SANTERIA – “Year Of The Knife” CD ’08 (Golar Wash Records & Labs, US) – I’m no great chef. Just ask my wife and kids. If I put out a cook book, the mutha would be a short one: spaghetti & meat sauce, hot dogs, hamburgers, sloppy joes & chicken in the crock pot. It’s a joke that when my wife calls each night on her way home from work, she asks what I’m making and then runs to the nearest fast food place to find something actually edible. Hell, the only one who likes my stuff is the 17 year old and…well, he’s also the only human being I know who has made a sandwich out of potbellied pig feed. Ok, so I’m exaggerating a bit…he added some mayonnaise. The thing is, the fact that I am about as kitchen-challenged as Angelina & Brad have kids has never stopped me from enjoying the works of those who are not. See, I like to watch cooking shows and my favourite of all-time was the one by Cajun master, Justin Wilson. He was a delightful old guy from Louisiana who used to open his show with a robust “How y’all are?!” and would then proceed to whip up some fiery concoction that could singe as well as fill the belly. He’d finish up by taking a taste himself, then issuing a totally-satisfied “Hooo-weeee!!” Anyway, I just used to love watching him, listening to him talk in his deep accent, sharing his passion and “guar-on-tee-ing” that you were just gonna love his latest dish. It got me to really wanting to find a band from Louisiana who truly exuded a feel of the place. Sure, there were groups like Eyehategod, Crowbar & Down, all somehow connected to the New Orleans sludge thang, but where was a hard rock/metal unit that was really imbued with the spirit of the region? Enter SANTERIA, from Lafayette, Louisiana. To begin with, I’ve gotta say that I’ve been a Johnny-come-lately with these guys, being that their first record came out in 1998. (“Santeria”). They put out a disc of live/demo etc. stuff in 2000 (Apocalypse, Louisiana) in 2000 and then I finally stumbled upon ‘em in 2003 with their “House Of The Dying Sun” CD released that year. It was good stuff and caught my ear, surely as sonically-heavy as the crop of so-called stoner stuff inhabiting my listening at the time, and yet there was a significant depth to the songwriting that said “Something more is going on here.” The musical and lyrical dynamics stood out, as did a certain feeling I got from songs like “Laredo” and “Morningfall.” They spoke of their heritage, Louisiana and the South in a way that was far from the typical southern, pick-up-driving, Skynyrd-worshipping stuff I was used to. I looked forward to what this SANTERIA bunch would do next with great interest. And I looked forward…and looked forward…and, eventually, I kinda put ‘em on the back-burner as there was just no activity. Well, unbeknownst to me, there was some pretty serious activity. You see, drummer Krishna Kasturi had been involved in a very bad car accident and was unable to do any kind of playing for a long time. And, as I’ve come to learn, singer Dege Legg and guitarist Primo are not your run-of-the-mill, let’s-move-on-at-any-cost kinda guys. Instead, being super-righteous friends and band members, they decided they’d rather put things on hold and wait for Krishna to be able to return to the fold. And, so he has…along with new bassist Chad Willis. Together, the four of them have now produced a new CD and their first in 5 years, “Year Of The Knife.” To say that it’s a blinder would be the understatement of the year.
“Year Of The Knife” is an album of the rarest breed. By that, I don’t mean it’s hard to get. Just go to the SANTERIA site and you can have this puppy for $10 & change. You should. Soon. Yesterday. But more on that later, folks. Bear with me for the moment and I’ll try to explain why. You see, “Y.O.T.K.” is the kind of album Led Zeppelin used to make in their hey-day. Remember “Physical Graffiti?” Who doesn’t, right? Could you explain to someone what that whole record was like by playing “The Rover?” No. How ‘bout spinning “In My Time Of Dying,” would that sum it up? ‘Course not. Would you cover all it’s nuances by hitting “play” on “In The Light?” Not even close. That’s what kind of gorgeous art SANTERIA have created here. Man, the first 3 songs in and this baby’s got me reeled in already. This is massive, catchy-as-fuck hard rock from the word go, from the minute Primo audibly switches on his amps at the beginning of “Come On, Baby” through the grooving “Leave Something Witchy” and on to the Thin Lizzy-funk of “Nowhere To Go,” there simply isn’t an opening triad as sweet anywhere. Dege’s rich Lynott-like pipes fit like a glove and the band simmers like Cajun heat. And, then, just as soon as you think you’ve got SANTERIA down, they open up a can of “Haunted Heart” and swallow you into an emotional gulf that will leave you wrung out to dry. Surely, this mid-paced seether features a vocal performance by Dege Legg that is for the ages. When he belts out the chorus, I’m telling you, you’re going to feel chills that won’t stop for a long time. And then…the album starts to get REAL interesting! SANTERIA sweep you down a long and winding road into the heart of their country, into a place that is truly the deep south of their own, a land filled not by stereotypical southern trappings but a deep, visceral Cajun world that understands life at it’s most pure. It is a world that also understands that rock came from far older places to get to where it is. Listen to songs like “Mexico,” “HWY To The Morning Star,” and “My Right Thing Can’t Go Wrong.” Echoes of everything from Zydeco to Black 47 blend and flit like fireflies on a humid summer eve, as this band percolates with a heat very few will ever achieve. But, like any great band, SANTERIA don’t let you mark them for long. More heavy rawking comes your way shortly, courtesy of “You Got What I Need.” Is there a better chorus hook than this one out there in 2008? Play it for me. I know, you can’t. This is like a cross between something on “Jailbreak” and “Powerage,” just freaking awesome. And so, this wonderful band continues on, pulling one rabbit after another out of their hats. The truly haunting re-look at “Haunted Heart” in “Haunted Dub,” the closing twin pillars of “Year Of The Knife” and “House Of The Dying Sun,” yeah man, it’s all here. Much in the same way as those classic Zep albums like “…Graffiti,” “IV” and “Houses…,” “Year Of The Knife” is a simply fantastic union of styles, shades and colours that fuse together to create a whole much, much greater and far more beautiful than the sum of all their parts. If you only buy one rock album in 2008 thusfar, this should be the one…I GUAR-ON-TEE! 10.0
http://www.officialsanteria.com/
www.myspace.com/santeria777
NOTE I: Since I’ve started my venture into a numerical rating system for albums here on the ‘REALM, I’ve given a handful of “10’s” to new albums (not counting classics in the Grand Halls). Each one of those, as is the nature of the beast in my opinion, has been at the absolute top of the game. “Year Of The Knife” is at the top of a lot of games. A LOT of frickin’ games!
NOTE: Read on for an interview with Primo and Dege Legg of SANTERIA. Much like their music, these are the words of men with great thought, depth and as such, have given me one of my favourite interviews ever. Read on!
RAY - I’m just going right for the jugular here to start out. I know that SANTERIA is the name of a religion, am I correct? Are any/all of you members of this faith? I don’t know a whole lot about it, but from what I understand, it’s gotten a bit of a bad rap from the general public due to people not taking the time to understand it. For instance, I seem to remember an episode of the TV show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” that didn’t paint it in a very good light. Can you shed any light on any of this? Or, perhaps you simply picked the name because it sounded cool and I’m a raving idiot?
DEGE - 1) It sounded cool. 2) It kind of summed up who we were as a band—a rag-tag collection of dudes from different ethnic backgrounds and upbringings and such…kind of like the origin of the Santeria religion, which is like this colorful combination of things. Part Africa, part Catholic-honky, part Cuban/Latin-American.
PRIMO - In New Orleans the mixture of West African slave religion and Catholicism is referred to as Voodoo, in the Caribbean it's called Santeria. Anyone who has been down here has felt it….there is always a strange “Halloween in the air” of New Orleans. The name is a mystique to me more than anything, yet south Louisiana has its share of haunted haunts, creature infested swamps, and Hoodoos. Over the years, the band has consisted of many different faiths...Catholic, Hindu, Rasta, and Agnostics.
RAY - Are you guys all from Louisiana originally?
DEGE - I was born & raised in small town Louisiana—Cajun-Irish with some Cherokee. Krishna is from India. Primo and Chad were raised here, too. It’s a strange place to grow up—it’s like this strange tropical-ghetto-European paradise with people speaking bastardized French/Creole, eating bugs out ditches, cooking pigs in the ground, flying around on fan boats, trapping reptiles, and have a really good time doing it. My grandparents had 5th grade educations, worked in the fields, and saved enough money to send my mom to college. Hard working folks with an indomitable spirit and great sense of humor—a righteous combination. I have much admiration for them. They were tough. Soulful and not mean spirited. People equate toughness with this me-first-you-later mentality, but true strength is measured in how much you give without being asked.
PRIMO - I was born in El Paso, TX….My dad was stationed there after Vietnam. When I was a year old, I made the journey back to Louisiana in the backseat of a yellow Volkswagen beetle with no air conditioner. When we approached the Louisiana boarder I began to sweat profusely, so my parents stripped me down naked to keep me from having heat stroke…..Welcome to Louisiana kid!
RAY - How does the music of the geographical area you’re from come into play with your music? Did music from the area such as Zydeco influence you at all? What else played a role in inspiring the musicians that became SANTERIA, early in your lives and now?
DEGE - If anything, we rebelled against the Cajun/Zydeco influence because it was all around us and we wanted to do something other than squeeze accordions. What you realize later is that you can never completely purge those roots—it’ll always find its way back into your art. Everything around you is an inspiration—you just have to see the meaning in it. That’s the challenge and the “art.” Everything—even the bad shit—is a celebration of life.
PRIMO - Well, it all seeps into you from an early age. People love their good food, drink, and merriment around here. Since both my parents worked quite a bit, I spent a hell of a lot of afterschool time with my grandparents. They were from a time long gone. A generation that survived war, poverty and recession. From them, I absorbed the Cajun culture. Be it music, food, or the oral tradition of storytelling. It made me who I am today. Back at home, it was vinyl, 8 Tracks players in plush 1977 custom vans, and the steady infusion of classic rock n’ roll, vintage R&B, and old country…
RAY - I’m a bit geographically-challenged…among other things…but, how close is Lafayette to New Orleans? How were you guys affected by hurricane Katrina a few years back? Is it still affecting your daily lives?
DEGE - Lafayette is two hours west of New Orleans. When people think of Louisiana they think of New Orleans, but they visualize swamps, alligators, Cajun hillbillies, and water everywhere. We are the swamps. New Orleans is more jazz, funk, and urban sprawl. Lafayette is like the Cajun Capital. We were just grazed by Katrina. I had a job driving a cab at that time, so I saw lot of shit first hand. Ferrying carloads of people to and from Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake Charles. It was like the Wild West in blackout mode. No speed limits. Buses and boats everywhere. Dead cars lining I-10. People getting drunk on FEMA cards. Families sleeping in cars in Wal-Mart parking lots. Hotels booked solid for 4 months. Very strange and apocalyptic, but also freaky-cool in a pre-end of the world kind of way.
PRIMO - A lot of death and insane constitutional breakage went down that no one has ever questioned. Someday there will be books written about the conspiracies behind New Orleans and Katrina…Enough said. Being two hours away, Lafayette became a spillway for the poor displaced people of New Orleans. Overnight, military Blackhawk helicopters began to buzz about town like it was a DMZ…a real warzone…the president was here. National guard troops everywhere. So, I go down to the corner store to get a six pack and notice a mini-van stalled at the pumps…there is an elderly man in the driver’s seat…he is white…he is dressed like he is on his way to church….his head is in his hands….crying there is a wife…and a daughter?…also a child…all dressed for what seems like a funeral...there are cardboard boxes crammed within to the roof…..I look at them and say, “Can I help you?”…and his wife answers, “You can pray for us…we have lost everything…our retirement home…everything.” I said, “Sure, I can do that. God bless you.” The media often portrayed New Orleans “refugees” in an unfavorable light, but in reality, there were many many good folks displaced. Some great people fell in love with Lafayette and made it their home.
RAY - Sticking with this Louisiana subject…I promise, I’ll get off it in a minute…are you guys friends with people in the so-called NOLA scene like Down, Eyehategod, Crowbar, etc.? What is it about the area that you think produces such sludge-infected, heavy stuff? How do you feel your stuff differs?
DEGE - We’re not really tight with those bands. Not sure why. I respect them, but we’re more like freaky geeks from the country…and they’re the masters of sludge. I don’t know why we sound different other than we live in our own bubble and follow our own vision of things. I mean, we probably could’ve gained a lot of fans by jumping that train, but it absolutely would not have done us right on the long run, because it belongs to them…and what we have, I can say with modesty, belongs to us.
PRIMO - The sludge comes from the surrounding swamps…or better…the humidity. It makes your underwear stick to your ass…you need a shoehorn to get them off.
RAY - RED LIGHT CHALLENGE: What’s up with the Saints? How come they’re not 7-0? Have you sent Drew Brees a copy of “Year Of The Knife?”
DEGE - It is what it is. Getting emotionally involved in Saints football is like riding in a hot air balloon full of weird gas. After a while, you just let it be.
PRIMO - My philosophy is that there are too many distractions in NOLA…too many drugs…too many women…and enough drink to drown your soul. Drew bought one.
RAY - Your last record came out in 2003 and, from what I understand you guys had some real personal problems during the period after that. Wasn’t Krishna in an accident or something like that and you decided to wait for his return, is that right? If so, that’s some seriously righteous stuff on your part, man.
DEGE - House of the Dying Sun came out in 03. We gigged and toured for another year, and then Krishna’s car got hit head on by an 18-wheeler guy who’d lost control of his rig. Two broken legs, an ankle, and an arm. Bad times. We were ten years in as a band at that point and Kris was in a wheelchair for the next year. Followed by another of physical rehab. We put the band on hold, till whenever, not really knowing what would happen. Finding another drummer was never an option—he and I are the founding members of the band. Plus, no one can play like him—a weird polyrhythmic Hindustani style that we all adapted to, because we didn’t know any better. “Don’t all drummers play like this?” Everyone went back to the straight world and I played music and toured while Kris rehabbed. A few years later…and he’s ready to play again and wants to record. I already had 90% the songs written for the next record, so it was just a matter of working them out with the band and recording. It’s kind of like Def Leppard without the money, label, fan base, limousines, or houses.
PRIMO - It’s a mystery and miracle Krishna is still alive. Kris broke quite a few bones, but thank God his spine and cranium were untouched. After many surgeries, rods and pins later, the album title “Year of the knife” has new meaning. Ha. So, when Kris called and said he was ready to make a new cd….Dege and I had our doubts…but after 3 years of inactivity…we converged in the studio and laid down the entire album of basic tracks in three days. Krishna is back and badder than ever. There was never any thought of replacing him. He is irreplaceable.
RAY - Finally (!!!) getting to “Year Of The Knife,” it’s hard to know where to begin as the album has such depth. Your music does not sound like “southern rock” per se and yet, it has an unmistakable feel of being from the south. Does this make any sense or do I sound just like some poor journalist who is floundering for questions?
DEGE - No, you’re on the money. The thing is with this record I wrote about things outside of the sphere of the South. But however spacey we try to get, it still ends up sounding like dudes from the Deep South. We try to write about our version of the south, rather than the beaten-to-death-one that has come before. I see the south more like an alternate American reality. Like a haunted, national subconscious. Dying Sun was a like a soundtrack to us growing up. Whereas Year of the Knife is like us stretching our legs and taking on things outside the borders of the south. More like a national or world perspective as in “Where the fuck is humanity going? What does it all mean? When will it end?” And why?
PRIMO - Yes, it does make sense. Culture influences life, while art imitates life. So, even if a small fraction of the sights and sounds of Louisiana mysteriously permeates into our song, it’s something special and unique to this world.
RAY - The album has a real interesting flow. Ok, that was a weak. It goes from song to song. I thought that was an interesting attempt at humor! No seriously, the album starts out really heavy and rocking, then goes into an interesting stage in the middle where a lot of other things creep in, more acoustic work, more haunting kind of stuff, before moving back to more hard stuff again. It’s a flow that works really well and I’m wondering if you’d like to comment or, instead say something smart-assed like “Then what the fuck order do YOU want the songs in, Ray??!”
PRIMO - You hit the nail on the head Ray. We have always considered our albums as a whole work, and have pulled songs if they didn’t work into the grand scheme. A well thought out running order can make a good album a great one. Since “Year of the Knife” is such a dense album, it was grouped into sections of emotion/mood shifts like classic bands used to utilize on sides of vinyl. Slowly, as this album builds, it gets a bit more southern and then a bit more strange….after the hard rocking coda of “You Got What I Need”, the listener is really taken into unchartered territory. Hopefully, the listener will discover something new on each subsequent listening.
DEGE - It’s a seduction process. Here’s what you know we can do…and now here’s something you may have not heard before…but it’s still us. And to be honest, it’s always been us, but we weren’t necessarily good enough to pull it off on past albums. But it gives us something to strive toward. Even if it’s was just a simple song that requires playing less and instead of showboating and ham boning. The key to a great song is not wanking—it’s in trying to make the next guy’s part sound better. It goes round in a circle.
RAY - There are a couple songs in particular I was wondering if you could comment on, both musically and lyrically…if you don’t mind (I’m making a couple comments myself, so there!)
a. “Nowhere To Go” – Kind of a Thin Lizzy vibe to this one, especially.
DEGE - It’s like a small town mantra: I got nowhere to go; you got nowhere to be. And there’s nothing really to do here—not even the prospect of going out in a some kind of dramatic fashion. Lyrically, it’s a pretty simple song, which I like. Not every song has to take on the world, because that just gets ponderous and annoying. It can just lay there and be about something simple as nothing.
PRIMO - Sonically, it kinda evokes those 70s classic rock songs that didn’t necessarily make the radio, but ended up in the cassette deck of your old man’s Pontiac…at the drive in…with your high-school-pink-pantyed-girlfriend’s ass in your face.
RAY - b. “Haunted Heart” / “Haunted Dub” – The first one is just really super-intense, the chorus, man when you sing “haunted heart,” the vocals just go right to my core. “Haunted Dub” I was a little afraid of before I heard it, I was thinking, “Fuck, are SANTERIA doing a dance mix or something?!” But it’s not at all. Can you explain the connection between the 2 songs?
DEGE - Those guys were deathly afraid that people were going to think “Haunted Dub” was some kind of dance/disco rock song, because the groove is deep and jamming. It makes you want to move. We got in NUMEROUS arguments over it. I had to pretty much threaten to quit the band to get them to agree to put it on the record. There’s a conservative streak in rock music that says “If it hasn’t been done before; DON’T DO IT.” It’s limiting and honestly not that inspiring to me. Not that we’re reinventing the wheel. The original “Haunted Heart” was a song I demo’d on 4-track—same arrangement, riffs, lyrics—and “Haunted Dub” is a trance-like mutation of that. I like the idea of shaman and music serving as some kind of spiritual conduit to something bigger and unknown.
PRIMO - Well, Dege really fought to get “Haunted Dub” on the album…Kris, Chad, and I all feared people would hear it and be turned off…Still, Dege wanted it explicitly called “Haunted Dub.” I tried to bargain. So, the placement in the running order was crucial. It’s basically the same song stripped down with a different grove and some vocal hijinks.
RAY - c. “My Right Thing Can’t Go Wrong” – Just a really different song!
DEGE - Basically, it’s I-IV-V blues song…but with a Major VI – Flat VII change. That’s probably the most boring thing I’ve ever said in my life. I hate I-IV-V songs—they kind of bore me, but you can’t get away from them—they’re everywhere. So I’m like, “Fuck it, I hate I-IV-V’s—let’s write one!” It’s a fun song and it lightens the dark moodiness of the record. I like music that doesn’t always brood. A whole record of broodiness is, like, “Fuck, I’m brooded out.” I love Slayer, but I also know those guys have kids and probably go to Disneyland and shit with them once in a while—why don’t they ever write about that?
PRIMO - It’s the equivalent to “Hellbent Woman” from our last cd…in vain of the Rolling Stones, “Dead Flowers” or “Sweet Virginia.” We wanted to give things a South Louisiana Cajun/Zydeco feel. Though the song may be slightly different from our musical norm, it’s not too far a stretch considering our cultural surroundings. We called in a few friends. The song includes prominent Cajun musicians Steve Riley (accordion), Roddy Romero(slide solo), and Sonny Landreth’s bass player, David Ranson. Dave saved the day after our bass player Chad Willis was sick in hospital fighting malaria. Tony Daigle rounded it all up by playing rub board.
RAY - d. “Year Of The Knife” – Gotta talk about the title cut, right?
DEGE - It’s a Middle-Eastern Spaghetti Western song. “Mexico” is written with the same kind of cinematic aesthetic—but more like a requiem for a Neal Cassidy-type character. I dig those old Clint Eastwood – Ennio Morricone soundtracks. I like it when songs seem like movies and have a big world inside of them….parallel to ours. I wrote the lyrics to “Year of the Knife” as a dystopian future revolution-escape from the burning of Sodom & Gomorrah post-New World Order type thing—if that makes any sense. Anunnaki Kings. Ancient Sumerians. Zecharia Sitchin. Off the grid humanoids turning to pillars of salt as they avoid FEMA concentration camps and the reptilian royalty/cowboy agenda of warmongers, greed, chem.-trails, and population control.
PRIMO - The song came from one of my experiments with a made up tuning several years ago. I gave Dege a demo, and he came back with a chord change and an awesome soul wrenching vocal and spoken word section. From there it was slowly built in our home studio to what it is today. Really, it was never truly finished. Like they say, good art is often never completed, it’s just abandoned. A song steeped in the vintage sounds of psychedelia. The lyrics evoke the ancient astronuts,
.
RAY - What would you think if, at a SANTERIA gig, the girl who played Calypso in “Pirates Of The Carribean” came up to you and said, “You guys are bigger rock stars than Johnny Depp, what are you doing after the gig?”
DEGE - I would assume it was case of mistaken identity.
PRIMO - I would probably think she was just a promo company represenitave in disguise. Always waiting for the sales pitch. For so long, we have done what we do without any real industry support. Other than a few friends that have helped us from the kindness of their hearts, we are alone and that’s ok.
RAY - What’s the next thing in store for SANTERIA? Do you plan on putting the next one out on an independent basis or are you looking for a deal? Do you think in today’s Internet environment, getting a record deal is as important as it used to be?
DEGE - Success is a weird concept. Do you measure it by wealth? Fame? How many people buy your record? Or know your name? Or do you measure it by how happy you are or by creative achievement? I think chasing the dollar or fame is a deadend empty promise. It’s like a drug that turns you into a fiend. And you need more. It’ll never completely satisfy you. So you end up chasing that carrot, rather than pursing the creative heights you should be going for. Friends, family, and creative/productive pursuits are the keys to a fulfilling life. I’m just grateful to be able to make music with people I get along with and to do it in a way that sends a secret, telepathic message to other people around the world. The record labels, the music magazines, and the promo companies—they all exist to feed each other. After a certain level, it’s not a matter of talent—it’s a matter of how much money they are willing to spend on your crap—even on the independent level to some extent. It takes money to push things into people’s faces, which is kind of insulting and disingenuous, I think. In some ways I think we’ve been blessed by the lack of interest from record labels, because it’s kept us hungry and pure. If you make good music, it WILL find it’s way to people out there. It may take years, but people will respond if it’s a true expression of who you are…even if that expression isn’t very flattering.
PRIMO - Record deals definitely help fund projects, but we are rely not relying on one. It’s amazing how we get overlooked. I’m not saying we are the world’s best band, but I know we have something unique to offer the world. Basically, if people get as much joy listening to our music as we do making it, our purpose is served. So, we have another album of material ready to rip, but it takes cash to buy studio time. We’ll keep releasing albums independently until someone wakes up.
RAY - Do you think the day is coming that there will be no more physical formats for music and it’ll be all download?
DEGE - Go one step further. What is there’s an apocalypse or a nuclear war and we have no electricity or computers or record players? Where will music exist? Will there be ANY formats? It’ll go right back to where it was hundreds of years ago—folk songs, Appalachian Ballads, oral tradition, bluegrass, Cajun music, and Delta blues. Electronic forms of music won’t exist—unless you are one of the elites living in an underground bunker, sipping tea while the world burns—because they are too dependent on technology. Death metal won’t exist because you won’t have distortion—maybe you’ll have Death Folk, but you can’t palm-mute a banjo. The only thing that will survive that kind of event is music you can play on acoustic instruments. That’s it! Good, simple songs that anyone can play. I love technology—I’m fascinated by it just like everyone. But in the back of my mind, I think, “What if it all disappears…just like during hurricanes when we have no electricity for weeks at a time. What will be left?” And the answer is: oral tradition and folk music. Everything else will slowly disappear into the collective unconscious until civilization rebuilds itself.
PRIMO - Oh, those days are upon us…sad indeed. As a young kid, I remember the magic of a gatefold LP, be it the Mexican food paradise of “Tres Hombres” or the twilight netherworld of “Houses of the Holy.” They were all larger than life to me. Album art is king. Thankfully, from what I hear, there was been a resurgence of vinyl. Time will tell if it’s just a retro fad. Someday, we would love to issue our last two albums on vinyl. A good album always deserves a good cover. I think we did it this time.
RAY - What is gigging like for you guys? Do you get many chances to play out in your area? Is halftime at a Saints game a possibility? What about touring, how far have you gone?
DEGE - Over the past few years, during Santeria down time, I’ve toured both the U.S. and Europe in various roots bands and I don’t plan on stopping. Whether or not these guys want to do that, who knows? If we had the backing of a bigger label, it probably wouldn’t be an issue.
PRIMO - Well, we are like the Beatles post 1965. Almost no touring happens other than the occasional rooftop gig. Instead, we chose to take a break and finish the album. So, we do a handful of gigs a year and they are always great events. Santeria have been all over the US, but never to Europe. The band has such an awesome following there that we would love to make that a priority. Saints fans would probably be upset to see our ugly mugs. I’m sure they would rather see halftime cheerleader T&A. We are talking about New Orleans!
RAY - Here’s one everybody seems to like! Tell us a story about something that has happened with the band, either on the road, in the bayou, wherever…that is crazy, nuts, insane or just plain sick!
PRIMO - Well, on the ‘House of the Dying Sun” tour through the west coast, I ate an ungodly amount of Mexican food. Spicy food is in my DNA! After a gig one night, in the early morning hours, Dege happen to be driving the van and Jay Guins (bass) was keeping him entertained. The rest of the band was thought to be asleep. Suddenly, my stomach began to grind. Unsuspecting to Dege and Jay, I hit them with a SBD (silent but deadly) gas attack! Dege and Jay were disgusted, perplexed, and somehow convinced that they must have ran over some road kill carnage. Anyway, my late night indesgressions and gaseous explosions warranted a sudden stop at a car wash. I played like I was sleeping and kept ripping the gas. I laughed my ass off while still acting asleep as Dege hosed off the undercarriage of the van thinking we’d run over a carcass or something.
DEGE - Last year, while I was driving a cab on the nightshift, I picked up a redneck in a trailerpark. He was drunk, nuts, and wanted to smoke crack. So we drove to this country ghetto drug spot. He bought crack there and insisted on taste testing it with his tongue. While he was doing that we almost got shot, so I floored it and we split. Upon arriving back at his trailer, he argued with me over the price of the fare. He went into his house to get more money. While inside, I figured I had enough time to piss in a cup I had under the seat. It was cold outside. Less than a minute later, he comes out. I’m still pissing in the cup, so I stop and set it on the dashboard of the cab. He hops in and gives me half of what he owes me. We argue. Voices and tempers rise. He pulls out an ink pen and tries to stab me. I push him away, and having nothing to stab him back with, instinctively grab the thing nearest—the full cup of piss—and throw it in his face. I don’t think he knew it was piss. I tossed him out of the cab and pealed out in his front yard like I was at a drag race. He was an idiot.
RAY - Any final comments?
DEGE - Keep fighting the Good Fight…there is no other. Seriously. Don’t settle for the lesser of two evils in any situation. Push toward the light. And purge the Fear from your body. Love is the way—it sounds silly, I know, like I’m some goony hippy, but it’s the truth. To quote Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night.”…but rage against the dying of the light. I’m totally fucking serious.
PRIMO - Buy the CD so I can eat more Mexican food. No really, the proceeds from this one will fund the next. If you dig the band, please kindly give us a hand. You wont be disappointed.
What a great conversation and what a great band. There are very few times that Ray is reduced to being un-wordy but all I can say is this. Buy SANTERIA’s CD’s. Now.
http://www.officialsanteria.com/
www.myspace.com/santeria777
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Two Times Sound Crowing
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW – “Tennessee Pusher” CD ’08 (Nettwerk , US) – It’s a funny thing, this music writing gig. One of the things that always gets me, surprises me every time is when it brings me up short. What I mean is, just when I start getting cocky, think I know a little something, I get hit with a great band and find out they’re already on their 3rd album. Yeah, I guess Ray was sleeping for the first 2. One of the reasons, I like to tell myself, is that I’m into a myriad styles: metal, hard rock, punk, Celtic, bluegrass, prog…. Who could keep up with all that, right? Fact is, nobody can catch everything, even with the Internet. While that may be an occasional blow to my ego (aw, poor Ray!) it’s also great to find out about a band I had no idea existed. Enter OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, from Nashville TN. Yes, “Tennessee Pusher” is their 3rd album and while it may be the first of their’s I’ve heard, it won’t be the last. Referred to by their own producer as “The Clash of bluegrass,” they actually live up to that name on this release. Coming straight out of the gate with “Alabama High-Test,” these guys rev up as much (if not more) energy with guitar, banjo & fiddle than many a punk band has done with a banged-up Tele and Hi-Watt. By turn, OCMS can also send things down dark and solemn roads, as the title cut and “Highway Halo” prove, all laced with black, dusty hats and veiled references to rusty railroad lines. Yes, much as The Clash were at their best when fueling the raw fire of punk with the verve of reggae, so OCMS deftly brings together that same rebellious spirit with the musical spark of bluegrass and the lyrical wit of The Boss. Nice. BOSS-LEVEL GRASS
http://www.crowmedicine.com/
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM – “The ’59 Sound” CD ’08 (Side One Dummy, US) – And, for Part Two of this edition of “Something-Way-Cool-Sneaking-Up-On-Know-It-All-Ray-And-Biting-Him-On-The-Ass,” we come to the 3rd release (and 2nd full-length one) by New Jersey’s scintillating GASLIGHT ANTHEM. Hailing from New Brunswick NJ, this quartet could slip mid-genre into something between indie rock and the Asbury Park sound, with Classic Rock’s description as a cross between Bruce S. and The Replacements as apt as any…and yet…. There is something more, much more, to these guys, something that makes me keep spinning this sucker more and more and that something is songs with hooks as sharp as a newly-stropped blade. Just listen to opener “Great Expectations” and see if you can get that chorus out of your head. When singer/guitarist Brian Fallon belts out “And I saw tail lights, last night, in a dream about my first wife,” I’m pounding the dashboard as visions of Seven Nations’ Kirk McLeod and songwriting on that very high level flash through my head. Simply put, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM can sing about anything from old white Lincolns to Miles Davis to cowgirls and the results are the same: pure gold. KICK-ASS GAS
http://www.gaslightanthem.com/
http://www.crowmedicine.com/
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM – “The ’59 Sound” CD ’08 (Side One Dummy, US) – And, for Part Two of this edition of “Something-Way-Cool-Sneaking-Up-On-Know-It-All-Ray-And-Biting-Him-On-The-Ass,” we come to the 3rd release (and 2nd full-length one) by New Jersey’s scintillating GASLIGHT ANTHEM. Hailing from New Brunswick NJ, this quartet could slip mid-genre into something between indie rock and the Asbury Park sound, with Classic Rock’s description as a cross between Bruce S. and The Replacements as apt as any…and yet…. There is something more, much more, to these guys, something that makes me keep spinning this sucker more and more and that something is songs with hooks as sharp as a newly-stropped blade. Just listen to opener “Great Expectations” and see if you can get that chorus out of your head. When singer/guitarist Brian Fallon belts out “And I saw tail lights, last night, in a dream about my first wife,” I’m pounding the dashboard as visions of Seven Nations’ Kirk McLeod and songwriting on that very high level flash through my head. Simply put, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM can sing about anything from old white Lincolns to Miles Davis to cowgirls and the results are the same: pure gold. KICK-ASS GAS
http://www.gaslightanthem.com/
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sit back, tune in and rawk!
THE CHAIR – “The Chair” (Transubstans, Swe) – On and on, the stoner rock cloning goes, but where it stops seems to be Sweden’s Transubstans label. Reason being, over the last year, while I’ve gotten a lot of stuff supposedy all “Kyuss-ed out” and all “Fu-Manchu-ed up” from various sources, this imprint seems to have a handle on what makes things rawk…differently. Right from the get-go, I find myself drawn to this quintet, as opening cut “House” reminds me of something Trouble might have done on either the self-titled Geffen disc or “Manic Frustration.” Yeah, pretty freakin’ cool and these guys let it rip from there on out. The 2 guitarists don’t head for Thin Lizzy double harmony territory as much as they remind me of a kind of heavy-blues pairing of a young Clapton and maybe Koss from Free. Their over-driven leads match nicely in cuts like “Slither” (no, not the mediocre Velvet Revolver tune, this is much better) and “September.” Vocalist Chris Lee Smith (who is American) has 3 names and a voice & a half, not in terms of multi-octaves but in a strength that hits me as nearly a cross between early Chris Cornell & Jack Bruce. Another thing that wins me way over about these guys is that they also have the patience to let some tunes build and explore, with enough of a hint of psych (think the German Elektrohasch label) painting and shading corners to allow for some real colour to emerge. Then, they’ll turn around and invoke an absolutely delicious hook, like the one in “Shamrock City” that’ll have you thinking of ‘70’s hard rockers Starz. Whatever the reasons, and they are multi-fold, THE CHAIR is nothing to take sitting down as they really stand out! Ouch! Ok, so I’m not a comedian but this is one serious rawk band, so buy their disc now! 8.5
www.myspace.com/thechair1
THE GATES OF SLUMBER – “Conqueror” CD ’08 (I Hate, US) – Things used to be so simple. You had doom metal and it was Trouble & Saint Vitus and a poor boy like me could understand it all. Then, somebody came along, maybe one night while I was sleeping to my dusty cassette of “Hallows Victim” and decided there would be sub-genres: doom-death, melodic doom, sludge-doom, funeral doom…hell, maybe there’s even wedding doom. Graduation doom? Well, with all that in mind it is such a breath of fresh air to these grizzled ears to hear a band who are unabashedly and simply…DOOM. In case you’ve been behind a door for the last few years, or at least have not been to one of the many doom fests around the country, THE GATES OF SLUMBER are doom. Oops, that’s DOOM. They are from Indianapolis and, even though I’m from Baltimore I won’t hold that against them (a little NFL history there). See, they’re great at what they do. …SLUMBER, fronted by Karl Simon (guitar/vox) don’t pull any punches. They’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, they’re only trying to crush your skull as the 8 tracks on offer here prove. This band have simply gotten better with each release, honing their deliberate to mid-paced plundering by sharpening the melodies each time and this time, getting their best, most leveling production job from current hot-hand, Sanford Parker. But the description of the impressive consistency of this trio (rounded out by Jason McCash – bass & Bob Fouts –drums) is not meant to imply the songs are unidentifiable. Opener “Trapped In A Web” gets on enough of a high-horse speed wise to remind you of the faster Manilla Road stuff and the 16 ½ minute “Dark Valley Suite” is an impressive smorgasbord of tastes and textures. Never doubt for a moment, however, that this is doom all the way and anyone in love with all albums from “Born Again” to “Nightfall” will lap it up like a cold beer on a hot day. Is it icing on the cake that Karl Simon actually looks like a Viking? Oh yeah, and he’s a hella nice dude, too. 8.5
www.thegatesofslumber.com
www.myspace.com/thegatesofslumber
www.ihate.se
IRONWEED – “Indian Ladder” CD ’08 (Small Stone, US) – GREATDAYFORUP were a band from Albany, the capital of New York. Why am I mentioning Albany’s “capital-hood?” Is that a word? Well, I’m trying to do anything I can, you see, to make this review somewhat interesting. The fact is, GREATDAYFORUP (what a weird band name!) disbanded and guitarist Mike Vitali has re-emerged with IRONWEED. The more obvious fact however, when listening to this disc, is that it has precious little to offer that hasn’t come before. IRONWEED can play, they can lay down the thick stoner riffs and are pretty damn tight as a band. Singer Jeff Andrews roars gruffly with a kind of southern flair but the songs just don’t stick to your ribs, ‘least not like Aunt Bee’s mashed potatoes. See, this is just one of those records that despite being on a good label and having killer cover artwork just doesn’t have anything you can latch onto song wise and that’s Boredom City. 4.5
www.smallstone.com
ROADSAW – “See You In Hell” CD ’08 (Small Stone, US) – Damn, I wish this one had the cover art of the Ironweed disc. See, the front of this one is about as un-interesting-looking as you can get and yet it’s a pretty cool listen. First off, ROADSAW is a seriously “rawk”-sounding name. I’m thinking of one of those things you see when you’re stuck in a back-up due to construction and some huge, hairy dude is cutting up a piece of the asphalt with a big, sharp-looking circular device that’s also noisy as all get-out. Anyway, to be honest, “See You In Hell” doesn’t come off quite that lethal or nasty but, for this band’s first effort in a number of years, it’s gotta be a cool listen for their fans, as I was buying in and I’m not all that familiar. Basically, ROADSAW mine the classic rock terrain of the 1970’s for their riffsman ideas and then let enough stoner-ooze drip over it to please the heavy rock fan of today with ideas from Deep Purple to Mountain showing up here & there among the Sab-4 nods. The songs, especially “Leavin’” and “Receive,” are a bit surprising in their melody and the whole record, while no classic, is still a butt-kicking listen. 7.0
www.smallstone.com
www.myspace.com/thechair1
THE GATES OF SLUMBER – “Conqueror” CD ’08 (I Hate, US) – Things used to be so simple. You had doom metal and it was Trouble & Saint Vitus and a poor boy like me could understand it all. Then, somebody came along, maybe one night while I was sleeping to my dusty cassette of “Hallows Victim” and decided there would be sub-genres: doom-death, melodic doom, sludge-doom, funeral doom…hell, maybe there’s even wedding doom. Graduation doom? Well, with all that in mind it is such a breath of fresh air to these grizzled ears to hear a band who are unabashedly and simply…DOOM. In case you’ve been behind a door for the last few years, or at least have not been to one of the many doom fests around the country, THE GATES OF SLUMBER are doom. Oops, that’s DOOM. They are from Indianapolis and, even though I’m from Baltimore I won’t hold that against them (a little NFL history there). See, they’re great at what they do. …SLUMBER, fronted by Karl Simon (guitar/vox) don’t pull any punches. They’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, they’re only trying to crush your skull as the 8 tracks on offer here prove. This band have simply gotten better with each release, honing their deliberate to mid-paced plundering by sharpening the melodies each time and this time, getting their best, most leveling production job from current hot-hand, Sanford Parker. But the description of the impressive consistency of this trio (rounded out by Jason McCash – bass & Bob Fouts –drums) is not meant to imply the songs are unidentifiable. Opener “Trapped In A Web” gets on enough of a high-horse speed wise to remind you of the faster Manilla Road stuff and the 16 ½ minute “Dark Valley Suite” is an impressive smorgasbord of tastes and textures. Never doubt for a moment, however, that this is doom all the way and anyone in love with all albums from “Born Again” to “Nightfall” will lap it up like a cold beer on a hot day. Is it icing on the cake that Karl Simon actually looks like a Viking? Oh yeah, and he’s a hella nice dude, too. 8.5
www.thegatesofslumber.com
www.myspace.com/thegatesofslumber
www.ihate.se
IRONWEED – “Indian Ladder” CD ’08 (Small Stone, US) – GREATDAYFORUP were a band from Albany, the capital of New York. Why am I mentioning Albany’s “capital-hood?” Is that a word? Well, I’m trying to do anything I can, you see, to make this review somewhat interesting. The fact is, GREATDAYFORUP (what a weird band name!) disbanded and guitarist Mike Vitali has re-emerged with IRONWEED. The more obvious fact however, when listening to this disc, is that it has precious little to offer that hasn’t come before. IRONWEED can play, they can lay down the thick stoner riffs and are pretty damn tight as a band. Singer Jeff Andrews roars gruffly with a kind of southern flair but the songs just don’t stick to your ribs, ‘least not like Aunt Bee’s mashed potatoes. See, this is just one of those records that despite being on a good label and having killer cover artwork just doesn’t have anything you can latch onto song wise and that’s Boredom City. 4.5
www.smallstone.com
ROADSAW – “See You In Hell” CD ’08 (Small Stone, US) – Damn, I wish this one had the cover art of the Ironweed disc. See, the front of this one is about as un-interesting-looking as you can get and yet it’s a pretty cool listen. First off, ROADSAW is a seriously “rawk”-sounding name. I’m thinking of one of those things you see when you’re stuck in a back-up due to construction and some huge, hairy dude is cutting up a piece of the asphalt with a big, sharp-looking circular device that’s also noisy as all get-out. Anyway, to be honest, “See You In Hell” doesn’t come off quite that lethal or nasty but, for this band’s first effort in a number of years, it’s gotta be a cool listen for their fans, as I was buying in and I’m not all that familiar. Basically, ROADSAW mine the classic rock terrain of the 1970’s for their riffsman ideas and then let enough stoner-ooze drip over it to please the heavy rock fan of today with ideas from Deep Purple to Mountain showing up here & there among the Sab-4 nods. The songs, especially “Leavin’” and “Receive,” are a bit surprising in their melody and the whole record, while no classic, is still a butt-kicking listen. 7.0
www.smallstone.com
Friday, November 7, 2008
A Tale Of Two Ancestors
TK WEBB & THE VISIONS – “Ancestor” CD ’08 (Kemado, US) – Man, here I go with the sports references again. But, sheezus, it works so well for me, you know? Anyway, I was just listening to “The Herd” on ESPN Radio and he was talking about “cool” in football. That is, the jokers these days like T.O., Randy Moss, The Player Formerly Known As Chad Johnson, etc. and they way they “think” they’re cool by staging elaborate self-serving touchdown celebrations and the like. He then went on to reference the people who he thinks are really cool, who act(ed) like they’ve been there before, like McNabb, Emmitt Smith, etc. who just ooze cool through classiness. I myself remember one instance that defines it for me….and, Baltimore fans, it doesn’t mean I like the Colts but just listen. Couple years ago, Indy was playing somebody, laying a hurting on them. They were in the red zone, somebody blew a coverage & there’s Dallas Clark standing in the end zone…completely by himself. I mean BY HIMSELF! There wasn’t a solitary person in either colour jersey in the entire county besides him. Manning fired him the ball and Clark didn’t even jump, flex his legs or move. He caught the ball, standing flat-footed, as simply as if a kid lobbed it to him from the front porch, walked over to the official and handed it to him. Six points and one of the coolest God damned looking things I’ve ever seen. Anyway, that’s what this album by New Yorkers TK WEBB & THE VISIONS reminds me of: Just flat-out, relaxed and well-within-themselves cool psychedelic rock. This isn’t some bunch of smart-asses who just left home for the first time and are cruising the streets trying to prove they’re men they’ll never be. Nah, this is a crew who are street-smart, way in tune with music from the ‘60’s right up through now and apply it with a confidence that’s mesmerizing. TK WEBB himself apparently had made himself quite a name around the East Village in NYC as a blues slinger and the idea occurred to him to put a full band together to do this here sort of heavy psych rendering. Good idea. Damn good idea. Maybe even a frickin’ great idea, when you listen to something like “God Bless The Little Angels.” In the space of 8 minutes, this bunch (TK Webb – guitar, vocals, Brian Hale – guitar, Ben McConnell – drums, Jordan Gable – bass) make stops in places that range from The Beatles in “Within You Without You” to Sir Lord Baltimore on “Kingdom Come” and you’re left wondering how…and glad they did. This kind of amazing dichotomy goes on throughout the album, from the ‘60’s psych leanings of “Year 33” to the Pike-ish sludge riffs in “Dreen Drone Death,” and within each, aspects of the other…and many more thoughts and feelings rise up from the ether like a rich, aromatic mist. In particular, WEBB himself is a real find for me as a listener. His voice, sometimes direct and others laced with a cavern effect often comes across as a very early Steven Tyler, of all things, and his guitar work is at once un-busy and yet deeply commanding. What a cool album, as each time I hit “play,” new doors open up and I’m swept into the magic. TIMELESS
ANCESTORS – “Neptune With Fire” CD ’08 (North Atlantic Sound, US) – A review I saw of this disc on Amazon oozed with rapt enthusiasm, saying something to the effect of: This album sounds just like Monster Magnet circa. 1999. Yes, it does…at points. At other points, it sounds just like Sleep circa. “Dopesmoker.” Yes, it does. At other points, it sounds just like Pink Floyd circa. “Meddle.” And, so on it goes. In fact, so disturbingly close to each of these other artists (and a few others) does “Neptune With Fire” sound that at times I was convinced I’d loaded up somebody’s compilation CD into my changer rather than ANCESTORS’ disc. Perhaps this is a phenomenon others have noticed as well, of recent years, and if I’m not alone maybe someone can give me a shout-out to help me rest assured I’m not crazy. It just seems like there have been a plethora of albums released that receive reviews, heaping them with dollops of gushing praise…all for sounding exactly like other bands! Is this recorded well? Yes. Is it well played? Yes! But for all that, what we have here are 2 extremely long songs (nearly 17 and 22 minutes) that virtually re-create sonic artifacts left to us by other bands before them. Is there a point to this? And, as a final thought, if you’d like to hear a truly awesome record composed of two very long (and interesting!) songs, try AGAINST NATURE’s “Anxiety Of Influence.” SAME OLD THING
ANCESTORS – “Neptune With Fire” CD ’08 (North Atlantic Sound, US) – A review I saw of this disc on Amazon oozed with rapt enthusiasm, saying something to the effect of: This album sounds just like Monster Magnet circa. 1999. Yes, it does…at points. At other points, it sounds just like Sleep circa. “Dopesmoker.” Yes, it does. At other points, it sounds just like Pink Floyd circa. “Meddle.” And, so on it goes. In fact, so disturbingly close to each of these other artists (and a few others) does “Neptune With Fire” sound that at times I was convinced I’d loaded up somebody’s compilation CD into my changer rather than ANCESTORS’ disc. Perhaps this is a phenomenon others have noticed as well, of recent years, and if I’m not alone maybe someone can give me a shout-out to help me rest assured I’m not crazy. It just seems like there have been a plethora of albums released that receive reviews, heaping them with dollops of gushing praise…all for sounding exactly like other bands! Is this recorded well? Yes. Is it well played? Yes! But for all that, what we have here are 2 extremely long songs (nearly 17 and 22 minutes) that virtually re-create sonic artifacts left to us by other bands before them. Is there a point to this? And, as a final thought, if you’d like to hear a truly awesome record composed of two very long (and interesting!) songs, try AGAINST NATURE’s “Anxiety Of Influence.” SAME OLD THING
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Natural High
AGAINST NATURE – “Natural Blue” CD ’08 (Bland Hand, US) – I’m a sports fan besides being this irritating guy who keeps reminding you that “The Raysrealm site has been updated!” When I say “a sports fan,” I mean it. I’m not talking about people like my dad, who for 70-odd years has liked ‘dem O’s and Johnny U. No, I’m the kind who can sit up till 1:00 AM watching the Dolphins play the Raiders. That being so, one of my favourite radio shows is “Mike & Mike In The Morning” on ESPN. On that show, when either of the protagonists has had a certain affinity for a particular player, they are raked over the embarrassment coals by getting a special “love song” played every time they mention said player. For instance, Mike Greenberg used to have to suffer through Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” every time he made a mention of ex-Jets QB Chad Pennington. (Hmm…Whitney Houston, wasn’t she found in the woods behind a rehab clinic being raised by wolves or something?) Any way, I’m beginning to wonder if someone isn’t going to start playing some cringe-inducing ditty every time I mention AGAINST NATURE, REVELATION or the names John Brenner, Bert Hall, Jr. or Steve Branagan. See I know that they’ve been getting some of the absolute most top-notch reviews around these parts over the last year or so but, God damn it…well, just play me some Celine Dion and be done with it, ‘cause you see where this is headed, ya know?! Quickly, for the uninitiated, at this point in their histories, AGAINST NATURE and REVELATION are the same 3 cats (mentioned above). While ‘08’s earlier REVELATION release “Release” (not a typo!) was simply the flat-out best doom metal disc in quite awhile, AGAINST NATURE is a horse of a different colour (but not before the cart…sorry John!). See, with AN these three architects of sonic delight work on a much wider palette. The band’s “Anxiety Of Influence” (my top album of 2007, by the way) saw them explore the possibilities of the extended song format. Including 2 tracks topping 20 minutes each, what it brought to the table was a world-class study in how to put together a very long song without it seeming such. Simply put, I have to really stretch for the last time I heard a record comprised of two 20 minute songs that I wanted to hear again & again, so rich was the songwriting and playing versatility. On “Natural Blue,” AGAINST NATURE have once again re-invented themselves and the results are scintillating. This time the boys have opted to construct a series of much shorter songs that veer in many directions but do so without making the listener’s head flop back & forth like he/she was watching a tennis match. Ironically, the variety here serves to draw the album together into a spectacular whole. Opener “Sonic Tonic” stresses doomy riffs and would actually not feel out of place on a REVELATION record. “Moonshine And Mead” rocks along on a mid-paced upbeat hard rock riff, not unlike Bang, complete with a nasty early solo by John that could make Leslie West blanch in it’s Gibson bite. Suddenly just after mid-song, the tune morphs into a momentary jazzy interlude before AN throw the throttle down and race headlong to the conclusion, John soloing like a madman over top and the entire band cooking like your best friend Ollie’s grill at a Raven’s tailgate. And, it goes on all throughout this muthafucka of an album, each song bringing something new. Amazingly, it all fits together just perfectly. The pastoral and bluesy plaintiveness of “Bottom Of The Hill,” the back-porch country vibe of “Natchel Blue” (complete with additional vocals by Vickie Walters that would could make Patsy Cline take notice), the riff-monger (and album’s longest cut) “Lemongrass” with it’s jazzy Santana-like coda. Of special note (I know I’ve harped on this before in previous reviews, but it bears repeating) is John Brenner’s ever-widening guitar prowess. Seriously, John is rapidly turning into one of the most inventive tone-masters I’ve heard, constantly experimenting and getting more different and aurally stimulating lead & rhythm sounds out of his axes than anybody around. Kudos go as well to Bert Hall (bass) & Steve Branagan (drums) for their emergence as “organic” personified. You can put them right up there with Butler/Ward & Jones/Bonham in that category and I’m quite serious. I’m also quite serious about this album being simply as good as one can get in the heavy rock genre. So go ahead and cue up some Toni Braxton song for me, why don’t’cha, cause AGAINST NATURE are godly! 10.0
NOTE: As an added “cool thing,” the 90-edition printing of this disc features some breathtaking cover art by John Brenner.
http://www.againstnature.us/
NOTE: As an added “cool thing,” the 90-edition printing of this disc features some breathtaking cover art by John Brenner.
http://www.againstnature.us/
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Stone Free!
BLINDSTONE – “Freedom’s Calling” CD ’08 / “Manifesto” ‘03(Grooveyard, Swe) – Denmark. That country used to really mean something when it came to guitarists, Jack. C’mon, you know what I’m talking about, Mercyful Fate. Hank Shermann & Michael Denner were the names that used to set this amateur axe slinger’s dreams alight when it came to devastating, brain-melting riffs, scalding leads and a kick-ass attitude that meant you couldn’t imagine how heavy the next song was going to be. Sure, King Diamond was the front man and the larger-than-life figure everybody talked about, but to me it was those Danish guitar Gods. With that in mind, it sure was nice to receive these 2 BLINDSTONE discs from Grooveyard Records featuring the formidable Danish talents of one Martin J. Andersen. I’m not going to mince words, this guy is a motherfucker. First off, boy’s got a voice on him. Check out “Waste A Little Time On Me” (“Freedom’s Calling”) for one: smooth and bluesy, yet still powerful. I’m reminded a bit of Grand Magus’ JB, if he had a few more vocal lessons and maybe a couple more bourbons. Secondly, and surely not least, this guy is one helluva player. You can basically let laser hit disc anywhere you want on either disc and this notion will slap you in the face harder than a dump truck full of rolled-up quarters. “Hang On To My Love,” from “Freedom’s Calling” will have you pulling out “Rio Grande Mud” to make sure this isn’t something The Reverend Billy G. laid to wax in the early ‘70’s. Just a luscious guitar tone, all thick, raw & in your face but that’s not all: the guy is good! Everywhere there are riffs on top of riffs and smoking leads that just say “kick ass.” Another thing about both of these albums is the way the rhythm section locks in organically with Mr. Andersen’s fretsman fireworks and brings the funk-i-fied git-down to the forefront. Jesper Bunk (bass) & Anders Hvidfeldt (drums…along with Benjamin Hove on the first album) fuse to Martin’s riffing and damn if I don’t hear the spirit of Funkadelic rising through tracks like “Unifunk (It’s Time)” and (yes!) the bonus track “Funkadelic Medley” (“Manifesto”), not to mention “Freedom’s” blistering “Sugar Room.” Still, my favourite comes near the end of “Freedom’s Calling,” a massive cover of Frank Marino’s “Had Enough.” Talk about something that will get every Hendrix, Trower, Randy Hansen & Eddie Hazel fan foaming at the mouth, this is it. Joined on dual leads by another bluesy maestro, Lance Lopez, Martin Andersen really opens up the jets on this one and pays tribute, not only to the Canadian six slinger but to everyone who’s ever fired up an electric guitar. What a cool couple of discs and high points in the Grooveyard legacy. And, no songs about Satan (sorry, Hank & Michael!).
“Freedom’s Calling”9.5
“Manifesto” 9.0
http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/
ISTHMUS – “Land Bridge – 41:06” CD ’08 (Private, US) – Post-metal is one of those terms that always seems funny to me. I mean, I understand it, being thought of as a form of music derived from metal and so-called post-rock, but there you are again: the post thing. I know, I know, metal involving rock instruments but not necessarily using the same kinds of technical aspects traditionally associated with rock. I guess it’s just that the “post” thing makes me think somebody is saying “this is what comes after metal.” So you would be telling me then, that Pelican’s “Australasia” is not metal, after all, but something that came after it. Anyway, my issues with a genre name are my issues, I guess, and that brings us to ISTHMUS. A band I’m happy to report hails from my neck of the woods (Baltimore), ISTHMUS is surely one that falls into the broad musical brushstroke as the aforementioned Pelican, Isis, etc. There are a couple things that make “Land Bridge” stand out, however. One is the fact that for a young band’s first foray into the waters, this is a surprisingly mature and well-arranged record. The pacing of the songs is varied and even the 3-part “Perihelion” and 2-part “Red Shift” never wear out their welcome. Think superbly-produced (another high point here), layers of heaviness that still find melody seeping out from memorable corners. The other factor that puts “Land Bridge” on the map here is the math-like, fusion-y (is that a word?) elements, at times calling to mind some of the more exploratory moments of Sieges Even. In all, ISTHMUS has impressed very much with this record and any fan of the…ahem…post-metal genre would be well to check them out now. 8.0
www.myspace.com/isthmusband
ALKALINE TRIO – “Agony & Irony” CD ’08 (Sony, US) – Every now and then I have an interesting surprise. A major label actually sends me a disc to review. What typically happens then is that the skies open up, it snows a shitload in July, The Orioles win a World Series and the IRS sends me a check for $ 100,000 saying “Sorry, I think we owe you this.” Well anyway…it isn’t often and for whatever reason, Sony decided to send me this latest outing by ALKALINE TRIO. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been living behind the door when it comes to these guys. Truth be known, I didn’t even know how many albums they had out (6, apparently, including this one, beginning with 1998’s “Goddamnit”) until I did a little research. The bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter to me, because unless the earlier ones are a helluva lot better than this, I couldn’t care less. From what I read, ALKALINE TRIO is a punk band who started out snotty and raw, then polished up their sound in the process of shopping for a major and now, by golly, they really are polished up! Sound like Green Day to anybody? You betcha, as that’s seriously the vibe I got from this ash tray, with only the song “Love Love, Kiss Kiss” doing anything to keep me from drooling in my Jello. Such a pity to see a band like the Koffin Kats unknown to so many people while watered-down pablum like this lives in the name of “punk.” 1.5
http://www.alkalinetrio.com/
BLIZARO – “Blue Tape” CD ’08 (Private, US) – There were a couple things about John Brenner’s Declaration of Doom Festival this past July that didn’t surprise me at all. One was the massive generosity shown by everyone involved, in terms of the contributions to our son Nathan’s service dog cause. I’ve always known the people of the metal/doom scene were great individuals, simply wonderful & nice people and this only confirmed that belief. I also was not surprised at the level of musical quality rendered by each of the bands involved. John knows top-notch, innovative & heavy music and assembled a cast that was 2nd to none. I was a bit stunned, however, by the sounds emanating from the club during BLIZARO’s set. Now, I’ve known for a long time that John Gallo & Mike Puleo are absolute doom masters. They’re main band, Orodruin is about as right-on a trad-doom band as you can get, easily right up there with masters like The Gates Of Slumber & Revelation. Still, those sounds and now, these that escape my disc changer as “Blue Tape” plays show me these cats on a whole other level. The comparison game is often a dangerous one, but in this case, I think the easiest way I can describe the music on “Blue Tape” is to say that Gallo & Puleo, here, are the American Paul Chain. They take the foundation of crushing, doom-inflected metal, the old Iommi-an plunder and somehow fold it into a lush, dark Italian horror soundtrack mode to create some truly scary and impressive stuff. Naming individual tracks here would probably be silly but to make a long story short, I’d have to say this: If you know who Paul Chain is and love him, this is your ticket. If you aren’t aware of Mr. P.C., but find things like Goblin occupying your music library along with Sabbath, get to ordering right now. 8.5
www.myspace.com/jgblizaro
DR. HASBEEN – “Signs” 2CD ’08 (Black Widow, Eng) – My heavens, this is some kind of package: 2 CD’s, a tri-fold digipak, a detailed booklet with killer artwork. You really have to hand it to Mass & the people at Black Widow. When they get behind an artist, they do things up first class, spending time & taking care…a joy to see. And, for fans of the British legends Hawkwind, this mammoth set by DR. HASBEEN should be a joy to hear. I’ll be the first to admit that the Hawkwind style of driving space rock is surely an acquired taste. I’ll also admit that, while I can give it a listen at certain times, it’s not always my cup of tea. But there’s no question in the world that DR HASBEEN play plenty of homage to their heroes here and then some. Through a marathon session comprising studio and live cuts, these guys offer a bevy of numbers like “The Time Watcher,” “Apollo 13” and “Axis Of Evil” rife with driving guitar rhythms, pulsing electronics and enough sci-fi overtones to fill a whole bookstore. Making appearances as well, are nods to HW in the form of renditions of such classics as “Sonic Attack,” “Silver Machine” and “Master Of The Universe.” Truly a trip worth taking at least a few times. 7.0
http://www.blackwidow.it/
UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA – “The Magus” CD ’08 (Black Widow, It) – Occupying a landscape far into the outer reaches of what is known as rock are Italy’s UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA. If you’re thinking these outer reaches include things like early Yes, Radiohead or Dream Theater, you really had better run…very hard and far and duck because, in that case, you truly have no idea how far into the realms of “different” UTO forge. On the other hand, if you realize that the expression “RIO” does not necessarily mean a warm southern destination and names like Present and Magma are not something you get for Christmas or that which spews out of a volcano, maybe you’re ready for this. Simply put, UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA remind me of what would happen if someone were to take the greatest chamber music players in the world, give ‘em electric rock instruments, bring in a host of top operatic vocalists and then yell “Fire!” And that’s no put-down at all, brothers and sisters. I’m just trying to give you the low-down on how intense and eyebrow-raisingly over-the-top “The Magus” is. Could I listen to this album all the time? Definitely not, but there are moments in my week that this could be a real kick in the ass and those very open to experimentation and something quite different should take note! 8.0
http://www.blackwidow.it/
“Freedom’s Calling”9.5
“Manifesto” 9.0
http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/
ISTHMUS – “Land Bridge – 41:06” CD ’08 (Private, US) – Post-metal is one of those terms that always seems funny to me. I mean, I understand it, being thought of as a form of music derived from metal and so-called post-rock, but there you are again: the post thing. I know, I know, metal involving rock instruments but not necessarily using the same kinds of technical aspects traditionally associated with rock. I guess it’s just that the “post” thing makes me think somebody is saying “this is what comes after metal.” So you would be telling me then, that Pelican’s “Australasia” is not metal, after all, but something that came after it. Anyway, my issues with a genre name are my issues, I guess, and that brings us to ISTHMUS. A band I’m happy to report hails from my neck of the woods (Baltimore), ISTHMUS is surely one that falls into the broad musical brushstroke as the aforementioned Pelican, Isis, etc. There are a couple things that make “Land Bridge” stand out, however. One is the fact that for a young band’s first foray into the waters, this is a surprisingly mature and well-arranged record. The pacing of the songs is varied and even the 3-part “Perihelion” and 2-part “Red Shift” never wear out their welcome. Think superbly-produced (another high point here), layers of heaviness that still find melody seeping out from memorable corners. The other factor that puts “Land Bridge” on the map here is the math-like, fusion-y (is that a word?) elements, at times calling to mind some of the more exploratory moments of Sieges Even. In all, ISTHMUS has impressed very much with this record and any fan of the…ahem…post-metal genre would be well to check them out now. 8.0
www.myspace.com/isthmusband
ALKALINE TRIO – “Agony & Irony” CD ’08 (Sony, US) – Every now and then I have an interesting surprise. A major label actually sends me a disc to review. What typically happens then is that the skies open up, it snows a shitload in July, The Orioles win a World Series and the IRS sends me a check for $ 100,000 saying “Sorry, I think we owe you this.” Well anyway…it isn’t often and for whatever reason, Sony decided to send me this latest outing by ALKALINE TRIO. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been living behind the door when it comes to these guys. Truth be known, I didn’t even know how many albums they had out (6, apparently, including this one, beginning with 1998’s “Goddamnit”) until I did a little research. The bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter to me, because unless the earlier ones are a helluva lot better than this, I couldn’t care less. From what I read, ALKALINE TRIO is a punk band who started out snotty and raw, then polished up their sound in the process of shopping for a major and now, by golly, they really are polished up! Sound like Green Day to anybody? You betcha, as that’s seriously the vibe I got from this ash tray, with only the song “Love Love, Kiss Kiss” doing anything to keep me from drooling in my Jello. Such a pity to see a band like the Koffin Kats unknown to so many people while watered-down pablum like this lives in the name of “punk.” 1.5
http://www.alkalinetrio.com/
BLIZARO – “Blue Tape” CD ’08 (Private, US) – There were a couple things about John Brenner’s Declaration of Doom Festival this past July that didn’t surprise me at all. One was the massive generosity shown by everyone involved, in terms of the contributions to our son Nathan’s service dog cause. I’ve always known the people of the metal/doom scene were great individuals, simply wonderful & nice people and this only confirmed that belief. I also was not surprised at the level of musical quality rendered by each of the bands involved. John knows top-notch, innovative & heavy music and assembled a cast that was 2nd to none. I was a bit stunned, however, by the sounds emanating from the club during BLIZARO’s set. Now, I’ve known for a long time that John Gallo & Mike Puleo are absolute doom masters. They’re main band, Orodruin is about as right-on a trad-doom band as you can get, easily right up there with masters like The Gates Of Slumber & Revelation. Still, those sounds and now, these that escape my disc changer as “Blue Tape” plays show me these cats on a whole other level. The comparison game is often a dangerous one, but in this case, I think the easiest way I can describe the music on “Blue Tape” is to say that Gallo & Puleo, here, are the American Paul Chain. They take the foundation of crushing, doom-inflected metal, the old Iommi-an plunder and somehow fold it into a lush, dark Italian horror soundtrack mode to create some truly scary and impressive stuff. Naming individual tracks here would probably be silly but to make a long story short, I’d have to say this: If you know who Paul Chain is and love him, this is your ticket. If you aren’t aware of Mr. P.C., but find things like Goblin occupying your music library along with Sabbath, get to ordering right now. 8.5
www.myspace.com/jgblizaro
DR. HASBEEN – “Signs” 2CD ’08 (Black Widow, Eng) – My heavens, this is some kind of package: 2 CD’s, a tri-fold digipak, a detailed booklet with killer artwork. You really have to hand it to Mass & the people at Black Widow. When they get behind an artist, they do things up first class, spending time & taking care…a joy to see. And, for fans of the British legends Hawkwind, this mammoth set by DR. HASBEEN should be a joy to hear. I’ll be the first to admit that the Hawkwind style of driving space rock is surely an acquired taste. I’ll also admit that, while I can give it a listen at certain times, it’s not always my cup of tea. But there’s no question in the world that DR HASBEEN play plenty of homage to their heroes here and then some. Through a marathon session comprising studio and live cuts, these guys offer a bevy of numbers like “The Time Watcher,” “Apollo 13” and “Axis Of Evil” rife with driving guitar rhythms, pulsing electronics and enough sci-fi overtones to fill a whole bookstore. Making appearances as well, are nods to HW in the form of renditions of such classics as “Sonic Attack,” “Silver Machine” and “Master Of The Universe.” Truly a trip worth taking at least a few times. 7.0
http://www.blackwidow.it/
UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA – “The Magus” CD ’08 (Black Widow, It) – Occupying a landscape far into the outer reaches of what is known as rock are Italy’s UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA. If you’re thinking these outer reaches include things like early Yes, Radiohead or Dream Theater, you really had better run…very hard and far and duck because, in that case, you truly have no idea how far into the realms of “different” UTO forge. On the other hand, if you realize that the expression “RIO” does not necessarily mean a warm southern destination and names like Present and Magma are not something you get for Christmas or that which spews out of a volcano, maybe you’re ready for this. Simply put, UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA remind me of what would happen if someone were to take the greatest chamber music players in the world, give ‘em electric rock instruments, bring in a host of top operatic vocalists and then yell “Fire!” And that’s no put-down at all, brothers and sisters. I’m just trying to give you the low-down on how intense and eyebrow-raisingly over-the-top “The Magus” is. Could I listen to this album all the time? Definitely not, but there are moments in my week that this could be a real kick in the ass and those very open to experimentation and something quite different should take note! 8.0
http://www.blackwidow.it/
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
GRAND HALLS 11
JOSH CLAYTON-FELT – “Spirit Touches Ground” CD ’02 (DreamWorks, US) – I love thrift stores. Why? Well, to begin with, I like t-shirts. Anybody who knows me, knows that any time they see me I’m liable to be wearing a t-shirt they’ve never seen me in before. Some are band shirts but even more are sports stuff or things even further afield. You come face-to-face with me, chances are you’re going to be looking at something like “Wisconsin Football” or “CRAM: Wacky Packages” on my chest. It’s a Ray Thing, you wouldn’t understand. Deal is, I love thrift stores and on my t-shirt forays I also never hesitate to thumb through what’s usually a dusty bin of useless, half-destroyed CD’s while I’m there. The funnier thing is that I also generally come away with at least one decent disc. Such was a couple Saturdays ago, a brisk autumn day with the leaves swirling around Perry Hall MD, and my haul included a new “Saw” shirt and this little piece of plastic by JOSH CLAYTON-FELT. The cover of said disc looked cool, the back showed the dude playing guitar and it was a buck. Why not? Turns out it was a nice pick with a very interesting history. Seems JOSH was a founding member of alt-rock band SCHOOL OF FISH back in the late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s. They scored a couple college hits and then, after breaking up, CLAYTON-FELT got to work on a solo career. He released “Beautiful Nowhere” on his own in 1994, then got hooked up with A&M Records with whom he issued “Inarticulate Nature Boy” in ’96. Apparently that one got a good buzz going on college radio and landed him an opening spot on the Tori Amos tour of the time. Only problem? The damn album didn’t sell and A&M was sold to Universal, who decided to show their grace & sportsmanship by not allowing the guy to do anything with his own previously-released stuff. Some banging on doors did at least buy CLAYTON-FELT the rights to put out a live album himself. All the while he had started working on a new record and had just about finished it up in December 1999 when he had to take time to go into the hospital to have a growth checked out. On January 19, 2000 he died of testicular cancer at 32. How fucked up is that? But, in the wake of a tragedy, there can be a nice turn and that began when Universal Records found out that JOSH had died. At that point they decided to put the brakes on the strong-arm tactics and turn over the man’s material to his family. Long story short is that JOSH’s family then proceeded to mount a mammoth effort to get his new material out there. After putting up a website and spending countless hours, they finally got DreamWorks to release “Spirit Touches Ground.” So, after all this, it would certainly be a shame if this record weren’t any good, now wouldn’t it? Well, I can say without hesitation that “Spirit Touches Ground” is as nice a slice of alt-pop-rock as you might like to hear. Alternating back & forth between jaunty hook-laden pop gems like “Bull Ding Atlantis” and the more mellow stuff such as “Kid On The Train,” the record achieves a sweet dynamic that makes for an easy yet provocative listen. Then, it’s the cuts like the funked-up “Invisible Tree” and the sweeping title song that elevate it to something more special. Through the entire record, CLAYTON-FELT’s voice can be lilting but never lacking in command and his guitar work is sterling. Not one to solo much, it’s the fills and the way he embellishes the vocal lines with his sure-handed Fender tone that’s so impressive. Of course, the story of JOSH CLAYTON-FELT is a sad one: no one should shuffle off this mortal coil at such a young age. And yet, it’s a tale I feel glad to have stumbled upon in that thrift store. Maybe I paid a buck for this disc but it’s worth a helluva lot more in terms of inspiration and pure pop genius. 9.5
NOTE: Aside from the JOSH CLAYTON-FELT CD’s that were released before this one, there is another, “Center Of Six” that was released in 2003 and, from everything I read is just as good. Needless to say, I’ve got that one on the way!
www.joshclayton.com
NOTE: Aside from the JOSH CLAYTON-FELT CD’s that were released before this one, there is another, “Center Of Six” that was released in 2003 and, from everything I read is just as good. Needless to say, I’ve got that one on the way!
www.joshclayton.com
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