After years of  silence, I feel like I need to step up... More stuff coming soon! If anyone is out there, holding their breath, you can now exhale. I promise!    

MESSRS: “We do it, because that’s what we have to do!”

Disclaimer: This piece was originally intended for the local art paper, Telephone. However it took some time to finish and since the tape's been out since October, it's probably too late to have it reviewed in a bi-weekly publication. However, it still deserves your attention! I shot the shit with Bo Davis and Josh Draher of the Messrs at a local coffee shop in December of 2013. Better late then never...

MESSRS are a killer punk rock band from Columbus, Ohio with a line-up of folks who have had a hand in shaping our indie/punk music scene as members of various projects, such as Necropolis, Guinea Worms, Unholy Two, The Ipps, Razors, etc., over the last decade or so. True, the combined cache of wisdom and experience goes a long way, but so does the magical racket coming out of the speakers at ear splitting volumes, the sheer force of their live performances, and the genuine need to rock that brought them together on this project. Started in 2011, by a group of childhood friends, Aron Nichols on vocals, Josh Draher on bass and Bo Davis on guitar, they lost their original drummer, who relocated to Chicago, after just one practice. Stick man-extraordinaire Mat Bisaro, whom Davis played with in a number of projects, was invited to take the vacant spot. “Aron wanted to start some kind of mean band,” said Davis as we sat down in the local coffee shop, along with Draher, to discuss the band and their tape, released in October of 2013, on Columbus’ Savage Quality Recordings.

The tape, their first, appropriately titled, Messrs Tape, was recorded throughout 2012. First half of it was done at the infamous CDR studio, recorded by Davis and Bisaro’s Necropolis comrade BJ Holesapple, with the other half recorded by Davis himself in the band’s practice space on the 8-track tape deck. Offered here are 7 tracks drenched in feedback and enough low-fi hiss to make one curl into fetal position and beg for mercy. The things get kicked off with a noisy rager, Glass Love, a drums forward sonic blast that sets the tone for the rest of this release. NF is another aggressive fuzzed out number, followed by Cash, which has a very cool break down in the middle, offering a kind of change of pace, before throwing itself of the cliff again. Things do slow down on My Good Eye, a song sporting some nice guitar effects of a thumping repeating riff, with bass literally thundering in the back ground as Nichols’ howling gives the listener a real feeling of discomfort deep in the gut.

I did ask Davis and Draher if they thought the lyrics that their front man writes are personal. They both smiled: “He claims it’s not personal, but we think it’s personal,” suggested Davis, adding: “Personal murder fiction”.  Makes you wonder…

               Things start moving at break-neck speed again on the tape’s B side. Driving Hand is a short aggressive outburst of hardcore. A mean one!  NS is another slow one. In my humble opinion, Bisaro’s drumming really stands out on this one. Things wrap up with the supremely neurotic Red Face/White Face an appropriately messy, speedy exclamation point on the whole thing.

               On their not playing as many gigs right now the band claims they are taking a break to write new material, simply because they are tired of playing the old songs. And the rest of us will hope the new material comes sooner than later. Meanwhile, do yourselves a favor and pick up the MESSRS tape in only the coolest record stores in Columbus, or order it directly from Savage Quality on-line at:

www.savagequalityrecordings.com

 

Also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PPaZQPUwB0

       

 

 

IN THE USED BINS: The Reds - s/t LP(1979)

This jam pops up in the bins all the time. Seen it priced between $3-$8. I've seen two versions of it - one on bottle green vinyl and one on good ol' black. I first was introduced to this record by my comrade JG and have since played it at home and at my random DJ sets around Columbus
I did some research and found out some interesting stuff. The Reds were started in Philadelphia, PA by Rick Shaffer(guitar, vocals) and Bruce Cohen(keyboards) in the 70's and, from what I gather, are still active in some form or another. They have worked with famous director/producer Michael Mann, who used their music in episodes of, get ready for it, Miami Vice, as well as some movies. They have also worked on numerous movie and theater scores, both as a band and as individuals.

Their self-titled 1st LP, which came out in 1979 on A&M, is my favorite work of theirs. I also want to point out that the cover artwork pretty much suggests what the listener is in for, in a good way. A great blend of mid-tempo angular punk rock and catchy synth new wave, it's got great songs all over it, kicking off with the sweet intro to the opener Victims, which starts with a straight drum beat before the rest of the band comes in framed by the radio-dial-like synths. Rick Shaffer's vocals project every bit of emotion, expressed in the lyrics. A great singer! Also, hats off to his sweet riffs. My favorite tune on here is the closer, Self Reduction. It's one of the slower and darker numbers on the record. But it's also the one where Cohen delivers my favorite synth line of almost any out there. It's simple and somehow perfect.

I often wondered why this record is not as revered as some of it's contemporaries. And I'm not talking about the wider audiences here. But you know, yer average punk who's got some taste, I feel, should be all over this. This noise is not unlike some really early Cure, Plastic Idols, or even Devo. I have bought copies of it for a couple of my friends, who were pretty excited upon hearing it. I hope more people check this jam out! Also, if you dig this LP check out their subsequent releases, a more aggressive Stronger Silence(1981) and a darker Fatal Slide(1982). There's also a 10" that came out on A&R the same year as the self-titled, which has two songs from the album and one that's not. It also has a very cool take on the Doors' Break On Through. Ch-ch-ch-eck it out!

Hey, they are on-line:
http://theredsmusic.com/

Hello and Welcome to the wonderful place I dubbed the SONIC CRAPSHOOT. This is my attempt at blogging about music I enjoy. I buy a lot of records and see a lot of gigs. I think some folks might find interesting some of the stuff I will be sharing on here. There is a lot of stuff that people miss out on whether it's a release that was largely ignored or some record sitting in the used bins that no one gave a chance. I don't know everything, but I have friends that share that info with me. I would like to do the same with you. I hope that a few of my friends get to see this. I am not the authority on everything, nor do I claim to be. I'm just doing it, because it's fun! What I express here are my own opinions, which might differ from yours. Feel free to comment. I would especially be interested to know if anything I've shared here was of use to anyone. I've never blogged before. I don't even know how long I will keep this up for. I hope you enjoy what you find here. And if you don't, this was not meant for you! Holler!

Aleks