Full-length Album Reviews are the DaveCromwellWrites focus this go round, as the Summer has now officially begun. Extensive track-by-track analysis is delivered on new releases from artists whose earlier work have been previously featured here on this site. Glam-fronted punky pop rockers share space with a brilliant recreation/tribute to one of the original glam-rocker’s finest works. Rounding out the feature is a new full album release from creative alternative pop rockers.
It’s been far too long since DCW had the opportunity to review new music from enduring Queens, NY rockers GIFTSHOP. Fortunately that wait is over as the band has just released their latest 9 track album “A Bunch Of Singles.” Comprised of some previously released (and reviewed here) singles, five new entries complete the collection, giving us a broader spectrum of rock to dig into. Additionally, a music video accompanies the song that represents their hometown neighborhood and the people who inhabit it.
An unexpected piano-driven power ballad is the first new (to this site) song “There’s You.” With slow moving open arpeggio piano chords and rim-clack percussion, Meghan Taylor’s intimate vocals express a longing nature in lyrics shared. “Oh, so lonely - and oh, it shows - and though I'm broken -you know, no one knows.” Out of this sadness, an uplifting moment arrives with the beautifully harmonized, simple four word chorus “and then, there’s you.” Distinctive guitar figures are placed at just the right moments here, adding necessary accents. The second verse has the piano dropping out, leaving a low bass hum as an even more personal sonic field for Meghan’s heartfelt delivery. Fuller drums kick in behind the subsequent chorus, which adds a pivotal change “and then, it’s true.”
A re-visitation of early era favorite “Spooky Halloween Christmas” adds a “Too” now, while injecting Ska/Rockabilly horns into this macabre delight. Meghan’s vocals are less Debbie Harry (as on the original) and more her own, with fuller emphatic delivery. The walking bassline is still dominant, while appropriate sleigh-bells accompany monster-mash “ghoulish ride” aside voices. The accents are crisp and tight with the head-bopping, catchy chorus “It's Hallows' Eve with Christmas Trees!
Skulls are hanging from the evergreens.”
Built on a deep, chugging, stoner-rock groove, “The Breakthrough” contemplates on the things you’ve needed to do in becoming the person you now are. Giftshop never wastes anyone’s time in getting to the hook, however and it’s a singalong beauty with the lyrics “nothing can stop us now – Are you with me?” Lyrical insight and introspection point out how “glittering gold” is “too good to be true,” and “the journey of lies turned into the truth.” A mid-point breakdown shifts the rhythm while providing a bit of uplift and hope after all the “compromises.” Delivered in call-and-response fashion, “you make a living by when you get” is followed by “you make a life by what you give.” The addition of a rising slide-guitar here provides musical gravity to this ultimate realization “breakthrough.” Repeated vocal “wow” at the end drive home this necessary point.
Arriving with a cameo-filled video of local friends and followers, the already live show favorite sing-along “Astoria” delivers on it’s promise. Opening the footage with quick shots of their favorite hometown places, the bass guitar driven intro meets buzzing-bee axe for the musical throwdown. With copious amounts of live show footage from local favorite bar “Dominie’s” 2023 annual celebration event, the camera follows glamorous lead vocalist Meghan into the venue. The essential riff is sharp and precise, with drums and guitar accenting the changes. Long time fans are visible in front of the band as much of the footage is shot from behind. Quick cuts of the band members are of course necessary and included, as views from both inside and out of the space dance across the screen. Lyrically the song is as instantly classic as “New York, New York” or “I Love LA.” This time, however it is a love tome to a prominent NYC borough. “Drop me off at the Broadway stop
NO! Not in Manhattan - This is my happy place - Join the Queens bandwagon.” The brilliant simplicity of the songs single title word chorus is all you need for fist pumping fans to leap on that bandwagon in that joyous moment of camaraderie.
Check out this wonderful video here:
The band also includes a cover of the groundbreaking classic 90’s Radiohead song “Creep.” While the band charges through it’s progression with thunderous glee, Meghan let’s loose with a powerful voice that hits every note. And who hasn’t at some point in their lives related to the lyrics “what the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here." Tacked on the end is a 41 second punk rock short that joyously concludes with the chanted lines “loaded diaper.”
Julian Shah-Tayler is one of those multi-disciplinary musicians who appear to be always busy. In addition to writing, recording and touring his own music as The Singularity, he still finds the time to play live shows as a key member of very popular Depeche Mode tribute band Strangelove. Not content with all of that, he also does an impressive David Bowie show, encompassing the thin white duke’s beloved catalog. In that regard he has released a “50th Anniversary of Diamond Dogs full cover album.” DCW digs down now into this ambitious project, listening for a new interpretation of a treasured classic.
Putting his immediate unique personal stamp on opening track “Future Legend,” bold synthesizers provide an ominous background for the spoken word apocalyptic vision. Julian’s proper English accent and voice is deeper than Bowie’s reedier tone, and today’s modern production qualities add a richness that the DB self-produced original couldn’t accomplish in 1974. The lyrics still strike hard as when first heard by this writer back then: “Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes.” A dystopian world is all that’s left, and will end “any day now."
One more spoken word phrase sets up the title track, as Julian delivers the pivotal line “This ain't Rock'n'Roll - This is – Genocide!” Having performed, produced, mixed and mastered everything by himself, Julian stays true to the originals chunky guitar riffing and cowbell percussion. Lifting his voice back up into more familiar Bowie register (the steady #bowietribute shows he does surely solidifies and hones this skill) the initially (and still) amusing lyrics “As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent - You asked for the latest party.” The younger, more reckless version of myself could almost relate to this. The next line “with your silicone hump and your ten inch stump,” however was far more of a head-scratcher. Other catch phrases like “mannequins with kill appeal” always stuck and are delivered here by Julian with aplomb. The chugging Rolling Stone-like chorus turns the mood a bit more rock and roll party, singing “come out of the garden, baby - you'll catch your death in the fog.
Young girl, they call them the Diamond Dogs.” Julian adds new touches to certain lines, like the “Halloween Jack” verse where sonic echoes enhance the lyrics “so he slides down a rope.” Special mention to the bass playing here, which playfully adds wonderful counter rhythms.
Julian drops his voice down into a lower register for the introductory sequence on the piano-driven 8 minute opus “Sweet Thing.” That quickly shifts to the more Bowie-esque tenor on the line “and isn't it me, putting pain in a stranger?” before going full also on "Boys, Boys, its a sweet thing.” This vocal flex shows Julian’s ability to reinterpret the original croon while simultaneously putting his own stamp on it. Thematically depicting sex-for-sale as transactional commodity, it gets woven into “hope” being a “cheap thing.” Wonderful buzzy guitar lines ride over top of the primary piano chords, leading into the “Candidate” midsection. Notable high harmonies grace the lines “some make you sing and some make you scream - one makes you wish that you'd never been seen” while making pop culture references to Charlie Manson and Cassius Clay. Rattle tambourine quickens the pace behind desperation lines “Anyone out there? Any time?" and “When it's good, it's really good, and when it's bad I go to pieces." The resigned nihilistic partners agree to “buy some drugs and watch a band - then jump in the river holding hands.” Julian masterfully handles the “Reprise” section, going full falsetto on final powerful lines “then let it be, it's all I ever wanted. It's a street with a deal, and a taste. It's got claws, it's got me, it's got youuuuu.”
Not content to simply re-hash Bowie's most covered track, Julian turns the signature opening riff of "Rebel Rebel" on it’s head with a bass and drums intro, followed by keyboards in place of that recognizable hook. It’s as if Alan Wilder-era Depeche Mode is responsible for this delightful 80-90’s (decades after the original) recreation. Not to sit on one musical statement too long, buzzy guitar does make it’s appearance in that riff spot on the second pass through. The pure joy of these rock and roll lyrics still remain with us all, so many years later. “You like me, and I like it all - We like dancing and we look divine - You love bands when they're playing hard - You want more and you want it fast.” Additional musical interludes like the extended “bongo” production on the “Don’t ya?” segment is curiously inventive.
Julian returns to his dead-on Bowie croon for the Geoff MacCormack co-written power ballad “Rock and Roll With Me.” Noteworthy as being Bowie's first co-writing credit on one of his own albums, the song made the album having been salvaged from a planned but never-completed “Ziggy Stardust musical.” Julian gives it a proper rock and roll treatment, building it around guitars, bass and drums. Memorable lyrics from those formative and impressionable days like “lizards lay crying in the heat” and “I would take a foxy kind of stand - While tens of thousands found me in demand” are still a delight from this 50 years after perspective.
Electric piano serves as the primary musical force behind the William Burroughs/George Orwell inspired “We Are The Dead.” Believed to have been lyrically constructed via Burroughs's famous "cut-up" technique, Julian puts his all in the vocals during big production sections. Still enamored by the line “but I love you in your fuck-me pumps” (stylish teenage lust is hard to shake, even at this advanced age) it’s still a grim resolution “Because of all we've seen, because of all we've said -
We are the dead.”
There’s a subtle trap-hop element to the percussion on Julian’s adaptation of the Orwell inspired “1984.” While acoustic tone guitars initially move around the edges, an unexpected fiddle-sound saws away through center. Funk-guitar is introduced on the second verse as the narrator once again ultimately warns “Beware the savage jaw – of 1984.” Chunkier power chords move in to augment the “come see, come see, remember me?” change section. Things move deeper into a soul direction for the third “I’m looking for a vehicle” section, especially via bass guitar propulsion and funk strummed chords.
The final entry “Big Brother/Chant of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family” finds Julian keeping true-to-the-original reading of the initial rock portion. Tandem bass and drum propulsion with slithering buzz guitar notes around those memorable lyrics. Referencing “dust and roses,” the fey aside “or should we powder our noses?” ultimately give way to “give me steel, give me steel, give me pulses unreal.” The hook always delivers “Someone to claim us, someone to follow - Someone to shame us, some brave Apollo - Someone to fool us, someone like you - We want you Big Brother.” The songs original concept was meant for an adaptation of Orwell’s totalitarian future society 1984. When that project could not be made, at least we got this song here. Julian captures those delightful mid-track melody lines via unique synth tones. Similarly, the reinterpretation of the final chant (which is meant to echo Winston’s “two minutes of hate” depicted in Orwell’s book) benefits from modern production qualities here, and brings the album to it’s conclusion.
Check out this amazing album in full here:
Connect with Julian Shah-Tayler/The Singularity via his Social Media: Facebook - Instagram
Previous Features on Julian and his music can be found on this site here and here.
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Last summer DCW reviewed the first single and opening track “Superflower” from The Crushing Violets forthcoming full length album “Filaments of Creation.” That album is now here in it’s entirely, and naturally curiosity has been peaked about what the other tracks sound like. With Antanina (vocals) and BP Brooks (guitars, vocals) writing all the songs, Mick Hargreaves mixed, engineered, played some additional instruments and co-produced with the band. It was recorded at Lantern Sound Recording Rig, in Manorville, NY.
Taking a sequential approach through the album, first new (to this site) track “Hollywood” emerges out of a rat-a-tat drum intro. The progression moves forward at a power ballad pacing and vocals come in tandem, with BP’s male tones out front. Those vocals are further enhanced by guitar lines echoing it’s melody. Not really about California’s movie making capital, the title word’s singular reference comes in the lyrical sequence “now the house is gray - here's a ghost inside these walls today - Hollywood seems so far away.” The following cut “It’s 2am” is an acoustic guitar (only) powered folk song ruminating on introspective thoughts had in those early morning hours. Where “your ghosts will haunt you,” “can’t find what you lost,” and “can’t hide from who you are.” Even though “you got lost among the stars” it’s important to “remember who you are,” and that you belong there.
A chugging Rolling Stones style guitar progression followed by solid drums and bass kick off “Then You Shine.” It’s laid back “Exile On Main Street” vibe echoes that watershed album’s soulful voices with Antanina’s contributions on each verse title line resolution. While BP’s vocals (and all the backing vocal production overall) deliver the poetic lyrics clearly, his guitar solo near the 2 minute mark really sings. Bigger rock production and well placed minor/seventh chords in the songs progression enhance the Antanina voiced “When We Dream.” It all comes together gloriously on the lyrical hook “We’re going where the summer’s waiting - I’m dreaming of enchanted places - We’ll be” and the powerful guitar-bass-drums instrumental section that follows. A return to introspection runs through the acoustic guitar only, predominant BP vocal on “Anyway.” Antanina adds tender harmonies to lyrical content that emphasizes “darkest dream,” “the end of time” and how ultimately “the world is a stage.”
A curious backward motion guitar effect introduces the full bass and drums accompanied, BP lead voiced “Lost in Space.” Reaching the catchy chorus hook in under a minutes, both voices harmonize on the lovely sentiment “if you just hold my hand, we could walk in the sand - Lost in Space.” A wonderfully tasty Dickey Betts style guitar solo graces the song’s midpoint, adding musical sensitivity, sweetness and light. A surprising tempo change commences at the two and a half minute mark, lifting the overall progression to a higher level. Album closer “Back to Neptune” has Antanina weaving a tale of “two lover churning deep beneath the waves” on that giant blue planet. An interesting mix of mellotron-style flutes serve up an instrumental interlude between vivid imagery of “flashing cosmic rays” with “200 billion stars to light the way.”
Two distinct musical styles get the feature treatment here this time around, showcasing a wide spectrum that inhabits this genre we define as “rock music.” Alice Limoges is a musical storyteller combining pop, jazz, rhythm and blues with rock and a healthy dose of soul, while the hard rocking SickWalt pushes the boundaries of rock and punk, both creating their own unique hybrid sound.
Presented here on DaveCromwellWrites is the premiere of Alice Limoges brand new video for her latest single “Yellowstone.” Released today SaturdaySeptember 14, 2019, the song and video rolls out a gorgeous blend of dazzling sight and sound wrapped around a strong lyrical message of setting yourself free. Initially inspired by the bold adventure taken via a Himalayan mountain expedition in India last year, the enlightenment gained from that extreme and difficult undertaking served to inspire this song and video's creation.
Originally hailing from the Northeast coastal state of Maine, Alice now calls New York City home. While the city that never sleeps might be the place to further your musical career, there's something to be said for the wide open spaces and natural beauty of places outside busy urban centers. Disconnecting from electronic communication devices and focusing on our planet's undeveloped beauty is an important message in these high tech times.
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Recorded at Right Angle Studios in NYC, the song (and videos initial imagery) focuses on Alice's piano chords and melody, immediately creating the sensation of an unfolding journey. The destination of Yellowstone Park is quickly shown, followed by quick cuts of car travel and then Alice herself singing the song in recording studio style. “Lets go out to Yellowstone - Drop it all and drive tonight and on through the morning” she sings as her accompanying musicians on drums, bass and guitar are shown in quick succession.
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Those three instruments provide a solid underpinning combining a light-touch indie-rock backbeat to the softer feel jazzy guitar and piano chords. As for the vocals and lyrical content – while recent comparisons to Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan are certainly in the ballpark, Alice's hybrid sound of pop, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and soul bring to mind the talents (and vocal tone stylings) of legendary New York “folk singer” Laura Nyro.
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Like most quality songs residing in the pop realm, the track gets to it's dominant earworm hook in under a minute with the dramatic statement “If we leave right now - by what hour - Will they notice we went - That I didn't pay my rent - I've got these city blues - Got myself to lose - And I'll get lost soon” resolved by the lovely turn-around (and back into the verses groove) “If I stay.” The video enhances all of this further with the most stunning natural images that is the everyday majesty happening outside of city life in big sky country USA.
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Check out this inspired song and breathtaking new video from Alice Limoges here:
New York City's SickWalt delivers a heavy, hard rock sound that fuses a similar energy and lyrical ethos found in the most influential punk bands. With Walt “Sick Walt” on vocals, and Matt Middleton on guitar, the band’s current lineup includes legendary drummer Eric Arce (who has played with notable punk bands The Misfits and Murphy’s Law) and bassist Rob Buckley (previously with the equally illustrious Cro-Mags). With two EP's under their belt, a full-length album “Shove n' Love” will be released on September 20th.
Opening track “Demand The Stage” comes out blazing from the very first note, with slashing power chords, locked-in bass guitar and drums, a riff straight out of the Angus Young playbook drives everything forward. “You're always whining on and on,” Walt sings - “yeah who you were and now you're gone.” Delivered in a vocal style that draws from dynamic front-men like Rollins, Danzig, Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, the lyrics burn at those unwilling to seize the day. “You're talkin' trash like you mean it – the saddest part is you dream it – when no one listens you scream it – and you don't know.”
Key Hook Line : “You don't know – you're a know it all” - which is repeated right through the end-out.
An aggressive syncopated drum pattern and searing precision guitar riffs kick off the barely over two minute “Die Like Belushi.” With those riffs initially placed between the vocals lines guitars are soon run continuously throughout. This early Stooges vibe takes a sharp turn midway with a slowed-down tempo change enhances by thundering drum fills and momentary bass guitar emphasis. While that heavy progression stomps along, quick-stop space is provided for Walt to drop in lines like “meet me on the corner of 8th and Avenue D.” The opening maniacal progression returns full throttle with the ultimate, sobering statement “when I die like Belushi, excess is what I bleed.”
“Song For Johnny” introduces a slightly western, cow-punk feel and lyrical content that brings to mind the work of a band like Social Distortion. It's still very much in the rock genre, while hinting at the twangy undercurrent often found in the now classic recordings of X and The Gun Club. An impressive chugging guitar and rolling drum mid-section eventually bursts into a searing guitar solo that would not sound out of place with any big time southern rock band. It ends on a triumphant note with the lyric “that train is mighty.”
Other cuts like “Million Dollar Man” chug and stomp like the best of AC/DC. There's that Bon Scott/Brian Johnson hybrid level again in the way Walt's vocals drop between crunching Angus Young style chords. Straight ahead 4-on-the-floor drumming on the verses gives way to slithering bass, leading into a sinewy guitar solo. “My strength come from the inside” Walt sings, indicating the necessary component for the confidence needed to “strut like a peacock.”
Tapping into the aggression that served The Sex Pistols so well on their “Never mind The Bollocks” debut album, “Punk Almighty” is unleashed with similar force. “Rebellion is your nature. Attitude is the norm," Walt sings. "Adolescent uprising. Spitting in the face of danger. . . . now a poster on my wall. Wasn't always clear. The truth hurts sometimes. DIY is the mantra – violence is the guise. Anarchy the common theme, a wicked mind arise. So much more than the music, we keep a state of mind." The Chorus delivers a triumphant statement: “All hail the punk almighty, you gave us a place to stand. Turning children in to men. All hail the punk almighty, you took me to the promised land. All hail the punk almighty, you gave us everything you can.” A roll call of influential artists get name checked with Joe Strummer, Wayne Kramer and Iggy Pop earning special mention.
Ten songs in all, the full-length long-player comes out on September 20th.
SickWalt will play an album release show on the 20th at The VNYL- Vintage New York Lifestyle
100 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10003. Find out all the details about it HERE.
New York City's Lower East Side of Manhattan and the borough of Queens share a unique historical place in the annals of punk rock's evolution ever since The Ramones burst on the scene in the mid 1970's. That same gritty, blue collar toughness can be found in today's like-minded and similarly situated rockers GIFTSHOP. Their latest EP “Big In Astoria” (set for a February 16th digital release) delivers five searing tracks of updated power-punk with pop styling that would make Joey, Johnny, DeeDee and Tommy proud.
However, this is no all-boys club as GIFTSHOP comes fronted by a firey female lead vocalist and features a female keyboardist/backing vocalist. That allows the band to broaden their style and follow in the footsteps of other late 70's and early 80's punk and new wave pioneers like Blondie. What you ultimately get is the perfect blend of heavy-as-hell rhythm section, quick chugging/riff-raging guitars and pretty ladies who exhibit a sweet-but-tough New York edge.
The band graciously agreed to an interview, answering a variety of questions that explores each member's musical beginnings and current thoughts on being in this band, as they prepare to release their latest work.
Q: Let's talk a bit about the recording process for this latest digital release EP. There were a few indications on social media that you recorded some of it at a studio in Tribeca. Where exactly was that? Was any of it done in home studios?
Bassist and Songwriter Damian Eckstein: We recorded at Mark Dann Studios which is located somewhere between Tribeca/Chinatown. Mark has been at the address for like forever, it's a classic New York loft from the 1970's that has a cozy creative vibe. There are isolation rooms with glass panels so the musicians have line of sight and can rock out but still be in sync. The recording equipment is Pro Tools mixed with classic tube amps and state-of-the-art microphones, a remarkably wonderful blend of old school and modern.
Q: How much revising goes on with things like the lyrics and song structures? Does each writer bring in a mostly fully formed song, or is there still creation going on in the studio?
Lead Vocalist and Songwriter Meghan Taylor: Every song is different. Even when a "fully formed" song is brought in it gets tweaked. I think it's just bound to happen with a group of creatives. Could really depend on how everybody's day went and where their head is at at any given moment. Once we're in the studio the structure remains but new harmonies, group vocals, percussion just might pop into our heads. It's fun.
Damian:For the most part GIFTSHOP makes it a rule to come into recording with fully formed song ideas. Writing and even revising on the fly in the studio gets expensive fast. That being said, rules need to be broken now and then so the lyrics and arrangement for the tune "Same" was pretty much finished in the studio. We had written it in parts but hadn't put the whole thing together. Luckily, our engineer Rich Lamb helped us pilot that one in for a smooth landing.
Keyboardist/Backing Vocalist and Songwriter Nichole Onopiak:For this album at least, we each came in with lyrics and melodies already written, then fleshed out the rest of the songs and individual parts together as a group during rehearsal. Going into the studio we had an idea of how we wanted things to sound, but there was still plenty of improvisation. Once we had all the tracks recorded we each listened to the songs individually, took notes of things we wanted to change or improve, and went back into the studio and put the finishing touches on the album. Personally, I have an easy time starting songs, but a hard time finishing them, so it's great to have other people to bounce ideas off of.
Photo by Andy Estevez
Q: Where are each of the band members from? Where you grew up, went to school and live now.
Meghan:I was born in Middletown, CT but spent my early childhood in Germany - pre-school thru kindergarten. Then my family moved back to the States to a sweet little town outside of Rochester, NY.
Damian:I'm a native New Yorker. Growing up SoHo was my stomping ground. I still live in Manhattan but hey, guess what?!?! The record is called BigInAstoria!!! At one point 4/5ths of the band lived in Astoria. I spend A LOTTA time in Queens now!
Guitarist and Songwriter Matt Santoro:I Grew up in a small town outside of Rochester, NY called Victor.
Nichole O:I grew up in Collierville, TN right outside of Memphis, and went to college at Middle Tennessee State University, about 40 minutes away from Nashville. Then I got bored one day and moved to NYC on a whim and I've been here ever since.
Drummer Jordan Kramer: Went to UAB, Alabama at Birmingham. Studied Marketing and Industrial Distribution, then Masters in Business.
Photo by Scott Wilson
Q: You previously did a 7" Blue Vinyl Double A-Side 45rpm Single off of your previous record Blue Monster for the songs "Despicable" and "Dontcha Know" on Tarbeach records. Are there any plans to do a similar thing with this latest one? Otherwise, are you putting this digital release our independently on your own?
Band Manager Nicole Vandestienne:Tarbeach Records has approached the band about another vinyl release and right now we are just in the talking stages but we hope to put out a large compilation album including work from all of our EPs. This would probably not happen before Summer 2019.
Q: Talk about your earliest memories of getting started with music. When did you first start playing or singing and what instruments did you pick up first?
Damian: Music was always flowing throughout my parent's apartment from the time I was born. My Dad was a self taught multi-instrumentalist so we had an upright piano, electric and acoustic guitars, and unfortunately for the neighbors...a Ludwig drum kit. For me, it was a natural evolution to become a performing musician.
Photo by Scott Wilson
Meghan: I learned to sing mostly by listening to my Dad while in the backseat of the car while he was driving. He liked to sing the harmonies to all the Crosby, Stills and Nash songs. And we LOVE John Denver. I didn't actually start singing in a band onstage until much later. I had been studying dance since I was 4 years old and went to Sarah Lawrence for Modern Dance so that had always been my focus - not singing. I was about 23 or 24 years old when I actually started singing in a band.
As far as being the front person in GIFTSHOP - I don't feel pressure in the way that I'm nervous - but more pressure not to let my band mates down during a gig. I just want them and the audience to have a great time!
Nichole O:My dad is a drummer and huge music lover so he got me into great music from an early age. As a kid he made me memorize the rap part to Blondie's "Rapture" and my parents always took me to concerts and Broadway shows. I've been singing ever since I can remember and I've played piano since I was 5 years old. Growing up, I did a lot of musical theater and once I was a teenager I started playing in bands. A few years after moving to NY I met Meghan and we came up with the idea to do a 90s theme DJ set at the bar where she works and while singing along with some of the songs we realized we harmonized really well together and she asked me to sing backing vocals for the Blue Monster album. Then I did a few live shows with the band and eventually added keys as well!
Photo by Scott Wilson
Jordan:I started actually playing in 7th grade, but my dad taught me to play a beat when I was 4 or 5 years old, just a basic doo, dah, doo doo, dah, but I got struck with the desire to play early. When I actually started playing and practicing often, I really got into Danny Seraphine from Chicago, especially Chicago II, I remember my dad telling me, "if you can cleanly play the drums to this album, you're a good drummer." That made a huge impact and started the direction of my style and taste. I got into Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart through high school, playing prog rock and more technical challenging things, and then Martin Lopez from Opeth for the grooviest heavy / death metal drumming I've heard. But as I got older and started to appreciate studio drumming and playing the best part for the song without letting ego decide how much you want to try to show off, I really got into Jeff Porcaro, the drummer from Toto, but what people don't usually know is that he was the drummer for "Thriller," recorded on Jackson Browne's "The Pretender" Steely Dan and with Boz Scaggs, many more than that in fact, but the guy laid down more perfect drum tracks than people realize, and as far as role models go, you can't do much better. The world of drumming was improved through his life, and I just try to think, not necessarily what would Jeff do, but, how can I focus on the song, what it needs and more importantly what it doesn't, when trying to decide what to play when recording. That's most of what's going on in my head when I'm trying to sort the best part in the studio.
Q: Do you use rack effects or guitar pedals to forge your own sound? If you do, please list the ones you use the most and let everyone know why you love them.
Matt:I don't use a rack unit but I do use a couple pedals to juice up the sound for GIFTSHOP. I build guitar pedals as a hobby and used to use a whole range of homemade effects in our sets. These days I like to keep things pretty simple. If it were up to me I'd just use a guitar, a cord, and an amp but for various reasons that isn't possible at the moment. GIFTSHOP has a lot of layered tones that are needed for the songs we write so additional effects help fill up some of that space. Right now I'm only using an Ibanez TS-9 Overdrive that I've modified a bit along with an Electro Harmonix Memory Toy. The TS-9 is just a great all-around clean overdrive that doesn't effect the tone of my guitar but just juices it enough to give me the grit I need for our louder songs and my solos. The Memory Toy is a smaller version of the Memory Man but still has tons of sweet modulation and nice organic sounding delay settings. Those and a Boss TU-2 tuner are the only things in my set up lately.
Photo by Scott Wilson
Q: Is there a person outside the band that's been important in perfecting your recorded or live sound?
Damian:Every band should have a "ringer" to call on to help them out in the studio. The Who had Jimmy Page. Iggy Pop had David Bowie. GIFTSHOP is lucky enough to have Jason "Steak" Maksymilian Szkutek from the American Darlings who has sung background vocals for every EP we have ever done. Jason will always be part of the GIFTSHOP family. We all go way back.
Q: Would you say that your live show informs your recording process or that your recording process informs your live show? Both? Neither?
Nichole O: We haven't really played the new songs live yet so I would say most of the recording process was either inspired by things we came up with individually on our own time or by ideas we had as a group during rehearsal. A lot of the time we will notice a particular arrangement of a song working really well during rehearsal and make a point to replicate that during live shows. It's always fun during rehearsal when we figure out a new way of performing songs we've played hundreds of times before.
I remember during one of my favorite live shows I've played with GIFTSHOP (Tompkins Square Park last fall) I thought of a different way of singing the background harmony just completely in the moment and went for it, and it ended up working really well. it's always really cool seeing what we come up with playing off each other in a live setting.
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Having been privileged with the opportunity to listen to the "Big In Astoria" EP in it's entirety, a full track-by-track review now follows below.
Thundering out of the opening gate like some pent-up racehorse unleashed, quick-cut accents slice up the Nichole Onopiak/Meghan Taylor dual authored “Same.” With the lead and backup vocalist frequently blending their voices for maximum effect, shades of Blondie's “Rip Her To Shreds” is channeled in both lyrics and attitude. “You and all your shitty friends - Think you’re starting all the trends -But the rest of us just don’t buy in - No the rest of us just don’t buy in.” Those vocals are delivered with a smooth contoured phrasing as initial tambourine gives way to a deeper synthesizer texture. With alternating single voices taking the next verse, the simple question is asked “are you hollow and just fake?”
Gears suddenly shift with a tempo change underpinning the lyrical realization that “it's a hive mind can't escape” even when you “try turn around try to walk away.” The powerful movement underneath comes courtesy of some well-recorded (and inspired) tom-tom heavy drumming. Cymbal percussion provides an additional bridge to the next segment serving as the heart (and centerpiece) overall. “We fight the same, We talk the same and everything is just a game. We laugh the same, We cry the same, We stay up till we feel insane. We drink the same, We smoke the same, We steal your boy to cause you pain. We are the same, We have no shame” - delivered with hand-claps, cheerleader style – until the denial - “We’re not the same” followed by a telling pause. Cycling through the progression a second time leads to rising synth buzzing – another dramatic pause – before a brief solo bass guitar leads the band into it's confessional outro and the repeated mantra “We're the same.” It's an honest approach of being put in the position of being both the critical eye and the one being criticized.
It shouldn't surprise that guitarist Matt Santoro brings hard-charging crunchy rocker “Stacked” to the record. Powerful, chugging chords get punctuated by sharp, quick cymbal shots, ticking high-hat timekeeping and singular bass notes, setting an instantly aggressive tone. Meghan delivers the incendiary lyrics with an appropriate sneer, as a confident dominance is clearly spelled out. As each line is delivered (“All I know is that I’m better than you - My bag o’ tricks is full it’s easy to see”) razor sharp guitar-bass-drums crunch punches down on the accelerator.
Lunging directly into the chorus stating “It’s not a riddle, You lack the subtlety, You’re second fiddle, The chips are stacked for me,” leans on card game imagery as metaphor of significant edge. It's as if John Malkovich's “Teddy KGB” character in the classic late 90's poker film “Rounders” is once again exerting his upper hand.
Under a minute in, and with the verse/chorus cycle passed through twice already, a searing guitar riff barrage is unleashed that is quintessentially rock and roll. The full spectrum assault is pulled back for Meghan to deliver the lyrics in a more intimate, almost playful way. Those momentary quieter moments inevitably set-up immediate, explosive full-band broadsides, and that is what follows here. More hyper-drive Chuck Berry riffs ensue before a final round of the chorus. A clever choppy rhythmic pattern with alternating vocal “ahhhh's” close out this barely over two minute song.
Photo by Andy Estevez
With just a hint of feedback on the front end, the Meghan Taylor penned “Things I Feel” alternates throbbing bass guitar with combined rat-a-tat drums and quick chord guitar strokes before hyper-speed vocals kick in. Angry punk-rock vitriol comes lashing out in maniacally screaming waves - “Get lost you creep. You're in too deep. You make me sad. So Goddamned mad.You'll strut your stuff. I'll call your bluff.You make me ill.” And yet there is somehow room for “I love you still.” Mixed emotions? Love or Confusion? The complicated nature of relationships have been known to produce these results.
“You make me cry. Why won't you die? Go. No stay just one more day. Things I feel when I see you!”
When the tempo change kicks in it's like a welcome respite from the initial 40 seconds of pummeling. This chugging, Stones-like groove with big power chords, melodic riff and rising keyboard stabs is instant head-bobbing material. However, the drums begin to quicken in pace and the half-minute groove is once again full-throttle shouted punk fire. The whole track clocks in at under a minute and a half, making it something of a marvel that so much is packed into such a concise and tightly wound space.
What a band chooses for a cover song often reveals as much about their state-of-mind as any of their original compositions might. Selecting well-known classics from an equally universally loved artist can be risky but ultimately rewarding as well. Having already previously established a penchant for cards, poker and gambling in general, it makes sense that the thrashing, punk-heavy metal hybrid that is Motorhead's “Ace Of Spades” would serve as the EP's signature homage.
Although the original track is kicked off by guitarist “fast” Eddie Clarke, GIFTSHOP flips that script slightly with bassist Damian taking that honor. It's a subtle twist as the full force throttle of bass-drums-guitar power trio lightning is launched. Meghan embraces Lemmy Kilmister's gambling metaphor lyrics with the appropriate desperado edge. A deeper understanding of the song's origins take shape by singing both “ace” and “eight” (“the dead man's hand again” - aces and eights' - Wild Bill Hickok's hand when he got shot).
Photo by Andy Estevez
As the band careens forward, duplicating the originals teetering-on-the-edge breakneck speed, tasty guitar riffs shred between the verses. “The pleasure is to play” speaks to more than just card games, and in fact could apply to any band that above all else, simply enjoys what they do. The song's recklessness and lack of concern for consequences from hard-living appeals to those who feel they were “born to lose.” And while “gambling's for fools,” the outlaw declaration “But that's the way I like it baby, I don't wanna live for ever” unleashes a thrashing charge and quick-cut chord progression. Modern day studio upgrades come by way of enhancements on the line “and don't forget the joker!” Here's where the band (once again) delivers a ferocious battering of rhythm section and mad riffage over top.
It's a fitting close to a record that packs as much (mostly) fast and ferocious music into an economical not-a-minute wasted five songs as possible.
The "Big In Astoria" digital release happens on February 16th and will be available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.
The band has a number of shows and appearances coming up, including:
Hailing from Austin Texas is an amazing band that goes by the name of Ume. They play a particular brand of music that they themselves classify as "experimental punk" and "heavy indie." Although I agree that these descriptions apply, I would add to that an extremely high level of musical ability, especially in the massive guitar chops of frontwoman Lauren Langer Larson.
Ume live at The Rock Shop, June 11, 2011 All photos by Dave Cromwell
Playing as a power trio, the band is rounded out by longtime bassist (and Lauren's husband) Eric Larson and recently added drummer Rachel Fuhrer.
Listen in to my recently conducted interview with the band, outside of The Rock Shop, where they had just completed their set on June 11, 2011.
Check out their live rendition on this night of one of their very best songs The Conductor
Here they rip out a glorious version of "Hurricane II"
Golden hair flying is a frequent visual at an Ume show.
In addition to be a truly masterful guitarist, Lauren is a wonderful singer as well.
One more live track from this great night of music
Dave Cromwell has been writing about music since the dawn of the internet age. In addition to the steady flow of features here on this site, he has been a regular contributor to The Deli Magazine (both Print and Web) since 2010. With numerous Print Issue cover features and weekly contributions on the Deli website, scores of artists have received the Cromwell point of view. Along with ongoing contributions to this site and The Deli Magazine, Dave has written for Dingus, My Social List, The Waster, Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.
