This Sunday, February 16th, The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park plays host to "Give Love: A Benefit Show for Australia." The all-day event starts at 2pm and goes into the night. Bands slated to perform are The Cold Seas, Lyons, The Tide Bends, and Yawn Mower (who will be doing some Men At Work tunes). In between sets, DJ Foggy Notion and DJ Jay Insult will be spinning some of their favorite tunes by Australian artists. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction featuring items donated by local businesses and artists. All proceeds from the show will benefit the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation.
Event organizers Jenny Vickers and Amy Malkoff of Lyons and and Tori Paxton of Paws & Anchor said, "We were so horrified about what was happening in Australia and wanted to do something about it. As local musicians, we thought we could bring together some of our favorite bands to perform and help raise funds for the victims of the fires and drought. We appreciate Wonder Bar lending their support for such an important and time-sensitive cause."
You can grab advance tickets for the show here, and RSVP to the event here. And, as you get ready for the show, you can check out some music from all the bands.
NYC's surf-inspired High Waisted have kept things DIY for five-plus years. From planning and executing five, separate "High Waisted at Sea" party cruises around Manhattan, to booking their own tours, to releasing several 7-inches and one of my favorite albums (2016's On Ludlow) of the last several years, High Waisted have maintained a work ethic to which other bands should aspire. The band work hard, but they also have a blast doing it.
One of the projects that has illustrated both High Waisted's evolution and their work / party attitude over those years is the ongoing Acid Tapes mixtape series. Earlier this week, the band released the fourth installment in a series that has seen them cover the likes of Otis Redding, Swinging Blue Jeans, Roy Orbison, The Ramones, and Parquet Courts along with some, maybe, more obvious choices like Dick Dale and Surfaris. Each mixtape has also included High Waisted originals making the series a nice glimpse into both the band's influences and what they're currently up to.
"Our recording process has come a long way from the first cassette," says front woman / singer / guitarist Jessica Louise Dye. "Acid Tape Vol. 1 was recorded while we were on acid, all in one go, in a haunted house in Nashville. A buddy of ours threw a room mic over the chandelier and ran it through the tape deck and away we went.
"Now, the recording process is more deliberate, articulated and better executed. Vol 4 was recorded entirely in our new studio which [High Waisted drummer] Jono Bernstien and [former High Waisted guitarist] Stephen Nielsen built in Bedstuy. We're mixing digital and analog gear with vintage instruments and a little magic. I think this will be the dreamiest cassette to date."
Photo by Jono Bernstein, White Sands, NM.
Dye isn't wrong. On Volume 4, instrumental and spoken word interludes draw you in as if you're having a dream in which High Waisted are performing. Dye's vocals shine on The Zombies' "The Way I Feel Inside" as well as the band's own "Giving Up." The band put their own spin on the oft-covered "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric, 10cc's "I'm Not in Love," and Kacey Musgraves's "High Horse." They lend their already Lynchian personality to "Laura Palmer's Theme."
"The hardest part of this project is narrowing down what songs we're going to choose," continues Dye. "Which is why I don't see this series ending anytime soon.
"The best part of this recording process is getting to dissect songs we love, throw everything we know about them away and rebuild something entirely new. It changes the gravitational pull in my creative mind, often spawning a big writing period of new High Waisted material as well."
Photo by Jono Bernstein
Photo by Jono Bernstein
All four High Waisted tracks here represent an evolution from the sounds of On Ludlow, leaning, perhaps, a little more heavily into the band's dream pop sensibilities than straight-up surf sounds.
As I mentioned when I put up the show listings earlier today, this is a big weekend for shows in our area with some big names. There are some interesting lower profile shows going on as well. Check the full listings carefully to see everything, but here are a few that I wanted to highlight.
Illiterate Light / Rachel Ana Dobken Band / Cranston Dean Band, The Saint, Thursday, 7/25
Carhart Presents brings Virginia's Illiterate Light to The Saint in Asbury Park on Thursday night. The duo of Jeff Gorman and Jake Cochran released Sweet Beast at the beginning of 2019, and their sound is surprisingly expansive once you realize it's coming from a two-piece.
Joining them on the bill are Rachel Ana Dobken, who just this week released the video for her single "Always," and The Cranston Dean Band.
Drunk Mums / Dirty Fences / Tight Lipped / Sun Voyager / Smock, The Saint, Friday, 7/26
Our friends over at Little Dickman Records have put together a jam packed bill for Friday at The Saint headlined by Australia's Drunk Mums. Drunk Mums are Aussie rock influenced by The Saints, their American contemporaries, and modern garage rock. And, c'mon! They came all the way from Melbourne.
Rounding out that one are psych rockers Sun Voyager, Asbury punks Tight Lipped, NJ's tripped out Smock, and NYC rock titans Dirty Fences.
Spookey Ruben / The Red Room / Woodfish / Sister Ancestor, Red Tank Brewing, Friday, 7/26
Red Tank Brewing in Red Bank has been growing into another spot for interesting shows; and, this Friday, they'll be hosting this one. Canadian musician, producer, songwriter, and composer Spookey Ruben will be performing one-man band style. Ruben has been a cult favorite for decades and is readying a new EP featuring Mac DeMarco, Geneva Jacuzzi, and John McEntire.
Joining Ruben for this show are our friends The Red Room, Woodfish, and Sister Ancestor.
These are just a few maybe under-the-radar things coming up this weekend. Like I said, check out the full listings for everything else.
SHUT UP, the Asbury Park punk trio of Dan Matthews (guitar / vocals), Jamie Conner (bass), and Bob Paulos (drums), have a busy few weeks ahead of them. This Sunday, 7/21, they'll be playing Asbury Park Yacht Club when they open for The Messthetics (the long-time Fugazi rhythm section of Brendan Canty and Joe Lally along with guitarist Anthony Pirog). On 8/3, SHUT UP will be releasing their debut album; and we're honored to be helping them present their release show on the same day at The Stone Pony.
SHUT UP have been fixtures of the live Asbury Park music scene for a couple of years now, and the band's members are familiar from their other projects like The Black Clouds and GayGuy/StraightGuy. Their debut brings together the songs with which they've been assaulting audiences during those live sets. Jack Endino (whose production / engineering credits include Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, L7 just to name a very, very few) co-produced with Matthews and handled recording, mixing, and mastering at Soundhouse in Seattle. The result is a relentless 27-minute set of songs that manage to say quite a bit given their, mostly, short run times.
By the time you start to feel the barrage of drum hits from Paulos as Matthews growls, "You think you have the answers / We'll give you something you won't forget" on "Better Luck Next Time," you know that SHUT UP aren't planning to take it easy on you. And, thematically, the band spend a good chunk of the record calling out complacency, selfishness, and phonies. With lines like "The People that I grew up trusting were full of shit" on "Blood Orgy," "You know I'll always have your back / If there's something in it for me" on "Ramen," and "Punk erosion. / They only care about Me Me Me Me" on "...Nope," it's clear that SHUT UP are done with everyone's bullshit.
The album also touches on some of the bigger issues facing us. Matthews snarls, "Just being rich and white / Doesn't give you the right / To choose who gets to live / And who dies" over a martial drum beat on "Resistance." The 3-minute epic (by SHUT UP standards, anyway), "Indifference Kills," goes out on an ominous wall of noise, pushed along by Conner's bass, after Matthews declares, "We're on a sinking ship / And no one gives a fuck."
...Nope brings together elements of hardcore and grunge. The songwriting reveals a familiarity with the ways in which life, the music business, and the world can feel pretty screwed up. SHUT UP see all of that, and their answer is to throw all of that back into the faces of the worst offenders and to continue to rock.
...Nope is available for pre-order now and will be out on Capacitor Records on 8/3. SHUT UP celebrate with a release show at The Stone Pony that very day. Helping them out with that will be Hot Blood and Fetal Rage. CoolDad Music is a proud co-presenter. Advance tickets are available here.
Our good friend and recent quote-giver for an article in Forbes Magazine, Al Crisafulli, has put together another show to raise funds for WFDU radio, the long-running, non-commercial radio station at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Joining them on the bill are post-punk vets Flower and BobCarolTed.
I've said this before; but, on his Signal to Noise program, Al does what not that many other people are doing. He gives a home on the actual airwaves to loud, noisy, rock n roll music -- much of it from bands local to our area. Al's home station, WFDU 89.1 FM, follows a "Retroradio" format; so Signal to Noise is an outlier even there. That's why these types of fundraisers are so important. A successful evening supports non-commercial radio, while it also lets the station know that programs like Signal to Noise are still valuable.
Doors for Saturday's show at Union Hall open at 8pm with music starting promptly at 8:30pm. Admission is $10, and Al promises to have everything wrapped up so that you can go catch a late set from one of the other bands playing in the area if you're so inclined.
The Signal to Noise radio show airs Sunday nights from 10pm to 2am. You can listen at 89.1 FM or online at WFDU.fm. Whether you can make it to the show or not, you can always donate to WFDU and tell em Signal to Noise sent you.
For the second year, CoolDad Music will be an official presenter of the Garden State Beard & 'Stache competition. Like our last go-round, we'll be joining forces with The Garden State Beard and Mustache Society and Little Dickman Records to bring you an evening of weirdness, beardness, and great music.
This year's event takes place at the new Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch, NJ on Saturday, April 27th. Attendees will be able to partake of Whitechapel Projects' nano-brews and eclectic menu while enjoying all of the festivities. As usual, there will be competitions in several beard and 'stache-related categories, celebrity judges, and great bands. Once again, the event will be in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
More details will follow in the coming days, but here's what we can tell you now:
Al "Verbal Tease" Verbenko will be our master of ceremonies.
The Pinups for Mental Health Awareness will be on-site to assist with the proceedings and to provide information on making your community safer from suicide and raising awareness for mental health issues.
And, the bands...
We've got three of our favorites on tap for the show! Coach N' Commando!
Lowlight!
Old Lady! (This one is from our recent "Rock or Die VI" Day Party down in Austin.)
You can RSVP for the event and watch this space for more details as they roll in. Come on out. Bring your friends. It's gonna be a time.
Yeah. So, I'm probably a little late with this; but you still have about 4 hours to make plans and come out to The Saint tonight for another weeknight banger brought to you by Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music. We'll be celebrating the release of Pink Mexico's DUMP on Little Dickman Records / Burger Records and helping to send Pink Mexico out on tour.
DUMP is the latest entry from Robert Preston's Pink Mexico project. This time, Pink Mexico is a full-band effort with Grady Walker (drums) and Ian Everall (bass) rounding out the trio. DUMP is 13 tracks of fuzzed out walls of sound. The songs range from the pop haze of single "Dirty & Stupid" to the noisy but dreamy "Sex Happiness" to the slowly swaying "Rattlebrain." The thing holding all of the songs together on DUMP is the sense that Preston is giving us a glimpse into his stream of consciousness. Whether on the short interludes "Wsly" and "Psycho Juice" or the oozing 6-minute "Heartfist," DUMP is sex, drugs, and self-examination. And, live, Pink Mexico are a mind-bending experience that you don't want to miss.
This Monday night, March 4th, Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music will be hosting a show at The Saint in Asbury Park featuring Madrid, Spain's FAVX. The band have landed in the US for an extended tour that will take them to the South By Southwest music festival in Austin for the second year in a row.
FAVX formed as a three-piece in the suburbs of Madrid, Spain. Carlos, Daniel, and Nicolás released their debut EP, Welfare, on Burger Records last year and supported the record by playing over 80 shows all across Spain, Europe, and the US. This past January, FAVX announced the departure of founding member, Nico, but vowed to carry on. They kicked off a 6-week US tour in Brooklyn just this week.
I sent a few questions over to Carlos and Daniel as they tore their way through 3 of NYC's 5 boroughs on their way down to the Jersey Shore. FAVX give us their perspective on touring the US, the current state of the Spanish music scene and rock in general, and more below.
Come check FAVX out at The Saint tomorrow night as part of a fantastic bill that also includes Yawn Mower, Lunch Ladies, and Mulch (NJ's #1 Dentist Tribute Band). It's a party to help send a bunch of those bands on their way down to Austin. Oh, and we'll also be celebrating the 7th anniversary of CoolDad Music! Doors open at 7:30pm, and $8 gets you inside. Welcome! You've just arrived in the US for a long tour that will take you to Austin for your second trip to SXSW. How was the last trip to SXSW, and what are you expecting to get out of it this time around?
Thanks! For us, SXSW is an overwhelming festival. There are too many things going on at the same time. We had a great time, played til we fainted, and met many new bands and friends; and that's what we expect to get out of it on our second round. We're playing 9 shows in 3 days, so we hope to get out alive. Whatever is happening, we want our free backpacks.
Asbury Park will be a new stop for you, I think. What do you already know about Asbury Park and New Jersey? Are there any other places you'll be hitting for the first time that you're looking forward to?
We just know Asbury Park because of Bruce Springsteen; and, about NJ, we can tell you about New Jersey Nets (RIP) and Ho99o9. We spent hours playing against Jason Kidd in NBA Live 2005.
Can you talk a little bit about what it's like as a European band touring around the USA?
Well, we are more Spanish than European. For us, everything here is too big and too expensive. We've never toured this much before; so, in between shows, we'd love to see the weirdest North American tourist atractions like the biggest potato in Idaho and stuff.
I was at the "Pit Party" show for a bit at Barracuda at SXSW last year. You were on the bill along with Kings of the Beach from Vigo. I saw Hinds wandering around in the audience. It seems like more Spanish bands are starting to venture outside their home country. Why do you think that is? Why now? What's held them back before?
Spanish scene is flourishing within the last 4 years. Accidente, Hinds, or RosalÃa are recent examples on how it's happening in different genres. Spanish scene has always been very plural and interesting, and it's finally getting the attention it deserves. It's not that we are starting to venture abroad, but more that people outside Spain are getting more interested in us, which is really cool!
What is the music scene like in Madrid and the rest of Spain these days? Who are some other Spanish bands we should be looking out for?
We are really proud of Madrid's music scene and Spain in general. Some bands like The Parrots, Hinds, or Mujeres smoothed the way. Baywaves, Vulk, Alien Tango, or Cariño are also building something cool. Tensión, Sudo,r or ZA! have a really sick live set that's worth checking out.
You released Welfare last year with Burger Records. It's loud and experimental, but there are also familiar elements of post punk and pop. How did you arrive at the sound on that record?
We spent almost two years on recording a proper version of Welfare. In between, we experimented with lots of recording methods (mostly Albini's style at ZTA with Ojo), but we finally decided to work with Hans of Monreal Studios, who has a big electronic music input, which was the complete opposite of what we were doing before. With Hans, the purpose was like "let's make guitars not sound like guitars." We mixed all our noise / punk / electro influences and we finally came out with the sound of Welfare. For our next record, we've twisted the sound even more. You can have a taste next Friday with the release of our new single "From Above."
On "Born in the 90s" from Welfare, you write about forging a path that doesn't depend on ideas from the past. Do you think rock music can get bogged down by nostalgia? Is that something you consciously try to avoid?
We live in the decadence of rock and roll as a music genre. Rock has become an inoffensive form and a commercial backtrack, slowly fading away from social causes and reality. Most of the self-considered "rockers" are old men trapped in the idea that "There will not be a band better than The Rolling Stones (or any other classic rock band happening from the 50s to the 90s)." In Spain, trap and reggaeton music hyped recently, especially into young people; and many music journalists were blaming the youth for it (Ignoring the racist fact behind blaming people for suporting music with racial roots). "Born in the 90s" was written as an angry response to all the hordes of old men pointing at our generation for tearing rock apart, while those same men were the ones that killed rock. They were the ones that pushed rock from alternative clubs to massive music festivals and turned small bands to massive commercial bands. The same people that put the blame on young people for the decadence of rock curate big festivals and book jurassic rock bands instead of supporting the new generation of bands. Now they blame us because rock is inoffensive. Not our deal.
What are you working on for the future?
We just recorded an LP, and we are now looking for record labels. This Friday we will release our first single "From Above." When we come back home, we will focus on the artwork, videoclips, and promo for the LP. DIY!
And, I just have to ask. As people who are able to look at the US from the outside, what do you think of everything that's been going on here since about 2016?
In Spain, especially after Marshall's plan, the USA is always a background track. Since we have democracy, Spanish politicians have always compared us with the US. Trump's election is just the confirmation of the worldwide alt-right uprising, wich Europe's also been suffering, especially during the last 3 or 4 years. Besides the terrible meaning behind someone like Trump governing the US, his racist, homophobic, misogynist, and specieist ideology legitimates hate speech worldwide and especially in the countries of the second order as Spain. Lately, in Spain, the alt-right party VOX has gained popularity; and that's something that couldn't have happened if Trump didn't come out before. It's a really tough time; but it's also an opportunity to gather and fight against bigotry, stand up for social rights, and end all of this crap.
Gracias, FAVX. Safe travels on tour, and we'll see you at The Saint in Asbury Park!
Thank you very much and see you soon! We are really looking forward for the show ¡Muchas gracias!
Welfare by FAVX is out now on Burger Records. New single, "From Above," comes out this Friday, March 8th.
In February of 2018, Grace Vonderkuhn released her debut LP, Reveries. The night before the album's official release, Grace and her band opened a show that we were throwing at The Saint in Asbury. They were real troopers to take the opening slot on a bill that I'd kind of let get out of hand (5 bands? What was I even thinking??) and made the most of their short set. They made such an impression on me that I think I purchased the first official copy of Reveries just as the band were getting in the car to head back home to Delaware.
Reveries is a record that combines elements of noisy rock with a real sense of what makes a great pop song. Grace Vonderkuhn rode the excellence of Reveries to an official showcasing slot at South By Southwest 2018 where San Jose's Mercury News named her one of the top 10 performers at the festival.
Currently on tour with Thin Lips, Grace Vonderkuhn will play Asbury Park Brewery this Sunday, January 27th, as part of a bill that also features Earth Telephone and Luke Henderiks. I shot some questions over to Grace just as the band were packing up to head out on this run. I want to start off by saying that the show you played for CoolDad Music and Good Eye Records in Asbury Park last year, on the night before you released Reveries, stands as one of the most impressive efforts I've ever seen from a band. You came straight from work in Delaware during a rain storm to play an opening slot (That was my fault. Sorry.) and were on stage, playing within 15 minutes of your arrival. You absolutely blew the room away. As a touring band, how do you maintain the energy to give it your best when presented with less than ideal circumstances?
Well, thanks! That's nice to hear. I think it's just about keeping the performance as the priority. Knowing what we're on the road to do and storing / summoning energy for that 30 or 40 minutes when we have the stage. Playing a set is usually the best part of the day so it's (generally) pretty easy to put everything else aside for that chunk of time and let adrenaline take over.
Grace Vonderkuhn at The Saint last February
Reveries came out the day after you played that show; and it's one of those records that, while it contains some great singles, really works as a whole album. It seems like there are a few recurring themes like trying to overcome negative thoughts and behaviors, escape, mental health in general. When you wrote these songs, were you specifically setting out to write an album or did it come together on its own over time?
They were mostly written around the same time but not specifically for an album. It did come together over time, and I definitely put thought into themes and flow when I was picking songs to put on the album. It was important for me to put out a cohesive record.
Regardless of how the songs came together, you clearly took a lot of care in organizing Reveries. Do you think that's a dying art in the era of streaming services where singles have become almost the default unit of musical consumption?
My thought was, why not have both easily consumable singles and an album that works well as a whole so that if someone hears a single and decides to dig deeper, there's a curated ride they can hop on with the record. It may be harder to come by a listener willing to put on a whole album these days, but I know these people exist and I think they will continue to exist. I'm one of them!
Reveries contains elements of psych rock, garage rock, and post-punk -- sometimes in the same song (I'm thinking of songs like "Something to Say" or "Bad Habits."). The songs can be heavy, but everything is anchored by a pop sensibility. What's some of your favorite pure pop music?
For sure. The Beatles, David Bowie, The Kinks, Blondie, Prince all wrote some fantastic pop. I'm a fan of well balanced pop, that's not too saccharine but not afraid of satisfying melodies either. Also, I think a lot of "rock" is pop with heavier / fuzzier textures. Hopefully This won't damage my street cred, but recently I've been known to spin a few singles from Miley Cyrus, Tove Lo, Justin Timberlake, and Harry Styles.
You're just about to head out on tour with Thin Lips. How did that come together?
Yeah! We had played a few of the same bills over the years but the last one we played together, I think my band and I had really hit our stride and Thin Lips was feeling it. A couple months passed and Chrissy (of Thin Lips) asked if we wanted to support them on an upcoming tour and of course we answered with an emphatic "Yes!" because they are such an excellent band.
Is there anything specific you're looking forward to (Asbury Park, obviously) or that will be new for you on this upcoming run?
Well Asbury Park, of course! I have never been to Michigan, so I'm excited for our show there. I'm looking forward to playing Chicago again, too. Plus we're playing some sort of bowling alley / venue in Cleveland which just looks like so much fun.
How do you pass the time while going between cities on tour? Books? Music? Podcasts? Do you have any specific recommendations for anyone else planning a roadtrip?
All of the above! I usually rotate between reading, promoting shows, listening to music or podcasts. We listened to "S Town" on our last tour which was great. We listen to a lot of comedy too, like Tim Heidecker's podcast "Office Hours." As far as advice, I'd say rotate media, take turns driving if you're traveling in a group, and give yourself lots of time to take breaks and stretch. Also, bring snacks!
What do you have planned for when this current tour wraps up?
We're going to start recording a new record! Then going on another tour in April.
I have this theory that I've written about here before, I think. It's pretty half-baked, but it's something like: Everyone, no matter what they're doing, is really alone all the time in their own head. Humans are social animals, sure. But we're also self-contained super computers capable of running through and ruminating on countless thoughts, emotions, predictions, possibilities, etc. while putting on a brave face for the outside world. I've thought so much about this that, if I ever were to write a song about anything, I would write it about this.
I don't have to do that, though, thanks to the latest release from Titus Andronicus. Earlier this month, the band surprise released Home Alone on Halloween, a seasonally appropriate set of songs that address some of the most frightening aspects of being alone.
There's a version of A Productive Cough's "Home Alone." "Home Alone (On Halloween)" transforms the dark hard rock from the album into gothic soul, complete with organ, strings, spooky sound effects, and guest lead vocals from Matt "Money" Miller. The song retains the frenzied loneliness of the original while upping the horror factor.
Patrick Stickles lends his own voice to a cover of Bob Dylan's "Only a Hobo," which deals with the universal fear of dying insignificant and alone. Epic, 17-minute closer, "A Letter Home," swings back and forth between a lament and a rocker as Our Hero writes of his desire for and regret over self-imposed solitude.
Sit Down; Eat an Ice Cream Cone, and Be Glad, Right Now
By Matt Chrystal
William Elliott Whitmore, an Iowa farm-boy by day, an alt-country troubadour by night, has long been known from coast to coast for his authenticity, DIY work ethic and his prowess as a singer-songwriter. But on his latest album, Kilonova, he has, perhaps, just made his most punk rock move of all: Performing a collection of other people's songs.
Kilonova, a collection of ten cover tunes, finds Whitmore colliding head-on with his influences to the point where both the songs and the man sound like something new. "My brain opened up during this album and put me in a different spot than I usually am," he recounts of the experience.
Mr. Whitmore speaks with the utmost reverence of the artists that influenced him, a heterogeneous hodgepodge of heroes that are highlighted on the album, including the likes of Bad Religion, Johnny Cash, Bill Withers, and Captain Beefheart. Mr. Whitmore also speaks with the utmost sincerity when he makes it known that, when he does a cover, he wants do it in his own voice and own style and make it his own.
Hearing artists like Waylon Jennings cover other artists like Billy Joe Shaver led William Elliot Whitmore down a rabbit hole of discovery, and he hopes Kilonova will do the same for his listeners.
I caught up with Mr. Whitmore, while he was on a break between legs of his current tour. He answered my call from his grandmother's farmhouse in Iowa. From there, we got to talking about his career in the music business and the making of his latest album. He shared some of his philosophies on life and his love for astrophysics.
Uncool Uncle Matty: Your new album, Kilonova is made up of ten cover songs. I am assuming these are your Top 10 favorite songs. Was it difficult to narrow your selections down to just ten?
William Elliott Whitmore: Yeah, it was really difficult. Out of the thousands and thousands of great songs out there, to take it down to ten was hard. There were some that were always going to be on there, some that I have done live for years like "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Don't Pray On Me."
It was a winnowing process to narrow it down, but it was also just super fun. It was like the old days of making mix-tapes. I mean, I still make mix-cds for friends. That seems like such an old school thing to do now. I guess it's all about playlist now. But, whatever format it is, it's just fun to curate a little list of songs for someone, maybe a girl you like, or whoever.
UUM: Were there any songs you regret having to cut?
WEW: There was a John Prine song called "Sam Stone" that I was maybe going to put on there. It's just a really great song. There's also "Sally Bangs" by J. Roddy Walston and The Business that I have done live. I was going to put that on there and then didn't. Those are just a couple examples of songs that either didn't fit in with the rest or just didn't make the cut.
UUM: You pay homage to artists ranging from Bad Religion to Bill Withers to Captain Beefheart. And, now, you are also talking about John Prine and J. Roddy Walston. That is quite an eclectic sampling.
WEW: Like most people who are into music, I have a really diverse record collection. And I do collect records. Sure, I have some cds and mp3s but I love vinyl records. I look through them, and I see the Monks, and then I see Thelonius Monk, and there is everything in between. I wanted this album to reflect that diversity.
UUM: The title of the album is Kilonova. I haven't seen this discussed much so I wanted to ask about it. Kilonovais an event where two stars merge with a black hole. Is this an accurate metaphor for how this album came to be?
WEW: I became really interested in the kilonova phenomenon. Apparently, one of those happened that scientist were actually able to observe. It was about a year or two years ago. I heard about it in the news. That word, "kilonova," just came into my brain. I have always been fascinated by space and celestial happenings and all these things that are going on in the universe that are just so hard to wrap our minds around, they don't hardly seem real.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson has this great book called Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and it really breaks things down for a dummy like me or maybe for dummies like most of us that don't quite understand all that stuff. So, anyways, that word was stuck in my brain the whole time I was working on this album.
To me the word represents two stars coming together and making a black hole, but it's also where all precious metals are from. Like millions or trillions of years ago, there was a kilonova that made heavy metal. It made gold, silver, and platinum. I mean, however far away those stars collided, they made this dust, this essence made it here. Any piece of gold you have ever held in your hand is here because of stars exploding. Stuff like that just trips me out. So, really, for this album, it represents two things coming together to make something else. Two stars collide and their lives are done, but they came together to make something else. That energy didn't just go away. It changes, and it moves, and that dust floated through the galaxy and became the gold wedding band that was on your mother's finger. I just love stuff like that.
UUM: Whoa. I feel like I was just talking to Neil DeGrasse Tyson for a moment.
WEW: That's high praise; he's a hero of mine. And to stretch this metaphor out even further, think about your parents, right? Those are two people who came together to make you. Things come together to make something else, right? So, that's why the cover of the album is of my great-grandparents holding a fishing string between them. I deliberately chose that photo because of that theme. Those two people got together to make my grandpa, who got together with my grandma and made my mom and so on down the line. Nature is just full of those examples. I started to think about that musically, like what had to come together for me to make these songs and give them to the world.
UUM: Speaking of things coming together to make gold, you recently signed to Bloodshot Records. You are an artist known for punk rock influences and an alt-country sound, so it sounds like BSR is a label that was tailor-made for you. How did it take six albums and fifteen years into your career for you guys to find each other?
WEW: When I first started out, I was on Southern Records out of Chicago. They were mostly known for weird, artsy rock. The woman who ran Southern saw me at a show and offered to sign me up. She rolled the dice on a guy playing banjo who didn't fit in. I was playing shows opening for hardcore bands. I never played punk. I was just a big punk fan, but I loved playing country. I didn't come up in the coffee-house scene. I was playing country music in the middle of DIY punk scenes.
I did three records with Southern then got involved with Epitaph Records. That's the label started by Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz. They had this thing called Anti Records for the more oddball stuff so I got involved with them as just a natural progression. I felt at home between Nick Cave and Tom Waits.
I've stayed on good terms with all these labels and people but it all just ran its course and it was time for me to do something different. Then Bloodshot Records offered me a slot on their 20th Anniversary triple album of people covering Bloodshot Records songs. I did this cover of an old Neko Case song, and that was my foot in the door. One of the guys at Bloodshot used to work at Southern Records and asked me if I wanted to work together again. It was a case of something coming back around to me fifteen years later. That's a long story of how I got here, but it just had such a natural, organic way of happening. It is the perfect home for me. Bloodshot is the nexus of rock and punk and country. It was a long path to get here but it just makes sense that I got here.
UUM: You are currently touring with your label mates, Murder By Death, can you share how that experience has been so far?
WEW: It's been great! We were just on the West Coast. I got a little break and now we are heading East. It's been really fun. I've toured with them before. We started out together and I remember playing a show in the singer's [Adam Turla], basement in Bloomington, Indiana. They stuck out immediately to me back then. They had a cello! They had this gothic, western, folky, chamber music that became rock n roll. It's been a few years since I toured with them, though. It just so happens that they have a new record out and I have a new record out, so we thought we should work together on a big tour and fly the Bloodshot flag! The folks in Murder By Death and I have been touring a long time, so we just know what we are doing out there, there's no weirdness. It's just professional and that just makes it more fun.
Murder By Death by Tall James Photography
UUM: Getting back to Kilonova for a moment, most of the songs were originally recorded with full band accompaniment; and, on your record, there are some moments that find you with a back-up band. How do the songs change again when it's just you and your banjo on stage?
WEW: There's been times in the past where I had a band. My friends would come along with me and play. But for almost my entire career on the road, it's just me. All of my records have at least a song or two with a band, and it's a real struggle for me about how much to do that because when you come out see me live, it's just me.
I try not to drench the albums with too much instrumentation; but, sometimes, it's just fun to bring my buddies into the studio. Just know, that no matter what the album sounds like, if you ever come see me, it will usually just be a stripped down thing. Hopefully, people can dig too.
I have had that push-and-pull for years about how much to add to each record. With Kilonova, I wanted plenty of songs with just me but some of the songs like "Ain't No Sunshine" just needed a funky backbeat. These records will be around long after I am dead; so, if it's going to be repeated forever, then it should live in a certain way on record. There's the immediacy of the moment in a live show, and then there's that long term thing with a record.
UUM: Speaking of getting together with your friends, you have a new video for the Harlan Howard-penned song, "Busted." It is similar to your video for "Healing to Do," where it's just you and a couple buds hanging out and jamming. Is that a pretty regular scene back on your farm in Iowa?
WEW: That's exactly it. The "Healing to Do" video was actually shot in my grandmother's house. She passed away, but her house is still here with all her stuff in it. It's kind of like an open house. We keep beers there and just all get together there. After she passed, I just felt like I should make a video in her house. I feel like she would have loved that. It was super fun. The video for "Busted" took place at a friend's farm, but it had the same vibe. We just wanted to get together like we do anyways. Just play and film it. I wish I was better at coming up with ideas for music videos, like maybe try and come up with some creative narrative or something. I mean Kendrick Lamar videos are like little movies, but I don't have the budget or creativity to do something like that. Yeah, just film us playing.
UUM: Is that your dog in the video?
WEW: Nope. That was my friend's dog, and that was his cool '57 Chevy. It wasn't my house, dog, or car. It was just some trickery to make me seem cooler than I am.
UUM: We have talked a lot about cover songs, so I'm wondering which of your own songs have you heard covered that really stuck out to you?
WEW: I take a lot of pride in my songwriting, so it was kind of weird for me to do an album of all covers. I can think of two top notch examples of my songs getting interpreted in a beautiful way, and it just happens to be by my friends.
I have also seen kids covering my songs on Youtube and that gets me emotional. That is just so nice. There wasn't Youtube when I was a kid, but that is what we did. We would sit and play Johnny Cash songs or Pearl Jam songs. I learned to play guitar by playing the songs of my heroes. It's such a satisfying thing to hear someone else play my songs. I hope people that I am covering now feel the same way when they hear me.
UUM: Have you gotten any feedback from any of the original artists?
WEW: Brett Gurewitz from Bad Religion told me he loves my version of "Don’t Pray on Me." He liked how I made it a folk song. It was really touching to hear that he liked it.
UUM: You brought up having so much pride in your own songwriting. So do you already have plans for a follow-up album, or are you trying to just live in the moment?
WEW: The whole time I was working on Kilonova, I was writing for the next one. I try, to varying degrees of success, to write every day or at least think of stuff to write. My brain opened up during this album ad put me in a different spot than I usually am. That helped me with writing my own songs. Maybe I will record that new shit next year. I want to give time to this tour and enjoy this current album and, when that ends, just move on to the next thing. There's always part of me that is working on the next thing, and then there's part of me that wants to just sit down, eat an ice cream cone, and be glad, right now.
UUM: Sit down; eat an ice cream cone, and be glad, right now. Words to live by.
WEW: Well, I won't say to live like each day is your last because, sometimes, you have to live like you have many more days left, because you probably do. So maybe eat an ice cream cone and be glad, but make sure you also have some groceries in the fridge for tomorrow.
UUM: Last question is actually about today and tomorrow. The collection of songs you put together on your Kilonova mixtape work well as a soundtrack to the world around us. With that said,what are your thoughts are on today's America and your hopes for the future?
WEW: Oh, man. There's a cynicism and a hopefulness that coincide in my brain. There's a strange comfort in just knowing that we have all made it this far. I have always had some sort of unsettling feeling of disillusionment when it came to the state of the world. Now, it just seems to be more heightened. I just have to remember that it was ever thus. On the other side of my cynicism and disillusionment is optimism. It's not rose-colored glasses optimism, it's a sense that I know people every day that are cool and nice and loving and are just as sick of this shit as anyone else is. It like there are always two opposing football teams out there. Red, Blue, Republican, Democrat? It's all an illusion, we are all just people.
I have friends on both sides. I have relatives I disagree with, but we are all just trying to figure out what's for supper and trying to live the best we can. We are all just people. We will make it through! We just need to be a lot cooler to each other.
Unless, of course, if you are some Nazi extremist piece of shit then sorry. I can't get with you, dude. Those people gotta go to hell.
...and Tomorrow Is Your Last Day to Register in NJ!
NJ's Dromedary Records were pretty quiet there for a while, but they've been making some noise lately. That's appropriate, considering that 2018 marks the label's 25th annversary. We premiered the re-rlease of Dromedary's first-ever single, Melting Hopefuls' "Gondola", in January. On October 19th, Dromedary will release a three-song single from Joy Cleaner in the form of "Easter Tuesday." That release will be available via digital platforms as well as on a cassingle and "super-cool, limited-edition lathe cut square vinyl 7"."
In addition to all of that, on October 26th and October 28th, Dromedary are sponsoring two shows at FM in Jersey City. Both shows will be in support of the congressional campaigns of Aelxandria Ocasio-Cortez (running in NY-14) and Jess King (running in PA-11). Both candidates have been endorsed by Justice Democrats, who will be on-site at the shows.
"I've been dying to do SOMETHING besides complain," Dromedary records founder, Al Crisafulli, told me. Al is really putting his music where his mouth is as he's put together two amazing shows to generate some pre-election day enthusiasm.
And for those of you who plan to vote in the state of New Jersey, your last day to register is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 16th. You've got to get that done if you want to vote in the extremely important midterm election on November 6th.
Arizona-based indie rockers, Lydia are having themselves quite a summer. They just released their new album, Liquor, in July, put out a stunning Wes Anderson-inspired video for the track "Sunlight," and have embarked on a national tour with their "homies" in Jared & The Mill and Cherry Pools.
Lydia's 2018 arrangement is anchored by the core of Leighton Antelman, Matt Keller, and Shawn Strader; and they are all set to let the spirits flow this week at Asbury Park's House of Independents and Bowery Ballroom in NYC.
To whet your appetites for the shows, I caught up with keyboardist and guitarist extraordinaire, Matt Keller, for a round of questions and talk about all things Lydia and Liquor.
Lydia's latest release was entitled Liquor in hopes that the listener would feel something in the vein of celebration or comfort when experiencing the album. I'd be interested in hearing about what the band was feeling during the songwriting process and experience of making this album? Matt Keller: We went through a whole bunch of celebration -- and struggle -- from when we started until we finished. Front to back, the whole process lasted about 2 years, on and off. We started off trying to write with some new people, which almost universally didn't work out, save for a couple of close friends -- so that progressed into us self-producing with me doing all the engineering, which worked great at first but eventually progressed into me and Leighton arguing back and forth about ultimately trivial details at the end of every night (liquor may have been involved). Our guys at the label suggested a producer named Eric Palmquist who turned out to be exactly what we needed. He was just super open to all new ideas, while not letting things steer off course too far. At the end of the day, we produced 3 tracks; and then Palmquist produced the remaining 7 and mixed the whole thing.
The band recently took part in an "Ask Us Anything" session on Reddit. I feel like that is something that might get out of control quick. What were you feeling going into the Q&A and how did it go? MK: I've seen a few of those go pretty bad, but it usually has something to do with the person being asked questions giving bullshit answers. It was super simple, super chill, and we were honest about anything asked. But I was almost hoping that it would have gotten a bit more out of control!
And it's banana creme pie or ice cream sandwiches -- in case you were wondering what my favorite deserts were but didn't feel like hopping over to the AMA page...
Speaking of liquor and getting out of control quick, what is the band's go-to party drink?
MK: I'm a tequila guy, Leighton's a whiskey guy, and Shawn's a rum guy; but on this tour I'm having some success working towards converting them to tequila, which is, in my opinion, the ultimate liquor.
Lydia has been touring off and on and in some configuration or another for nearly 15 years. What is the best advice you have received on the road? Or do you have words of wisdom that you can pass on? MK: Keep a positive outlook. You're out on the road chasing your dream, playing music to people who love you. Keep some perspective. It's infinitely better than being poked with a sharp stick.
On the other side of that, what is the worst criticism you have heard and how did you handle it?
MK: Being told you were too drunk and sucked, even though, in your own brain, you killed it and everybody loved your shit. Don't be a jerk, don't drink a half bottle of booze before you walk onstage. Problem solved.
Speaking of configurations, Lydia's core is currently stripped down to a trio… has it been difficult to learn, relearn or rearrange any songs from Lydia’s earlier catalogue? MK: We're actually a full band live. We have a drummer and bass player out with us who absolutely kill it, so it's not really too much of an issue! We've just been a three piece when making music for a while because it seems to be the perfect amount of cooks in the kitchen for us. The three of us are opinionated enough as is!
Lydia recently released a video for "Sunlight." Is that that (Lydia guitarist) Shawn Strader's girlfriend that stars in the video (and who quickly steals the show)? And can you talk about the making of the video? MK: It's actually an actress from LA, not Shawn's girlfriend; but the confusion is understandable, as Shawn's girlfriend is the girl on the record cover of Liquor. The making of the video was pretty straightforward from my understanding, but I couldn't make it out due to me being in a neck deep in a record I was producing for a different band, so you'll have to ask Leighton if you see him! I know he's a pretty big Wes Anderson fan...
Speaking of videos, Lydia's frontman, Leighton Antelman, recently did a "drunk history" retelling of the Shootout at the O.K Corral, which happened waaaay back in the day in your home state of Arizona. Leighton openly and hilariously admitted to "never being that interested in it." So, what kind of liquor did he imbibe to unlock his inner historian?
MK: That's the whiskey talking, for sure!
Leighton's co-facilitator on the lesson about "iconic names" from Tombstone's past was Jared Kolesar of the Arizona band, Jared & The Mill. Those guys will be coming with you when you bring the party to the House of Independents in Asbury Park, NJ on August 8th. Talk about your relationship with your "homies" in Jared and the Mill. Can you share some of your experiences from touring with them? MK: They're just really really cool guys -- super grounded, super real. We didn't know them all that well before the drunk history video, but it was really like the ultimate team building exercise, you know? "Get drunk with these dudes on camera; see what happens." Hitting the road with them has been a super great time though -- freakin killer band. We've been popping out on stage to bring additional harmonies / tequila shots to the party, and we have their banjo player Michael come out with us to help us out on a song... You never know what might happen!
Lydia's guitarist, Shawn Strader, talked about his love for Kanye West and about some of his favorite albums in a June interview with hmv.com, but I'm curious to see if the band shares the same tastes and influences and what you all vibe on when hanging out on the road together? MK: We're all big Kanye fans, and we all kinda come from similar backgrounds and have similar tastes. The Beatles are always a win, John Mayer will always go over well, and then a lot of times we just chill with no music at all, which can kinda help clear your head. We're just all really, really chill people, and a good chunk of our time is spent saying complete nonsense -- like total inside joke bullshit that only we would get -- in an effort to crack each other up. You gotta pass the time, you know?
Legend has it (or a reddit answer has it) that the band, chose the name "Lydia" at the last second at a gig at a pizza place in AZ. So I have to ask… pineapple on pizza, yay or nay? Favorite pizza topping?
MK: That's generally a no for me. I'm not above it, but it's one of the last choices for pizza that I would ever make. Pepperoni will do me just fine, but I'm also a big fan of a legit wood-fired Margherita pizza.
Speaking of gourmet creations, has the name Lydia ever led to confused concert attendees expecting to sit in on a woman's cooking show? MK: It's actually a major issue that we're dealing with, and we're trying to get it sorted out as soon as possible. In the meantime we've added a cooking segment to the show, as a sort of band-aid until we find a way to fix the miscommunication.
Thoughts on today's America? Hopes for the future?
MK: First things first, let's all start treating others -- and ourselves -- just a little bit better. It's a pretty crazy time to be alive, and no doubt there's shitty things happening all over, but that doesn't mean you're not allowed to enjoy the things that make you smile. It just means it's more important than ever to pass that positivity onto somebody else!
We first met our sisses in Sharkmuffin back at Northside 2014 when I was even worse at photography than I am now.
Back to Brooklyn
It's an annual tradition here at CDMHQ. Northside Festival comes around, and CoolMom -- no matter what company she's working for -- has a business trip that week. That leaves me to juggle dinners, carpools, and trips back and forth to Brooklyn. I usually seem to manage. This year, Rose Lamela will also be covering the fest for us; so we should be able to bring you some interesting stuff.
In advance of Northside Music, which starts on Thursday, June 7th, I've put together a playlist featuring some of this year's showcasing artists. You'll see lots of friends (A Deer A Horse, Sharkmuffin, Looms, Big Bliss), artists on the rise (Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy), and old favorites (Liz Phair, Lou Barlow, Shellshag). I put this together kind of quickly, so it's heavy on artists with whom I'm already very familiar. I hope to make some discoveries as I do every year, though.
Check this out. Let me know about any of your own recommendations. Follow me on instagram at @cooldadmusic and Rosi at @rosi_music79 to see what we get up to this year.
On Thursday, 5/24, our friends A Deer A Horse will be playing Brooklyn Bazaar along with Parlor Walls, ESSi, and DJ Weeping Python (Lani Combier-Kapel of Weeping Icon) as part of a show to benefit #HappyPeriod.
The mission of #HappyPeriod is to destigmatize menstruation while providing menstrual hygeine kits through an initiative that "supports anyone that is homeless, low-income, and/or living in poverty. Including LGBT, non-binary, teens, veterans, and disabled."
In addition to the music, the event will feature a raffle with prizes provided by:
Awoke Vintage
Beacon's Closet
BUST Magazine
Calexico NYC
El Born NYC
Fun Factory USA
Greenpoint Tattoo Company
KennaLand
No. 7 Restaurant
THINX
Three Kings Tattoo
Tom Tom Magazine
Toni the Tampon
This is a great and important cause that we probably don't think about often enough. The prizes will be cool. The music will rock. Support if you can. You can RSVP to the show here.
It's that time of the year again. The 20th of April is upon us. C'mon, you know… 4/20, bro! There are many ways to celebrate this highest of holy days: You can wake and bake… yourself a tasty breakfast. You can go for a cruise to catch a matinee of Super Troopers 2, or maybe make a quick stop for your favorite munchies. Then grab your buds and head over to The Saint in Asbury Park to catch a nice buzz off of the smoking sounds coming from Yawn Mower's Record Release show for their new EP, Could Eat, Would Sleep.
The 4/20 party is a joint production from two of New Jersey's hottest indie labels, Little Dickman Records and Mint 400 Records. The show also features Sink Tapes, Darkwing, and Looms.
Yawn Mower are the fuzzed out, riff heavy, power pop project from the dynamic doom-rock duo of Asbury Park's Mike Chick and Biff Swenson, whose sound has also been described as the lovechild of Nirvana and Cake with Ty Segal acting as the godfather.
The hometown heroes will be releasing their new five song EP on CD and cassette and via digital download and plan to light up The Saint with their high-energy, sweat-soaked stage show.
I caught up with Biff and Chick to talk about their new record as well as all things 420 related. So relax. Take a deep breath. Exhale slowly and take a trip with Yawn Mower.
Yawn Mower's EP titles (Get to the Boat, What's All this New Piss?,CEWS), as well as most of your song titles have often been tongue-in-cheek references. Can you talk about the song-writing process for CEWS? I'm interested in hearing the backstories and origins of the titles and songs.
Chick: So far, the rule has been if we have 5 new songs written, then it's recording time. Writing in Yawn Mower is pretty democratic. Either I will come up with a riff or we will just jam until something happens that we are both like, "Huh, that was cool. Voice memo that."
The title Could Eat, Would Sleep comes from shortened responses Biff or I would give to each other in response to questions we'd ask each other. For example:
"Are you hungry?" "Could Eat."
"You want to practice tonight?" "Would Sleep."
These responses were used a lot in the last year; and, while we were throwing around ideas for titles, this one felt the most relevant to the last year. The title doesn't have anything to do with the songs, though.
While your titles and lyrics often have a sense of humor about them, it seems this EP, especially tracks like "Operators" and the recently released single, "Kickstand," speak to the power of positive thinking. Am I reading too much into this, or was there an intent to show music's ability to act as a coping mechanism?
Chick: YM's lyrics are historically pretty dystopian and critical of various social structures we live with every day. I do try to add as much humor in the lyrics to balance it out. I'm always thinking about that when I write lyrics. There has to be a balance. Every day we are flooded with negativity from the news and people, so I don't want to write about that all the time. "Kickstand" and "Operators" are songs about your friends and family being there for you no matter how bad things are. It's YM's version of PMA.
Biff: "Operators" and "Kickstand" were the two newest songs we wrote for this EP. They weren't fully fleshed out in a live setting like the other tracks just yet, so we had a lot of room to play with them in the studio. While songs like "Local Summer" and "The Woods" felt like natural progressions for us, the latter half of the EP is where I feel like we evolved some. Between the layers of chordal guitar parts on "Operators" to the 808s and fake handclaps on "Kickstand." It felt like we had figured out how this project works in the studio finally. Those are also the 2 songs that hit me emotionally more than any other tunes Chick and I have written together. It was nice to give them a proper final form to enter this world in.
CEWS was produced by Paul Ritchie (Parlor Mob, gods). Talk about working with him. What did having him on board add to the album and what was that experience like for you?
Chick: Paul is great to record with. He is really into getting gnarly fuzzy tones if you want them. The challenge with recording a two piece is to try to fill all the sonic fields with sound. I think we did the best job so far with this record. It sounds really full and big. It is interesting to listen to the EPs in order. You can hear us figuring out YM as we go along.
We mixed the EP with Pat Noon at eightsixteen / Trax East Studios. Pat is like a surgeon when it comes to mixing. We did GTTB exclusively with Paul and WATNP exclusively with Pat, so with this one we figured let's see what an EP would sound like with both of them at the helm.
Biff: Paul is very willing to try things and see if they'll work or not. When we recorded our first EP with him, he truly helped us develop our sound. We were still a very fresh band at the time, and Paul guided us to where we needed to be in order for this project to work on record. Pat is meticulous in the studio. He knows what he's doing and how he's going to do it. He's the most efficient person I've ever been in a studio with for any project. Having the two of these guys bringing everything they have to offer to the table felt like a really fitting way to go about EP3.
Yawn Mower is well known for high energy stage shows. You guys create a BIG sound on your own, and it seems you have expanded on that a bit more with addition of Mark Gallagher from Gringo Motel on saxophone performing a guest spot on CEWS. Will we be seeing a sax player or any other additions to your live shows going forward?
Chick: Thank you for noticing our high energy live shows. Biff and I pride ourselves on putting 110% of our energy into our show when we play. If I come off the stage and am not sweaty and a little out of breath I'm kinda bummed. We are always open to having people guest with us live. I'm stoked to have sax on this record. Mark did a great job. Can't wait to someday hear it live.
Biff: Having guests is always a blast since it is usually just me and Chick tossing ideas around. For this EP we definitely wanted to keep the creative juices flowing with some more collaborators. Nick Cucci played percussion on "Kickstand." Bob Paulos brought two entire pedal boards in one night and helped us play circuitry gods on the stomp boxes. Mark laid down that nasty sax solo.
The EP release show is a 4/20 Party so I'm interested to know what your thoughts are on the recent revisions to New Jersey's marijuana laws which now allow for more people to be eligible to be prescribed medical marijuana?
Biff: I'm ecstatic about the new law changes. As someone who has been surrounded by the negative effects of the opioid epidemic in this area, it's a light at the end of the tunnel for legal pain relief. The pharmaceutical companies have been pumping pills down our throats all the live-long day while telling us marijuana is a harmful gateway drug. I just was out in California, and I can tell you firsthand that most of the people in dispensaries are my parent's age -- there for actual pain relief -- or at least some mental relief. After work, we as a society accept the act of going to bars where we are served poison that will 100% absolutely impair our driving; but, then, they're going to talk shit on an herb that has been proven time and time again to have multiple medicinal qualities. I'm glad that ignorant, greedy, maniacal, tub of lard is finally out of office here in Jersey. Out with the old, in with the new. Big ups to Governor Weed Murphy! That's his name, right?
Do you guys have any pre or post show rituals?
Chick: No real rituals that we would feel weird about not doing or would throw off our mojo. We do have our maneki-neko (cat with waving arms) that comes with us to all the gigs and sits on my amp. We try to fist bump before and after each show as well.
Speaking of 4/20, what are Yawn Mower's favorite munchies of choice?
Chick: Pre-show, we try not to load up on food too much unless we are in a town with some noods or pizza or pretty much anything else that looks good. Our will power isn't the greatest sometimes. Post-show munchies are usually not the healthiest and come from convenience stores on the way home.
In keeping with the spirit of getting things "twisted," I just wanted to know what's up with the "other" Yawn Mower on Youtube. I heard that it's someone trolling you guys with fake Yawn Mower videos. What's that all about?
Biff: Yeah there is this "other" Yawn Mower floating around on the internet. It's cute. At first, we were butt-hurt about it; but now it's been 3 years. I'm just impressed this guy keeps up with our lives so much. Even my other projects have been dragged into the circus this guy is creating online. CoolDadMusic.com has even gotten some love from him, too. It's fine with me. We can both coexist. We're going to keep making music and this guy is going to continue keeping tabs on all of it. I'm sure his soundscapes will take off big-time one day! Cute.
The EP kicks off with "Local Summer," a vintage Yawn Mower rocker that is both catchy and concise. Many of the Yawn Mower's songs seem like they might be inspired by life in and around the Asbury Park area. For those not familiar with life at the Jersey Shore, could you provide a little summary on what Local Summer is all about?
Biff: The verses are about the carefree vibe of local summer. Usually, locals to beaches / beach towns are excited around that time because they get their beaches / bars / restaurants back from the summer tourists. It's the last month or so of warm weather and not having to fight for a space on the beach.
But last year there were a bunch of drownings / deaths that happened around that time which put a damper on the whole local summer vibe (at least for me). That's what the choruses are about.
The bridge at the end is a tribute to the people who passed away.
It seems with the never-ending winter weather here in NJ, we are along ways off from summer let alone "local summer," but while we countdown to better weather, what's on the horizon for Yawn Mower? Tour? Projects? Etc?
Biff: We have a music video coming out for our "Convenience Store" remix featuring TrapBang. We also have a cover of "I Love You All" from the movie Frank coming out on a Mint 400 Records compilation, which there will also be a music video for. That track features Nicole Scorsone on violin / vocals and Rudy Meier (Wetbrain, Dentist) on piano/vocals. We also have 2 different pairs of covers ("Lump" by Presidents of the United States of America / "Dr. Worm" by They Might Be Giants and "Fume" by Beck / "Jersey Shore" by The Promise Ring) that we will release periodically throughout the summer. We are also starting to work on the next batch of remixes. We are trying to expand the brand. 2-piece fuzzed out doomy pop band: Check! Rap-rock: check! What else, ya know?! We want this project to be ever-evolving and creatively fruitful. The only way that can happen is with forward progression. There are a lot of talented people out there, and we want to collaborate with them all. Or at least the cool, open-minded ones. Stay woke!
