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| Photo: George L. Blosser |
A Barbaric Yawp to Sound from the Streets of Belmar, NJ
by Matt Chrystal
When you want to check out a killer rock show in the Garden State, certain venues come to mind like The Saint, The Stone Pony and 10th Avenue Burrito Co… Wait, what?!
Yup, 10th Avenue Burrito Co., which has locations in Belmar and Red Bank, has long been known for kickass Mexican cuisine (Taco Tuesdays) and badass bar specials (Tijuana Thursdays), but those "in the know" know that owner, Brian Katz, has made some real joyful noise by providing a stomping ground for both local artists and national touring bands.
Katz has made 10th Ave. Burrito Co. the backdrop for a slew of local acts including Pig Iron Profits, Blind Owl Band, Black Flamingos, and the Brummy Bros. He has also succeeded in showcasing a veritable who’s who of national festival favorites such as The Howling Bros, Jim Lauderdale, Possessed By Paul James, Joe Fletcher, Ian Fitzgerald, SS Web, The Banditos (who are returning on 7/24); and, this week, The Yawpers from Denver, CO, will be rocking the Belmar locale on Thursday July 14th. Admission is FREE. Many of the performers who play at 10th Ave., while all unique, have a similar theme of being alt-county, foot-stomping roots rockers.
"I sit in my office and scour the internet for unique sounding original music," Katz said of his selection process, "…what draws me to the sound isn’t so much the music itself, but rather the fact that I’m in awe that there is this great movement from all these super, sick-ass, talented musicians trying to keep something alive and thriving. I select bands just on feel, and it’s not just that genre."
Bloodshot Records label-mates, The Yawpers and Banditos have upcoming shows this month; and, when asked what he looked forward to from those bands, Katz replied, "The Yawpers have a cool unique sound, Rock-n Roll, bluesy, kickass country sound! What stands out about the Banditos? Ummm, they are fuckin’ tight! I don’t ever put expectations on shows. I know a lot of bands are traveling long distances in a van, shitty sleeping conditions, making it on dimes. I just want them to come here and have as a good an experience with Tenth Ave as they put out for our guests. We’ve had so many great shows here, and I’m honored that we’ve got so many great acts to stop here along the way."
I recently got to talk with Nate Cook, the porn-stache’d poet-punk, and frontman of The Yawpers, as he prepares for the band’s gig at 10th Ave. Burrito Co. in support of the album, American Man, which was released last year on Bloodshot Records.
CoolMattyC: The Yawpers’ latest album grabs the listener right out of the gate with "Doin’ It Right" and blasts off on a journey that incorporates vivid narratives and frenzied freak outs. Did you have a message that you set out to get across with this album?
Nate Cook: If anything, it’s a scattershot of messages. It’s an attempt to write from the perspective of different characters. Each narrative acts independently to give a different point of view.
CM: Certain songs such as "Burdens," "American Man," and "3AM" seem to stand out to many as favorite tracks from the album. Were there any songs in particular, that when you finished, you just leaned back and were like "Fuck Yeah?"
NC: I think every time we finish a song that we plan to put on a record there is a brief moment of excitement over it and we are pumped to play it… but that always seems to fade quickly and we want to make something even better. But yeah, I am proud of all of our songs!
CM: Given today’s political and socio-economic climate in the U.S., does playing a song like "American Man" take on an even heavier meaning?
NC: Well, specifically that titular track is written from the perspective of someone I don’t necessarily agree with. And, again, the album is written from the perspectives of characters… characters that do not always share my point of view. As for the current climate, I don’t think we would have made American Man if we had started making the record today just because of how polarized everything has become lately and because of how ignorant people can be. It is harder to be subtle now with politics because everything that gets said is polarized by one side or the other. I don’t know that we would have made that album even just a year later than we did. It dropped right before everything seemed to go bananas in politics.
Sometimes, our fans want to put us in a boat that we don’t necessarily sail in. I do not think we would make something as political as American Man again.
CM: It seems anytime the band gets mentioned, there are a ton of comparisons made to which bands, past and present, that you sound like. Are there any comparisons you agree with or disagree with?
NC: A lot of them are pretty weird. We were once described as an "acoustic folk duo"…even though we are a trio that plays punk rock n roll! It astonishes me that just because we use acoustic guitars we are labeled as folk rock… that’s the comparison that really grinds my gears.
Other than that, there hasn’t been any specific band comparison that got me off or freaked me out. I kinda like that we float along and do our own little thing.
CM: The band is touring out of Denver, CO, is there anything you look forward to when coming over to do shows in the New Jersey/New York?
NC: Hmm, driving over the Walt Whitman Bridge?!
(fun fact: The band name “Yawpers” is a nod to a line from Walt Whitman’s "Leaves of Grass")
Yeah, we love NJ! We have been up there two or three time before and the whole state seems beautiful.
CM: What can people look forward to when they come to see a Yawpers show?
NC: Plenty of Cocaine & Alcohol!!!
CM: Can I quote you on that?
NC: Of course, man!
CM: Ok and finally, the world needs to know… does your mustache provide any additional inspiration for the band or give you super powers of any kind?
NC: That’s one of the best fuckin’ questions anyone has ever asked me!
Thanks to my mustache, I now have the special ability not to be allowed within 200 yards of an elementary school. If you really want to see a great mustache, I recommend you check out pics of my drummer (Noah Schomberg) who had thee gnarliest fuckin’ steroid-caterpillar mustache! It gave him the power to blend in amongst our white trash band!
The Yawpers are set to play 10th Ave Burrito Co in Belmar, NJ This Thursday July 14th (Admission is Free).
They will play the American Beauty Bar in NYC on 7/15 (Tickets are $12).
The album, American Man, is out now on Bloodshot Records.
For more info visit: www.theyawpers.com
For info on upcoming shows at 10th Ave Burrito Co check out: www.tenthaveburrito.com
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