Interview: Less Than Jake

There is no doubting that Less Than Jake are ska punk legends having ingrained their infectious upbeat rhythms into the consciousness of festival and gig-goers everywhere over many years of constant touring - the delay in getting this interview together is testament to that! Formed back in 1992 the band have evolved from melodic pop through third-wave ska before finally settling on a sound that is undeniably their own - a mixture of punk, ska, rock and metal. Now, with a new album due out soon recognising the importance of their roots - it’s titled ‘GNV FLA’ after their hometown of Gainesville, Florida - and with a single currently on free download, there is no better time for Subba to get the inside story on the band and their plans. Drummer Vinnie Fiorello was more than happy to oblige.

Vinnie, the band name comes from the name of your family pit-bull and the fact it was treated better than you. You must have hated that pooch! Was it your job to walk it or something? It was an English bulldog actually, and no I didn't hate him. He was treated better than anyone in the house though - he had his own section of the couch!

Apparently you and Roger have vast Pez dispenser collections, hence the name of your first album, 'Pezcore'. What's your favourite dispenser and do you still use it? My favorite is the Batman with the cape from the early 60s. I don’t use it; it’s up on the shelf with the rest of my collection right now.

Who's got the bigger collection? You or Roger? I’m not sure whose collection is bigger. For awhile we had about the same but we don’t compare what we have, ha.

You seem to have a lot of love for your toy companies. In fact, Wunderland War Toys sponsored the FX Project Vinyl Artist's Jam this year. What inspired you to chip in? Anytime that a hobby can help people with cancer, I am all for it. I mean why wouldn’t I be involved in a great cause with the toys I have a passion for?

A short while back you left the record label, Fueled By Raman, you had started 10 years previously with John Janick. What had you felt gone wrong? There’s a simple saying… "If there's too many cooks in the kitchen the food will not taste well." That became the relationship between me, John and Atlantic Records.

Less Than Jake are credited with starting the Florida Ska Revival Movement. I recently spoke with Bad Manners, a big ska band in this country, and their lead singer had started his own ska festival. Have you ever thought about doing a similar promotion of the genre? We talked about doing a yearly festival and once things quiet down, with the new record coming out, we will continue to talk about it.

You were the first band I crowd surfed to. Is it something you get a lot of happening at your gigs? It still happens. I mean high-energy music always draws crowd surfing. It’s died down. I remember when people crowd surfed to slow pop music. Hahaha, so funny to see.

Do you ever get grief from venues for inciting it? We get grief sometimes but we don’t really incite it. It happens on its own enough.

You recently played 6 albums at 6 consecutive nightly shows in Florida and then again in London. What was that like? Tiring? Alcohol-fueled? It was like a final exam every night trying to remember 90 songs, it was a crazy time, a trip down memory lane and a good way to get in touch with our roots.

What kind of music do you guys have playing on the tour bus stereo? Everything from Dizzee Rascal, Fishbone, Slayer to Bob Marley and Hot Water Music.

You often go back to your hometown in Gainesville, Florida. Are they still the best gigs or have you another favourite place to play? Well we have to go back to Gainesville, we live there!!! Our favorite cities to play are London, Tokyo, and Chicago.

You've recently left Warner Records and started your own label, Sleep It Off Records, which you intend to release your new album and all your back catalogue on. Does it feel good to be free from the industry shackles? It feels good to be in control of your future and the band you’ve been in for 15 years.

You recently suggested that you don't quite fit in the modern music industry. I guess you're a band that has retained its own identity. Is that something you can be proud of? It’s absolutely something to be proud of.... we have weathered so many trends and turmoil. It feels good to have a strong foundation.

For the new album, can we expect a less-produced, rougher-sound? I think the record blends the old with the new. It is a bit rougher than the last record but it’s not a step backward.

Finally, 16 years, still kicking arse, and you guys play at some pace. Had any thoughts as to the future? The future holds what it holds… Hopefully we can stay healthy and happy. Come say “hi”� when we are in your town. We will be somewhat funny and won’t urinate on your carpet… most of the time.

Also online @ Subba-Cultcha = http://www.subba-cultcha.com/features/article.php?contentID=13032

Check out this review of their last album: http://www.subba-cultcha.com/article_album.php?id=7742

Previous LTJ reviews: http://www.subba-cultcha.com/article_album.php?id=2160

Thanks to David @ Cooking Vinyl for helping set this interview up.

Album Review: Milosh - iii

Toronto-based Michael Milosh is a classically-trained cellist, jazz aficionado and devotee of left-field electronica. His first two albums, ‘You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Meme’ earned warm reviews that likened his music to artists such as Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Brian Eno and even R&B crooner D’Angelo. This album, again, curiously brings elements of many different genres to the table. With it’s interesting combination of soft, sweeping vocal over steady beats and samples it has an almost elemental quality. It was largely written and recorded during a year-long stay amid the sunshine and birdsong of the tropical island of Koh Samui - something that clearly affected Milosh judging from the themes and titles of the tracks.

Opener ‘Awful Game’ is a mere two-chord simplicity of gently rising and falling keyboard over synthetic beats, pops and claps that cast a series of sonic ripples behind them. The reverberating sweep of vocal that surfs above it all is what defines Milosh’s sound. Haunting and effective. ‘Another Day’ is like listening to a lonely serenade of harp and violin whilst all around insects chirrup and click out the rhythm.

‘Gentle Samui’ proves that this delicate approach to making music can be undone very quickly if the mix isn‘t perfect. The beat here is reduced to the sound of a dripping tap on taut clingfilm and quickly becomes Chinese water torture. It’s way too loud in comparison to the twinkling piano and whispered soliloquy. Unfortunately, this pattern continues throughout with the subtlety of the softer tracks getting smothered by the crunch, crack or slap of a dirty great spot of electronica standing out like a square peg in a round hole.

There are still moments where things click pleasantly into place. ‘Warm Waters’ becomes the perfect muscle soak for the mind, with a dreamy voice listing his musings on island life in what feels like an attempt to hypnotise the listener into some kind of Zen state. Occasionally a big chunk of 80s beats appear to bring a glowing vibe to proceedings - the Thompson Twins funk of ‘Hold My Breath’ or the Depeche Mode backline of ‘Leaving Samui’ stand proudly out as memorable for the right reasons.

In places this feels less like electro-folk, as his press release suggests, and more like epic, deconstructed, modern R'n'B. Milosh’s sumptuous, soulful vocals do end up jarring with his awkward take on the metronome in places and it’s a shame because when the blend is right the ethereal music that results is pleasantly mesmeric.

Also online @ Music-Zine = http://www.music-zine.com/reviews/?id=549

Gig Review: The Sword - Underworld, London, 03/04/08

Black Cobra

The need for a beer at The World’s End pub above the venue has delayed us albeit briefly, yet as we descend into the tight little grotto that is the Underworld we see that Invasion have set off proceedings with their stylish take on psych-thrash. This unique trio of floppy-haired guitarist, feisty skin-basher and vocal hellraiser are belting out the decibels but don’t seem at all happy with the sounds they’re producing. There’s continual input from the sound-desk as a guy races back and forth across stage changing microphones.

Through it all, Chan, the vocalist, lurks in the shadows, brooding beneath a full-length hooded cowl, blasting out a mighty range over which the guitar winds waves of compression with the odd spot of sludge thrown in for good measure. The drummer down to just her little black bra beats out punishing rhythms with crashing cymbals and hi-hat action. As the last note rings out, in a fit of pique the guitarist throws his guitar out onto the dancefloor, barely missing the punters. It’s not a happy band, but to be honest it wasn’t sounding as awful as he obviously thinks it did.

Black Cobra are on a mission to deafen. Two blokes, one awesome sound. The frontman’s sparkly gold guitar has been fed through the entire trio of guitar amps and he only has to twist it in the vague direction of his mic for feedback to froth from its innards. When the afro’d drummer sets events in motion, the guitar throbs into life with a sequence of big, dirty and, to be frank, abnoxiously loud chugging and the vocal immediately goes completely missing. Perhaps what is required is three mics to counter-act the three amps drowning it into submission. This is a style that’s clearly been honed at the ‘School Of Matt Pike’. Plenty of posturing, guitar-jabbing and facial grimacing garner him plenty of love from those in front. Heading to the back of the venue, you can just make out his razor-sharp cutting vocal and it really is damn impressive. Today is to be the day when we discover it’s not always clever to turn your amps up to eleven.

All hail the Saviours! We loved their recent mini-album and aren’t disappointed when they let loose with ‘Cavern Of Mind’, their best song to date. It gets a hell of a reception from the crowd and kick-starts a giant moshpit of pumping-fists and ricocheting punters. The band’s hairy bassist looms menacingly over me like a giant ogre, mincing my bones with his stoner grooves. At his side, rapid drills and tom-rolls are being beaten out by the awesome drummer, proudly sporting an AC/DC tee. Then there’s the band’s frontman staggering around spaced-out suggesting, perhaps, one too many pre-show spliffs. By the time they reach the end and ‘Raging Embers’ the crowd and the band are one and they are roared from the stage. They’re gonna be a tough act to follow.

The Sword are just the band to give it a crack. The opening bars of ‘The Sundering’ find their way from their ringleader, John D. Cronise, to our battered ears and, at once, all our defences drop for the final onslaught. They follow up with those two barnstormers of theirs, the colossal rock anthem ‘Maiden, Mother and Crone’ and ‘Barael’s Blade’ from their 2003 debut and it fires up the pit that just doesn’t cease moving for their entire set.

When I reviewed the new ‘Gods Of The Earth’ album I mentioned that it was like the sound of two forces battling. Well, tonight I am in that battle fighting off wave after wave of crushing bodies. Cronise directs the mosh from above, tearing at his guitar (which looks like it’s been hewn out of rock) with skeletal fingers, his giant bell-bottomed jeans swinging back and forth. “Does anyone like riffs?” he yelps before trading them with fellow guitarist, the contantly head-banging and heavily tattooed, Kyle Shutt. The chugging rhythm of ‘Freya’ draws our attention towards bassist Bryan Richie who is revelling in finger-walking his deep-throbbing, orange Fender Telebass. Alongside him the concentration of Trivett Wingo, all beard, sticks and skins, is impressive as he peppers the song with rat-a-tat cracks and rolling snare.

Once more the crowd take centre-stage, literally, as a crowd-surfer rises up and is fed backwards, then forwards, before being dumped unceremoniously on his arse in front of the drumkit. He stays sat there up on stage, quite happy, banging his head and pumping his fists in time with the deafening waves of sound. When the dust has finally settled we realise that this gig has probably broke records for volume levels as, despite wearing earplugs, we’re still hearing remnants of that big Southern sludge-fest ring out even now.

Also online @ TLOBF = http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2008/04/the-sword-underworld-london-030408/

Album Review: Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

Friendly Fires have had their 15 minutes of fame, appearing as the first unsigned band on Channel 4’s Transmission, and they seem to have gotten a taste for it. With the release of this, their eponymous debut album, they have put together a dual attack of sun-drenched pop and mind-expanding atmospherics, which promises to have you shaking your tailfeather and shoegazing in equal measures.

Opener ‘Jump in The Pool’ is awash with sweeping vocals dropping out to leave a fiesta of staggered drums, chintzy guitars and deadened bass twang. Ed Macfarlane’s vocal on the chorus rises to a falsetto to nail the hook with a nod to the breathless class of The Jesus And Mary Chain. With ’In The Hospital’ we get a big streak of 80s pop and a funky groove, complete with “doo-doo” backing, handclaps, cowbells and maracas. This is party music for those with the hardiest of constitutions.

The combination of this twisted in-your-face pop is so far from the sudden heady, flights of fancy the band takes with their lapping waves of backfill that it seems impossible that the two could ever meet in the middle. At times, they pull things off with such subtlety and panache that it feels so normal, like they’ve perfected the art already (‘Strobe’ or ‘Ex Lover’); then there are other times when the dreaded clash occurs and the track disassembles itself into confetti (‘Paris’ or ’White Diamonds’). Deciding what’s good or bad isn’t as clear-cut as this though. Yes, the music occasionally clashes but that’s not to say that what there is inside is completely devoid of merit - maybe the band have shown a little naivety in construction. That’s all.

One place they appear to need no help is in production. The remarkable thing here is that the promo flyer reveals that the band find it difficult working with established producers and prefer to do things themselves - the recording sessions took place in Macfarlane’s parent’s house using DIY techniques. The only background they seem to have here is with the post-hardcore music that they used to play around with at school. “I think we took things too seriously back then”, says Macfarlane. “Obviously things have changed a lot since then. Writing a pop song wasn’t very high on our agenda, but now we definitely want to write songs with a pop edge.”

The words “pop” and “edge” are very much suitable descriptors of what this debut album is all about. It’s a stunning opening salvo full of razor-sharp wit and inventiveness. This is one fire that refuses to be extinguished.

www.myspace.com/friendlyfires

Also online @ Music-Zine = http://www.music-zine.com/reviews/?id=553

Album Review: Saviours – Into Abaddon

Saviours from Oakland, California come with a ‘U’ and a surprising mixture of influences ranging from NWOBHM to stoner rock. Think Iron Maiden jamming with High On Fire with Lemmy wailing from within an echo chamber.

‘Into Abaddon’ is their second long-player and despite its concise playing time this isn’t one you should pass on. They’ve managed to recreate an album that utterly envelopes you in the music by hiring a producer, Joe Barresi, who’s worked with such bands as Kyuss, Tool and Bad Religion. Scott Baptiste, the drummer and principal songwriter, cannot speak highly enough of his abilities. “Joe blew our minds every day. He’s a tone master and really gets into the bands he works with to the point where he almost served as a new member in the studio. Our last few records captured what we sounded like live at the times in which they were made, but Joe was able to conceptualize that sound and make it even more powerful”. With echoing vocals, thickly distorted driving bass, deeply throbbing guitars which interweave in collapsing shifts and bad-ass, pounding drum rhythms, Saviours drag you helplessly into their dark, menacing cave and beat upon you soundly until you finally admit defeat.

At just over three minutes the curt title track nods politely in the direction of Iron Maiden’s thundering ‘Run To The Hills’ rhythm. To the sound of horses galloping into battle, guitarist/vocalist Austin Barber lets loose a vitriolic series of war cries. In combination with the warping ferocity of the booming and cascading guitars it’s a heady mix. It’s followed by ‘Narcotic Sea’ which mixes an abrasive, monotone and almost shouted, vocal with a series of psychedelic rising and falling guitar patterns. Suddenly we’re aboard a tiny boat on a vast ocean of sound and our heads are firmly held over the side, our stomachs churning as the wailing feedback rushes at us before slowly ebbing into silence. The remainder of the album is a concoction of this raw driving power (such as on ‘Raging Embers’ or ‘Cavern Of Mind’) and this insanely brilliant conceptual revelry (‘Mystichasm’ or ‘Firewake Angel’). Aptly named, this band can truly save you.