Album Review and Interview: Wreaths s/t

2014 Killing Horse Records

By M. Mucus

     Asbury Park psych rock outfit Wreaths have released their debut full length effort via Killing Horse Records recently and it’s both far-out and introspective.  The self-titled record from Wreaths is a collection of songs that the band has been playing live for some time, but now have been captured and presented on CD for public consumption.  As a band, Wreaths have been around for a while, they have some prior releases including a 10” on Little Dickman Records, but this representation of the band is an ideal starting point, and their first proper album. The record is a hazy wash of reverb, delay, keyboards and haunting vocals, and is a great and original fit in the growing psych/shoegaze revival that has been catching wind recently without feeling at all like a Johnny-come-lately. Their single “Coke Straw” (found below) is a lush and quaint jaunt.  Other highlights include the 13 minute dance jam “Goin’ Back to Haiti”, The lonely and ghostly “Pedimont Aire”, as well as the rising crescendos of “The Designing Women of Asbury Park”.  Overall the record has a cohesive and other-worldly sound anchored by vivid imagery that has a tendency to feel like a collection of clouded memories. NJ Skeletons sat down with Ralph from Wreaths to get a little more insight into the band.
  

(New Jersey Skeletons) You guys are from Asbury Park, NJ, but some of the band members live in other places right? Does the beach, the ocean or the dynamic of Asbury play into your songwriting in anyway? If so, how?

(RALPH) Shaun, Colin and Jamison are in Asbury Park. Kevin is in Toms River and I live in New York, but grew up at the Shore. The beach and beach scene are seasonal. Four months out of the year it’s a packed party in bars, backyards, parks and apartment balconies. We definitely get loose and enjoy the summer. Play a lot of shows on the boardwalk and the surrounding area. Fall and winter are totally different. Beach towns in the off season are desolate and that casts a vibe. It gets dark, gray and cold with only the locals left. A lot of places are closed up or hibernating. I grew up in that and it most certainly affects me.  

(NJS) I've heard you compared to bands like Hawkwind, Spaceman 3, The War On Drugs. What kind of music does the band listen to when you guys hang out together?

(R) We all listen to everything. Some translates into what we do and some doesn’t. Personally, I didn’t listen to any band and say “that’s what I want Wreaths to sound like.” The space and vibe come out in regards to who we are as players. Shaun and I started Wreaths with a drum set and organ in our apartment in Chicago. We cataloged days and days of cassettes with long drones and noise. When Colin joined, he brought a dance feel to it, simple and concise. He moves it without killing the vibe.

(NJS) What is your favorite venue to play in NJ?

(R) That’s tough. Every place has its charm.

The Pony, Saint, Court and the Lanes all sound great and are always a great time. Langosta, The Berkeley, Anchors Bend and APYC are like club houses that give us the run of the place and treat us really well, let us throw our own happenings. That’s really important to us and the type of group we are. It gives us a chance to spread out and experiment live. We’re looser for better or for worse. 

(NJS) Ralph, you play in Seaside Caves right? Do you guys have any other projects you are working with?

(R) Colin sits in with Stringbean Blues and Manatee, Kevin is getting something going with our friend Bob DeMedici. Shaun and Jamison have also played in Seaside Caves at one point or another. We all play in TNTS (tents). Seaside Caves is our brother band. Todd plays shows and records with us when he can. He’s a great bud.

(NJS) What’s the writing process like for you? Is there a main song writer? Is it a democratic thing, or do you guys kind of base it around a jam?

(R) Shaun and I write the framework of a song and bring it into practice. From there we all give it the treatment. Kevin and Jamison have written some stuff as well. We all write our individual parts. Songs have also come out of jams. We usually start practices with a half an hour jam. We record it and comb through afterwards to see if anything sticks. Everything is democratic.

(NJS) You are working on new music currently, how much new music? Is there a time frame as to when you plan on releasing it?

R) We are currently at Moonlight Mile in Jersey City with Mike Moebius recording a follow up to our s/t release on Killing Horse Records. Right now we have 9 songs at that are 90% complete. We have about 3 more songs at different stages of completion. We would like to release something by mid-summer, maybe sooner. We’ll mull over the material and make sense of what fits where.

When all is said and done we’ll clock in with about 2 hours worth of music which is double album territory and we just aren't that full of shit to release a double second album. 

     Wreaths will be playing The Bowery Electric in NYC on Thursday March 6^th, 2014 with Overlake, Brother JT and The Black Hollies and will have CD’s available. Check out our review of the Black Hollies latest record HERE or get their debut full length release from www.killinghorserecords.com

Listen: Wreaths - Coke Straw

Shows This Week!

Thursday 2/6

Tiff Asraf / The Former, The Latter / Worry  @The Berkeley Hotel –Asbury Park    9pm   FREE!

Fleeting / Cold Weather Company / Sail The Boat / Centennials   @The Court Tavern   7pm   $4

Invalid / Jason Robert / Those Mockingbirds / Brother Paul  @Mexicali Live – Teaneck, NJ    7pm   $10

Friday 2/7

The Everymen / Creepoid / Wax Darts -@The Donegal Saloon – Kearny, NJ     8pm   $5

Holy City Zoo / The Sound Is Fine / Modern Chemistry / Sink Tapes - @The Court Tavern   8pm   $5

Accidental Seabirds / Bow & Arrow @The Berkeley Hotel –Asbury Park    9pm   FREE!

Seasick Mama / Born Cages / Paper Streets / Walking Shapes and more   @Asbury Lanes   7PM   $8 Adv/$12 DOS

Saturday 2/8

Not The Beez / The Holy Terror / Gameday Regulars / City Limits / The Groucho Marxists   @The Court Tavern     8pm    (no price listed)

Vestibule / Hot Blood / The Godlings / The Howler Weary   @The Saint – Asbury Park    930pm    $10

Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster Stars In The First Episode Of Shellshag's "Shellshonic Shag-O-Vision"

Check Out Marissa from Screaming Females in this thoroughly entertaining pilot episode of ShellShag's brand new short series, "Shellshonic Shag-O-Vision", brought to you by Don Giovanni Records.

Shows This Week!

The Pixies are playing in Newark this week, but... man! tickets are expensive. 

Monday 1/27

The Brigantines / The Shipwrecks / Chris Brown  @Happy Mondays at The Wonder Bar - Asbury Park   8pm   FREE!

Tuesday 1/28

Pixies / Fidlar @NJ PAC - Newark NJ  $55-$90 (WTF???)

Thursday 1/30

Man Man / Xenia Rubinos / Weird Fantasy Band / Von Mons  @Asbury Lanes – Asbury Park   8pm

Saturday 2/1

Reese Van Riper / Science / Desir Decir / Even and The Earlybirds  @The Clash Bar – Clifton, NJ    8:30pm   $8   

Sinsanity / The Dirty Stayouts / Lower The Veil / The Battery Electric / Xenophile / Half Witted Dogs - The Blue Room at AJ's Gentleman's Club - Secaucus, NJ    8pm    $10

Band Profile: Night Birds

Night Birds

From: The Jersey Shore (and Brooklyn)

 

 

Sounds Like: Someone beating the shit out of you with an electric guitar and a surfboard. These purveyors of surf punk chaos make it look easy, but this band works its ass off. They are constantly touring and playing shows, and whether its an instrumental surf punk song, or a bludgeoning vocal attack from singer Brian Gorsegner there is a constant threat of danger. If you see these guys, you may get punched or kicked or someone in the band may land on top of you, but hey- I've got a Janis Ian record for you if you want to sit at home, wrap yourself up in a blanket and feel safe. So if you feel like being crushed by a killer wave and can picture yourself being greeted the grim reaper surfing on a coffin, then this is the kind of band for you.

 

Members: Brian Gorsegner, Joe Keller, Ryan McHale, PJ Russo

 

Releases: Demo/CDR/Cassette (2009, self released/Ride The Fury); Killer Waves 7" (2010 Art Of The Underground); Night Birds 7" (2010 Grave Mistake/Dirtnap); Midnight Movies 7" (2011 No Way Records); The Other Side Of Darkness 12" (2011 Grave Mistake, Taken By Surprise); Fresh Kills Volume 1 12" (2012 Grave Mistake); Maimed For The Masses 7" (2013 Fat Wreck); Born To Die In Suburbia (2013 Grave Mistake/Taken By Surprise)

 

Website: http://nightbirds.oknoway.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/NGHTBRDS / http://night-birds.bandcamp.com/

 

 



 

 

 

The Psychedelic Sounds Of The Black Hollies

2013 Ernest Jennings Records

By M. Mucus

 

     Long time Jersey City heavy hitters The Black Hollies are probably the most well-known and well-received of the ex Rye Coalition bands that have been playing lately (Cold Fur, Life Eaters).  Maybe that is partly because The Black Hollies have the most ex Rye Coalition members in the band (three), but what is more likely is that there is such a musical distance between Rye Coalition and The Black Hollies.
     In 2006 The Black Hollies put out their first record, Crimson Reflections, a blend of 60's garage rock and soul.  Their latest offering Somewhere Between Here and Nowhere, is not so much a departure from the 60's garage sound they have been crafting, but more of an exploration into deeper aspects of the music singer and primary songwriter Justin Angelo Morey is so fond of. Their fourth record drifts deep into the reaches of The 13th Floor Elevators (sans jug playing), and bands like Can.  Heavily treated vocals, fuzz, delay and organ really dictate the noisy psyched out sound.
     Morey wrote these songs for his recently wedded wife, Ashley Anderson Morey who is now playing bass in The Black Hollies. Herb Wiley is still on lead guitar, Jon Gonnelli is playing organ and serving as multi-instrumentalist, while Nick Ferrante’s hard hitting drums still help to keep the Black Hollies’ live shows as exciting as ever. The slightly reworked structure has translated into a bit more of a modern sound. The Black Hollies have forever seemed frozen in time, firmly rooted, if not cemented in that garage rock sound- and don’t get me wrong, it makes for a fun band to listen to as well as see.  However, this more free sounding album lets the band spread its wings and it results in both a tasteful and earnest output that gives the listener a sense of ownership, a feeling not that this is music borrowed from another time, but it is Now, and it is Ours and that is why NJ Skeletons thinks it’s one of the best records of 2013.

      The record starts out with a bit of noise and then one of the freaking catchiest guitar hooks ever on “No Illusion”, and its instantly danceable beat right off the bat separates this record from other Black Hollies records. Spacey organ puts you right into that dream-like state and it keeps you there for the whole ride. It becomes so easy to drift away into this record. The second track “Unless It’s My Imagination” keeps the dance beat going. It’s clear on this album that the boys and girl in The Black Hollies are just having fun playing and that innocence appears in many different forms throughout the LP. “Benevolent Beacon” the third track, on the record is a much more traditional sounding Black Hollies song, its beauty and heartfelt lyrics are both refreshing and sweet.  Live, when Morey sings “please let me show you that your mine.” to his wife, bassist Ashley Anderson Morey the entire room can see his heart pouring into hers. “When It’s Time To Come Down” closes side A of the LP, it’s a bit of an oddball which makes it one of the coolest songs on the record, the walking vocal melody gives it a bit of 90’s BritPop feel, but the organ and dreamlike textures help to keep it rooted thematically with the rest of the record showcasing some of the more interesting departures this record takes.
      As the theme of love being like a dream continues to permeate through the listening experience on side B, instrumental tracks like “Frontwards And Backwards” help you to slip deeper into the record. The gorgeous “Where Do We Go From Here” is a high point of the album, a gem buried in fuzz and reverb. The second side is wrapped up with “Lunatic Influenza” a three part collection of songs that flow into each other in a sort of abbey road-esque way. It’s highlighted by the trippy middle offering “Take Me As I Am” and ends with the organ and noise of a delayed train conductor speaking.  It’s a perfect way to wake from a dream

     …But that’s not it! The Ernest Jennings Recording Company has put out 2013's Somewhere Between Here and Nowhere, as they have done with all of the Black Hollies’ releases, and the LP packaging is truly awesome. The inner sleeve as well as the center sticker on the record is a psychedelic spiral which looks amazing and works great with the dreamlike themes of the record. Just like a lot of old Long Presses, you get a true Extended Press, a free 7" which serves as side C and D of the album. Side D is a cool cut, “Here Comes The Rain” but its Side C that steals the show. The title track “Somewhere Between Here And Nowhere” is one of the strongest songs on the whole record and epitomizes all of what makes the record great, tender heartfelt lyrics, dreamy textured organ, a solid rhythm section and a catchy vintage hook.

The Black Hollies are playing a bunch in support of the record. I would strongly advise catching one of their shows.  In the mean time you can get the record directly from Ernest Jennings, Here.