
RD: Deafheaven is a five piece band, so how did you and Kerry go about finding members for the first incarnation of the band? Did it ever get difficult to get people on board or was it fairly easy?
GC: It was hard at first; we were trying out a lot of people. We got our first band together, which featured Trevor [Deschryver], who was our drummer at the time, Nick Bassett, who was our guitar player, and Derek Prine who was on bass. Then we went through a lot of changes and by the time we went through those changes, we were gearing up to write our second album, we were looking for another band. We were kind of an established act, so it was a bit easier to find the second band at that point. That was in 2012; we got Dan Tracy who was friends with and playing music with this guy Shiv Meara so we asked Shiv if he wanted to join and we were roommates with our friend Stephen Clark who plays in a lot of bands as well so we asked if he wanted to join on bass. They all agreed and that is the lineup that we have today.
RD: You do a lot of screaming and growling on vocals; do you do any vocal exercises before a show or do you just go at it on the mic and whatever happens afterward is just par the course?
GC: Yeah. At this point it’s like any other kind of singing. My voice is trained to where I don’t strain it or blow it out. I don’t do any vocal preparations or anything, it’s just something I can control while I’m performing at shows.
RD: You don’t feel hoarse after a show in the morning or anything of that nature?
GC: No not at all.
RD: That’s good. Everything that Deafheaven has released has been produced by Jack Shirley, who also plays guitar in the bands Comadre and Everybody Row. A lot of bands usually float around from producer to producer with each release, so what has kept the band working with Shirley this whole time?
GC: Part of working with Jack Shirley is that we both grow together. Throughout the years, he’s grown a ton as a producer and we’ve grown a ton as a band. We’ve always had a really good relationship with each other, he’s incredibly easy to work with, he puts in good ideas and he knows exactly how things should sound. If we give him an idea he knows how to execute it and it’s a really positive working environment. It’s hard to envision us working with anyone else at this point.
RD: The new record New Bermuda has incredible production quality. It must be amazing for such a massive sounding band to be in the studio while Jack captures everything. After this current tour with Carcass and Inter Arma does Deafheaven have any plans for the end of the year or will the band be taking a break from live shows?
GC: We have some touring planned for next year that we have not announced yet. We’re playing the Roadburn Music Festival in The Netherlands in April and we’ll also be doing a show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles in January. Other than that I think we’ll just start to focus on writing new material.
Grab tickets to Carcass, Deafheaven & Inter Arma @ Fete Music Hall on November 19: ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=6861765&REFERRAL_ID =twfb&pl=fete; Deafheaven’s Website: deafheaven.com
Thee Oh Sees Bring The Noise To Aurora Photo Credit: Mark Montalto
It’s been a while since Providence native Jon Dwyer and San Francisco garage noise punks Thee Oh Sees have been in The Creative Capital. I’m pretty sure the last time they played in town they were ripping apart an Olneyville DIY spot roughly seven years ago. On November 15, the setting was a bit more refined as Thee Oh Sees took the stage at Aurora on Westminster Street and headlined a stacked bill put together by Wolfstuff Presents. Joining the fray were local sludgy surf punks Gymshorts, southern psych fiends Holy Wave and Aussie jangle punks Straight Arrows. It was a show that promised to be one of the best shows of 2016 and it definitely lived up to the billing.
Gymshorts kicked things off to an energetic start as people were filling in toward the stage. They started off with “Copy Cat” and the crowd was immediately captivated. Halfway through “Bed(Stuy)” Sarah Greenwell grabbed the mic and got right in the audience’s collective faces during a song that had multiple breakdowns. A new song titled “Ding Dong Ditch” was a rager packed full of fury while the rebellious “Hey Parents!” finished off the set. Since their start in 2013, Gymshorts has managed to do the unthinkable and musically grow as a band despite multiple lineup changes, and it showed during the performance.
A more recent addition to the lineup was El Paso, Texas, psych rock act Holy Wave. They were coming through on a fall tour to conclude a year that included their latest release, Freaks Of Nuture, that came out in February. The quintet’s rhythmic tone had the attendees in a trance. People were getting excited and amped for the rest of the evening as these southern groove masters brought a cool vibe. Holy Wave’s performance was a welcome surprise and their stage presence was magnificent.
After the switch-around of instruments, Straight Arrows, all the way from Sydney, made their presence felt with their unique take on punk rock. The audience was definitely in the mood to dance, and the steady beats and jangly chord progressions of Straight Arrows’ songs made it easy to bust a move. Their performance made emotions rise, and it was the perfect way to get people ready to see the dynamics of Thee Oh Sees.
Moments later, Dwyer, Tim Hellman, Ryan Moutinho, and Dan Rincon took things over and pandemonium ensued. The band’s noisy, shoegazy and psychedelic garage punk sound had the whole room moving from side to side. It was one giant mosh pit in the center of the floor and people were bumping into each other as if they were bumper cars at an amusement park. It was a Jameson-fueled performance that electrified the night.
It was a wonderful time at one of the coolest spots in Providence. Aurora has delicious cocktails and a wide variety of beers, and the sound quality is impeccable. Grab Thee Oh Sees’ latest album, A Weird Exits, and their upcoming release, An Odd Entrances, that’ll be out on November 18. Then go see them live when they roll through your town. It’ll be an unforgettable experience.
Thee Oh Sees Website: theeohsees.com
HxC: Make Punk and Hardcore Great Again
If you thought that the Providence punk and hardcore scene wasn’t already brutal enough, well, you can expect to see an up-tick in aggressive and pissed-off jams produced in response to the recently elected Donald Trump. No villain, no matter how strong, frightening or tangerine-hued, can succeed for very long. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself ever since Trump announced that he would be running for President of The United States of America. The amount of shit that this man allows to come out of his mouth is beyond comprehensible and acceptable. He is a bigot, a xenophobe and a misogynist. It hurts me to realize that millions of individuals with whom I share this country are exactly like him. If punk is good for anything, it’s good for smashing the corrupt capitalist society in which we live, it’s good for telling all individuals against equality to fuck right off, and it’s supremely good for preaching what’s on your mind. I’ve gathered a couple of songs by some local bands that speak against corrupt governments and political officials.
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The Effort//Iconoclasm// “Born Again Presidency”
Drop Dead//Split w/Crossed Out// “New World Slaughter”
Downtown Boys//Full Communism// “Wave of History”
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Upcoming Events
Nov 18: News Cafe — The Saddest Landscape, Field Trip, Agapé & Mind/Res
Nov 18: Machines With Magnets — Uniform, Timeghost, Finished, Trim
Nov 19: Fete — Deafheaven, Carcass, Interarma
Nov 26: Psychic Readings — Hurt Ensemble, Disavow, Bonefolder, High Command
Nov 30: Columbus Theater — Andrew W.K. Thanksgiving Playlists
We asked our music writers to share with our readers a short playlist of songs they’d like to listen to as background music while stuffing themselves with stuffing on Thanksgiving day. Whether you want to shock Grandma or find some common ground with those family members on the opposite side of the political divide, we’ll hope you’ll find a suggestion here that will do the trick. And remember: If the conversation gets too heated, just turn up the music.
HxC, Matt Morales
1. Descendents, “Thank You” 2. Bad Brains, “Give Thanks and Praises” 3. Bad Religion, “Lost Pilgrim” 4. My Head In Clouds, “Donut Run” 5. Orchid, “Anna Karina”
EDM, Melanie Bertoldi
1. Kill The Noise and Dillon Francis, “Turkey On Wheels” 2. GriZ and Big Gigantic, “Good Times Roll” 3. Kygo, “ID” 4. Skrillex and MUST DIE!, “VIP’s” 5. Major Lazer featuring Ariana Grande and Machel Montano, “All My Love (Remix)”
Roots, John Fuzek
1. Arlo Guthrie, “Alice’s Restaurant” 2. The Beatles, “Savoy Truffle” 3. Willy Wonka, “Pure Imagination” 4. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Theme Song 5. Temple of the Dog, “Hunger Strike”
Hip-Hop, Spocka Summa 1. Jay Rock FT. Kendrick Lamar + AB Soul, “Vice City” 2. Raury, “Devils Whisper” 3. Mick Jenkins, “Drowning” 4. Kid Cudi, “Frequency” 5. Boogie, “Negro Needs”
Alt, Marc Clarkin
1. Foo Fighters, “In The Clear?” 2. Bob Dylan, “Don’t Think Twice” 3. Rolling Stones, “Mother’s Little Helper” 4. Frank Black & the Catholics, “Back to Rome” 5. Ray Davies, “Thanksgiving Day”
Super Alt in Holiday Spirit, Alyssa Cavallo
Oasis, “Champagne Supernova”
“Where were you while we were getting high?”
Poppin bottles, or smokin’ joints – perfect holiday celebrating! Who can resist the mellow, guitar riffs on low volume in the dining room.
Our Lady Peace, “Somewhere Out There”
Feeling sad about the election? Don’t think you getting a PS6? It’s somewhere out there, “I know you’re out there SOMEWHERE out there!” Preferably a new president. That would lighten the holiday spirit.
Gary Jules, “Mad World”
Donnie Darko fans rejoice! This can pass with the cute piano in the beginning and as long as no one actually listens to the breathy meaning.
Weezer, “Island In The Sun”
A song that someone will recognize and sing. While you’re holding a napkin of stale crackers and wine wishing you were in Bora Bora, far away from being Trumped.
Miser, “I’m Really Starting to Hope the World Ends in 2012”
Me too.