Alraune, Thetan, Dawn, 16, and Tombs at the Owl Farm

On Thursday, October 18th, I went and saw Alraune, Thetan, Dawn, 16, and Tombs at the Owl Farm. The Owl Farm is a new venue that opened up this summer out in northeast Nashville. It's meant on some level to be a successor to the Little Hamilton, which shut down not too long ago. I was never fortunate enough to make it out to Little Hamilton, so I was excited to see some of the bands associated with that scene, since they tended not to play too many other places around town.

On a metascriptive note, I've decided to change how I review live shows by deleting one element: the number out of 10 at the end. They just feel too slapped on there, too arbitrary, and too extraneous. I'd like to give 9s to every local band I ever see, because so many of them are so talented, but if everybody gets a 9, what's the point? Too often people look to the numbers to glean how I feel about a band, and that's not representative at all. So no more numbers, unless any of you feel strongly about them.

Anyway, first up at this show was Alraune. These guys feature members of Sky Burial, Yautja, Gnarwhal, Vesicus, etc., and they kick ass. These guys played fast heavy black metal. Really great, interesting stuff, with the bassist and both guitar players each contributing on vocals. I thought that the bassist (Jesse from Sky Burial, I think) had the strongest vocals out of all three. They had some cleaner and softer parts to break up the mountains of metal; the best quieter moment came at the end, when it really had an impact. My only complaint is the same one I'm starting to have with most local bands is the fact that they're vocals were often lost in the mix, and though I could see their mouths grimacing, I could barely hear their darkened cries. Also, I'm not sure if this was the venue or what, but the guitars sounded a little murky. This is a smaller complaint though; aside from these two minor issues, these guys were great. I'd put up a streaming thing right here, but these guys must be too kvlt for any of that nonsense. I can't find a single thing. So get your ass to a show of theirs, because these guys are good.
Update: streaming things!


Next up was Thetan. Despite being a  two-piece that consists of a drummer and a bass, these guys sound nothing like Om. If Alraune was murky in a detracting way, then Thetan was murky in just the right way. Bassist/screamer Dan Emery's wall of amps rumbled your guts at high speed. It's almost like these two tried the full band experience, got sick of it, and said "FUCK IT we can do this just the two of us!" And they absolutely can. The energy put forth by Dan was incredible. He wailed on that bass like it was a dog that had just chewed up his favorite slippers. Drummer Chad L'Plattenier is no slouch either; he kept up with Dan the whole way. Together, these two make you want to raise your fist and bang your head as fast as you can. Until the slow parts, that is. The heavy, sludgey bits were absolutely satisfying. These guys played through with zero banter, zero talking to the crowd, as if their sole focus was on playing and absolutely nothing else. There was no jokes, no bullshit, just fucking awesome fast and heavy music. And they don't give a shit about money. Their merch sign said "7" for $3, shirts for $I don't care." These guys are all badass and no bullshit. If you like Tusk or Trap Them, you'll love Thetan.

Next up was Dawn. When I did the interviews at the Hymen house in February Jesse Mowery talked about his band Dawn (albeit after my phone had stopped recording the interview), and the guys and girls from Fenris said they were an amazing supergroup of some of the best players in Nashville, so you'll imagine my excitement at getting to see them play. They feature Jesse on guitar/vocals, Jordan House (of Sky Burial and also played guitar earlier in Alraune) on bass, and Ivan Doerschuk (also of Sky Burial... christ, is this the supergroup or is Sky Burial?) on drums. Their sound is definitely hardcore, but it's not always straightforward. They'll be rocking along at a quick tempo, then throw an interesting time signature into the mix. Something to interrupt your headbangery and make you listen closer. The vocals were great, nice and intense. These guys are relentless, barely giving you time to think or breathe while they erupt dynamic, hard-hitting riffs. When they do slow down for a brief bit, your body will move with it whether you want to or not. Sludge interludes like theirs make me cream my pants. If you like Converge, High on Fire, or any metallic hardcore band, you will adore Dawn. I know I do.

Now it was time for the "big name" bands. 16 was up first. I'd heard about these guys a few years ago and I enjoyed what I heard, so I was looking forward to seeing them. They put one a pretty damn good show. Their vocalist was fairly animated, though I had trouble hearing him very well. The guitarist had a sweet setup, with a stack of amps behind him, and a big Orange cab off to left that he send a drier output to. He would often send a signal to only the far amp, and then send it to both to make big hits even bigger and meatier. Their riffs were slow, fuzzed out, and heavy. Really good stuff, apart from my douche-o-meter going off for a split second when Tyler from Alraune (and also Gnarwhal) came to help the vocalist with the PA system, and said vocalist backed away and said "Guess it's his PA guys..." to which Tyler gave a pretty good "What the fuck?" face. Still, a little blemish isn't enough to discolor this review. These guys have been sludging it up for many years, and they know what they're doing at this point. Crunchy, heavy stuff.


The last band of the night was Tombs. I'd heard a little bit of their stuff before, and everyone was pretty gaga over their album last year, but when I went to check them out I was pretty turned off by their 'Gossamer' video. Still, I thought I'd give them another chance, and even if they suck, all the other bands would be sweet. Man, what a difference a show can make! These guys were absolutely stunning. They were just so heavy and fast and just everything I could've hoped for. Much more black metal than that awful Gossamer video, and I loved every minute of it. The vocals were sick, and the tremolo-picked guitars lined up with the drums more precisely than maybe any band I have seen live. Now that I think about it, this was my first black metal show! I hope they're all this awesome, and fine-tuned. I had to borrow money from friends to get it, but there was no way I was going home without their Path of Totality LP. Stream it for yourself right here, and see what all this fuss is about. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


Feels good to be writing again. Sorry for the lack of pictures; the ones I took before my phone died didn't come out at all. Look for my reviews of Bobbaroo (7 bands!!), and Loss/Bell Witch/Clorange/Brother Ares at the End coming soon!

Catching up

So you might have noticed that I haven't put up a new article for a few months. What can I say but holy crap I have been busy! Who'd have thought that it actually takes time to do well in school? A thousand apologies to all bands I've seen and not officially reviewed. My memory is hazy due to the time between now and then, but here's a vague recollection of the shows that I've seen and haven't had a chance to properly review. Because of such fog in my memories, I don't feel like I can give numerical reviews (which I'm lukewarm on anyhow) out, so these will just be writeups.

All Them Witches, Across Tundras, and Windhand at Dino's on August 20th
This was my first time at Dino's, which to me seemed to just be a burger and bar joint with some space in the corner where somebody said "Hey Dino! What should we use the corner for?" "I don't know... how bout a band or two?" So basically the space is tiny. I've been to house shows with more room. Not only was it small, but the acoustics were pretty poor as well. It may have just been shitty PA systems, but vocals were scant with all three bands. Despite these blemishes, each band gave pretty great performances.

All Them Witches

All Them Witches are a local stoner rock outfit with a more serious, almost earnest soulful edge. I was reminded of Asteroid and Kyuss a bit when listening to their sound. Definitely worth checking out.

 Second up was Windhand. These guys are from Richmond VA, and feature Parker Chandler of Cough on bass, so you'll understand that I felt like an absolute ass-kisser wearing my Cough shirt to this show. Their tone was amazing, like getting sucked down into a tar pit by the balls. Just, so thick and gooey. My skin vibrated during their entire set. They also lit some incense, which was a nice touch. The only downside to their set was that despite how much my brain tried to imagine hearing it, I could not hear the girl singing at all, despite being less than five feet away from her. Her voice sets Windhand apart from other similar sludge/doom acts, so it was a bit of a disappointment not to hear her. Still, the rest of the band was unbelievably heavy, so it wasn't a total loss.

Last up was Across Tundras. I first saw Across Tundras with a much different lineup 2 years ago, so it was a treat to see them again. This time though, Tanner had recruited Mikey and Joey from Hellbender to play guitar and bass, respectively. Despite the subpar acoustics, they played a kickass show, and Tanner was nice enough to give me a Sage LP, so look for that review in the future.

Biipiigwan, Sons of Tonatiuh, Brother Ares, and T.G. Olson at Springwater on August 31st
Oh Springwater... You are terrible but I love you for it. On this night, Across Tundras' leading man TG Olson played a solo acoustic set, which included one of my favorite Across Tundras jam Stone Crazy Horse. The rest of the set he played what I can only describe as droney campfire songs with a solemn attitude. It was mesmerizing.

Sons of Tonatiuh

Sons of Tonatiuh (pronounced "Tahn-ah-tea-ah") are a fantastic crusty sludge trio from Atlanta. These guys rock. Their sound is rough and serrated, and their hardcore vocals are exactly what's called for. Their 7" was worth every penny of the $3 I paid for it.

Biipiigwan

Biipiigwan are death sludge from all the way up in Ottawa, Canada. I hope Springwater was luxurious enough for them... Their sound, like Sons of Tonatiuh is pretty much just straight forward no bullshit heavy shit. When I talked to him afterwards, singer Musqwaunquot Rice said that most of their music was about Ojibwe ideas and theology. I picked up their LP God's Hooks and I'm very glad I did.

Mi hermanos Brother Ares played a killer set as well, and may have even debuted a new song. I think they did. I can't remember. Regardless, even Blake and Gore described this show as one of their best ones, and no one knows better than they do.

Hull, Hellbender, and All Them Witches at Springwater on September 1st
This was my second time seeing All Them Witches, and essentially the reason why I'm bothering to write this terribly long catch-up article in the first place. These guys kick ass, and deserved to be written about. So I apologize deeply to you men in All Them Witches with your stylish hair and dapper facial hair, I shall give you a full review next time I see you. Your music is groovy and enticing and you deserve a far larger audience than what you have.

Hellbender! These guys rule. Not only are they probably the best local band, but such nice guys. It's always a treat to see their shows, because hanging out with Mikey and Joey is just as much of a treat as their set itself. Their set that night was as great as ever, and I was left grinning.

Hull (no, not that crappy Courtney Love band) are a band from Brooklyn who aren't the easiest to describe. They have some crunch like sludge, their vocals are similar to Old Man Gloom's Aaron Turner's finest bark, and they aren't afraid to melt your face with a solo or two. If it were up to me, I'd just call it Triumph Metal. Their music, to me, seems to express a notion of fighting hard in whatever battle you may be embroiled in, but precisely at the moment when the battle has turned in your favor. It felt like the moment when you've caught the football, the game's almost over, and you realize that you are going to score the winning touchdown. That moment of realized victory is what Hull feels like.

Blake of Brother Ares interviews Josh and Bryan of Billy Castro

Me oh my what do we have here?? Brother Ares' guitarist/vocalist Blake asked me if he could interview Billy Castro for NashVile, and I said sure. Why not? Without further ado, here is the interview:

"
Billy Castro of Knoxville are a hard band to define.  They mix heavy Electric Wizard style riffery with dissonant Big Black meets Sonic Youth sheets of noise.  Within this, they present a compelling mix of male/female spoken/sung/screamed vocals and ever shifting sonic dynamics. Their debut album "Make Love Like War' is pretty incredible and unique (which is something hard to achieve in this day and age). Also they kill it live. I interviewed two members of the band this week in an effort to help the world become aware of what an amazing thing they are to behold. (Full disclosure, in addition to being a big fan of these guys, I'm also a good pals and my band, Brother Ares, has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with them.)

1. Tell us who you are and what you do in the band.

Josh Cochran- I'm Josh Cochran, and I play bass guitar and do some of the songwriting in Billy Castro.

Bryan Baker- I’m Bryan. I play guitar and do songwriting as well as vocals.

2. You two have been in several bands together, correct? What is it about each other than provides such musical camaraderie.

JC- Yup. We've been in The Unashamed, Bright Shining Lie, San Miguel, and now this. I think we play really well off each other. Neither one of us are technical players at all, but we are both unique in our styles and are both capable of writing catchy riffs that some how fit in weird, experimental songs. Since a lot of Bryan's guitar riffs are abstract and his solos are noisy, it leaves a lot of room for me as a bassist that bassists in a lot of other noise and metal bands don't have.

BB- Yeah, I kind of rely on him a lot. A good portion of the time I kind of go wandering music wise. I can trust Josh to hold down the sonic fort so to speak. When we are writing, or riffing, he kind of knows where I am thinking of going, and I can kinda see his direction, so it is easy for us to build.

3.You have a new drummer in Mikey Knouff, what happened to the old one, and what does Mikey bring to the table?

JC- Patrick left the band due to creative differences and the fact that he'd been playing drums in some sort of band or another for several years without a break. He's doing well. I drank with him a couple of weeks ago, haha. Michael brings a different style to the table than Patrick. Patrick's style is more proggy, loose, and jazzy, while Michael's style is more rooted in precision, metal, and hard rock. It's been really cool to rework the songs with Michael's style.

BB- Yeah, Mikey is way more tight that Patrick. It’s cool, getting everything together. Mikey is one of those people, like Josh, I know can handle me wandering. Not to say Patrick wasn’t, just that I really like playing with people I can trust to hold the fort. I am super stoked to get one writing new stuff.

4. Bryan, what is it like being in a band w/ your wife?

BB- It’s not as odd as most people would think. One get this kind of romanticized idea of it, I did for sure. You kind envision yourself like, sitting around, jamming and writing all the time, but it really isn’t like that. Most of the time it’s ”Hey, we have practice Thursday.” “oh, ok.” I am ok with that, because band stuff is stressful enough on me. Not to mention Becca is a damn good performer, and someone I know can both interpret our music well enough to put vocals to it, as well as play off of the weirdness we bring in. You don’t find many vocalists that can follow, “Well, I think a choir like part would be cool here, then maybe like a arrhythmic spoken word piece with a Kerouac feel to it.” I don’t praise her cause she’s my wife, I do so because she great at what she does, and we have pretty frank and honest critiques of each other as well.

JC- Bryan said he hates being in a band with Becca (just kidding).

5. You took your name from a transgender porn star, tell us what it is about the real Billy Castro that inspired you to take this moniker.

JC- I'll let Bryan handle this one for the most part. From what I can tell, it's all about not being afraid to be who you are so long as who you are does not directly do harm to others. Many people are not yet accepting of non-straight people, so Billy Castro, to me, is about accepting yourself and putting it out there that other people can accept you, too.

BB- What I originally wanted to name the band was Billy Castro does the Mission, which is the name of one of his films. That is obviously a little wordy so we cut it down. I kind of knew the band would have a bit of an LGBT focus, and I kind of wanted the tongue and cheek sort of names you find in queercore band names. Limp Wrist, God Is My Copilot, Pansy Division. Billy Castro lefts us be a bit more subversive, a little less obvious. Josh is right though, it’s kind of become something more than that. It kind of catalyst for what we want to convey to people listening and watching.

6. I know you guys are very rooted in the LGBT politics (your cover features two men engaging in a very romantic moment) and the riotgrrl movement, at least lyrically, would you consider yourself a political band or at least a band with an agenda? Would you say there's an overriding theme to your lyrics?

JC- I'd say that politics are a big part of the band, but that aspect of the band is not mutually exclusive from other aspects, such as songwriting and having fun. Our songs are about resistance and perseverance in a world that isn't always too warm to outsiders. So, in short, yes, we are a political band, but the politics are one aspect of who we are and what we do.

BB- Fun fact: That isn’t two men on the cover, nor is it a man and a woman. I do a pretty good portion of the lyric writing, especially on the last release, but the statements our lyrics make, while being political, are very personal to me. This is easily the most personal, and exposing band I have been in. I write about LGBT issues because they affect me, they hurt me. When there are a rash of teen suicides because of homophobic bullying, it breaks my heart. When I watch our political system grind to a halt because of obstructionist behaviors on both sides of the aisle, I want to call them out, but like Josh was saying, you have to have a platform for that. You need music just as challenging and visceral to match your feelings. Challenge your audience on multiple levels. Create something multifaceted. You also have to avoid preaching and shaming the people listening. You can just storm and rage, and gnash your teeth. You have to remember that the people you are talking about and angry at are still people, just like you and deserve respect and love just like you do. That balance is hard to find, and we are still working on it. Use to we didn’t want to sound preachy, or detract from the serious tone of our show, so we didn’t talk to the audience, now we realize that we’re missing an opportunity to connect with them, but we’re still pretty awkward. I don’t know if we’ll ever get over the awkward part.

7. The style of music you present is very unique, incorporating elements of metal, spoken word, as well as things like world percussion into your sound. I really find the way you approach vocals to be one of your best/most compelling elements. What would you say are your influences that brought you to this sound? Would you consider any bands your contemporaries in a genre sense?

JC- Thanks! My biggest influences in this band, personally, are Sunn 0))), Electric Wizard, Sonic Youth, Shellac, Interpol, Joy Division, and probably a bunch of others I can't think of. Like most bands, we find it hard to categorize ourselves, but we came up with "Experimental Noise Metal." In some ways, what we do isn't all that metal, but we aren't too concerned with fitting into a specific scene or satisfying a certain group of people. It's hard to say who, if anyone, our contemporaries are. I'll have to get back to you on that one, haha. I don't mean that in some sort of "we're so different than everyone else so we're better" sort of way. It's just that we don't fit in with a lot of the current trends in Knoxville.

BB- I guess my influences are a bit less metal and indie-ish. I dig Fugazi, mewithoutYou, Rage Against the Machine, and Sonic Youth for sure. I am sure people are going to listen to this and be like, “Oh, a band that can’t categorize themselves? How novel.” But I think we kind of push some boundaries, because while we take musical influences from bands and artists, we also pull from spoken word artist and poets. I for one also take inspiration from performance artists and organizations in my approach to shows. Also, I think I can confidently say that there aren’t any bands in Knoxville really like us, and if there are, I really, really want to meet them.

8. This blog mainly features Nashville bands, however you guys are Knoxville based. Do you think your city plays into yr sound? Also, care to give a shout out to any other Knoxville bands that Nashvile should pay attention to?

JC- Our sound isn't all that popular around Knoxville. Our best reception was definitely at our one Nashville show. It's not that people here have been rude to us. We've had small crowds enjoy our songs. I just feel that Nashville is a little "weirder," if that makes sense. It's more into variety. Some bands Nashville should check out are Rudemas, Generation of Vipers, U.S. Christmas, and Wampus Cat. Those are the bands around here I enjoy and respect the most. I totally forgot Argentinum Astrum! Those guys are Knoxville greats.

BB- Yeah, things are kind of stone faced here. Not to say there aren’t some people around here who love us, but sometimes things are a bit cold. Since Josh got a bunch of the metal bands down, I may focus on some less heavy stuff. My buddies in Arkaden are killing it with a sort of indie metal feel. On My Honor is a pop punk band that has been slugging it out for years and they are amazing live. Bad Ideas are another new pop punk group that is a bit older school but made up of some great guys. New Brutalism is a kind of noise-ish rock band that has some killer jams.

9. How has reaction to Make Love Like War been? Any particular part of the album you are distinctly proud of? Favorite track? Why?

JC- The reactions, although few in quantity, have been positive. People usually comment on how different we are, that we don't fit a certain mold. It's up for free download, by the way! Go check it out if you haven't already. It's hard to choose a favorite track, but I'd say "I Will Go" and "Knapsack" are my favorites. I love that the former makes use of space and has weird time signatures. With the latter, I enjoy the simple but crushing doom metal riff, the way the drums build up at the end of the song, and the way the vocals of Bryan and Becca bounce back and forth. They're dissonant but somehow fit together.

BB- Everyone who has heard has liked it, which I assume is a good thing. I dig We Will Not Run Out Of Bricks. It’s the first song we wrote as a band and I love playing it. Knapsack is awesome too because it gives people a good compass as to where we are heading.

10. Your guitar and bass tones are pretty unique, so let's have a guitar geek moment. Tell us your current set up and what you think yr strengths are on your instrument?

JC- We talked about this at practice, and I'm going to let Bryan handle this one. Beyond the names of my gear, I know little about it. Bryan is the gear nerd of the two of us, haha. I feel weird talking about my own strengths, but I'd say I'm able to play what's needed in a song. If it needs to be simple and in the pocket, I'll stay there. If I need to jump out and do my own thing to fill the space in the song, I'll do that. I try to balance myself between playing bass like a lead instrument (like Joy Division's Peter Hook) and staying deep in the pocket with some minor variations (see Electric Wizard's various bassists throughout the years).

BB- I think I’ll start with Josh’s rig. He runs two bass amps. Basically it is a clean and dirty amp allowing him to get a lot of growl and thump and retain clarity. I use an old Peavey bass amp head. I wanted loud, warm cleans and I love it. I use Russian reissue Big Muffs for my dirty sound. I dunno what my strength on guitar is. I am kind of stubborn about having a unique tone. Something where people will listen to the tracks and now my kind of guitar sound. I don’t know if I am there playing a gear wise, but I am working toward it.

11. What's next for the band?

JC- We have a few shows coming up locally (Longbranch on October 20th and 24th). Other than that, we're planning on writing a lot of new material. So far, we've written one new song with Mikey and a portion of one other song, so we're looking forward to writing a lot more with Mikey on board. After all that, we're wanting to play more shows than we have before and are also wanting to record an EP and/or new album. A split with Brother Ares is also in the works, so keep a lookout for that one (those guys rule!). [Editors note- Don't make me blush...]

BB- One thing we are going to do in the coming year is to get out more. Gonna hit the trail and stake our claim and such. I full expect Josh to die of dysentery. Seriously though, we hope to start playing out of town a lot more, and to have some new recordings done. Our new stuff is really going to push things in ways we haven’t explored before.
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Thank you Blake, and thank you Josh and Bryan. Stream their stuff right here: