1:54AM – I guess technically it’s Saturday morning, but when Firebird is covering Humble Pie, the technicalities don’t mean crap. For absolutely no reason whatsoever that I can discern, I’ve had this song stuck in my head all week, so it seemed a decent way to finish it off. Kind of a random, weird-ass week anyway, with the faux-press release from Black Pyramid, the reunion of Black Sabbath, etc.

I’ve been battling a cold all week — quite literally, the whole time — but am starting to come out of it and, if the timing following some social-type obligations tomorrow works out, I’ll be hitting up the Brighton Bar in Long Branch to see The Brought Low and Infernal Overdrive. I don’t know if I’ll review it, but it’s one of several shows I’ll be at in the next week (Fu Manchu, Premonition 13, and Judas frickin’ Priest come to mind most immediately), so it should be fun one way or the other.

Also: There will be a new podcast this weekend.

I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say it’s going to be the first of the two-parter 2011 year in review. Or maybe I am giving something away. Anyhow, there it is.

Aside from that, this coming week I’ll also post my interview with Nick DiSalvo from Elder and hopefully find some time to do an album review or two in between all those shows. I’ll also update on the HeavyPink sales and have some new streaming audio from the side-project of Monster Magnet‘s rhythm section, Riotgod. Much good to come, as ever.

Until then, I hope you have a great and safe weekend. I’ll see you on the forum and back here Monday for more riff worship. Doom on.

As I’ve been out of the country three Record Store Days in a row, I thought I’d do a little pre-shopping this year and while I was in Connecticut for the weekend earlier this month, I swung by my favorite shop in the state, Redscroll Records in Wallingford. It’s always good to know you’re on friendly ground, and when I walked in, they were playing Black Pyramid‘s self-titled album, so I immediately felt at home. Time before last, if you’ll recall, it was Sleep‘s Dopesmoker.

It doesn’t quite match the batch of discs I pulled in last time I was there in the fall, but I still managed to find some good stuff. I grabbed yet another Monster Magnet promo CD — it’s amazing how many there are floating around — called Five Reasons to Testify that has the awful God Says No shot of them with Dave Wyndorf‘s metal codpiece on the front (I’m not even going to show it, as well as the first Firebird record, the first Quest for Fire and the 1999 Bong Load Custom Records issue of Fireball Ministry‘s Où est la Rock? Not a bad haul, all told.

The Firebird I’d picked up at the band’s merch table at Roadburn 2009, but that was the European reissue and this was the original on The Music Cartel, so I couldn’t resist. When I reviewed the second Quest for Fire album, Lights from Paradise, I said that I’d have to go back and buy the first, and it was good to do that, although I think I prefer the second anyway. I couldn’t remember if I owned the Fireball Ministry or not, but decided to take the chance anyway and it paid off. The record kind of rules. Very Fu Manchu, except maybe for the Obsessed-esque “Death Dealer,” which actually features Guy Pinhas on bass, but enjoyable throughout. Probably the most stoner rock of all their albums, which suits me just fine.

There’s a hole punched in the UPC of the Fireball Ministry, which means it was probably someone’s promo, and I always think that’s interesting, and wonder who got the record initially, what they did or didn’t do with it and how they came to sell it. Every time I get emailed another link to download a new release, I get that “born too late” feeling. I’ve gotten plenty in my day, don’t get me wrong, but when I think of the shit that could have come in my mail (all those Monster Magnet promos, for one) and all the silver-backed bootleg CDs I could have bought in the pre-CDR era, I get a little sad. I guess we make the most with what we’ve got. It’s fun hunting this stuff down, anyway.

Most likely I’ll be back at Redscroll before too long, but just figured I’d share anyway, since it’s a quality store and deserves to have the word spread about it as much as possible. Check them out here if you haven’t yet, or find them on that Facebook the kids love so much.

He’s among the more underrated riff writers of his generation, and Steer (once a member of grind pioneers Carcass) shows again on Double Diamond his inner boogie. Beginning with “Soul Saviour,” the songs push through at a mostly middling pace, but Firebird’s strength has always been the verse/chorus interplay, and there are a few gems on their sixth outing as well, second track “Ruined” among them. Steer’s guitar line is well accompanied by the bass and Witt’s fills. The song feels less blatant in its ‘70s rock worship than did “Soul Saviour,” but there’s no question to which decade the guitar solo belongs. It could be that Firebird are trying to marry their influences with something more current, and it that’s so, I’m glad to see they didn’t have to sacrifice the catchiness in the process. Their formula doesn’t allow much stylistic movement – they’re not going to suddenly go hardcore on one of these songs, and rightfully not – but as the embodiment of a “what you see is what you get” mentality, Double Diamond does show some progress. If for no other reason than that a third of the band has changed, the dynamic has shifted in kind. “Bright Lights” and the shorter “For Crying Out Loud” find Steer up front in both guitar and vocal presence – it’s his band, at the end of the day – but “Farewell” steps down the energy to a kind of half-ballad level, and is another example of the outfit trying something different.

Not that Firebird has never played slower or more contemplative material before, but Steer’s maturity as a songwriter has changed what that means. The vibrancy of some of Double Diamond’s material is absent in “Farewell,” which has a kind of underlying sadness to it that comes up again later in the record. Come to think of it, it’s not a particularly “happy” record on the whole, and coupled with the relatively simple approach craft-wise (as much as it’s “simple” to write a pop song, which we all know by now it isn’t), it’s easy to read that as a turn in the style, but “A Wing and a Prayer” – probably as barn-burning as Double Diamond gets – is more straight-up rocking and revives the momentum of the album. It could very well be the split between sides A and B of a vinyl release, the first half ending with “Farewell” and the second beginning with “A Wing and a Prayer,” but that moody sensibility returns on “Pound of Flesh” (which sounds like a divorce song) and the minor-key creeper “Arabesque,” and it’s a different vibe from Firebird that maybe isn’t quite worked completely through yet. Some of Steer’s vocal cadences on “Arabesque” don’t fit as well as they do elsewhere, and the overall feel is that he hasn’t yet figured out how to place his voice over this kind of material. The upside is that, six albums in, Firebird are working new elements into what they do. There’s still some hammering-out to do, some smoothing, but it’s getting there on Double Diamond.

It’s really a question of balancing energy and mood. Both components of the closing duo, “Lose Your Delusions” and the acoustic-infused “Pantomime” keep the darker drive of Double Diamond’s second half going, and though the record feels transitional for Firebird, its saving grace is the band’s chemistry, the powerful songwriting and, of course, Steer’s excellent guitar work. There’s still a few nods here to those dying for the boogie and shuffle, and longtime followers will be interested in the contemplative turn the album makes, if not completely drawn in by it. I dug Grand Union, and probably in terms of long-term listening I’ll reach for that album before this one, but coming off Double Diamond, I’m more interested to see where Firebird goes from here, and I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything in that trade. It’s worth listening for yourself and seeing if you agree.

Firebird on Facebook

Rise Above Records

The good part was this year at Roadburn when Firebird (yes, and Carcass) guitarist/vocalist Bill Steer — who was apparently sick as hell at the time — started belting out songs through his harmonica, drummer Ludwig Witt and bassist Smok Smoczkiewicz throwing down infectiously grooving rhythms to match every solo, chorus and verse of riffy ’70s guitar rock. Shortly thereafter, with the release of the fifth Firebird record, Grand Union, the band proved the energy they captured on stage they could easily match in the studio, providing fitting covers of Humble Pie and James Taylor alongside original highlights “Jack the Lad” and “Wild Honey” while showing the retro sect there’s more to it than vintage gear and fuzzy promo photos.

Indeed, Grand Union‘s second greatest strength (the first being the songwriting) might be its modern sound. In the digital age of endless recording possibilities, Firebird sound natural, unforced and entirely void of pretense. As ever, the trio executes their material with a keen eye on hard rock’s lineage but both feet planted in the present.

Steer was kind enough to take some time out recently for a phoner to talk about the album, Firebird in general, and his plans for the future, including the revelation (spoiler alert) that he’s joined Gentleman’s Pistols on lead guitar. Enjoy.

Where does the title come from?

That was a name that seemed to be everywhere around the time we were preparing to make the album. I was working in a warehouse for a couple years and every time I went to lunch, I?d always go to grab a quick pint during the midday, the beer they served was called Grand Union. Then I moved into a room in Hackney on the corner of the Grand Union Canal. And then, I guess extending it, I also felt like this lineup of the band is the best we?ve had, so in a sense, that was a Grand Union as well.

The thing is, there?s a grocery store up and down the East Coast called Grand Union.

(Laughs) I heard about this in the States.

How did the timing for writing the songs work out? Were they written after the Carcass tour or before?

Oh no, the whole record was recorded before Carcass even played a show. For various reasons we ended up sitting on the thing for close to a hear. Some of the material goes way back, actually. At least a couple of tunes Ludwig and I demoed a couple years back, and then by the time Smok was in the band, we were playing those tunes live. Some of this material has really been worked on. Even a cover like the Humble Pie tune, ?Four Day Creep,? that was used to open our sets on our tour with Alabama Thunderpussy on our tour across Europe. When we recorded it, we were thinking of using it just as a bonus track, but it just came out to be good enough to be on the album proper. There were also one or two tunes which were written very close to recording. ?Blue Flame,? that was a real band effort. I just found myself hacking that riff out, and then the other guys stopped me and said, ?Play it again,? before I quickly forgot what I was doing. Then they had ideas springing off that and suddenly we had a track that sounded like the opener. This was the day before we went into the studio. So it?s a good blend of old and new.

What was the delay in the album being released?

That?s a very good question. I believe Rise Above had a lot of releases on their schedule, so they wanted to release it quite late anyway, but then I got caught up in the touring with Carcass. I was away from home for a long time. In a way, it was six months. I?d pop back for the odd day or two here and there, but I was really out of the loop and it was really hard to keep up with people like the label, so that was another reason. Eventually we just felt maybe it would be better if we waited a bit longer to put the thing out and I think it?s proved to be the case. We?ve been very fortunate with the reviews, certainly. We?ve never had such press, it?s quite surprising, actually.

It must have been frustrating at the time. I guess it makes sense because you can better concentrate on the release and promoting it.

That?s right, you just said it. The main thing is this album came out at a time where I was able to play a lot of shows with Firebird, whereas if it had come out in the middle of the Carcass touring, we wouldn?t have been able to support it because I was otherwise engaged. But getting back to the original point, it was rather frustrating. I don?t know any musician who likes waiting for a record to come out because it represents where you?re at in that specific point of time, so the quicker it can be out and heard by the public, the better. Then you can move on and get on with doing your new music. So we were kind of in limbo in that regard, and as happy as I am with the album, it represents us then and not now. If we went into the studio, it would be quite a different record we?d make.

How so?

Well, we?ve had even more time together as a band. Obviously Ludwig and I have been in the studio many times, but with Smok, this particular amalgamation of the three of us, that was the first time. We did okay given the circumstances, but I just know that next time it will be even better and I think generally we?re looking to make a more varied album next time. We?ve talking about this a lot over the years and for one reason or another, we?ve never really tackled it, mostly due to time constraints. If we have a limited amount of time in the studio, the one thing we know we can do very efficiently is record a whole batch of riff rock tunes in that kind of old school style. That tends to be what we fall into doing. It?s fairly risk-free, but I think if we?re organized this time, we?ll probably work on a lot more material in advance, so we?ll probably have an album and a half, maybe two albums, of material. If we can demo some beforehand, even better. We?re definitely going to play as much live as we can. Yeah, we?ll probably try and at least take a step outside the comfort zone on a few tracks. It?s just the only way to get better, is to test yourself and try different things.

This album being the first with Smok in the lineup, how did his contributions make the record different from Hot Wings?

It really just felt like a more rounded band. I think doing the Alabama Thunderpussy tour that I mentioned earlier was a huge factor, because that was really where we gelled. Prior to that, I think we?d only done one or two shows with Smok. When you?ve been across Europe together in a van playing every night for whatever it is, three weeks or so, by the end of that experience, you?re just playing together in a much stronger way. Experience helped a lot, and just the kind of person he is. He?s a very high-energy guy. That?s given us all a kick in the backside.

You can hear growth and change from album to album with Firebird, but are you conscious of keeping the sound within the parameters of what the band does? Or does that kind of thing not matter?

That is a very good question, because when I started the group, at the back of my mind was the thought that we set it up so if we did try certain things, for example some acoustic music or tracks that are a bit softer, that it wouldn?t be a problem. I was hoping when we did our first album we got that vibe across to some degree, like yes, it was a predominantly riff rock band heavily influenced by some of that music from the late ?60s and early ?70s, but sometimes we just have a track which was more like conventional songwriting. Chord sequence and a melody. Even a track which might be considered by some as a ballad. Whatever. On the five records we?ve done, we?ve only just hinted at that, and I guess that?s what I?m trying to say about the next album. I think we just need to be a little bit bolder. It?s good to have limitations, we clearly do have limitations because we?re a three-piece. When you play live, there?s so many things you can?t do for that reason, and it?s quite important to just have those kind of parameters sometimes. But yeah, I would like to stretch it more than we have so far.

There?s some of that going on with Grand Union. ?Caledonia? sticks out as blending a bunch of different elements, sound-wise.

Yeah, to me, I think most days that would be my favorite track on the record. There?s just something different about it. I can?t even put it into words, what we captured in that.

When you were writing it, were you aware of how different it was musically?

Yeah, that song was very new and when we took it to the studio, as far as the other guys were concerned, it was just a skeleton. I don?t think they even regarded it as a song because I just presented it as a very basic chord sequence and rhythm with a little figure here in the chorus. And then there was a midsection, but they didn?t know what was going on. We laid it down in that fashion, then once I put the vocals on, it took shape. I guess the setting is sort of important when you?re recording. If that track was bone dry, it would have no vibe whatsoever, but obviously the drums are very ambient on it and the guitars are recorded in a very natural way. Berno [Paulsson] is such a talented engineer, he knew exactly what needed to be done just to enhance the basic elements. There?s a lot of space in that track in particular. Our best stuff does tend to have a lot of air in it, but in the context of the album, this track is very open.

It?s in a special position too as the last track.

Once we?d finished it, I just said, ?That?s it, it?s got to be the closer.? I just couldn?t hear anything else that would rival it. For me, it was a fun thing to do, because what sparked off the basic idea was I was messing with the slide, as I sometimes do, and I just started playing stuff that wasn?t bluesy, and I guess that?s what sparked it off. I wanted to do a track with just slide where I didn?t fall back on any of those standard bluesy slide licks. I don?t think the track has a bluesy vibe at all, really. I was thinking about something else entirely.

With material rooted in that old school rock, you get a lot of bands who take a retro approach to production, and you guys have never done that. Grand Union sounds clear and modern.

That?s interesting, because I guess I hear different things from different people. Some people say our stuff is too old fashioned, it sounds exactly like Cream or Humble Pie or whoever. As somebody who really doesn?t listen to those bands, I find that quite amusing, because I don?t think there?s much of a similarity. It?s obvious we?ve heard them a lot and we?ve absorbed a tremendous amount of influence from them, but I don?t think that our records sound very similar. That?s a very interesting point, I?ll have to tell the guys what you just said, because I think that point is often overlooked. The way studios are run these days, it?s just so different. No matter how hard you try, you can never truly get back to that sound from that period. For me, I?m just happy that we have a record that?s ambient and natural. We just go in there and do our thing. With technology, some of it?s unavoidable, for obvious reasons, but we?re not getting into editing, ProTools, or click tracks or AutoTuning. We?d rather just stand aside from all that.

Everyone says, ?Analog is so warm,? and there?s something to that, but tape is expensive, and unless you?re cutting and pasting choruses?

Recording digitally isn?t a bad thing, per se, because like you said, it?s far cheaper and you save time on things like rewinding tape, because in a long session, precious minutes are lost just rewinding tape back and forth. I think just the pursuit of so-called perfectionism is really the bad side of all this new technology. I actually don?t think it?ll lead to anywhere because when I hear a contemporary pop or metal record on the radio, I switch off very quickly, because nothing jumps out. Everything?s leveled off. It?s really maybe a matter of taste. I suppose if you?re taking to a 15-year-old kid in a Bullet For My Valentine t-shirt, he?d probably say something different.

Carcass is doing summer festivals and Firebird?s doing the UK this month into September. What else do you have coming up?

Carcass is doing three or four more festivals this year and that?s it. Firebird?s doing just tons and tons of UK stuff. We?ve got dates in September, October and November. We?re also going to be playing Sweden and I guess we?ll be going back to Italy. Whether that?ll be before Christmas or just after, I?m not sure. Alongside of this, we?re working on new material. We just want to be, for once, ahead of the game, so we?ve started to get some new tunes together. Smok and myself also have this acoustic duo, so whenever we have a bit of time we get together and play acoustic guitars and sing various weird songs. That?s something else we do. I?ve also been playing guitar in a band from Leeds called Gentlemans Pistols. Their lead player, he left a few weeks back, and they asked me to step in. I was already a fan of the band, they?ve been friends for a few years. That?s been a lot of fun so far.

Firebird on MySpace

Rise Above Records

Firebird

Based out of foggy London town, Steer is probably best known as the guitarist for grind gods Carcass, and if Grand Union serves as anything, it’s a reminder of why Steer looked so damn bored on stage when I saw their reunion tour last year. Sure, he ripped through solos and shredded when it was dictated he do so, but, decked in bellbottoms and a white t-shirt, he seemed out of his element and disinterested. By contrast, when Firebird played Roadburn this April, he was excited to the point that he couldn’t stand still.

Though, to be fair, Firebird‘s music is the type of classic ’70s rock that’ll have just about anyone shaking their ass. Certainly the crowd in The Netherlands was into it, and Steer — joined by drummer Ludwig Witt and new bassist Smok Smoczkiewicz — locked onto the energy as the band ran through Grand Union tracks like “Four Day Creep,” “Silent Stranger,” “Wild Honey” and Duster Bennett‘s harmonica-led “Worried Mind.” New songs or old, it was good-time rock and roll, which just so happens to be Firebird‘s specialty.

Grand Union is broken into sides A and B in the grand tradition of doing things the way they were done 35 years ago and offers catchy originals alongside covers of Humble Pie (“Four Day Creep” is from their 1971 live album, Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore) and James Taylor (“Fool for You”). Firebird‘s affection for classic rock is long stated and appreciated at this point, but a song like “Jack the Lad” emits a Clutch-level groove while still managing to stay true to its intention, which, five albums in, is an accomplishment for a band that might otherwise have veered from their mission. Steer‘s guitar is up front where it belongs, sweetly toned and tossing out solos like microwaved free samples at the end of the frozen food section. His craft, as ever with Firebird, is a highlight.

The two sides of Grand Union don’t provide a radical change in sound, but do have structural differences. Side B opens with the rocking “Wild Honey,” and moves quickly into the riffier “Gold Label,” which is a stoner rocker’s dream come true. All groove, nothing wasted, no bullshit. Following “Worried Mind,” “See the Light” takes it down a notch with a smoky blues feel and the aforementioned Humble Pie cover fits in so well Steer could have written it himself. Closer “Caledonia” — which adept Suidakra fans will know was the name the Romans gave to Scotland — deposits Zeppelin tones in a warm, folksy, slide guitar place, bringing the record to a sentimental conclusion in a mere 5:41 (still the longest track).

Whether it’s a flag, torch, joint or whatever, Firebird are carrying it for classic methodology, and Grand Union makes short work of all the retro posturing and fashion-play going on these days while riffing its way into rock timelessness. If you’ve never checked them out, no time like the present.

Firebird on MySpace

Rise Above Records