THE SUMMER OF REVIEWS, AND THEY ARE PLENTIFUL!

 It felt like the first half of this year was kind of slow and then all of a sudden- BOOM_ everything has been happening all at once.  I'm guessing I'm not alone in that feeling am I?  Well, that same notion has occurred to me with musical offerings this year.  At least, for me, only a few things really jumped out at me so far, but now a whole bunch of really cool stuff is making me take a second look and you can read about some of it here.

AMENRA, “De Doorn”

I’ve seen this band twice now and I cannot grasp it to save my life.  When the seemingly unending wave of Neurosis/Isis worship bands started falling from the sky like frogs in a biblical reckoning it got so boring, so quick I was really hoping the end of days was near.  Amenra seemed to spring up around this time as well, some 15 or so years back.  But let’s be completely clear:  there is, and only ever will be, one Neurosis.  Anything else is just an imitator to the throne.  Perhaps the reigning kings are a bit more forgiving because one of the times I saw Amenra was on tour with Neurosis (and I thought, ‘why is a Neurosis clone opening for Neurosis?’) and Neurot Records released several Amenra albums.  But here we are and they have a new record, and I’m still just as unswayed by these 10 minute songs as I was the other times I’ve seen them do this live.  It’s basically intense doom music with extremely quiet spoken parts and then giant heavy, repetitive parts that- while clearly emotional to the band- are about as exciting to me as having a dream about filing my taxes. I’m utterly perplexed as to why this band receives acclaim elsewhere.  To me this has about as much atmosphere as Pluto.  So either I’m shallow and my taste in music sucks, or people who enjoy this are also the same types who drive 30 in a 55 and take 20 minutes at a self-checkout to sort through 5 items. (Relapse)

 

CHIMES OF BAYONETS, “Indexer” 7”

Ithaca’s Chimes Of Bayonets returns with their second EP in a pretty short amount of time.  While I thought their last record lacked a bit in terms of a recording that captured their sound all that well (or maybe it was just a fairly new band getting their bearings) this one sounds quite full, maybe as a result of just natural growth as a band or maybe having J. Robbins mix your record…  maybe a bit of both?  Either way, these are fellas that have played together for quite some time, having done a handful of records as Why+The+Wires.  But with any new (new-ish?) band, regardless of familiar players it takes time to sort out what you’re aiming for with a different project.  That all being said, these three new tunes are more fully formed and sound straight out of the later 90’s Southern Records catalog- Ui, Atombombpocketknife, Dianogah, even a little bit of Sweep the Leg Johnny; all good stuff combining for somewhat math-y indie with a bit of saxophone for texture.  It works.  (Habitforming Records)

 

DAUGHTERS OF SAINT CRISPIN, s/t

The set up and pace of Godflesh, as played by Slint.  Two dudes and a drum machine going really slow and sort of heavy, but doesn’t quite match the mechanized sludge of the doom and gloom overlords.  Rather they come with a more indie-ish (even with some nods to melody!) take on that monolithic sound.  They dropped an EP last year and one of those songs gets a redo on this 8 song full length, and I feel like that EP had an overall heavier sound than this outing.  It’s neither a good nor a bad thing, but I can’t totally say this is chubbing me up either.  It’s a decent effort of slowcore and, for my own taste, it takes a certain kind of band for me to enjoy an album’s worth of songs that regularly go over the 6 minute mark.  Daughters of St. Crispin ain’t half bad, but it’s not necessarily for me. (Phratry/ Force Publique)

 

DRUG CHURCH, “Tawny” EP

At this point Drug Church is just about maintaining consistency.  Unless their upcoming full length (of which this EP is basically a teaser) starts throwing in bagpipes or a Theremin or something it’s a pretty sure bet the band will continue their solid streak of post-hardcore rock for all to enjoy.  That shouldn’t be read as the band being complacent and getting stale.  They seem to still have plenty of good ideas that come out in the form of fun riffs, cynical/clever lyrics, and an obsession with groups like Seaweed, Chavez, and maybe a more aggressive Culture Abuse.  It all works very well for them and it’s highly enjoyable to listen to.  They may have honed in on better recording techniques, or tapped into melody a bit more (as spotlighted in the Arcwelder cover closing out the EP), but its just dudes who were already good at what they do doing better.  This is only 4 songs (and around 10 minutes) so it may be a stretch to drop LP money on this, but it’s very worthy of throwing a few bucks at and checking out in anticipation of their next full length. (Pure Noise)

 

EKULU, “Unscrew My Head”

Hardcore often demands redundancy.  It’s a big reason why I like to stretch the boundaries and incorporate other styles into my definition of it because otherwise 5,000 bands that all sound the same gets pretty boring after awhile.  So what do you do when the kids just want to mosh their faces off without carefully considering an interesting timing structure in a song, or incorporating brainy lyrics that don’t exactly lend themselves to a pile-up sing-along, but you want to push the genre?  That’s the trick many hardcore bands fail to accomplish.  You have to be clever with nudging the sound into exciting new realms by pretending you’re doing the same thing as the others, but just doing it better and sneaking in those flourishes where others might not notice (though opening salvo “Becoming/New Life Jam” make it pretty clear this won’t be a typical ride on the mosh train).  Ekulu is really good at that.  On the surface they sound like a New York hardcore band with some metallic leanings.  But you listen to what the drums are doing (like on the title track), or how the guitars throw in leads and solos without being overly indulgent, the vocals having a semi-Integrity quality to them, and then absolutely crushing breakdowns that will turn any logical pondering into total right brain reptile savagery in moments.  Ekulu exists somewhere between other hardcore bands with exceptionally talented players like Rule Them All (sans some of the more melodic tendencies) or Take Offense (minus as much of the Suicidal Tendencies), and filtered through some classic NYHC.  It’s a great debut LP after a couple 7”s that I’m sure a ton of people have been waiting on.  Just try not to lose your shit between the endings of both, “Half Alive” or “Pick Your Fight”.  Bet you can’t. (Cash Only Records)

 

GLOOP, “Crayon Sun”

This is already the West Virginia bands third record in about as many years and they just get weirder, and somehow more catchy at the same time.  Somewhere in the realm of sassy-chaotic punk (think much of the 31G or Gold Standard Labs catalog), but without the immediate annoyances that come with a categorization of that type, Gloop have something a bit different going on.  If you enjoy contemporaries like Trvss or USA Nails then meet your new baby daddy.  They even bring to mind some 90’s Touch n’ Go vibes via The Monorchid on “Old Man Flower” or “A Hole In the Nest”.  However, they are able to lay down some heavy in a serpentine, tactical sort of way (check like most of the B-side) just as easily as they can wind up and let loose with the spazz stuff (note previously mentioned tracks).  This is their best effort by far and it’s very impressive for those who dig the wilder side of things.  (Grimoire Records)

 

THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY, “A Cult That Worships a God Of Death”

Known for being aggressively all over the map in the past, as well as mostly instrumental, San Antonio’s The Grasshopper Lies Heavy returns with a new full length that reins in the variety a bit, but still gives you two sides of their wide palette of sound for a pretty awesome listening experience.  The first half of the record is a sonic pummeling full of burly manthems (yes, I made that word up) that acolytes of Breather Resist will surely give their stamp of approval to.  That’s the half with lots of vocals and plenty of riffs, save for the 3 minute intro that is mostly feedback.  The second half kicks off with the title track, over 8 minutes split into several sections, but worry not!  Between that and the almost-as-long following track “Bullet Curtain” the band is able to keep the attention of the listener throughout as big ‘ol chunky riffs collide with strange melodies back-and-forth that not only shows a skill for writing longer songs, but also not being so self-indulgent that the listener is bored to tears.  It’s a quality skill to have.  So yes, an overall more concise offering from TGLH yet still manages to showcase a range of hostility.  Well done. (Learning Curve Records)

 

KNUB demo

Break out the 90’s dust bin and look to such long-forgotten dollar rack CDs such as Sugar Tooth, or maybe Stompbox.  How about some Handsome and early STP, or maybe even “Aftertaste”-era Helmet for something a bit more recognizable….  Therein you will find the source material for the debut EP from Baltimore’s Knub.  Four songs so dialed in to early/mid-90s on-the-cusp-of-commercial-grunge that each purchase comes with a pre-ripped flannel shirt, a pair of Doc Martens, and some hair bleach.  If it sounds like I’m being a jerk just know that I’m absolutely giddy about this release.  I’m a sucker for this sort of post-hardcore riff machine that likely requires a fission reactor just to power the RAT pedals dirty-ing up their racket.  It’s probably one of the best demos I’ve heard all year.  A lot of bands give this sound a shot, and a bunch are good but don’t grasp the sound quite accurately.  Knub may have actually time-travelled from the Lollapalooza ’93 side-stage just to bring the past to you, now.  I fully embrace it, as should you, as it barfs its way into the future.  It’s like a cinder block coated in strawberry frosting.  Feel free to take this t-shirt idea:  Eddie Murphy in his SNL grown-up “Buckwheat” character with the caption “I Lub Knub”. (self-released/tapes via The Ghost Is Clear)

 

REMAIN SEDATE, “Unwell”

Remain Sedate, formerly known as Crisis Actor, may have re-christened themselves as a clear ode to Rorschach, but their music is a few generations removed from the godfathers of chaotic hardcore.  You have Rorschach, which begat Deadguy and Converge, which begat Botch and Coalesce, which gave youngins like Every Time I Die and Norma Jean a twinkle in their eyes, which spawned a million shitty offspring.  So where does Remain Sedate fall in the endless branching of this vast tree?  Well, they’re certainly on the young end, which may make their immediate connection to the originators a bit hard to grasp (no one can control when they’re born), or for their intentions to feel genuine.  Musically I think they have more in common with a group like Turmoil, who certainly loved themselves some Deadguy stuff (and did great things with that influence), but were rooted more firmly in metallic hardcore- emphasis on hardcore- at their base.  Remain Sedate sound like a heavy, metallic-leaning hardcore band who like some chaos in their sound.  It’s a good first full length that may not quite tap into the energy of the OGs, but it does a decent job of carrying the torch in an updated way. (self-released) *this record has not been released yet so attached is music from their previous EP

SHOWS!.... AND GAYTHEIST PANDEMIC MEMOIRS!

 Yes indeed, shows have returned.  So get your shit together, break out that dusty calendar, and if you're still (for some stupid fucking reason) not vaccinated go do that so you can not be a dick.  Good?  Alright.

Here's a list of a bunch of Hex-related bands and their plans, as much as I can reveal for now.

ALSO, if you keep scrolling, I've added the piece on Gaytheist from Translate zine #10 in which our man Jason Rivera gives his perspective on how he and his band handled things over the last year...  with more than a dash of humor, of course.

ALPHA HOPPER

8/27- Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY

 

EXHALANTS

7/17- Mysterioso Ranch, Austin, TX w/ Easy Prey, Glassing

10/1-10/3- No Coast Fest, Denton, TX

 

GAYTHEIST

7/23- Southgate Roller Rink, Seattle, WA

7/24- Kenton Club, Portland, OR ("How Long Have I Been On Fire?" year-later record release!)

8/7- Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR

GRIZZLOR

7/10- Focal, Pawtucket, RI

8/14- Cafe 9, New Haven, CT

9/29- Asheville, NC

9/30- Memphis, TN w/ Pressed, Moon Pussy

10/1- Denton, TX No Coast Fest

10/2- Little Rock, AR

10/3- Nashville, TN

NULL

8/19- Nashville, TN @ Exit In w/ Yautja

PINKO

7/17- Lonesome Rose, San Antonio, TX w/ Grasshopper Lies Heavy

USA NAILS

11/5- Salford, UK

11/6- Leeds, UK

11/13- London, UK

Gaytheist are my favorite band in Portland (well, to get real local-specific, they actually reside just over the river in Vancouver, but we’ll let that slide).  Not only do they create great music that is all loud and heavy, and also catchy and fun, but they bring joy.  Despite some of their lyrics weighing in on weighty issues (which is why they’re probably, like, so heavy….  man) it is joyous to listen to them and to see them play live.  They are prone to humor, which is inserted into the songs, but especially in the live between-song banter from frontman Jason Rivera.  So I thought it best to ask him to write a little bit about the world of Gaytheist in 2020 because as much as this year sucked, it’s always good to get a bit of a laugh in here and there.  If you can’t laugh you may as well cry, right?  Does that apply here?

Plus, if I do say so myself, our man is being a little modest.  Yes, the band had some big plans, but they actually pulled off more than is alluded to here with not only releasing their new full length, but also a split 7” and playing two live stream sets (one of which was at a coastal beach house no less).  Who says you can’t be productive in the face of a crippling, worldwide, stress-inducing, panic-driven pandemic?

 

Gaytheist: 2020

We are the only people in the world having a bad 2020.

(I was trying to think of the lamest thing I could say to open this article. I feel I have succeeded.)

Mr. Hex Records, Ryan Caravan, asked me to write about this year for Gaytheist, the band that I play guitar and sing and write with.

Naturally I said, "fuck no I don't do shit for anyone!" Then he pointed to page 713, clause 34-12A of our recording contract: "You will write one article for Hex before 2020 ends or you will be crushed physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually and spiritually". I was all like whatever. I did it because I wanted to and not because of "contracts" and "threats".

When this year began, unlike everyone else in the world, we had plans.

2019 had started out to be another year-in-pause for Gaytheist. Nick had just teamed up with High On Fire to learn their set and go on tour with them. Half way into the year, HoF and Nick parted ways (this story is explained in the lyrics to "Separate Ways" by Journey, who likely also asked Nick to drum for them) and we were back in action. At the start of summer 2019 we recorded a new album with Stephan Hawkes. Ryan got wind and approached us about releasing the album on Hex Records in early 2020. Yes please!

So 2020 started, and most of you don't know this, but things were about to change...

We ramped up to an April 2020 release date. Spent the start of the year booking like crazy, all kinds of shows across US and Canada. Hex put together record release parties in Portland and Seattle. Plans to shoot two music videos starting in late March. Everything was coming up Gaytheist.

Then, a virus designed only to hurt our careers was developed and released by Donald Trump himself as a desperate measure to keep Gaytheist from getting popular.

IT WORKED. For now.

What was to be a year of triumph was transformed into a year of meh.

The record release parties were replaced with sitting at home in a mask.

The first tour was replaced with sitting on my thumbs at home in a mask.

The Canada shows were converted to sitting on my thumbs with my legs crossed at home in a mask.

Roller skating rink party? Instead I sat on my thumbs, legs crossed, prone, at home in a mask.

Still, we managed to finish a music video with the talented James Rexroad and Jayson Smith. Most of the video was shot before quarantine. The rest was finished afar. My understanding is that Jayson and James spent most of the editing apart from each other, sitting on their thumbs, legs crossed, prone, breathing slowly, at home in masks.

Eventually the opening track, "The Dark Deep", off our Hex Records 2020 release, "How Long Have I Been on Fire?", had a music video. We discussed, as the Spring turned to Summer, of having a video release party of some kind.

Instead, we sat on our thumbs, legs crossed, prone, slowly breathing, in a full panic, at home in masks.

I know none of you can understand, as you were not the personal target of a madman hell bent on destroying our careers with a specially designed virus that only affected Gaytheist.

But you could at least try, you selfish piece of shit.

Thanks for reading!

READ THESE WHILE I'M ON VACATION

 It was either wait things out until the end of the month when most of these records will be a distant memory in today's blink-and-it's-old-news information rush (as if reading this later in the week would make any difference), or just throw out what I got and let it ferment while I'm out of town.

Oh yeah, I'm out of town until later in June.  Why?  Because I haven't seen my family in a year and a half, that's why.  If you intend on ordering any records from me during this time (which I'd love it if you did) just know it won't go in the mail until later this month.  You can wait a little bit, can't ya?

BIG WATER, “And I’m All Out Of Shit To Fuck Up”

So is having ridiculously long in-joke song titles back again?  Is it 2001 all over?  Please make that stop.  It was sort of funny for a few minutes and then got tired reeeaaaal quick.  But honestly, that’s really the only gripe I’ve got with this KC trio’s debut full length.  The rest of it feels like some sort of mash-up between the screaming craziness (AKA ‘screamo’, minus pretentious bullshit) you’d find scattered all over the bulk of the Level Plane Records catalog with a smattering of chunky noise rock on later-era/transition period Breather Resist-into-Young Widows.  You get a dozen blasts of the quick and furious, as well as a couple quick interludes that pretty much feels like the band just bashing things out rather than vying for some emotional heft to wring out of their worn out Chiefs jerseys..  and to be clear, any dampness is from beer and not tears.  While hints of melody appear throughout the record in small doses “My Body Is a Temple…” is really the only track to ride a more melodic side for the bulk of the song, while closer “24 Is the Highest Number” does the same for its second half.  (Reptilian)

 

END YOU, “Aimless Dread”

It’s hard to believe this is a one-man project as it sounds like a full-on, fully-realized band creating exceptionally weighty music where individual voices are all shining.  Or maybe the person behind this just has multiple personality disorder and each one is very capable at a single instrument.  Either way, an ex-member of VA ragers The Catalyst is behind this effort and it’s quite an undertaking with 12 tracks at nearly 45 minutes of ultra-riffy, sludgy heaviness with more than a few hints towards metalcore (and I mean that in the best way possible as tracks like “Alt Delete” and “Copstomp” have more than a few Every Time I Die-isms, while a couple other songs slide into maybe Chariot territory…  and there’s one definite Cave-In lyrical passage on loan).  But with the massive riffs and awesomely gruff recording I’m often reminded of fellow VA denizens of grungy hardcore- and sorely missed racket creators- Moutheater.  Slow burning monsters like “Orb Weaver”, “X’Ed Out”, and “The Call” firmly show that the intent is just straight up heaviness and not necessarily attempting to fit into any particular category.  Also, I must add the design on this release is awesome.  I love the whole ‘each song gets it’s own individualized layout’, sort of in the style of older comps where each band not only submitted a song, but also the lyrics/art to go with it.  Very cool for anyone into heavy music. (The Ghost Is Clear)

 

FIDDLEHEAD, “Between the Richness”

I’m sure by this point everyone and their distant cousins have heard this band and their sophomore LP.  Their initial offering, “Springtime and Blind” was made when the band still considered themselves a little fun side project that unexpectedly caught a great deal of attention soon after it’s release.  I’ve given that record some attention myself and honestly, it doesn’t sway me the way it does many others.  I think it’s decent, but sounds a bit thin to me.  On “Between the Richness” things sound way more filled out and realized.  The recording is excellent and fully captures the band’s energy in a big way.  I find it a little funny that hardcore kids are so drawn to this band (based upon members previous runs in Have Heart) as this hardly feels like a hardcore record.  To me it draws a lot of influence from DC Revolution Summer bands, as well as Midwest emo in the vein of Braid if they were a little less bouncy.  I appreciate Fiddlehead most when they are moving at a quick clip, and coincidentally, those more upbeat songs are my favorites lyrically as well- “Eternal You”, “Get My Mind Right” and closer “Heart To Heart” are all strong tracks on this 10-track album that clocks at just over 25 minutes total.  I gotta give it up to vocalist Pat Flynn for stretching his voice and delivering some wonderful choruses and sing-alongs that bring a great deal of melody to these already melodic songs.  That’s a tough feat to pull off for a guy who spent a solid decade screaming for a hardcore band.  I feel a little guilty for initially being a bit dismissive of this group due to all the hype they received like they were re-inventing the wheel or something, which they certainly aren’t.  However, after a couple listens to this and finding myself humming those choruses over and over to myself the hype is deserved; not so much due to being heralds of some new style, but just by being exceptionally wonderful at what they do. (Run For Cover)

 

MILITARIE GUN, “All Roads Lead To the Gun” EP

Ian Shelton is known primarily for primordial powerviolence ass beatings via Regional Justice Center.  However, having recently conjured up Militarie Gun he takes a completely different tack.  Like RJC things started out with just him and he turned it into a band.  Same goes for this project, which is now rounded out with several other members to play live shows.  But the music is a far cry from RJC, trading in 30 second blasts for melody and tuneful earworms.  He’s still screaming though.  So, basically this sounds like “David Comes To Life”-era Fucked Up minus rock opera-quality lyrics and song lengths sticking to a strict two minute average length.  It’s a compliment.  Each of the four songs here are good and it all goes by quick.  You can’t lose.  And I’m all for the aggressive vocals over the far less heavy music because if dude was trying to sing it would sound like Angel Du$t meets Gameface or something I find far less interesting.  But it wouldn’t hurt to add a little variety in the vocal department every now and again just to fuck around. (self-released)

 

RED FANG, “Arrows”

Red Fang is a band that I always appreciate whenever they drop a new record.  They always serve up an enjoyable listen, but it never really sticks with me for too long.  So, additionally, I’m always a bit surprised when I hear about how well-received they are and their success.  I’m sure a bit of the loads of attention they get stems from their always creative and hilarious videos, but naturally the music is quite entertaining as well.  I feel like other albums took some cues from modern Mastodon but maybe I’m a little confused on that.  “Arrows” feels more grimey and fuzzy than others, and their love for regional heroes such as peak Melvins and KARP is obvious.  Red Fang are certainly adept at giving respect to sludge royalty without all-out copying and they take the additional step of bringing their own strain of badass rock n’ roll to it.  They also have a bit of an experimental streak in them like in the drugged-out fuzz of “Days Collide” or the tasteful use of strings in “Fonzi Scheme”.  And when they feel so inclined they’ll rip out a fast barn burner like “Rabbits In Hives” or “Dr. Owl” to gut punch those expecting non-stop hooks and choruses to raise frothy beers to from a crowd where no less than 90% of them have beards.  I pretty much expect this record to be blasting from every craft brewery in Portland throughout the summer, which means like every other block. (Relapse)

 

SCUMFIRE, “Trash Film” EP

Absolutely blistering hardcore fury that errs heavily on Deadguy worship in it’s pissed-off factor and bears a few similarities to fellow Buffalo lifers in Every Time I Die both musically and lyrically when they’re at their absolute most reckless.  I mean, they even chose a name that leaves nothing to the imagination.  Scumfire.  You can see that name and upon hearing them it all makes total sense.  There’s only 4 songs here and it clocks in at under 10 minutes so of course it leaves you wanting more and that’s a good thing.  Well done you maniacs. (Sore Ear Collective)

PINKO INTERVIEW FROM TRANSLATE #10

 Here's another web-ready, unedited interview from the pages of Translate #10!  This here is the piece we did on PINKO, in particular with vocalist/guitarist Guillermo Mendez.  It also ha a pretty tight recipe at the end that our man came up with.

The repress of their fantastic debut LP "You & You" is currently at the press and you can pre-order a copy right now.  Some of them come in a fancy reflective cover with alternate cover art.  Go check it out.

And in the meantime, take a read about these dudes all working in the same kitchen together (at least they were last year..)

And if you like physical media there's a few copies of Translate #10 still around that features a linocut/letterpress cover.  It's pretty cool.

How did you get into doing chef stuff?  Was it more of an easy-to-come-back-to-between tours sort of thing, or did you pursue it professionally?

 

Growing up I really didn’t cook much.  I didn’t very good either.  I’d always go and get McDonald’s and shit, or pick the vegetables out of my food.  I don’t really know when the change occurred, but it was probably once I moved out on my own.  And I would have roommates who would cook their own food, so I would sometimes pick up on what they were making.  Slowly, but surely, I started to discover that I liked Asian food, or I liked Thai food.  One of my homies worked at a Thai place in town, and I would tour a lot so it was tough holding down a job and I always would come back to some shithole job.  I worked at a super Target for awhile and worked some other places that were shitty.  Eventually I lost the job because they didn’t want to deal with me always being out on tour.  So I thought, ‘what do I do?’ and this friend who worked at the Thai place asked if I wanted to be a server.  He said I wouldn’t have to cook or anything and I thought ‘sure’.  But he offered that if I did want to learn how to cook I could come in the back and do dishes and then they would show me how to make curries.  So yeah, I gave it a try and sure enough I learned how to use a wok, learned how to make curry, how to make noodles, all that shit.

I started to realize that I really liked this stuff and knowing how to do it.  Even though I learned a lot in that kitchen it wasn’t everything and found that there was a culinary school in town.  So I went to culinary school and went for around a year.  Most people who go there end up doing what’s called an externship, which is basically an internship for three months working in a restaurant.  But I was already working in the field and stopped school for around two and a half years and then went back, finished, did my externship while I was at work so I got paid, and then I graduated in 2015, and since that time I’ve been going from job to job in different cities, as well as my hometown.

A friend from my old band I was in asked me to help run his food truck for awhile, so I did that.  And after that is when my partner and I began traveling a lot so I began taking on cooking jobs all over the country after that.

So now, more than anything, cooking is associated with traveling.  Honestly, that’s making it hard for me now to figure what to do since traveling is more difficult.  So that is why I’ve begun to considering the idea of doing a cooking show.  Did I tell you about that?

 

No, tell me about that.

 

So I’m going to do this cooking show with short stories based around foods I know, recipes from friends around the nation, dishes that I like that homies from my hometown can help me with.  And, also, I’ve just got all these experiences from touring all over and having eaten at different places everywhere.  So I’m going to go for it.

 

That’s awesome.  So your training is a bit of both worlds- getting a formal education and also just diving right into it.

 

It’s part of the job.  I never really thought about school before, but I think it’s a really fantastic foundation.  I take that education with me to every job I’m in, but there’s also the experience, which goes along way too.

 

So you mentioned that you worked in a lot of kitchens all over the country.  What spots do you prefer, or cuisines do you enjoy making the most?

 

For me, I love Thai food.  But it can be tough.  Most Thai food in Central Texas is not fucking good. (laughs)

 

(laughs)  I can only imagine!  I wonder why?

 

Where you live, in the Northwest, is the mecca for good Thai food in America.  I had the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had in Seattle.  But I would say that really interests me, I also have an interest in vegan and vegetarian food, just to see how it’s made.  I learned stuff on how to cook with aminos, and how to make tofu tasty- like how to fry it, how to marinate it.  I learned a bit on how to cook tempeh right.

 

It took me years. (laughs)

 

It’s tough.  There’s also a lot of brands as well.  Have you ever messed around with vital wheat gluten?

 

Yes, I use it to make seitan all the time.  I have my own recipe too.

 

I fucked with it a long time ago and it was alright.  I think I would still take a black bean burger over that, but I’m sure there’s ways to make it really good.

But anyway, right now as far as cuisines go, I’m super into new American fads, but more so Spanish-influenced, like from Spain, putting masa on a pedestal.  So really, really fantastic Mexican food with a focus on really sick masa, which is nixtamilized heirloom corn.  I love that stuff.

 

Are you saying ‘matzah’, like the Jewish bread?

 

Nah, ‘masa’.  It’s Spanish for corn flour.  It sounds similar.  It’s whole kernel corn, and the hominy, which is nixtamilized in the process where you add a less abrasive lye in order to alkalize the water and it removes the hull from the corn and allows you to digest it, as well as grind it.

 

So I just learned something new!  So how did it come to be that you were able to get the other guys in Pinko jobs in the same kitchen you worked in?

 

The place I was working had a guy in the running to operate the place, but he kind of freaked out right when the pandemic started and didn’t really handle it right and he just walked out.  So I was approached to run the kitchen and I felt confident about it.  It was another case of me just going for it, even though I actually did it.  But I did it.  And soon enough a couple of the cooks left as well and they needed some help.  Right around then Jared (Flores, bass) got furloughed and wasn’t sure when he would be able to go back.  So I said to him, “This is not really conducive this is to being in a band together, but do you want to work for me?”  So he came on and quickly became an integral part of the team with a couple other people that kept things running for the first couple months.  And then I was interviewing for another position and learned that Luke (Mitchell, drums) lost his job, and kind of left him out to dry.  So I hit him up and, again, said, “This might not be best for the band dynamic, but maybe we can practice between shifts at the end of the day”.  And I’ll tell you what, that kid is a natural.  He had maybe a years experience with cooking and he’s a hard worker, so great.

It’s funny because we had this whole team going, and then a lockdown closure happened, and some people weeded themselves out, and afterwards it was just the Pinko dudes running this whole operation!  It was really funny.

 

And you got to be their boss!

 

Right, and it’s fine.  It’s sort of how we run Pinko.  In many cases the band is sort of my baby, but honestly we’re all equal, and that’s sort of the way it was in the kitchen as well.  I think that whole chef culture is fucking toxic, or can be.  Some chefs take it too far with this whole, ‘I am above these peons’

 

When you were able to tour would you find yourself being the one to cook fancy meals when you all found a place to stay for the night, or was it more basic, like ‘we’re doing spaghetti every night’.  Or has touring been more of an opportunity to eat at cool places in each town?

 

We almost never will get hotel rooms for ourselves.  If we have any extra money we eat somewhere good.  We will sleep the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot so we can have the money to go to sick Korean spot, or a good Thai place.  We went to an incredible ramen spot when we played in NYC and it was so good.  I guess I would be more open to cooking while on tour now, but it’s such a double-edged sword with bringing food on tour.  It’s not a huge deal, but the idea of having food rotting in the van is just another thing I don’t want to worry about.  In one of my old bands one of the members, who was also a cook, would bring a portable burner and rice and beans and have this whole set up.  But you know how limited time is when you’re on tour.  When we have cooked meals we cooked them on top of the van.  It was rad when we did it, but some times cooking takes that time that you don’t always have on tour.   

  But if we were trying to run the most frugal tour, if we were dead broke, we would definitely get a big bag of rice, a bag of beans, some kind of protein and do it that way.  There’s no more frugal way than eating rice and beans with some protein while on tour and just making it happen.

 

 

Check this recipe out:

 

Burned broccoli in hot raisin glaze with caramelized sun chokes

 

3 large broccoli heads (stems peeled)
11 oz Thai sweet chili sauce (Mae ploy)
2 oz rice vinegar
4 oz fried garlic (find at an Asian market)
2 c tofu dressing
8 oz sunchoke (peeled)
1 tbsp evoo
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 oz picked cilantro
1 oz sesame seeds
Water for deglazing

Sub recipes

Tofu dressing
1/2 c silken tofu
1/4 c soy sauce
1T sugar
1T Sambal oelek
1T sherry vinegar
1 1/2 t sesame oil
1/2 c canola oil

-Peel broccoli stems and cut in half all the way down the stem and in half again. (should be nice long broccoli, no florets)
-add all tofu dressing jngredients to your blender except for the canola and run the machine while drizzling the canola oil in a small stream. It will end up like a loose pudding
-in a pan on medium high heat set your evoo and your peeled sunchokes so they caramelized gently, deglazing with water and maple syrup several times until a brown caramel develops to coat the sunchokes until they are easy to pierce (hold warm)
-to cook the broccoli get a pan as hot as it will go on high heat and add a splash oh canola oil, and sear the broccoli on one side for 3 minutes and finish I the oven at 425 for another 7 minutes.
-once the broccoli is al dente, toss it in a bowl with the thai chili sauce and season with a pinch of salt and the rice vinegar
-plate a dollop of the tofu dressing on the plate, layer that glazed broccoli stalks in a neat pile, and garnish with the caramelized sunchokes all around the plate and finish with piles of fried garlic, sesame seeds, and cilantro

IT'S MAY. ENJOY NEW MUSIC TO ANNOY CIVILIANS WITH WHILE YOU ENJOY THE OUTDOORS.

It's all Summer-ish (pretty much) and why the heck do you want to be sitting around reading opinions on music?  Answer:  so you know what to listen to while you're out enjoying the nice weather.  It pays to be prepared.  Just sayin'...

 

BLACK INK STAIN, “Incidents”

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Black Dynamite” there’s the scene where he’s walking around the neighborhood and he is approached by two kids saying their dad is also named Black Dynamite and he awkwardly just tells them, “hush up little girls, lots of cats are named Black Dynamite”, in an obvious denial of owning up to past booty call consequences.  I feel like anytime the members of Unsane walk into any venue in Europe they have to go through a similar rigmarole as band after band calls them ‘daddy’.  Their influence has a streak a mile wide and France’s Black Ink Stain certainly have inclinations to carry that torch.  They work in the same consistent tempo, sludgy dreck of sonic heaviness scraped off the boot of an aggravated gravedigger, ready to shank the next tourist looking for ‘rue Morgue’ with a dirty shard of glass in the form of pointed riffs that maim and clobber the listener.  It’s a decent effort and it reminds me of Unsane off-shoot band Pigs more than anything, mixed with a good dose of European noise progenitors Breach.  This appears to be the bands first full length release after a digital EP a few years back.  But as they say, like father, like son.  (Pogo Records)

 

DEMONS, “Privation”

With a name as painfully generic as Demons (discogs currently lists at least 11 other bands using the name) it might be a bit of a quest to look up this one you’re reading about here, if I hadn’t gone ahead and attached a link for you.  Unimaginative names aside, the music of this Virginia-based unit spews forth like a geyser of noisy spite and fried nerves.  This sounds like members of Hot Snakes were asked to do their best Converge impression and this is what came out.  I can appreciate that.  Of course, there’s some songs here that don’t exactly fit neatly into any real mold, especially mid-album ripper “Hosanna” which feels like it has a machine-like clanging backbeat going on, as well as closer “St. Luke” with it’s slow-motion alarm klaxon ringing out and mostly spoken/crooned vocals.  It’s a slow and caustic finale to a high-energy record and I can roll with that given the faster pace of the rest of the album. (Spartan Records)

 

PIG DESTROYER, “Pornographers Of Sound”

Hearing Pig Destroyer captured live is not all that different than hearting them on a studio recording.  If Scott Hull had his way there would be two of him at the show- one playing the guitar, and the other behind the board micro-managing every iota of sound that came from the stage.  However, credit is also due to the guys in PD just being incredibly good musicians so naturally they’re going to sound great anyway and this 23 track live set from 2019 (and just released now) is a pretty great representation of what to expect if you ever do see them on one of their fairly rare live appearances.  They may not have played my favorite song of theirs (c’mon, no “Phantom Limb”?) but they belt out at least a few choice tracks from all their records, sans “Explosions In Ward 6” and open things with the skull-smashing ripper “Sis”.  What a great way to open a set.  Hearing audience sing-alongs to sampled 82-second vocal disturbance “Jennifer” is an almost comedic thing to behold.  But having seen PD myself on a couple occasions I can attest to fans ferociousness that parallels the bands own musical intensity.  So yeah, enjoy this live grab bag of the groups catalog because they probably won’t be coming to your town any time in the near, or probably distant, future. (Relapse)

 

PRESSED, “Mirrored Body”

Happy to see this Memphis-based noise rock band has finally made a full length after a few years of steamrolling their sound over listeners heads.  Similar in approach to their peers in groups like Nerver, Canyons, and especially Bummer they just dole out one short track after another of chunky riffs piled atop more beefy riffs.  It’s a veritable Hungry Mans microwave dinner of music for the undiscerning listener who just wants to crush beer cans on their head while ripping the sleeves off all their shirts.  My only complaint about this is it doesn’t quite feel like an album.  There’s no arc, or apparent mid-point, peaks or valleys.  It’s just a bunch of songs that could really be in any order, thus a number of them sound similar to one another.  However, I don’t think this band has set out to create any grand masterpiece aimed at drawing a listener in to a variety of compositional fortitude.  It’s clear they just want to riff and break skulls and they have seemed to accomplish that.  (The Ghost Is Clear Records)

 

WORLD SMASHER, “Big Head” 7”

Hailing from, I think, the Bay Area World Smasher have a less abrasive sound than their name would imply.  However, they are not without their bouts of fuzz-heavy distortion kicking in with each song.  They lead off this 7” with the title track, which heavily brings to mind the band Kindling and their equally as potent brand of brash and abrasive shoegaze-y energetic indie rock that often comes off loud and raw, but also (as common with this style) soothing in the vocal department.  However, that comparison fades a bit after that first track the other three songs here tend to lean into a somewhat laid back feel and little less on the catchy/energetic/bouncy feel.  Though, as mentioned, each song does have it’s moments of explosive guitar fuzz bliss.  It’s a mostly upbeat affair overall, yet giving enough attention to the light and airy side of things for some feel-good vibes without being so shoegaze it puts you to sleep.  It’s a fun and pleasing listen as I tend to be a bit of a sucker for this style. (Forever Never Ends Records)

 

WORKING THROUGH RUST, “Words About the End” EP

Working Through Rust is a project between Tom Schlatter (Hundreds Of Au, You and I, a million other bands) and Steve Roche (Off Minor), as well as other friends, where they intermittently get together, throw out some ideas, and make some songs.  No release they have made sounds quite like the other, as each takes a stab at a particular style.  This go around they have opted for full-on Acme worship.  OK, maybe a bit of Groundwork too.  It’s just totally pulverizing filthy metallic hardcore that wastes no time with the double kick, hellish screaming, and chainsaw guitars.  My references may be a bit dated for a younger audience but it’s 4 songs in 9 minutes, you have time to find out for yourself.  Raw doesn’t begin to accurately define it.  I love that the cover art looks like it could be from an Ire record.  Yes, more old references.  Deal with it. (self-released)

 

YAUTJA, “The Lurch”

I can’t imagine how any of these dudes hold down day jobs given, 1) how tough it must be to compose, learn, and rehearse the insanely-technical material Yautja comes up with and 2) the arms-length rap sheet of other past-and-present bands the members all have (including, but not limited to, Gnarwhal, Coliseum, Thou, and Thirdface).  I can’t imagine any of them have time to spare for stuff like ‘gainful employment’ when music seems to seep from every filthy pore in their collective bodies.  But here we’re talking about the new Yautja record, which the trio have managed to cram inside the most horribly colorful record cover my eyes have ever seen.  For those of you who are looking for a timeline in which Mastodon were beaten to death with their own instruments after “Remission” came out and these guys seamlessly assumed their identity and carried on uninterrupted look no further.  However, I’d even take it a step back further to say Yautja carry the spirit of gnarly Mastodon forbearers Lethargy and like-minded kin Human Remains as well.  The drumming is absolutely insane on this and gives hyperactive strength to the already twisted and sludgy riffs scattered throughout “The Lurch” that go from repetitive Buzzov*en-meets-Voivod headfucks into grimy blast beat bliss without warning.  It’s the kind of record where parts will get you immediately as they are incredibly impressive, but putting the whole thing together as a whole takes repeated listens.  There’s a lot going on, even on a lengthy track like “Undesirables” that feels like one awesome riff with variations on the drumming for over 7 minutes.  It’s technical overkill but not a riff salad, if that makes any sense.  It all makes does make sense though, it just takes some time to sort it out.  It’s worth going back over and over again in order to dissect all the parts to grasp the bands skill at being headscratchingly complex, yet powerfully catchy at the same time.  (Relapse)

PINKO REPRESS WITH SPECIAL EDITION COVER!

 

Coming soon:  the second pressing of PINKO's, "You & You" LP.  Keeping with the color scheme of the first press this one will be 200 copies on solid blue vinyl with accompanying blue polybag sleeve.

Additionally, the first 60 copies of the record will be in a hand-numbered sleeve with alternate artwork and printed on foil covers.  You can see the photos below for some -in-process shots of those.

It's a ripper of a record and worth checking out.  Pre-order the record HERE

 

RECORDS OF APRIL... REVIEW STYLE!

 I don't really have anything witty or insightful to add here.  Approximately a third of these records came from Texas this time around.  What's up rest of the world?  Step your game up.  Between what was submitted to me, and what's been curling my short hairs this is what to check out for yourself.  This might also be the brightest picture heading ever for reviews.  Notice the lack of dark, ominous tones of these record covers!

COLONIAL WOUND, “Degradation” EP

Yes.  This is something we all need in our life- a thick slab of pulverizing heaviness in the form of three new tracks on a 12” record from Florida’s Colonial Wound.  I mean, if I had to live in Florida I would probably feel the weight of humanities failures surrounding me and be compelled to play music this angry too.  Think of the massive ear-damaging volume of Engineer mixed with some of the strange melodies and dynamics of earlier Kowloon Walled City and you get this newest batch from these noisemongers.  They certainly display more melody on this, but not in any way that’s going to encourage you to start humming along.  If anything, it all drags you further down into their crushing noisy hardcore wasteland.  So it’s a bit of a development from their first EP, which definitely laid on the heavy Coalesce brand of relentlessness, as this finds some new ways to make you miserable.  Both records keep the same pace from song-to-song though, which can succinctly be described as ‘lumbering’.  It’s kind of the only downside here (aside from there not being more songs), as a bit of variety in the tempo might be good for mixing things up just a tad.  The cover art is equally as unique and I can’t quite tell if those are shipping containers, or human file cabinet apartments, like little depression boxes.  Or maybe it’s just my future- endless boxes of records stored on shelves.  Is this what they mean by “Degredation”?  OK, now I’m sort of depressed.  Give us a full length already my dudes. (New Morality)

 

DEAD SPACE, THE, “Chlorine Sleep”

This was apparently recorded back in 2015, right before the band split up.  But I guess they decided to reform and are now releasing this record which has sat on the shelf since then?  That’s the story I’m getting anyway. Their sound has a rather solid post-punk feel overall, but with a slightly more modern feel.  I’m not sure how to quite place it because just as it shares those sort of minimalist and brooding post-punk vibes it could just as easily be tagged as ‘alternative’, as broad an umbrella that may be.  To illustrate what’s going on here, take a trio of songs starting with the title track which goes for off-timed repetition for the majority of the song while “Cooked Books” is simple, upbeat, and straightforward for all of it’s 80 seconds  Finally, “No Harvest” is a slow burn, cold and brooding and fairly noisy at that. My favorite, and what I feel is the strongest track here, is “Shivering” with it’s repetitive rhythm where the tension of the entire song is so thick you could cut it with a machete and sounds akin to something you’d hear on a Young Widows album sans two pedalboards worth of effects.  The album ends with a dusty and morose ballad, the sound of the last couple barflys shuffling out after closing time and the beer-soaked floor is halfway through being swept as the nighttime nearly begins to yield to a new dawn. (12XU)

 

DRIP-FED, “Kill the Buzz”

When a band opens their record with a song as excitedly energetic, compelling all within earshot to instinctively start running headfirst into the nearest wall, as “Move Right Through Me” (which with the energy displayed here, that wall doesn’t stand a chance), one has to wonder ‘can the band keep it up for the rest of the record?’  The answer, easily, is ‘yes’.  Drip-Fed are doing something very exciting for hardcore, which be tough to achieve when you’re still relying on fast, heavy music with screaming.  But you know when a band just has that energy surrounding them?  That excitement to play and rip the audience in half?  And still do something new?  I’m getting that here.  Their style leans into the more stop-start riffy rock n’ roll hardcore of bands like Suicide File but you can tell these guys are all big Hot Snakes fans the way they incorporate some of that jangly punk vibe into things as well.  And finally, they have a really strong melodic side that still manages to sound hard, real similar to the likes of Polar Bear Club at the top of their game.  You get a song like “Moonlighting” that relies on big melodies for most of the song before their drummer reveals he has fucking jackhammers for arms and pummels the remainder of the song into the ground.  The title track is the only song on this that I feel slightly iffy about mostly because of how borderline bro rock it gets with all the crazy soloing they go off on, but you can tell they’re having so much fun with it that I really don’t mind.  Second half of the record takes a few different directions, like the poppy and melodic lead on “24 Hour Fireworks Stand”, the Texas-born circle-pit made “Wearing a Wire”, and the post-hardcore thump that closes out “Turn On the White Noise”.  This frickin’ rules and is definitely headed into top 10 of the year for me (unless, of course 10 Drive Like Jehu records come out this year or something).  Just get this. (Head2Wall)

 

GENGHIS TRON, “Dream Weapon”

Genghis Tron is a band I never got too into.  I think I was more in line of respecting what they were about due to their original approach, but it wasn’t exactly anything I was freaking out over either.  Nevertheless, they have taken 10 years off, and in returning they have changed one member and added a live drummer (instead of relying solely on a drum machine in the past).  The result is a very different record than anything they did in the past and I’m really unaffected by the change since I didn’t listen to them all that much previously.  Personally, I enjoy this.  Most every song sounds like an epic build up that falls somewhere in the trippy electronics of Tortoise or Battles at their most ethereal, early 80’s Genesis at their most triumphantly bold, and maybe a touch of “Bladerunner” in it’s futuristic vibe.  They hardly ever get ‘metal’ at all on this record, though some of the drumming by whiz kid Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists, Sumac) absolutely crushes in it’s expertly executed attack (check the title track for evidence of just how hard this dude hits).  All the vocals are in a breezy, atmospheric tone, which adds to the transcendent feel of the album as a whole, while a dominant use of various synths provides the bulk of the sound here.  It’s a big sounding record without having to beat you senseless.  (Relapse)

 

LUMBERER, s/t

Think of a grunge-y, shoegaze-y take on the Lungfish template, as performed by a duo.  If someone used this description on me I’d automatically be all in.  But truth be told, there’s only one Lungfish and no one else can really quite capture that magic.  These two musical cohorts have clearly studied- the almost singular riff repeated throughout a song into a trance-like mantra and lyrics that read like Dan Higgs took some time to temporarily reside on our plane of existence- all filtered into a fuzzy 10 song collection.  The thing about Lungfish though, is that even though they are the kings of ‘writing one song over the course of 11 albums’ it’s a really good song and it somehow remained incredibly interesting no matter how repetitive they got.  Lumberer haven’t quite cracked that code yet, but I give them a thumbs up for trying.  As an EP this would probably be pretty great.  As a full length it gets a bit same-y.  Maybe it’s the lack of a full band to expand upon the sound they’re going for since being a duo can become a little bit restricting. (self-released)

 

THOUGHT PARTNER, “Work Cake”

Weird indie rock that hails from somewhere in Massachusetts.  At times resembling a less chaotic Clikitat Ikatowi (especially in the vocals), but certainly just as weird.  There’s a fair amount of  what sounds like synth going on at various points (or maybe it’s just some wild guitar effects, I have no clue, this isn’t Guitar World Magazine) and it’s most apparent on the slow and drony “In Defense Of Moderate Luxury” and then continues into “Bit Rot”, which goes for that synth-propelled post-punk/proggy Gospel vibe, and I’m definitely OK with that sort of noise.  There’s also a couple odd interludes (does it sound like I’m working with a ‘weird’ theme here?) that get kind of spooky but make for a nice respite in the album.  This band is called Thought Partner, but by the way the text is presented on the cover I assure you it is not “Partner Cake” by Thought Work. (Crass Lips Records)

 

TUNIC, “Exhaling”

There’s 23 fucking songs on this record.  Holy crap.  When Tunic said they were putting out a new record they must have really been on a creative streak!  Wait, some of this sounds familiar.  So there’s actually just 8 tracks I haven’t heard, a total of maybe 17 minutes of new music and their last full length, as well as their 7” tacked on as well?  I get there’s a reason to include older material because their last label screwed them, went under, and basically took all the remaining stock into a vortex or something.  So for those having a tough time getting yr paws on older Tunic stuff this is really cool.  For a person who (luckily) does have a lot of this material on other records already and was hoping for a bit more than 8 songs on a full length (Tunic tend to write pretty short songs) this is a bit of a letdown.  And just to dig a bit deeper, it appears the ‘new’ material was recorded at various points over the last 5 years…  so this is more of a compilation than anything? But let me tell ya- if you want music that is both high-tension jittery post-punk that goes lean on minimalism but still beats the ever-lovin’ piss out of you with it’s bouts of chaotic noise, barked vocals, and rapid-fire delivery Tunic’s got what you need.  They’re like what happens if USA Nails and Metz quit their jobs together in a fit of rage, punched the boss in the snot locker, set fire to the copy machine, and pushed it out the 10^th floor window.  And then everyone either cheered or froze, jaw agape in shock.  I got this in the mail and upon unpacking it the cover immediately fell apart.  Sweet. (ArtefactRecords)

 

UNSANE, “Improvised Munitions & Demo”

Even after death the lingering shadow of Unsane remains to remind any imitators out there who the true kings are.  This is actually an unearthed piece of Unsane history as it’s their first record that never really came out, along with a demo from 1988 that also never saw official release until now.  The story behind dusting off this artifact is wild, but completely gels with the one-of-a-kind truly scuzzy nature of Unsane’s sound.  It cannot be imitated because they have lived the experience of “Taxi Driver” as if it were an every day ordeal and not a work of fiction.  Long story short, they recorded a record, test presses were approved, and then the record disappeared having never gone fully to press.  Fast forward about 25 years Unsane lead Chris Spencer gets a message that some rando found the test pressing in a used bin of records.  I highly suggest reading the full account.  It’s amazing and would only happen to a band like Unsane.  The demo songs on this are just tracks they whipped up to give to promoters around NYC to get on shows.  Some of these songs eventually made it on to other actual records, singles, etc, but these are the original recordings.  This is Unsane at their most raw, before they became the precisely dialed-in, exacting killing machine we all have come to know and love (and before they got themselves well-versed in recording expertise).  It’s them at their most loose, chaotic, and making lots of raucous noise and it’s great.  Even back then they had the grit and wild tenacity of unleashing pure pent-up stress and anxiety upon hapless eardrums.  The only bad thing here- this record cover looks like it came from Shutterstock or something. (Lamb Unlimited)