HOT JAMS FOR A HOT SUMMER

It’s basically all hardcore and metal this month because that’s what’s been in my ears with quite a few heavies coming in with some new stuff that I think certainly worthwhile to gush about.  And even though I just recently got back fro some extended traveling some of this new stuff I’m writing about is inspired by bands I’d seen live, so let’s get to it.

Rewinding to just a few weeks ago, one of the wildest sets I saw during the Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis last month was from locals Murf.  I didn’t know too much about them but based on the one or two songs I heard from them beforehand I had an idea that things would get out of control.  And you can hear that on their new record,  “Already Dead”.  But it hardly comes close to the wanton destruction and chaos of their live set which included, but was not limited to, pig masks, hatchets, and bondage outfits.  Still, that random assortment of live props is similar to the stew of chaotic hardcore, punk, and some metallic leanings that make “Already Dead” a pretty vicious affair.

And after several years of being a fan of their music I recently had the chance to see Austin’s Drip-Fed play a small show here in town while they were on tour.  I literally found out about the show maybe three days before it happened. While the room was a bit awkward for the show I got precisely what I had imaged the band would be like live and that was them being exceptionally proficient, energetic, and pushing out energy that matched the nature of their music.  While most of what they played was this new record “Sold For Parts” it keeps in line with their older material- rowdy Texas hardcore full of riffs, clever part changes/transitions, and fun (despite some of these songs being about dealing with addiction and feeling like you’re at the end of your rope).  It makes them one of the more original hardcore bands going today where they can utilize a catchy disposition a band like Drug Church has going on, but definitely leaning in more towards the punk/HC end of it all.  This third LP they’re on just keeps things moving in a steady direction.

Speaking of hardcore, I’d been awaiting this full length from Chicago’s Porcupine.  Ever since their last EP “The Sybil” I’d had a keen interest in the band as they mixed awesome artwork/packaging and a sound that was as close to Rorschach as a modern hardcore band could probably get.  So with this new album, “All Is Vapor”, one thing remains constant with Porcupine- they evolve and update their sound with each release.  This new stuff not only sounds the heaviest of anything they have done previously in terms of the quality of the recording, it leans a bit harder into chunky hardcore.  However, there are certain points on this where they veer off into strange passages with haunting howls and singing, and lots of allusions to religion and peculiar personal anecdotes related to that as far as I can tell. And the whole thing wraps up with an acoustic mantra that should help cool down any post-mosh tension still lingering.  All in all, another cool effort from a band that keeps things interesting while still always keeping it hostile…. mostly.

On the other side of the pond, Bad Breeding is a band I just recently came across, even though they’ve been mucking up British hardcore for years now across several albums.  I likely came across them due to a mixture of interest-relevance:  Iron Lung released their record in the US, they just did some European touring with Botch, and this album contains an accompanying zine.  A zine you say?  What, was this released on Ebullition in 1996?  Just the notion that a band did this in the present day immediately makes me interested.  So on “Contempt” Bad Breeding create punk-hardcore that pays service to the fast/dirty/damaged variety with an added air of apocalyptic desolation via recording duties from Ben Greenburg of Uniform, who adds weight to the various noisy bursts, ravaged-terrain soundscapes, and post-industrial wasteland feel of the whole record.  Sometimes they’re coming at you with 2-minute rippers and at other times they’re lobbing 5-minute crushers that eventually collapse in on themselves.  UK collage artist Peter Kennard has supplied the art for the cover, as well as various spots in the zine where his art is dissected, photocopied into oblivion, and set along with various essays on the sad state of the world, that matches up with the bands lyrics regarding environmental destruction, the rich get richer/the poor get poorer construct, and the breakdown of society that all leads to.  They’ve done a great job at combining all these things into a formidable record/piece of art that you ought to give some attention to.

And somewhere bridging the gap between punk/hardcore and metal, but perhaps none of the above really is Reaper’s Gong.   For a side project Maryland-based Reapers Gong stay pretty busy, at least with recordings.  The group have quietly released upwards of 4 (I think) EPs over the last three years.  I’m curious why they don’t just save up some songs and do an album?  It’s good stuff and I’ve enjoyed all of it to date.  This newest release, “Fruiting Bodies”, continues their blown-out grungy noise rock with airy and haunting vocals over it. It evokes Sonic Youth doing early “Born Annoying”-era Helmet while keeping each song short and sweet.  I’d say grab any one of their EPs because they’re all a hoot, this one has a particularly bigger recording. 

OK, check the transition…. moving into real slower, more metallic territory, comes the new one from Thou. It wasn’t until just very recently that I discovered that Thou isn’t just some middle-ages term for ‘you’, but that it also can be used to describe a friend or companion, as well as towards an object of scorn or contempt. So it’s not just a name without meaning.  And I think that fits for a band that embraces a DIY community sort of ethic amongst friends, as well as the lyrical contempt they hold towards those in power.  It’s with that their latest full-length, “Umbilical”, unravels in the way you’d expect Thou to deliver.  Truth be told I fell off a bit from their last few releases having last caught up with them on the excellent collaboration they did with Emma Ruth Rundle.  They are a rather prolific band.  Still, “Umbilical” is Thou as you expect them- a subatomic tone like no other and plodding, sludgy heaviness with snarled shrieks on top of it.  Maybe it has been awhile, but I feel like you get a large dose of the sludgy stuff they’re known for, as well as a few tracks that are…. I don’t know, more upbeat?  Is that uncommon for them?  It feels like a record that moves at a somewhat quicker pace than other records by them and that’s cool with me.  It keeps things interesting.  I’m always reminded of Ire, but maybe a little less overtly metal.  

And speaking of Canadians (see above, Ire…. and, well, just one member), for a very part-time supergroup of sorts Sect have managed to dish out four albums so far in the space of 6 or 7 years.  Not bad.  It’s been a bit since their last one and hoo-boy is this one a ride.  Get ready to get really bummed. “Plagues Upon Plagues” is lyrically the bleakest of any of their records.  I mean all of them get on some heavy, societal collapse type shit so nothing new there.  But this one moves slower (yes, there’s still grindy, fast tracks too) and lays out a manifesto of almost utter hopelessness.  If the last few years haven’t shown us that the rich just get richer, the sick just get sicker, the poor get poorer, and even in the face of global issues that should have brought us more together we chose to fall apart while wars raged and greed wins out over mutual aid towards others than I’m not sure what submerged protective bubble you’ve stowed away in.  This record doesn’t give a glimmer of hope, or a rallying cry to rise above all the terribleness.  It holds a mirror up to it.  It’s dark, man.  Musically it’s more metal ( that is to say, not shying away from solos or excessive double bass) and like I mentioned, fairly slow.  The HM-2 worship is still in effect as always and no lie, I do prefer this band shredding and blasting away.  Also, the artwork is awesome and worth checking out for that alone.

Finally, I really thought Sulaco was calling it a day after the untimely passing of bassist Lon Hackett a year ago.  The band released a couple songs they had been working on before he passed and I thought it a fitting ode to the exceptional musician and all-around nice guy.  But here they are, continuing on, and another two-song EP with an updated lineup.  The band sound just as pulverizing as ever. “Black Cloud” opens with an extended sample before rushing headlong into their signature sound of warped grooving/math-y metal, while the second track emphasizes blast beats and epic structures a little more.  Much of this can be attributed to constant Rochester metal architect Erik Burke, who has been at the helm of the group since day one and has been in countless other noteworthy bands.  Of course, he is surrounded by highly talented maniacs with minds tuned to freakish deviations of all things metal.  So, ya know, it works.  Hats off to Sulaco for making the dang thing still chug along.

SHOWS IN DIFFERENT PLACES WITHOUT BEING ON TOUR

Your man on a train, on a plane, or in a car (heck, even a bicycle here and there) spent the last several weeks bouncing all over the place taking in a number of shows along the way.

First up was the annual Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis.  Last year was the first year I went and it was a who’s who of current bands I absolutely adore.  That version of the fest, while wonderful, was unbelievably exhausting, jam-packed with upwards of 14 bands a day over 4 days and I need to just accept that I’m a man into the back half of my 40’s and not a 20 year-old maniac anymore.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m really OK with less bands.  And I think most of the crowd (also many 40-somethings) felt that same way, and thus the organizer gods heard our plea for a good night’s sleep and the lineup was culled back a bit, which felt pretty good.

Like any trip out of town it was not my intention to solely linger around a dank venue all weekend so I was able to take in a wonderful Keith Haring exhibit in the local museum, take a long hike through the exceptional Minnehaha Falls, eat plenty of good food, and explore a couple record stores that weren’t Extreme Noise (no offense to the excellent Extreme Noise, but variety is the spice of life as they say).

That first night though local drone/sludge/noise duo Dug opened things up with their crushing sound.  It didn’t quite have the impact of witnessing them level the place when I saw them in Texas a couple years ago, but I think a lot of that had to do with a killer sound system.  Even so, Dug were a great way to kick things off with their tectonic plate-shifting sounds.  

                                                        Pretty Please

Also of note were Atlanta grunge rock trio Pretty Please, who I have enjoyed quite a bit on record and was glad to see them finally on stage where they brought a dirty, noisy (but catchy) set that included a cover of “Touch Me I’m Sick”.  Closing out the night were Murf and their deranged chaotic hardcore punk.  They were a sight to behold with their singer in full bondage gear, corpse paint, and brandishing a hatchet while their bassist donned a creepy pig mask their whole set.  Things got wild for them and all hell broke loose.  It was late but I just had a feeling they were going to offer up something memorable and fun and I was not let down.

                                                    Murf

Saturday’s lineup consisted of a lot of drone, sludge, and experimental groups, which is not ideally something I want an entire day of.  Still, one couldn’t dismiss the alien sludge drone of powertakeoff, or the one-man power riffing of Thrones.  Some of that was tempered with the catchy punk/indie snarl of Ganser, as well as seeing Part Chimp for the first time ever and witnessing their dedication to the sludge pop riff factory they served up so well.  Also of note was finally seeing Oxbow, a band in their own lane entirely who have been around some 30 years and I’ve never had the opportunity to catch.  But extremely glad I did on this night as they were in top form, regardless of topless and mostly bottomless clothing attire.  It wasn’t that warm out either.  They brought that evil heat though and it was awesome- bluesy, dark, sinister, and rocking.

                                                Oxbow

Things switched over to the other venue for the night portion where the back-to-back sets from Bronson Arm, Facet, and Neckbolt were all extraordinary.  Bronson Arm are a Michigan duo that make incredible use of dynamics and a know-how of getting the most out of a guitar and drums to sound like a full band while remaining unique and catchy.  I’m partial to Facet but there’s no denying they kill it every night- massive volume dialed in for maximum efficiency and crazy lights to enhance their set of killer post-hardcore/noise rock.  As for Neckbolt- I don’t do drugs but just seeing those dudes take the stage make me think someone slipped me an acid tab and then they started in with hectic and wirey psychedelic punk/indie made more unusual through various vocal effects.  I’ve seen them before but this felt like a more intimate affair and everyone in the band was freaking out and it was awesome.  One of the best sets I saw all weekend.  By this point I was beyond beat so I hoofed it back to my place of rest and bedded down and missed nearly all of headliners Art Grey Noise Quintet.

                                            Neckbolt

On day three I was already getting pretty tired.  But I wanted to make sure to get to the show relatively early because I could finally get to see Porcelain, who I’d been waiting to catch for some time now.  If you haven’t heard them, or picked up their debut record it’s quite excellent.  And as much as hearing those songs live for the first time was indeed excellent it was the newer, not-yet-recorded stuff that really blew me away.  They opened with a new song and I cannot wait to see what they do with it on record.  They have progressed quickly and seeing them was certainly a highlight of the fest.  The same can be said of J. Robbins, who closed out the day/evening show (yeah, I skipped way ahead).  The entirety of the set was his ‘solo’ material (but playing as a trio) and it kind of doesn’t matter what he is playing it’s going to be great.  J. Robbins just has such a great way of singing, a unique style of playing and the other people that make up his band are stellar musicians in their own right.  It was a shame he got cut off a little early due to curfew (it was an outdoor stage).

                                            J. Robbins and band

For the night show I took my time getting over so I could eat some dinner and relax just a bit and I was just in time for Cougars.  Initially I didn’t feel one way or another about them, but seeing as the rhythm section for Big’n was half the band I knew it would be good.  And they were quite incredible with a huge sound and a rhythmic swing that was unparalleled.  Also, their singer kept doing this thing where he would lick his hand and do a sort of fake slap with it, which got really weird after like the 10th time he did it.  You realize you’re in a dank bar and your hand has touched who knows what.  I hope he got himself a check-up after the fest.  Couch Slut closed out the night and they were another band I’d been hoping to see for some time now.  A friend described them as ‘a mental health crisis unfolding on stage’ and it’s sort of apt.  Between song banter consisted of harsh, uncomfortable stories coupled with the bleakest humor imaginable where you’re not sure if it’s ok to laugh (one example, “this next song is about the razors I use to cut myself…. it’s called “Wilkinson’s Sword” but we might have to change it because we got a cease and desist about it.”).  They were down one guitarist so the sound was a little less punishing than I had imagined it would be, but lots of screaming, bloodied foreheads, and- oddly enough- someone with a bubble machine bringing a little levity to the scuzzy metal noise rock made it a pretty sweet way to end the night.

                                                In Lieu

On the last day I was treated to things starting off with locals In Lieu.  I knew nothing about them beforehand but was pleasantly surprised with their brash and deft chunky rock.  So yeah, a good way to get things moving.  Go check out In Lieu.  Halfway through the day things had to be moved inside for a spell due to a brief downpour but thankfully the tiny corner-wedge stage only needed to support the duo of Austerity Program doing their best Big Black worship with a pounding drum machine and some very loud guitars, as well as pop-punk (the gritty rough and tumble kind) upstart trio The Scrunchies…. who were great by the way.

                                                CNTS

The clouds parted and things moved back outside where CNTS leveled the place with their tweaked-out shirtless convenience store robber get-ups and rowdy hardcore shredding, while Djunah performed solo with backing drum tracks.  I don’t need to go into detail about Whores- everyone knows them, everyone loves them, they always sound huge on stage and they go off when they play.  No different this time.  But I will expand a bit on Brainiac, who closed out the whole thing.  I never saw them when they were around.  I knew their music a little bit, but didn’t really dive into it hard.  But I’m glad I saw them because they were excellent.  They definitely worship at the alter of Devo, but it’s as if Devo had a glitch in their programming and everything they played was slightly broken.  That’s kind of how to describe Brainiac.  Tons of warbbly vocal effects, frantic dance-y punk, and a super fun attitude.  That’s how to keep a reunion going.  Good for them.  Glad I could witness it.

                                                        Brainiac

I had to bail out super early the next morning to catch a flight to Syracuse where I had no plans to see any shows, and just hang with family.  But I did get roped into seeing a small punk show while there and I’m happy to report my hometown has an awesome scene going right now with a ton of younger excited people and a ton of bands.  Urban Camouflage (great name) ripped it up with fast, vicious caveman hardcore.

                                            USA Nails

So that brings me to going to Europe.  I had wanted to have a real-deal vacation this year but was unsure of where to go.  Then I saw, months ago, that USA Nails and Mums would be playing together in Liverpool, England.  Since I love USA Nails and have seen them a couple times on this side of the Atlantic I thought it would be cool to catch them on their turf.  And I totally love Mums, and am pretty sure they are unable to do a tour in the US.  So I had to go to them.  I’d been to England before, but it was a long time ago.  So I spent some time on the continent as well, hitting up Belgium and Netherlands before going back to the UK for the show.  So, fun fact:  I actually grew up in a town called Liverpool but I had never been to the actual Liverpool.  So that was kind of a plus, though the show was in a part of town that was nothing but bars, night clubs, and general club trash for blocks and blocks.  So I likely missed out on any neat cultural things in town.  The show was in a tiny room in the back part of a beer garden type spot.  I’m all for small spaces for shows.  False Advertising played and while the guitars sounded a bit quiet they had an overall great style and was a fun way to get things started.  USA Nails followed and not only was it great to hear them play a bunch of the older songs I know and love, it was a pleasure to hear some of the new stuff from their excellent current record “Feel Worse” in a live setting for the first time.  They consistently sound awesome and there’s no way you can’t bop around to their stuff.  Mums closed things out and if you look at their gear you’d think that maybe they’re not quite as loud as their record implies.  But I couldn’t have been more wrong.  They sound checked and my eardrums nearly burst.  This is exactly what I was hoping for- to be buried by their ridiculously huge, fuzzy, sludged out sound.  But everything was still super fun and catchy and they looked like they were just having a great time and joking around.  It was the best possible experience of seeing them on stage.  They played the entire new record ("Legs", you really ought to get it) and I was all smiles afterwards.  

                                            Mums

What didn’t make me smile was having to catch a train dead early the next morning back to London to catch a flight back to the US when all I really wanted to do was hang out a bit more in Liverpool with my UK pals.  But I did really miss my cats, so you know, I wanted to get home as well.

                                    with the UK homies

Wrapping up this whirlwind of traveling and show-going was the final farewell of the Botch reunion up in Seattle.  After having been all over the place in the last few weeks it snuck up on me that I’d have to go up to Seattle again and was sort of numb to the idea.

But then I thought of how awesome Botch is/was and the excitement returned.  Just as a preface, I’ve seen Botch a lot.  They played the first show I ever booked. I got to see them play every night for a couple weeks a year later when I roadied for a band they were on tour with and was blown away each time.  I bore witness to them on several more occasions over the years as they received more recognition and played to bigger crowds (usually).  And I was at their original ‘last’ show on June 15th, 2002 when I drove across the country to see them.  Since doing the reunion I caught a couple of the shows and they somehow got even better and were still operating with I’d say a good 90% of the stage energy they had in the past (c’mon, age is a thing and where are those giant Dave Knudson high kicks?).

                                            Great Falls

But at this final show they laid it all out and then some.

It was beautiful how the show was held 22 years to the day from their original last performance, and was essentially the same lineup as that one- Great Falls (Demian and Shane from Playing Enemy) and Helms Alee (Ben from Harkonen) who are both incredibly influential to me as well as musicians creating sounds all their own and completely ruling. 

But Botch were something else that night.  Just firing with everything they had.  Each of them dove into the crowd on multiple occasions while still playing everything exact.  For the first few songs I was mushed right up front and despite how uncomfortable that was I kind of didn’t care because it was all a blast.  Even so, after awhile I needed some breathing room and the best way to get out of being crushed by jam-packed humans is to climb over some heads and then jump off the other side of the stage to somewhere I could actually catch my breath.  I’m small and spry, I can make that work.

Even still, as energetic a live band as they were, joking with the crowd, shouting out friends and family (even dabbling in a little Undertow homage), it was jaw-dropping just how much passion they displayed throughout the hour-plus set.  Even before they were done frontman Dave Verellen went full-on Pat Roach as the big German fighting Indiana Jones in “Raiders…” shirtless and jumping on people’s faces.

                                            Botch

Having seen them so often and in all different places there are a few highlights about them I’ll never forget:  seeing them play “Transitions From Persona To Object” for the first time in Philly the day that “We Are the Romans” came out and my jaw on the floor because I’d never heard sounds like that come out of a guitar and knowing right then and there that they would help alter the landscape of heavy music.  Seeing their final show in 2002 (at the same venue no less) to a completely sold out crowd, with so many familiar faces coming out from all corners of the country, a small group of people championing them every chance we got, and them getting their bona fides finally.  And then this show, where they closed out a reunion run in the best way possible at the absolute top of their game and leaving all of it out on the stage.  That’s how you do it.  Congratulations to them, they did it the right way and completely crushed it.

HEX COVER SINGLE SERIES FOR JUNE: CHILD BITE COVERS ROLLINS BAND!

 

Like most kids when they’re around 14 or 15 finding ones identity can be a big deal.  And by that point in my life I had started discovering punk, hardcore, and alternative bands that very much spoke to me through their music.  One such group I found was Rollins Band, the intense rock/metal band fronted by Henry Rollins after Black Flag disbanded.  It was their record “The End Of Silence” that captured my attention and found it to be one of the most powerful albums I’d ever heard.  Not only was Rollins absolutely shredding in his vocal delivery, it was the words chosen that grabbed me.  Well, that and the stellar musicianship of the all the players involved.  It still remains in my top five records ever.  From there I went backwards and picked up any Rollins Band record I could.  Some of them were live albums, showing off their braun and brains through recordings where you can feel the sweat coming through the speakers.  It was noticeable though that some of their earlier stuff leaned a bit more into punk versus the sledgehammer hard rock of later records.

Enter Child Bite- a band that lives, breathes, and eats DIY life and who have a sound that is somewhat unclassifiable.  They are an overlapping Venn diagram of punk attitude, hardcore fury, bizarre noise rock, and metal chops.  It’s the same way Rollins Band also fuze proggy sludge, punk, hardcore, and hard rock.  You can’t quite pin down either band.  And both bands have one-of-a-kind vocalists that absolutely command your attention.

And that’s why I asked Child Bite if they would cover Rollins Band.  They’re probably the only current band I can think of who could tackle the task and when they asked which song I said any of them would do.  With that they contributed an older Rollins Band track- “Black and White”, which certainly checks off the more ‘punk’ side of the group with it’s fast and direct approach.

I took so much inspiration from Rollins Band when I was a lot younger in terms of their musical acumen, but primarily the directness presented in the songs- to rise above the shitty times in life and do things on your own, follow your own path, and focus on self-determination.  And now I find that same kind of inspiration with Child Bite in their unrelenting drive towards freakish noise and a DIY spirit that is all encompassing through their actions. 

MAY REVIEWS- SOME LIVE, SOME RECORDED, ALL REAL.

There hasn’t been a heck of a lot of time on my end to really sort through a ton of new music this last month because I’ve been really, really busy with other music-associated things (well, and some non-music associated things).  But I think that allows some room for other music reviews of the live variety and not so much the recorded kind.

Most notably I hosted a pair of Hex Records 25th anniversary shows here in Portland on May 3rd-4th.  The lineup was of bands past and present I have done stuff for, as well as a few friends new and old.  Both shows were a fantastic grouping of old friends from near and far under one roof for a couple nights of wild music.  I was beyond surprised to see a few people traveled quite some distance to be there and for that I am truly thankful.

                               Special letterpress posters made for the shows by your truly

On the first night Seattle’s Yellfire opened up with their exceptionally tight and plodding hardcore crunch.  These kids have a full length recorded that’s just waiting to be released and when it does, let me tell ya, it’s gonna crush.

The guys from Wipes flew in from Pennsylvania for a weekend in the Northwest paying several shows, this being the first after crashing at my house for an extra day and me showing them all the tourist-y sights Portland had to offer.  It was my first time seeing them with Ben on guitar and they played a bunch of new stuff as well as a few from the “Making Friends” LP released a year back.  Even on borrowed gear they sounded great.

                                                                Wipes

I knew I had to get the lifers in The Helm to come down from Tacoma/parts unknown to play a rare show because they’ve been a part of this label forever.  Even Bob, their original vocalist and one of my oldest friends for the last 25 years came down but I did not expect him to join them on stage for a few songs too.  Still, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the loudest fucking bands on the planet.  You could hear them down the block.

                                                        Das Helm mit das Bob

Gaytheist wrapped things up because they are pride of Portland (OK, Vancouver too) and never play a bad set.  I was happy to join them on stage for a pair of covers, though I’m not saying what they were because it would ruin the surprise I have in store a couple months from now, but there were kazoos involved.  I will say, though, they played a bunch of new songs which they will be recording starting later this week for a new full length.  So there’s that.

On night two the locals in Coffin Apartment opened with their serpentine, labyrinth metal akin to the weirdness of Voivod.  These dudes will warp your mind.

Next were semi-local (ok, 2/3 local) rock powerhouse Kinghorn.  What a fantastic band.  I’ve known Aaron for going on 15 years now, starting back when I hit him up about doing a record for his old band Prize Country and Kinghorn maintains some of that same gigantic post-hardcore sound.  And seeing as Brandon is an old Rochester head, well, we have some NY love in us.  See the accompanying review of their massive new LP below.

                                                                Kinghorn

Brain Cave also decided to make a Northwest weekend of things by flying out from Cleveland and were similar bedfellows to Kinghorn, though maybe a bit more punk?  Maybe more raw?  Either way those dudes are sweet and I’m so happy I was able to release a split for them last year.  Their new full length is a ripper too. They kind of did the reverse routing of Wipes so as to vary up their paths and not complicate things too much.

Finally, the old buds in Great Falls closed out the celebration with a caustic set culled primarily from their excellent “Objects Without Pain” record.  I have such a long history with these guys and their bands past and present and having them be a part of this was really a highlight.

                                               Great Falls make their amps catch smoke

As an addendum to the weekend, I ventured up to Bellingham the next day because 1) I’d never been there and 2) Wipes were wrapping up their weekend of shows there with Yellfire again at the legendary Shakedown.  Despite it being cold and rainy I took in some sights around town and it’s a great little place.  The show itself was a good time as The Shakedown has one of the best sound systems of any venue I’ve ever been at and makes every band playing sound absolutely massive.  So both Wipes and Yellfire sounded ridiculously good in that spot.  If you’re a band coming through the area you really ought to try and play there, if anything just to sound better than you ever did anywhere else.

And as a nightcap of sorts, while I wasn’t able to see Brain Cave at their Sunday show up in Vancouver, WA at the fabulous Ronald Records, a couple of them did stick around an extra day and we all went to see Metz and Gouge Away rip it up at the Wonder Ballroom back in Portland.  This isn’t my first time seeing Metz there (I think I’ve seen them 4 times since living in the Northwest), so I knew what to expect.  However, if you have not caught Gouge Away since they returned at the beginning of this year you need to change that.  Their new album is incredible and they’re on fire live.  During Metz a couple of them did a song together from the new Metz record and it was a very cool collaboration.

                                                      the most excellent Gouge Away

And that’s that for the shows.  But coming up quick (like later this week quick) I will be in Minneapolis for the annual Caterwaul Fest and I’ll be slinging records all weekend. If you’re there come say hi and disagree with me on my musical opinions.  Or buy a record.  Or make sure to see Facet since they’ll be there again.  Or maybe a bunch of the 3 dozen other bands playing throughout the long weekend.  It will certainly be worth your while.  It’s a great time.  Personally, I’m very excited to see Murf, Dug (again), Neckbolt, Part Chimp (first time), Oxbow (first time, somehow), Couch Slut (seriously, first time, geez), the always wonderful J. Robbins, The Austerity Program, Another Heaven, and finally getting to check out Porcelain.  Hoping to see some friends from near and far once again and riding the city’s fine meth-scented public transit system.

But now let’s get to some actual recorded music reviews….

To start, I was kind of late to the party on Full Of Hell, but I have thoroughly enjoyed their last three full lengths and have grown to admire their prolific output, kitchen-sink approach to combining extreme subgenres, and various side collaborations (though I’ll say most of those have not done it for me personally, respect nonetheless).  On their newest full length, “Coagulated Bliss”, I’ll come right out and say it- as much as I have been a fan of the art of Brian Montouri over the years this has got to be one of the most unappealing pieces of cover art I’ve seen in recent memory.  Hoo boy, it’s…. not good. It looks like an 80’s Trapper Keeper met a B-horror trash film.  But thankfully Full Of Hell remain consistent in their quality to deliver.  At this point it’s almost expected they throw some curveballs and you get that with a couple more straightforward, mid-paced songs, as well as a couple nods towards industrial-tinged noise metal.  Yet the bulk of this is short songs, thick with grindcore blasts, noise rock feedback, guttural vocals, and furious riffing.

And now for something completely different: Having fronted Chicago’s Melkbelly for quite some time Miranda Winters has set out with a full length under the name Mandy.  I was so taken with Melkbelly when I initially discovered them and had described them basically as The Breeders with hyperactive drumming.  On “Lawn Girl”, Winters takes us through nine tracks that have her unmistakeable voice and catchy/fuzzy songwriting, so there’s definitely a familiarity not unlike Melkbelly.  But I’m unsure of who she has accompanying her so that wild drumming is out of the picture and instead…. well, it definitely sounds a lot like The Breeders.  Not like that could ever be a bad thing.  The record is back-and-forth between  big fuzzy rockers (the first two tracks “Forsythia” and “High School Boyfriend” are magical earworms of weird pop perfection), and several tracks of lo-fi recorded-in-the-closet style acoustic tracks.  All in all it’s a great listen from a very unique and exceptionally awesome songwriter.

In a turn towards the familiar, perpetually griping and flustered with every iota of existence Grizzlor have never minced words about what’s grinding their gears and this new EP , “I Hate the Internet” pretty much sums things up.  But just to even it out there’s also a song here called “I Complain Too Much”.  Over the years Grizzlor have moved more towards faster songs rather than their initial sludgy sound, but they continue to lay it on thick with chunky riffs, crazed vocals, and a misanthropic streak a mile wide.  And always some weird sci-fi sounds just to round things out.  The third and final song (and title track) does slow down with a crushing weight though so for the sludge fans you get that and a whole bunch of dial-up sampling.  Just to drive the point home you can purchase this thing on a burned CD.

And in more familiarity, let me paint a visual picture for you:  you’re in the Northwest and you’re hiking through the woods.  You have a beard, naturally. You’re drinking either the strongest coffee known to man, or you just slammed a tap into the side of a hill and beer came out.  You then come to the end of the forest to an open meadow and witness a mountain being born.  That is the sound of the new Kinghorn album, “Empty Handed”.  It’s massive majestic riff rock/post-hardcore, whatever.  All you really need to know is it is both melodic and incredibly heavy.  The vocals go from gruff singing to a mighty roar through songs that err a bit on the longer side, but hardly go on for too long.  If you’ve never been this is what all people in the Northwest do, so Kinghorn is like the song of the people out here.  Just accept it.

I could have sworn Moon Pussy had two other full lengths before this new one just dropped, but I’m wrong on that.  However, they did throw out a split or two prior to this so maybe that’s where I’m confused.  Either way, this is the new LP and it’s called  “Death Is Coming” and has about the most simple cover art you could imagine.  These Denver cats are likely some of the cheeriest people you will ever meet, despite the morbid title of this record and they have always been completely their own thing.  Their skronky stop-go noise rock is always recorded in a weird way and some of the bizarre sound is on account that I’m pretty sure they have, to some degree, built their own guitars.  So between odd distortion, strained vocals, unusual arrangements and a somewhat lo-fi recording they’re not always the most accommodating listening experience.  But if you ever see them live they really kill it and sound quite brash and intense.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve been aware of anything Brad Elrod has played on and you may be wondering, ‘just who is this guy?’ To me, though, his drumming on two of my favorite Today Is the Day records remains incomparable and completely singular.  Nothing sounds like it.  It’s so alien and progressive, yet pummeling and abrasive.  So here we are some 30 years later and he’s in this band Nerve Debt, and they have debuted their first recording, “Pleural Hymns”.  Musically, it’s just as sonically dense and grating as anything else he’s been on but the drumming, for the most part, is dialed back a bit.  This makes room for massive guitars and heavy rhythms to take front and center (though you’ll hear a lot of off-time fills on “Binding”).  Nerve Debt write longer songs mostly and they fall somewhere between Neurosis’ epic heaviness (complete with some between-song samples), Ires’ similar take bent more metallic, and the slower moments you might hear from older KEN Mode.  For a debut demo/EP it’s a solid effort.

HEX RECORDS SINGLE SERIES FOR MAY- CANYONS COVER CLUTCH!

 

I didn’t originally have any Clutch songs on my list for bands to cover. But then I got talking to my man Bobby Johnson about the project and he offered for his band to tackle something.  I threw a few out there, knowing his band Canyons had already done an entire EP of Clutch covers, thinking they would rather try out something else.  But nope.  They went with my recommendation of “Rock N’ Roll Outlaw”, which is quite possibly one of the the most badass Clutch songs out there.  

I wouldn’t go so far as to say Clutch has some major impact on the sound of Hex Records by any means.  But they’re a band that take me to a particular time in my life.  When I first heard Clutch they had that heavy angle I enjoyed, but there were also those outrageous vocals from Neil Fallon.  Not only does he have that gravely, commanding voice, but his lyrics are ridiculous- deep-pocket pop culture references, too-smart-to-be-goofy cobbled together nonsense- or are they genius?  Whatever the case, my friends and I loved it.  Their first two full lengths were in constant rotation when we would all pile into our friends car each morning on the way to school and we would sing along to it all.

In a way, I am always seeking out bands not doing the typical thing, who mess with convention.  Clutch have certainly been a band like that, always doing things their way, on their terms.

And I suppose that’s where Bobby and Canyons fit in. Since coming across Bobby’s label The Ghost Is Clear it was immediately evident that this is also a dude that does things his own way, on his own terms, and is always pushing forward.  It’s always cool to talk shop with other label people about how they do things, their approach, and so on, and Bobby and I chat a lot about that stuff.  So respect.

It’s all about people doing their own thing, doing it their own way, and being weird as hell about it.  Perhaps that makes us all rock and roll outlaws.

LISTEN HERE.

A MIXED BAG OF REVIEWS FOR YA.

 

I know I’m extremely partial to Wipes, so rather than some biased puff-up about how great they are I’ll just give you the facts.  They haven’t been around long really but they’ve been prolific- a full length and split (both released by yours truly), as well as a 7”, several comp appearances, and now this new tape EP “Vacuum” showing off what they’ve been up to lately.  One of the things I love about them is that they can take a very simple riff and then just beat it to death through tons of distortion and feedback to the point where you’re just as honked off as they are.  All four of these new tracks move rather slow, as in focusing on the sludgy side of the band but opener “More To This” has one of their well-worn bizarrely melodic leads while the other three focus more on blunt force.  They released this one locally so follow that link to the Lehigh Valley and get crushed.

But let’s cut to the big guns here: It’s already been a big year for some of my favorite noisy bands, what with both Pissed Jeans and Gouge Away releasing awesome new records.  Now we got Metz entering the fray with their fifth formal outing, “Up On Gravity Hill”.  What do you do when you’re as prolific as these guys and you’re this deep into your time as a band?  Is it any surprise they’re trying out some new things here?  On one end it’s the same Metz you know and love.  On the other, they take those melodies (both in the vocals and guitars) that they regularly display under sheets of guitar scree and distortion and bring them up front.  They also go in on songs that stretch out a bit more, which they will do with a lot of their fan favorites in the live setting, playing with some longer form tracks.  But this is the overall cleanest-sounding Metz record to date.  They’re still writing mostly the same kinds of songs, they just recorded them a bit differently to be honest.  “99”, “Glass Eye”, and “Entwined” are rippers but I bet every one of these tracks will sound massive live, which I fully intend to experience when they out my way next month.

Following up on that, as in bands I’m seeing next month, Couch Slut are the kind of band where if you were to encounter them on the subway you’d be torn between feeling compelled to call a crisis line to do a wellness check on them and slowly backing off to the next train car because these people are fucked up and you don’t have time for that mess in your life right now. One their fourth full length, “You Could Do It Tonight”, I’m considering calling 911, but also compelled to watch the carnage like slowing down when passing a car wreck on the highway.  Though I think members here lived in bumfuck, PA the band is basically NYC and I make that distinction because they feel like true heirs to the throne of Unsane’s NYC scum-rock crown; the kind of filthy, mean, and fucked up harshness that came from existing in the city in the 80’s.  Couch Slut kind of bring that harsh unease to the present tense with stories of self-injury, bad jobs, and lots of drugs.  “The Weaverville Home For Boys” is some total nightmare story that I really hope is true, or gets made into a John Carpenter movie.  Crazy visuals, as always, ties this whole thing together.

On to the category of ‘follow-up’s to things I picked up on not too long ago and they already have something new out’ bands and there’s a few:

Edging dropped their hilariously titled “Concrete Cumming” EP just recently (I mean, along with the band name there’s definitely some humor there) and it’s awesome when a band can be a total force between great music, addressing some serious ideas while being engaging, and still have a bit of fun to back it all up.  Their live shows look like they’re completely off the hook and musically?  Well, let’s say this leaped out at me when I caught wind of them a few months back because I’m all for saxophones in punk.  And this is some wild-ass saxophone punk.  Sure, they toss in a more chill, slower vibe here and there like middle track “Dawn”.  But by and large the songs are short, the music is fast, the vocals are howled, saxophone is wailing, and you’re flipping out or dead if you’re not.  Compared to their last release I’d say they doubled down on some more harmonized vocal parts to make things a little catchier, but they still manage to teeter on the edge of chaos and ass-shaking punk rock.

If I can be as concise as possible, Vulture Feather was my biggest ‘holy shit, where did this come from’ band of last year.  Granted, I came across them just shy of the new year but it still counts.  Their debut LP, “Liminal Fields”, they released last spring should be on your immediate list of things to check out because it’s damn near perfect.  For those who love the sound of Lungfish this is your replacement fix. Think lots of clean guitar, trance-like repetition, fantastic melodies, and wailing vocals.  So now that I’m in the loop I was quick to snap up this new 10”- “Merge Now In Friendship”- they released that is three new songs (though it feels like four) and it takes a bit of different turn in terms of overall feel.  “Liminal Fields” was full of shimmering, beautiful songs.  The first two tracks here have more of a dark feel (despite the opening track being titled “Friendship”), and the B-side sort of continues a bit of that darkness before it breaks into it’s second half (hence the EP feeling like a total of four songs) where it turns into that familiar full and shimmering sound of their LP.  It’s not exactly what I hoped for from the band, but it’s a nice placeholder until they deliver another full length.

Finally, there’s not much that’s more immediately gratifying than hardcore played super fast and angry.  It’s that quick shot of adrenaline that’s just so satisfying.  It’s even better when the people playing it are actually really good at their instruments and Planet On a Chain prove that once again on their newest album “Culture Of Death”.  Their resume of past bands reads like a fastcore directory of royalty so you know you’re in good hands with this.  The riffs are sharp, the sound is huge, the drum fills are constant and mind-boggling, and writing about records like this is super easy because there’s no deep nuance to be described.  It’s fucking fast, it’s hardcore, and it will make you want to drive your car off a cliff at full speed.  ‘Nuff said.

And now to a few things that are very new to me, and that I have enjoyed very much:

First off, I’m fully aware that I’m an incredibly predictable person.  It serves as both a positive and a negative.  On one end predictability can equal boring. On the other hand, it also makes me reliable and I know I have very good taste about certain things.  So trust me when I say that the new album from DC’s Tosser, “Sheer Humanity”, is fucking great.  I’m a total sucker for big, heavy 90’s guitar rock and Tosser must have taken a time machine and followed me around high school taking notes and then crafting songs based on sounds farting around in my brain all day.  They take cues on tone and drawling vocals from the likes of Hum, but also energetic rock that harkens to riff-sniffers like Smile, Shift, Dino Jr, even some time-change fuckery and feedback worship you’d hear in a Helmet dirge.  I think they have been a band for awhile now and have some other stuff under their belt so the real question is ‘where have I been this whole time?’

Continuing (the joke will pay off in a moment) on bands from DC, I need to preface that we all have some of those people who no matter what band they’re doing you’re going to check it out because you trust in them as musicians to give you something of value.  Continuals (ba-dum-dum-pssh) are one of those bands. I know they’re not going to really ‘get out there’ per se, but they have enough bona fides in their resumes to have Dischord release their debut album (after a few singles).  So Ryan Nelson (of The Most Secret Method, at one time of Beauty Pill) and Darren Zentek (of Kerosene 454, Oswego, Channels, Report Suspicious Activity, etc) are the two names here I know.  Some of those bands I listed are favorites of mine of the DC realm.  Continuals doesn’t really sound like them, though I’ll say there are similarities between this and some of the stuff Nelson was a part of when he was in Beauty Pill and musically it reminds me quite a bit of Zenteks project Oswego.  It’s mostly relatively mellow, but there’s always cool drum stuff happening, especially with interesting arrangements and patterns.  Is it what you might expect from something released on Dischord these days, that being middle-aged fellers who used to sweat it out in basements playing very loudly who now hash it out on the weekends playing interesting music at a respectable volume?  Yes.  Is it still good?  Oh yes.

Lastly, there’s been quite a bit of fanfare around the locals in Amusement.  And while they’re a new band they’re hardly ‘new’ as members have resumes the length of a telephone pole.  The excitement is palpable as I caught their first show last summer but didn’t actually see much because I was crammed into a basement the size of a shoebox with like 200 other people. If this group isn’t already booked to play Fest those Floridians need to put down the Pabst and get crackin’ on ensuring this is every attendees favorite new band.  So even though they will surely appeal to that crowd with their nods to stuff like Samiam and Leatherface there’s a bit of Northwest dirge in their sound too with some chunky guitars and great tones reminiscent of Seaweed.  They put it all out there for ya with not one, but two different debut 7”s.