2009 New York Rifles Interview

Here's another local interview from the vaults. Originally posted on Popwreckoning in 2009. I saw the New York Rifles play a handful of times around Portland; they always seemed to get on good bills. It looks like they might be on hiatus, but I wouldn't count the scene veterans out just yet.

Good band name origin story too.

*****

The New York Rifles just released their kick-ass second album, Make A Wish. It's packed with snarling garage rock that's catchy, fun and even better live. Shortly after seeing them play the Doug Fir I was able to ask founder and front man, Scott Young, a couple questions via email.

Quickcrit:  How did the band come together?

Scott Young, New York Rifles: I formed the original NYR from remnants of a previous band that line-up played for a couple of years and release a CD on eMpTy records then split up. I was involved with the female member of that line-up and we split up, hence the band ended. Then the CD started getting some attention. Charting on a few stations including KEXP and hovering on their chart for 3 months. I started getting offers for shows and on airs so I decided to re-build the band. I took some dates that were offered without actually having a band. I had our original drummer, found a bass player and found the last member Kari fifteen days before we had to go to Seattle and play live on KEXP and had our first club show together that night. It worked out and this line-up has been together for about two years.

QC: How did you come up with your name? Is there a story behind it?

SY: It was an accident really. I was painting a mural in the Odditorium, which ended up being 120 ft. long and 20 ft. high. The largest mural I've ever done. The Odditorium is the Dandy Warhol's recording studio/practice space/party place/etc./etc. I had a previous band that had come to an end. I started a new band and had shows booked with no band name. We couldn't come to a name that we all liked. I had finished up painting one night and was having a beer with Courtney of the Dandy's and brought up that me and my band mates were trying to agree on a name. He said that he and his drummer Brent always come up with band names. So he looked at me real Courtney serious and said "you should be called New York Rifles." First thing I said was, "we're not from New York."He just stared at me. Anyway, New York Rifles is the nick name of the 52nd infantry which fought in the Civil war. I had shows booked for my band and we decided we'd just use the name for those shows and it would give us some time to come up with another. I don't know if the name just worked or if we were just too lazy to come up with something else. Though it's kind of nice having a name that no-one in the band came up with. If someone decides they don't like it they can't blame a band mate.

PW: The Pacific Northwest and Portland in particular has a long history of great garage rock bands. What's the scene like now?

SY: There isn't so much of a scene, it's more like a whole bunch of little scenes. There's a great variety of music. We don't really fit with anything exactly. We can play shows with punk bands, but we're not really punk. We can play with the 70's glam thing that's happening here, but we don't quite fit there. We play with pop, grunge, rock, and garage rock bands, but we always seem to be in a slightly different place than any of the scenes that are happening here. I don't know, it's odd.

PW: How would you describe your music?

SY: I have no clue really how to classify us, not that we can't be classified. I guess it depends on which of our songs you're listening to. I don't think I can ever know exactly what we sound like because I'm in it, I can't hear our songs, not like I hear other bands songs. We've had reviews that compare us to The Sex Pistols, Roy Orbison, The Cars, Peter, Paul, & Mary, The Undertones, Blue Cheer and many others that you would never think should be put together. So I really don't know what we do.

PW: Who would you say are your main influences?

SY: That's a difficult question because I could list pages of bands/musicians that I like and am probably influenced by. So I'll say this, I wrote a song once and it sounded familiar. Something about the vocal melody, but I couldn't place it. Then finally it dawned on me. It was similar to a Journey song I had heard a million times on the radio. I'm not a fan of Journey, never have been, but I was more or less unwillingly influenced by that song. I don't think we always know what our influences are.

PW: What inspires your songs? It seems like quite a few on your new album deal with sex and violence.

SY: The songs are written mostly from actual experiences of some sort and people that I've had some interaction with. I don't feel there's so much actual violence on the record as there is internalized struggle. Mostly the songs are my way of trying to understand why people do the things they do and sometimes why I do the things I do. And a bit of just story telling.

PW: Are you excited about your West Coast tour? Any plans to go further?

SY: Yes very excited to get out and play. We're going to focus on touring the West Coast and the Rockies, going out every three or four months. We're looking into touring Europe sometime in the near future hopefully.

NightraiN's Summer Shortlist

Cayucas - Cayucos

I have played this album -- without introducing it -- to both beer drinking river rafters and rosé drinking lawyers and the reception is the same: “This shit is good. Who is this?” Fire up your boombox, summer jammy jams are here. Time to branch out from Vampire Weekend.

Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

No surprise here. However, the release of this album coincided with an excellent live show and just recently a performance I viewed via UStream of P.TM playing with ''Weird Al'' Yankovic. I gotta say, the mythos of this band just keeps getting more enhanced.

The Weeks - Dear Bo Jackson

An awesome title for an album filled with awesome tunes. The album title reminds me of how great ESPN’s "You Don't Know Bo" 30 for 30 was/is, but the tunes remind me how great early Kings of Leon was -- southern rock clashing with garage rock. A beautiful combination.

The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Shit... I couldn't help myself. I was going to leave this one off out of principal and then the fiancee said: "The National better be on your list." Abide.

Long-haired Garage Rock

Seems like there has been an uptick in good songwriting from the young, long-haired contingent. Mikal Cronin and Kurt Vile lead the pack in my mind, with others trailing right behind. Maybe I'm listening to more garage rock; maybe its just better this year... In somewhat related news, I can't wait until the new We Are Augustines comes out.

Mind Spiders - Meltdown (2012)

Meltdown is non-stop energy the entire album through with fast paced garage rock and surf punk inspired riffs. The straight-forward sound has numerous, perhaps obligatory, references to spiders and makes clear its dark themes. The lyrics and occasional chiming in an eerie organ may seem an appropriate tribute to an old sci-fi film score never given its due credit, yet while one can imagine a disutopian future in “Skull Eyed” and “Meltdown”, the album would be worth listening to solely for the call to arms “Fall in Line”, “Join us Now”, and “Wait for Us”. Similar to the Misfits, Mind Spiders don’t take themselves too seriously and this translates into lighthearted and fun listening. Other noteworthy tracks include “You are Dead” and “Beat”. Check this video if you don't believe me.


Mind Spiders - "Wait For Us" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Jim Jones Revue @ Doug Fir

Damn. That was an amazing show. The Jim Jones Revue roared through their set like a greased up Oldsmobile 88 pushing into the red. Never letting down, each song they seemed to reach new sonic heights, the power and noise almost obscuring the band's tightness. Every time the guitarist, Rupert Orton, decked out in full leather, stepped up to the front he delivered tight blasting solos. His understated demeanor contrasting with his thunderbolt riffs. The keyboardist, Henri Herbert, off to side, banging wildly like a manic Jerry Lee Lewis. Although each member's performance was impressive and wild, it was clear who owned the stage. From start to finish, Jim Jones showed what a frontman could be -- an argument for what rock n' roll should be. His dramatic and powerful gestures reminded me of a pissed off and crazy Al Pacino, with a little of David Bowie's flare. He postured, flirted, preached, and directed, all the while his hair and sweat flying. I have no idea how he can bark all night every night, nor that a howl could be so textured. It was as mesmerizing as it was impressive.

Simply put, if you like rock n' roll, you need to see this band.

Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down (US 2011)

Within any established genre, I'm always impressed when a new band comes along and makes it feel vital again. It's been a long time since I listened to much rockabilly, but the Jim Jones Revue may make me revisit that stance. Then again, they aren't so much rockabillies as a garage rock and punk band that incorporates honky tonk piano and blues chords. From the first track, it's clear that Jim Jones is a a wild and charismatic frontman. "High Horse" matches Jerry Lee Lewis sized carnal swagger with his ferocious key pummeling. Little Richard. On "Premeditated" his voice shifts between a guttural growl and a needle-in-the-red howl. It injects the songs with power and energy that evokes images of them thrashing about chaotically on stage. "Elemental" updates Little Richards' unhinged delivery for the 4 Loco age with a breakneck pace and blistering guitar riffs. Overall, it's a wild and fun album and is guaranteed to be amazing live.

Come on out and see them blow the roof off  Doug Fir Lounge on Saturday, September 3rd. Hell, if you consider the album cover a warning, it might be the last show that log basement ever hosts.

Thursday's Epic Set of Concerts

Every once and a while the concert gods like to fuck with me by having a month's worth of awesome shows all on one night. Usually, that means I have to make some tough decisions -- do I go with the old favorites, the new buzz bands I'm digging, or a rock n' roll spectacle?

At first glance, this Thursday appears to be just that type of night. Longtime favorites Hillstomp and the Builders & the Butchers, are playing at the Deschutes Street Fare, along with the new and fantastic Lost Lander. Then on the other side of the river, Waters, another new favorite, are opening for Mister Heavenly at Branx, while the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion play at the Wonder Ballroom.

On this night, the concert gods seem to be feeling particularly mischievous -- staggering the set times just enough to entertain the possibility that I could pull of all three events in one night. Think of it as prep for the nightly MusicFestNW hustle. Either way, there is no way I missing the Street Fare, especially since the $10 entry fee covers my first beer. So the question becomes, can I make catch Waters set and still make it up to the Wonder to see the veteran showmen?

The Features - Wilderness (2011)

Simply put, The Features’ Wilderness is a fantastic rock n’ roll album. One of the best that I’ve heard all year. The standout single "Rambo" kicks off with cinematic humming before launching into a charging rhythm and swirling keyboard, the song marching forward over the cries of singer Matt Pelham. The darker “Kids” rides a 70s metal bass line and kick drum through a cloud of heavy riffs. The album is solid from start to finish, subtly shifting from psychedelic pop to prog to garage rock, often multiple times within a song. If it wasn’t clear from the album’s diverse (if classic) influences, the sweet and steady “Fats Domino” is the ballad for a record collector: “You can have everything, except my rock n’ roll, my love / Put down Fats Domino.” It’s right up there with Ryan Adam’s “Come Pick Me Up” in terms of capturing the state of a relationship relative to a mans’ vinyl.

You can bet I'll be there when they play at Bunk Bar on September 17th.

My Goodness - "I've Got A Notion"

My Goodness are a Northwest based duo that play heavy garage blues featuring monster riffs with just enough grit to get you dirty, but stopping just short of stoner rock sludge. If you like the video for "I've Got A Notion", you should also check out "C'mon Doll" (mp3). Maybe they can start to start to fill the void left by my much loved Pure Country Gold. Now they just need head on down 5 and play Slabtown or the East End.

The Biters - All Chewed Up (2011)

The Biters are back with another EP packed with power pop and classic punk. They pretty much stick with the formula that made their last two EPs must haves for fans of snotty vocals and fist pumping choruses. "Born To Cry" (mp3) mixes meaty drums and classic rock riffs with a peppering of enthusiastic whoa-oh-ohs and lyrics romanticizing the glitter in the gutter. "Hold On" stands out by injecting a punk strut with a fantastic chorus built around a tight and soaring keyboard. While obviously indebted to the past, pulling bits from the Buzzcocks, T.Rex, and even the Who, the Biters' combination of passion and hooks make the otherwise familiar sound their own. Plus, practically every song is catchy enough to be a single.

They'll be playing with label mates and fellow garage rockers The Booze at the East End on Friday April 1st. Add plenty of cheap beer and you have a perfect Friday night... and probably a pretty hazing Saturday morning.

The Cute Lepers - "Tribute To Charlie"

After hearing "Tribute To Charlie" (mp3), I am pretty excited to hear the rest of The Cute Lepers' new album Adventure Time, out April 5th on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. The songs adds blasts of soulful horns to their catchy yet snotty garage punk. I can't wait to see them when they play Portland on April 13th. The venue isn't set, but I'm guessing they'll be playing the East End.

Shannon And The Clams - "Sleep Talk"

I picked up Shannon And The Clams debut, I Wanna Go Home, after a great set at last year's Bender. And now she is back with another slab of retro garage pop, and judging by the lead single, this album will be even better. However, judging from the album art, it could be a little creepier, which isn't too surprising since lately she's been playing with the wonderfully sleazy Hunx And His Punx. "Sleep Talk" (mp3) starts out a yearning stroll that slowly ratchets up the emotion until the vocals are up in red. The album come out April 5th on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. In the meantime, if you are lucky, you can catch Shannon out on tour with the Hunx and Clams.

Slabtown Bender 2011 - Friday Night Preview

While the enitre weekend looks great—I love Nobunny and Holly Golightly—I think Friday has the best lineup from top to bottom. And although I've been a fan of the Beat for ages, especially "Walking Out On Love", Paul Collins isn't even who I am most excited about. That's just how good the lineup is. Here are my top five for tonight:

Pure Country Gold (Portland) garage blues
If there was any doubt if I was coming out (there wasn't), finding out that this could be Pure Country Gold's last show ensured that I couldn't miss their set. This set may require double fisting.

The Tranzmitors (Vancouver, BC) power pop, garage rock
Busy Singles is by far my favorite album I came across preparing for the Bender. Pretty damn excited about seeing them.

The Mean Jeans (Portland) Ramones-style punk rock
Local favorites with energy to kill. Always fun.

The Blind Shake (Minneapolis) garage rock
Supposed to have an amazing live show. Their album Carmel rawks pretty hard, so I am inclined to believe the hype.

Welcome Home Walker (Portland) pop punk, garage rock
"Suds" is stupid catchy, so you might as well shout along.

The Booze - "Kick Me Where It Hurts"

I am a sucker for bands like The Booze, who are seriously indebted to "Tumbling Dice" era Rolling Stones. They may not be reinventing rock n' roll but they make great party music. On "Kick Me Where It Hurts" (mp3) angelic backing vocals contrast with the lyrics spit through a sneer.

They'll be playing the East End on April 1st with similarly sleazy Biters. It should be a great nigh for fist pumping rock n' roll.

The Dirtbombs - Party Store (2011)

There is something different about The Dirtbombs that is hard to put a finger on. At first listen I thought I didn't like Party Store that much. Some of their songs took way too long for the vocals to come in, some were purely instrumental making it hard to get into, and one song was 21 minutes long. They have a very uptempo sound, which makes for an odd mix when you add the blunt and gritty guitar with rustic vocals (which are really good by the way). However, after a few listens through, a number of tracks stand out as very good. "Shari Vari" for example. This track reminds me of something that would be played at some underground exclusive NYC nightclub. Some place where everyone is a big deal and ridiculously skinny, and there is way too much blacklight, cigarette smoke and coke permeating the room. "The Good Life" is also a fantastic song, which really embodies what this album is all about. It opens very strangely with some kind of odd, almost nursery rhyme in the beginning. Then the song starts and I have to catch myself diggin' on the groove as I almost missed it completely. The Dirtbombs are very extraordinary in that I can't tell if this supposed to be happy clubbin' dance music, or mellow out on the bluesy guitar and voice of Mick Collins sort of deal. So if you don't dig it right away I understand, this is the kind of album you have to listen to a few times to like. Most experimental and unique sounds are like that.

Mind Spiders - "No Romance"

Apparently, while always excellent garage rockers the Marked Men are on hiatus, co-singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark Ryan decided he wanted to explore some of his other interests in 60's pop and lo-fi. However, he never strays too far away from catchy rock n' roll, as evident on "No Romance" (mp3), a short burst of rapid-fire drumming guitar riffs, all wrapped up in a pop melody.

The Dirtbombs - "Sharevari"

While I wouldn't mind if The Dirtbombs just kept releasing Ultaglide in Black over and over again, I like just about everything they've released and will listen whatever catches their whimsy. Their upcoming album, Party Store, consists entirely of covers of classic Detroit techno tracks. Wha? Well, if any band can make me listen to techno it's The Dirtbombs. You get a taste on the video for "Sharevari" (Basically an animated version of the original version by A Number of Names).

Reverend Deadeye - "Fuck The Devil"

A Hillstomp post tipped me off to an upcoming Reverend Deadeye show at Dante's this Sunday. I'd never heard of him before Hillstomp's enthusiastic endorsement, but after sampling just a couple songs it's clear I almost missed out on what should be a wild performance of down and dirty gospel, blues, and rock n' roll. With songs like "Fuck The Devil" and "Drunk on Jesus" it's clear this one man band won't be embraced by modern Christian radio any time soon, as the gravel voiced reverend sounds like a better soundtrack for debauchery in the back alley than virtuousness in the sanctuary. The show starts at 8 PM and will be followed by Dante's Sinferno Caberet. Gospel punk, burlesque, and bourbon sounds like a perfect combination.

Slabtown Bender 2011 Lineup

Slabtown has just released the line up for their 2011 Bender with Paul Collins, Nobunny, and Holly Golightly headlining. The 2010 Bender was awesome and I expect nothing less than that this year.

I've got a month to familiarize myself with the lineup and plan my weekend. Like last year, it's a mix of old favorites (Pure Country Gold, Pity Fucks, etc.) and bands I've never heard of, so once again I've hunted down most of their homepages and included the band's rough genre based on the few songs I heard. By the 4th I should be ready.

Friday 2/4
The Paul Collins Beat (New York) original power popper
Head (Seattle) pop punk
The Tranzmitors (Vancouver, BC) power pop, garage rock
Apache (San Francisco) punk rock
The Mean Jeans (Portland) Ramones-style punk rock
The Blind Shake (Minneapolis) garage rock
Pure Country Gold (Portland) garage blues
The Wrong Words (San Francisco)
Welcome Home Walker (Portland) pop punk, garage rock
Sons of Bitches (Portland) country punk

Saturday 2/5
Nobunny (Oakland) garage rock
Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders (Los Angeles) roots rock, garage rock
Liquorball (Bay Area?) psychedelic rock?
Hank IV (San Francisco) punk rock
James Arthur's Manhunt (Texas) psychedelic rock
Unnatural Helpers (Seattle) garage rock, punk rock
Spencey Dude & The Doodles (San Francisco) garage pop, indie pop
Dreamdate (San Francisco) indie pop
Pity Fucks (Portland) garage rock, punk rock
Flash Flood & The Dikes (Portland) off-kilter country

Saturday 2/5 Matinee
Spider Babies (Portland) punk rock
Bad Trips (Ventura) garage rock, psychedelic
Uzi Trash
Knifey Spoony (Oakland) psychedelic rock
Trash TV (Portland)

Sunday 2/6
Holly Golightly (UK) garage rock, country, soul
The Rantouls (San Jose?) garage pop, retro pop
The Royal Baths (San Francisco) garage rock, psychedelic
The Courtney Crusher Band (Portland) garage rock, retro pop
Thee Headliners (Portland) garage blues
Chemicals (Champaign) indie rock
G Green (Sacramento) punk
The Night Beats (Seattle) garage rock
Primitive Hearts (Oakland) garage rock
Therapists (Portland) punk

Sunday 2/6 Matinee
Pataha Hiss
The Bugs (Portland) garage rock
Orca Team (Portland) retro pop, indie rock, surf
The English Singles (Sacramento) retro pop, indie rock
The Summer Twins (Riverside) dreamy indie pop

New Garage Explosion!!: In Love With These Times Documentary

If you like balls out rock n' roll you should probably check out this new documentary made by directors Joseph Patel and Aaron Brown for VBS. It covers a lot of my favorite bands. Even Jay Reatard (RIP) makes an appearance. Plus, you don't need to go hunt down some obscure art theater see it. Just watch the full-length version below.

Top 5 Black Keys Songs

This has been a good year for The Black Keys. Judging from how fast their shows sell out, it seems like they're finally being rewarded for consistently recording and performing bad ass blues and rock n' roll. Releasing their best album in years must have had something to do with it, since they always have been flat-out fantastic live. While they've easily released enough great songs to fill out a top 10, or even a top 25, I finally narrowed it down to my top 5.

5. The Breaks (The Big Come Up)
   The song that made me a fan. Plus, the guitar struts and squawks like a chicken.
   
   
4. Remember When (Side B) (Attack & Release)
   Side A is solid, but the destructive riffs set Side B apart.
   
   
3. Tighten Up (Brothers)
   This hit off Brothers pulses with a yearning and soulful beat. It downright swings.
   
   
2. 10 AM Automatic (Rubber Factory)
   A blistering rock n' roll single that dares you to stand still from the very first note.
   
   
1. Hard Row (thickfreakness)
   His howl alone seals its spot at the top, but the buzzing and slashing guitar doesn't hurt.