Underdiscovered: Band Profiles #1

(Note: click on the names of the bands to view their websites).

BANDAZIAN

Lineup: Alex Keena (vox, guitar), Rick Powderly (keys), Tim Shull (bass), Krum (drums)

Location: Asheville, NC

With the mega successes of bands like The Shins and Modest Mouse and semi-success of The National, indie rock has formed a genre standard: lyrics of young self-reflection, layered vocals, and instrumental backings of odd chord repetition from clean lead and fuzzed rhythm guitars, unobtrusive drumming and bass lines, and dreamy organs, pianos or synthesizers. With similar elements described in reviews as rock with all the hooks, the underrated North Carolina four-piece Bandazian, already with an EP and album to their name, are ripe for major play. Unfortunately, the dominant music outlets might be too overloaded with the same for the gentlemen to have their proper dues. Still, the interested Washington DC area enthusiast can hope for more than the band’s occasional presence at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Having passed through there while touring with Surprise! Arizona of Fairfax, Virginia this summer, they return for a late December date amidst recording a new album.

Recommended tracks: So Tired, Surely Bound

MOCO

Lineup: Vocals: Steve Jones (vox), Anthony Rigby (guitar), Nick Higham (bass), and Simon Misra (drums)

Location: Wigan, UK

Dance-worthy bands these days seem come in several forms: the disco-rock style of dominant bass and synthesizer demonstrated by bands like The Electric Six and Franz Ferdinand; the biting classic rock styled guitar bands like Jet; or bubble gum tinted lo-fi of bands like The Brunettes. The dance-worthy tunes of the UK band, Moco, are an arsenal of raging garage rock full of catchy tunes, scratchy vocals, fast beats, and optimum crunch that pay homage to both British invasion-era rock and a more recent ancestry in bands like The Stranglers and The Stooge. At times, they’re more pop with songs like Miss Mantaray and Cool Dancing, and at other times, with tracks like Wah Wah Wah and Baby When You Die, they’re fully-amped insanity.

Featured video: Baby When You Die

 

SOUND CASINO

Lineup: Andy Crosby (vox, keys), Ant Cooper (bass), Krispen (lead guitar), Tim Gannon (drums)

Locations: Sydney, Australia

Sound Casino is a solid pop rock band rich in big sound and polished production. Now working on their debut album, Don’t Know the End, the band seems to be shedding its crisp, 90s post-grunge style that defined their 2006 Seven Seas EP for a smoother pop approach signaled by tracks like Without You and Night Flight, even changing Don’t You Know to a piano medley. It isn’t that the sentimental context, pushing guitars to the back while spotlighting Andy Crosby’s vocals don’t suit the band. In fact, the Sydney-based band has always been capable of turning out tracks that fit the equation for Top 40s radio play. But the EP and new tracks, Midnight Vandal (which hints influences in The Hives) and While We’re Waiting reveal their best stuff is that original sound. But, at least they haven’t abandoned it entirely.

Recommended tracks: Midnight Vandal, Without You

LITTLE RED

Lineup: Adrian Beltrame (guitar, vox), Dominic Byrne (guitar, vox), Quang Dinh (bass, vox), Tom Hartney (vox), Taka Honda (drums)

Locations: Melbourne, Australia

Somewhere on turntables in 1980s Australia, Motown and Doo Wap records were spinning tunes that eventually inspired five guys to form Little Red, a band self-described as “The World’s Grooviest White R&B Vocal Group.” Performing in matching suits made popular by the Beatles, they are exactly that: fun jukebox rhythm and blues-though vocalist Tom Hartney has said he liked the mod-soul label once given to the band. However, in fairness to bassist Quang Dinh and drummer Taka Honda, they’re not exactly all white guys. But with a repertoire mixing punchy melodies and backing harmonies (Coca Cola) with wailing soul (Cry Cry Live, It’s Alright) and modern attitude (Speedo), they all certainly do groove.

Featured video: Waiting

TIGERCITY

Lineup: Bill Gillim (vox), Joel Ford (bass), Aynsley Powell (drums), Andrew Brady (guitar)

Location: Brooklyn, NY

The music video for The Strokes early major single Last Night features the band setting up to play live on a vintage variety show set. If viewers were completely unfamiliar with the band, the video might be mistaken for a rerun of a 1970s performance that few people, if any, had seen or heard before. The same might be said of the anachronistic Brooklyn pop rock quartet, Tigercity. With subtle synthesizers, cleanly plucked guitars and cymbal-heavy drumming backing falsetto lyrics, the songs of heartbreak and angst on the Pretend Not to Love EP are directly rooted in the 1980s, wavering between the early decade’s disco-laced rock (Other Girls) that recall Prince, David Bowie and Hall n’ Oats and a distinctly obscure mid 80s pop rock style as heard on the tracks Are You Sensation and Red Lips, recalling bands like Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, China Crisis, Machinations and, to some extent, the more recent VHS or Beta. Although an odd choice for a revivalist band that hopefully abandons the androgynous fashion victim accessories that accompanied the decade, Tigercity is likely to find loyalty among fans of obscure 80s music and the indie rock enthusiast in search of something beyond the acoustic standard.

Featured video: Other Girls (live at the Mercury Lounge)

ONCE A THIEF

Lineup: Andrew White (vox, guitar), James (guitar, vox), Patrick (bass), the HITman (drums)

Location: London, UK

Once A Thief isn’t a band for the glassy-eyed scenesters who like to stand around at shows with arms crossed, indifferently bobbing their heads to the beat. This is a band with a reputation for intensity in both recordings and on stage. Tracks like Ice Cream Headache and Heavy Set are loaded with catchy, accent-heavy lyrics, spiraling guitar solos, and crash-heavy drums that compel listeners to turn the volume up-way up-and thrash. Wailing flange and White’s paranoid lyrics dominate Sirens. In between, the boys cut up the strings and beats, revealing influences in the goofier side of British pop rockers like Blur (think the first half of the Park Life album) with songs like Town That I Built, Billy Smarts, Busy Being Lazy, Here Come The Junkies. And, the cleaner, almost 80s-sounding Satellites puts the boys in a category with fellow UK bands The Rifles and The Rebs. But whether thrashing or dancing, Once A Thief deliver a sound designed to get you to your feet and keep you moving until its over.

(Originally printed in Montag #3)

Recommended tracks: Sirens, Here Come the Junkies

STONEDRIFTERS

Lineup: Jamie dawson (guitar), Ken Crussell (guitar), Graham Collie (bass), Tim Whitehouse (keys) and Chris Ross (drums)

Location: Billingham, UK

Stonedrifters: you’ve come a long way baby. The UK-based psychedelic rockers originated in 2004 as an experimental trio from Billingham. But, even with little “musical or instrumental experience” the band, having recruited a seasoned drummer and keyboardist, soon developed their sound into a “melodic sound of raw guitars and harmonizing bass lines” and an ethic for music with attitude. Thus, Stonedrifters are not psych-rock in the purist sense of cumbersome 12-minute improvisation and indulgence that bands like Dead Meadow have managed to revive on stage. Their psychedelic roots, aside from the dominating imagery of yellow smiley faces and tie dye patterns on promotional materials, exist in the demo recordings as winding transitions and internalized lyrics like “Can you feel it inside?” on the track Inside and “Nicotine and gasoline go pumping through my brain” to start the track Am I Still Alive, luring listeners into a beefy alt-rock playground of gritty guitar, heavy synthesizers, steady beats, and meaty lyrics. Their recent track, See the Distance, might signal a new approach for the band, offering a cleaner atmospheric tone that readily establishes kinship with The Charlatans, The Kooks and Stone Roses. But whether fast or slow, Stonedrifters promise plenty of that “go out and get you.”

(Originally printed in Montag #3)

Recommend tracks: Am I Still Alive, You Love It

SIMPLE KID

Lineup: Ciaran McFeely

Location: London, UK

Simple Kid is absolute modesty. The one-man act is as musically versatile as Beck or Portland Oregon’s folk rock superstar, M. Ward. And, likewise, he has just as little to say about himself. With two minimalist titled albums-SK 1 and SK 2-the official biography is blunt: he released an album of moderate success but was unhappy with it and quit music for a while. “The Great Hibernation” followed with employment at a video store where happily spent days watching Weird Science and Werner Herzog movies. “He eventually decided that he wanted to write songs again. He surprised himself by really enjoying it. So he recorded the songs and did some shows… he is enjoying doing this at the present date… And he is still surprised.” Simple Kid might only be loosely classified within the genre of indie rock as his music suggests constant experimentation. The ode to escapism, Seratonin, is guided by acoustic guitars, strings and harmonicas. The Average Man is characterized by humorous lo-fi. And yet, Lil’ King Kong highlights a rich 90s polish, playful banjo and occasional “woofs”, layered vocals and big choral backing that might be compared to the introduction to Jane’s Addiction’s Been Caught Stealing.

Featured Video: The Average Man

 

 

THE BLACK & WHITE YEARS

Lineup: Scott Butler (vox, guitar, keys), Landon Thompson (vox, guitar, keys, fx) and John Aldridge (bass, brass)

Location: Austin, TX

The Black & White Years… they’re the same three guys (and some rotating drummers) as five different band names. Possessing a unique, lo-fi sound, the band was once described as “modern pop sensibility melded with rock exotica-roots, reggae-folk for a techno retro black and white experience.” What does that even mean? Even the Ninja might not be able to answer that. But the pale Austin trio sporting nerdcore attire and fashionable mustaches has whipped up a collection of imprecise, upbeat experimental mish mash and musical doppelganger. Songs like Power to Change, The Wetter Sea and Evil Ape offer lyrical seriousness from vocalist Scott Butler whose distant singing and fuzziness might be compared to The Strokes (think Modern Age) and Robbers on High Street. But, even the seriousness is shrouded in cheerful instrumentals recalling the not-too-excessive wackiness of 80s post-punk and ska (as it was before the pop punk invasion). Songs like You Are a Dragon and Waking the Dream are charged with B-52s styled synth, beat machines, clapping effects, vocal harmonies, 70s funk horns, reggae organs and beach blanket bingo style surf rock guitar solos. Really, the band seems willing to try anything to find completeness. After all, kicking ass can be a meticulous craft.

(Originally printed in Montag #3)

Recommended track: Waking the Dream, Power to Change, Broken Hand

THE CASSETTES

Lineup: Shelby Sinca (vox, guitar, mandolin, strumstick), Saadat Awan (vox, drums, percussion), Stephen Guidry (accordion, moutharp, megaphone), Tom Bernath (vox, bass, ukulele) and Arthur Harrison (vox, theramin, chants), Christine Francis (vox) and Ryan Goodrow (banjo, vox)

Location: Washington, DC

“Looking forward, backward, and sideways… The Cassettes have made their presence known and they invite all to come along on a journey to mythic lands and forgotten times.” The lineup of The Cassettes has been both lengthy and subject to frequent changes, now holding steady (and officially) at five guys (on stage) who share members with the DC bands Metropolitan and Person and at one time, employment at Murky Coffee in Arlington, Virginia. As one of the most unique performing bands, they may be accurately defined as concept rockers as they genuinely strive to create an experience beyond just performing songs. Dressed in costume, The Cassettes seem perfect for a cartoon about time traveling musicians ala The Yellow Submarine. Show fliers read like proclamations from the town square. The merch booths at the show stock both Captain’s Choice Tea Blende and Arthur Harrison’s latest consumer model Theremin in addition to the usual items of recordings and shirts. On stage, the band delivers sweaty performances and a sense of humor. In between energetic folk or vintage southern rock (steel slide guitar and all) that recalls Billy Childish and the Irish band, Floyd Soul & the Wolf, audiences are treated to Arthur’s unusual stump chants, Saadat’s jokes told to the beat of the tambala, and even cartoon projections. Having performed more shows locally in recent months (they tend to migrate to Philadelphia and New York City more often), the DC crowd should look out for the next scheduled sojourn to mythic lands and forgotten times.

(Originally printed in Montag #2)

Featured video: Lady Faire (live at Crooked Beats Records)

 

THE BINGES

Lineup: Dylan Squatcho (vox), Mayuko Okai (guitar), Tsuzumi Okai (bass) and Skanky (drums)

Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Binges are co-ed rock n’ roll that will get you foaming at the mouth. Pay to Play is a good starter track. The simplicity of three chord guitar and Dylan Squatcho’s screeching vocals conjures romanticized images of late 1970s (and even 90s rock n’ roll during the post-alternative revivalist periods) like fast cars, leather jackets, bar brawls, house parties, cigarettes and other symbols of the halcyon. The band sounds heavily influenced by New Zealand chart-toppers, Jet and The Vines, but with more ferociousness than the tempered spirits of the commercial mainstream allow, offering an anthem to West Coast attitude with songs like Los Angeles and Never That Way (Wake me/Com’mon and shake me/I want someone to make me/But it never works that way). Kick up those amps, scream yourself hoarse and get those kiddies in the crowd to move their fucking feet!

(Originally printed in Montag #2)

Featured Video: Pay to Play

 

THE DODOS

Lineup: Meric Long, Logan Kroeber

Location: San Francisco, CA

Singer/songwriters strumming acoustic guitars may be overpopulating the indie rock landscape, but breed one with a creative drummer and you might end up with something as special as San Francisco-based The Dodos. Formerly Dodo Bird, the marriage of the clean guitar work, velvety vocals, and sharp lyrics of Meric Long with the wild primal percussions of Logan Koeber creates a unique yet accessible sound, brilliantly walking that thin line between experimental anti-folk and indie pop. Some recommended tracks would be Men and Hornie Hippies (which features some great George of the Jungle style drum work) off their 2006 album Beware of the Maniacs, and Fools, which appears on the upcoming 2008 album Visitor. Having just signed with French Kiss records, they’ll be touring the West Coast in December with label mates Les Savy Fav in addition to a planned performance at SXSW in March when the new album is released.

(Review by A Cooper)

Featured video: Fools

 

THE SHORE

Lineup: Ben Ashely (vox, guitar), Wayne Faler (guitar), Kyle Mullarky (bass) and John Wilmer (drums)

Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Shore’s bio-written by a music critic-appropriately chastises the failures of the commercial mainstream to be innovative and experimental. “When is the last time commercial radio moved you like it did when you were a teenager? Where is the human touch in today’s programming? Where is the love in the music? The love is right here, you jerks! Are you listening to The Shore yet?” Formed in 2002, this is a band who’s musical contribution is a rich 90s pop rock sound filled with Ben Ashley’s serene vocals over luscious instrumental backings of dreamy reverb, strings, piano and subtle drums. The music appears most heavily influenced by Oasis (without the ego of the Gallagher brothers) and The Verve while their modern counterparts may be found in the mellower selections of The Rifles and especially, fellow Californian indie rockers The Day (featured in Montag #2). Ashley describes the band’s intentions for their melancholy self-titled album debut: “We wanted to make a record that was gentle and beautiful but the live show grew into a different sort of beast.” Yet even with the potential as a crowd-pleaser, this is a band that rarely tours outside of the Los Angeles area.

(Originally printed in Montag #3)

Featured video: Hard Road

Album Review: Black Betty

Lineup: Jonas Fairely (vox, drums) and Ana Serena (vox, guitar)

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Unfortunately, in this zine, we rarely venture far from the comfort zone of indie and pop rock bands in our reviews and recommendations. But, the fans of heavy-handed guitar bands who have surprisingly stumbled upon these pages might find solace in the Canadian co-ed retro-metal duo, Black Betty. The fashionably distracted guitarist Ana Serena and lead vocalist/drummer Jonas Fairely pictured on the inset of the self-titled debut released on Rick Bennett’s (Starchild vocalist and guitarist) Georgia-based label, Twin Earth Records, look like they’re striking poses for an interchangeable clothing boutique advertisement. But, they’re no bullshit.

Bennett’s Waycross, Georgia trio, Starchild, was featured in the third issue of Montag. “It seemed unlikely that there would ever return the long-haired, heavy-handed jam bands that capitalized on 1970s metal, disappearing when early 90s hard rock and alternative were tossed aside for the next rock epochs. But, bands like Starchild, Malefactor, Valkyrie and Black Betty carry that torch through the club scene. Rather than speed, crunch and slick production polish that define recent heavy metal, the bands on Twin Earth Records have more in common with the earthy, moody and ambient classic metal and hard rock bands of the 1970s-slower tempo, heavier bass lines, lingering lead guitar, hypnotic echoing vocals and spiritual lyrics.”

Trippy, titanium-rich Black Betty has created a nearly perfect reconstruction of 70s hard rock, at its forefront of which is Fairely’s accent-tinted hollow wailing suggests a controlled, bluesy and soulful ode to Zepplin and Sabbath (Sunshine, Hearts of Fire). And, at times, lyrics of metaphysics and personal spiritual struggle hint obvious influence in early Bowie like the spaceship-navigated homecoming on the album’s first track, Astral Messiah. Momentarily, when the tempo speeds up (House of Chains), Serena’s bust-you-in-the-mouth style and Fairely’s crash-heavy drumming share kinship with early 90s hard alt-rock. By itself, Black Betty have produced a worthy debut, but as a revivalist band, Black Betty lack a distinctive identity that might be a truer novelty had most bands on the Twin Earth label not chosen similar and sometimes identical sources of inspiration.

(Until the better quality video shoots for Black Betty are posted, entertain yourselves with fellow Twin Earth records band, Starchild’s video for The Futurist)

Album Review: No More Kings

Album Lineup: Pete Mitchell (vox), Neil Robins (guitar, bass, keys, cello, percussion), Jeremy Burchett (drums, percussion), Adam Degraide (bass) and David Claasen (fiddle, violin)

Band Lineup: Pete Mitchell, Beau Burtnick, Daivd Grant, Tim Maglothin, Christian Wojcik and Josh Taylor

Location: Los Angeles, CA

While some people may not immediately recognize the name No More Kings, it is likely they will have already seen the band’s video for their Internet-hit single, Sweep the Leg, which was a top-ranked feature on You Tube earlier this year. Paying homage to the Karate Kid, the song tells of the misunderstood, star-struck bully and former Cobra Kai fighter, Johnny Lawrence, whose karate career ended with Daniel Larusso’s crane kick. Just following the orders of a relentless Sensei during that fight, he pleads for redemption. Billy Zabka, reviving his role as the now middle age and disenchanted Johnny Lawrence, writes and directs the video which reunites some of the cast mates including Ralph Maccio and Martin Kove, though not all appear in their former roles. (Saved By the Bell’s Dennis Haskin’s also has a role in the introduction)

Vocalist Pete Mitchell and producer/guitarist Neil Robins wrote the self-titled thirteen track debut, which Mitchell calls a “thank you letter to the 80s.” More than half of the album is humorous and imaginative pop funk-rock tracks, some similarly paying tribute to vintage pop culture, and almost all from a first-hand perspective. Zombie Me narrates the singer’s transformation to the undead. In Michael (Jump In), Kit, the talking car whose voice was originally supplied by actor William Daniels on the show Knightrider, urges disillusioned Michael to help save the world. Leaving Lilliput is told from the point of view of the giant of Jonathan Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels. On these faster tracks, wah-wah and bluesy guitar, atmospheric synths and strings, thick drums and backing harmonies compliment Mitchell’s soulful vocals and playful lyrics. Though, the tracks Someday, Mr. B. and even Michael (Jump In), it is pop rock to the point of being Disney-esque.

The rest of the album is mostly forgettable ballads which include the lonely, lounge-styled About Schroeder, the heavier Umbrella and This, and at least the more memorable accordion-accompanied Girl in the Sea. Mitchell and Robins appear to do better with faster tracks. And, even when performing for small audiences, No More Kings unleash loads of energy, sound fit for bigger venues, and visible comradery, making it clear that this is a band that enjoys what they’re doing. But, while it was something of a novelty act that has helped the band to achieve its major initial successes, it might take a more personal direction to keep them there.

(featured in this clip is the newer version of Sweep the Leg)

Jam Session: An Evening With The Black Angels

Tone, Spindrift and the Black Angels @ the Rock n’ Roll Hotel

The owner of the recent line of H Street venues/bars might have envisioned the new businesses as an eventual impetus of a thriving entertainment district. Even a name like Rock n’ Roll Hotel might invoke expectations of grandeur-perhaps a renovated 1920s hotel with a wide stage area and balcony; something catering to big name acts and pricey tickets, competing with arenas but with the additional benefit of atmosphere. But in fact, the Rock n’ Roll Hotel, along with its sister establishments the Red & Black and the unusual Playhouse of Wonders offer reasonable ticket prices and the District’s usual semi-bohemian atmosphere: tacky decoration and black-clad hipsters, but not the cheap beer or food that would might afford it the quality of an absolute dive. Regardless, the H Street experiment suffers from location. It is inconvenient to the metro and surrounded by little more than all-hours omnibus fast food options, offering little incentive to the frequent show attendant whose mental map of DC rarely includes anything beyond the northwest corridor.

Although still just as much a stage to local and unknown musicians, the Rock n’ Roll Hotel competes with U Street’s Black Cat and the quick-selling 9:30 Club to host more visible performers. The Black Angels, psychedelic rockers of Austin, Texas (featured in the second issue of Montag), headlined a Sunday night bill in early November that also included the DC-based seven piece, Tone, and the California psychedelic rock outfit, Spindrift. Waiting for the box office to open, AC and I sat at the sparsely populated upstairs bar with bottles of Yuengling. Winged guitars lined the ceiling. Cattle skulls assembled to various bodies attached to the wall behind the bar resembled something from a bad horror movie or the contempo-creepy, nonsense art exhibits at PS-1 in New York. Behind the pool tables were two partially partitioned rooms where the decoration looked to be inspired by scenes from Clue and hodge-podge methods of contest-style DIY-décor shows. Spindrift’s lead singer sat nearby hunched over a mixed drink. His face was hidden by unruly hair and a thick mustache and he wore a black blazer covered in a simple moon and star motif. Passing him earlier in the hallway, he plainly said with uncertain sarcasm “It’s good to be back in DC.”

Watching Tone, the first opening act, felt like the first-hand observation of basement band practice. The band, comprised of almost all shapeless men, all dressed in black shirts, looked like an army of daytime IT professionals. On the small stage, the guitarists formed a half-circle around two full drum-kits, although the energetic drum duo contrasted with the lethargic guitarists (except the bassist). The music was structured on odd chords and tempo changes and tensions among some of the guitarists became apparent during missed cues and incorrect chord changes. No one spoke during the fully instrumental set until they were finished and one of the guitarists announced the band’s name as they immediately began packing their instruments.

Between sets, AC and I gave up waiting for the kitchen to open and scouted the streets for food options, although the nearest place open after nine on a Sunday night was Rainbow City, one of the omnibus fast food joints typical to northeastern DC. The awning advertisement of a menu consisting of seafood, subs, Chinese food, burgers and pizza can make even a sober stomach churn from thoughts of the less-than-sanitary food factory behind its doors. The place is built like a bank, with a British-system rotating ordering window and thick panes of Plexiglas which might seem like an effective protection from potential gun-wielding intruders were it not for the pesky detail of the flimsy side door that delivery drivers pass through.

I would learn later that the two men awaiting their orders alongside us were guitarists from the Black Angels. The blond asked me where he could buy cigarettes and a neighborhood man standing to order offered directions to the gas station convenient store. The dark haired musician was finishing his conversation about going into a K-Mart before Halloween and hearing Christmas music, which made him feel like stabbing someone. I noticed the same thing while in an arts and crafts store on Halloween weekend. The two musicians finally got their orders of Chinese food and inspected the paper bags for accuracy, the conversation now moving to Thanksgiving. The dark haired musician said he didn’t need a day to obligate thankfulness when he felt that way everyday. When they left, I stood awkwardly waiting for my food when the neighborhood man said to me, “Can you believe that? He hates Thanksgiving. I bet his favorite holiday is Halloween.” I laughed and nodded politely, amused by the strangely angsty conversation. When AC came back from the ATM, we went back to the car to eat like cops on stakeout.

Queasy from my half smoke and fries mistake, we returned to the Rock n’ Roll Hotel before Spindrift took to the stage. We ordered beers and lounged near the pool tables. In the far corner, an older black man danced near the jukebox as it played some funk-soul track. And when the thumping of guitar and drum sound-checks came through the floor, we made our way downstairs to the stage area, the audience now beginning to crowd the small venue. Girls in long flowing skirts and denim jackets stood alongside generic guys with drab t-shirts and vintage locks-this recreation of the hippie being appropriate for the psychedelic rock schemes of Spindrift and the Black Angels.

In recordings, the two revivalist bands appear divergent. Spindrift draws on a rock n’ roll style characteristic of a band like the Doors; songs that make you envision heat-swamped abandoned highways, which is especially evident in a songs like Red Reflection and The Legend of God’s Gun, the title track of the spaghetti western rock n’ roll DVD promoted by the band at their merchandise booth that evening. On stage, the lead singer, who’s somewhat exhausting disconnect reminded me of the mescaline-filled adventures of Dr. Gonzo, wielded a crisp Gibson. A long-haired bassist strumming a double-neck bounced around behind him. The rest of the co-ed band featured the regular indie rock setup of guitars, keyboards, and drums. And, for this set, a guitarist for the Black Angels, stood off to the side playing the tambourine accompaniment.

On the other hand, the Black Angels in their recordings might be immediately guessed to be heirs of the Velvet Underground’s style, especially in the mellower vocals and drone. Ironically, however, they maintain a standard, physical indie rock band appearance.

But on stage, the two bands were almost interchangeable in certain characteristics such as the echoing microphone effects, hallucinogenic background projection that modeled a Jefferson Airplane Monterey Pop performance (Spindrift abandoned the latter prop for this particular show), and songs drifting from organization and structure into dreamy and cacophonous improvisation.

But of the three performances, the evening’s best was Spindrift, which lends credibility to the “second opening band is usually better than the headlining act” theory that AC had once suggested. Whereas Spindrift particularly distinguished themselves with vigorous guitarists and, perhaps unfairly, as a novelty that made the Black Angels set seem repetitive, the Black Angels set, I was disappointed to conclude about the band I had long awaited to see, was in one word: boring. Even the best tracks like the guitar-heavy Black Grease, and the critical First Vietnamese War and Snipers at the Gate began under an umbrella of a seemingly disinterested vocalist and soon unraveled into lengthy improvisation. Several hours of jam band music can be quite exhausting for an audience.

Montag… in 200 words.

 

There has been considerable lapse between issues of the zine. My apologies to patient bands and artists of the past who have suggested or asked for reviews among its pages, but now that it has a spot somewhere in the computer tubes that make up the Internet, I expect to crank out Montag pieces more frequently and, at least for purposes of local accessibility, it will still be available in a hardcopy format.

The zine is likely to migrate once more to a legitimate web page, but for now, it suffices to remain in blog format, which technically makes what was intended to be an actual e-zine more simply a blog, which means having to translate the traditional zine issues with somewhat limited features. Montag is now broken into three blogs, each being mutually linked to the other. The primary page is Montag the Zine which mostly contains music-related content like album and show reviews, band profiles, mix tape music videos, and back-issue items. The spin-offs are the movie-related Muvika (pronounced moo-vee-ka) and a (digital media) policy-related blog yet to be named.

If interested in writing for Montag or contributing materials for review, email Dweebcentric at montagreader@yahoo.com or visit the MySpace page