Taking the bus down for the day, The Patient Mrs. met me in town (this weekend is our wedding anniversary) and we loafed around for a bit before eventually settling in to do some work, and then eventually I dropped her off at the 30th St. Station, so she could head back north and I could run over to the venue for the start of the show. I’ll confess that despite having seen the Brian Mercer poster above on more than one occasion, I didn’t even remember who was first on the bill, so when I walked in, it was a bit of a surprise to hear Ironweed playing.

We’ll begin with that:

Ironweed: Of all the acts on the Small Stone roster, they’re probably the one I’m the least a fan of, but I’ll hand it to the Upstate New Yorker double-guitar four-piece anyway and say they were tight as hell. Their stuff is just on the other side of commercially accessible from what I really get down with, but they do it well, and though I haven’t listened to their Your World of Tomorrow album since I reviewed it back in April, I still recognized some of the songs from it. That alone should say something about the strength of their songwriting, wherever how they use it might lie on the spectrum of my personal taste.

The Might Could: Don’t even like Pantera anymore. Despite not being able to stand too close to the stage on account of the formidable body odor emitting therefrom, The Might Could were loud enough that I could’ve probably sat on the on-ramp to I-95 a few miles down the road and still heard them. Both guitarists/vocalists Erik Larson and TJ Childers played through full  stacks, and though I think going on earlier didn’t necessarily suit the band’s performance — bassist Rob Gouldman (ex-Lord) mentioned from the stage several times they wanted drink tickets — they killed. There should’ve been more people there to see it, but the songs, the tones, the mix of Southern, stoner and sludge made The Might Could‘s set stand out. They were loose and clearly wanted to be that way, but sounded even fuller live than they did on their self-titled, and Ryan Wolfe started off a string of insanely good drumming that lasted the rest of the night.

Throttlerod: Kevin White continued that string that Ryan Wolfe started, and added a more technical sense to it, some theory to go with the speed. There were different styles throughout the evening, and with people doing different things musically, it’s hard to say who was the best, but White was up there, whatever metric you might want to use. Aside from rocking, Throttlerod‘s set was fascinating because of the noisy course the band’s sound has taken over their last couple records, Nail (2006) and Pig Charmer (2009). Seeing northerners take on a Southern aesthetic is nothing new, but the Virginian three-piece — which as of Pig Charmer featured Brooklyn-based bassist Andrew Schneider, also engineer and co-founder of Coextinction Recordings, who was absent — have gone the opposite route, adopting a start-stop crunch that’s straight out of the classic Amphetamine Reptile playbook. With guitarist/vocalist Matt Whitehead adding melody vocally, it’s a distinctive mix.

Gozu: Their spot on the bill was a clear indication that Scott Hamilton, owner of Small Stone Records, wanted to feature them to the crowd. Otherwise, Throttlerod has been around much longer and The Might Could, though a relatively new band, have added clout owing to their pedigree (Childers plays drums in Inter Arma, Ryan Wolfe was signed to Relapse with Facedowninshit and Erik Larson was in Alabama Thunderpussy), but to Gozu‘s credit, they earned their spot. One of the best aspects of their 2010 Small Stone debut, Locust Season, was the vocals of guitarist Marc Gaffney, and on stage at The M-Room proved no different. Locust Season flew under a lot of people’s radar, I guess because it seems like Gozu came out of nowhere with it, but the record was really strong, and the memorability of the songs held up. Gaffney, playing through a custom Matamp (I think) with “GAFF” on the faceplate, was joined on guitar by Doug Sherman, whose high-slung guitar, angled ballcap and stage demeanor was right out of the New England hardcore scene birthed in Gozu‘s Boston home. Still, with the two guitarists, it was bassist Paul Dallaire‘s low end that dominated the live mix, and coupled with Barry Spillberg‘s intimidating performance on drums, there was no question the band was where they belonged. They played a new song — I believe Sherman said it was called “Bald Bull” (the referential title would be befitting their modus) — that speaks well of what’s to come on their next album.

The Brought Low: Like Suplecs and Lo-Pan the night before, it was my second time in a week seeing Small Stone‘s NYC contingent trio. Their set was mostly the same as it had been in Brooklyn, but at the behest of Hamilton, they also included “Vernon Jackson” from 2006′s Right on Time, which happens also to be one of my favorite songs of theirs. Still, it was the ultra-catchy “The Kelly Rose” from their aptly-titled third record, Third Record, that I walked out of The M-Room singing under my breath at the end of the night. Nick Heller continued the night of 1,000 tom hits, and Bob Russell and Ben Smith did right by material both new and old. “Army of Soldiers” was again a killer inclusion, and though it was enjoyable on their Coextinction EP, I hope it winds up on their next album, because it’s worth highlighting and pressing to disc. They had a couple classic Brought Low barn-burners going, and that was right up there with any of them. It wasn’t like I was dying to hear those songs because it had been so long since I’d seen the band, but The Brought Low never fail to please, and Philly was no exception. They tossed around a few joshing Civil War references (a new shirt features the visage of Ulysses S. Grant) in the direction of The Might Could, and it was another enjoyable — day I say “fun?” — set from a rock band in total command of their style and playing.

Roadsaw: They were simply too big for the stage they were playing on. It was my first time seeing the mainstay Boston foursome of vocalist Craig Riggs, bassist Tim Catz, guitarist Ian Ross and drummer Jeremy Hemond since the release of their self-titled back in January, and the quality of those songs was palpable standing in the crowd, much of which had stayed late. There was a second or two there where I thought Riggs — who is a madman on stage — was going to fall right off, and likewise where I thought the microphone which he spins from the cable, was going to pop off the cord and hit someone in the head. Neither happened and the excitement was located entirely within the set, which is fortunate at least from an injury perspective. It was approaching 2AM, which was closing time for The M-Room, so they clipped a few songs off the top. Riggs said after they were done that they prefer it that way anyhow, short and sweet, and I didn’t hear anyone else complaining. Since coming back to active duty with 2008′s See You in Hell!, Roadsaw have emerged as being among a small number of masters of the heavy rock form, and between the Roadsaw record and the showing they gave in Philly, I’d say that anyone across the Atlantic who happens to catch them on their upcoming run with Dixie Witch and Sasquatch would be lucky to do so. A near-perfect combination of energy and experience, and probably the most fitting end the Small Stone showcase could’ve had short of a Halfway to Gone reunion. It was right on right from the start.

But when it was over, it was nigh on ridiculous o’clock, and with the two-hours northbound ahead of me, I made a quick exit and beeline back to the car. I managed to cut some time off the trip (am I the only person who races to shave minutes off their GPS?) and, by some amazing coincidence, fell into bed just in time to completely conk out. It was a hell of a week, and a hell of a weekend, but it capped just right. I won’t be able to make the Chicago showcase next weekend, but it’s Freedom Hawk, Gozu, Sasquatch, Backwoods Payback, Lo-Pan and Suplecs on Oct. 1, so if you can make it, consider this post and yesterday’s a hearty recommendation to do so.

Thanks to Scott Hamilton and all the bands for making it a killer time, and to The Patient Mrs. for being the kind of lady who doesn’t mind it when she calls her husband to say happy seventh anniversary and The Brought Low is rocking in the background.

More pictures after the jump.

Ironweed

The Might Could

Throttlerod

Gozu

The Brought Low

Roadsaw

After bolting from a school obligation in Newark and stopping only to grab sushi takeout on my way to Brooklyn for the BrooklynVegan/The Obelisk-presented gig at Union Pool with The Brought Low, Lo-Pan and Suplecs. I was excited to see the bands and glad it had stopped raining from earlier in the day, but more than either of those, I was just in a hurry to get there.

Being involved in booking and promoting shows is nerve-wracking work, and to those who do it on a regular basis — and that includes Fred from BrooklynVegan, who invited me to be a part of the show out of the blue and the kindness of his heart — much respect. I can’t imagine being responsible for making people show up somewhere, trying to draw a crowd. I have a hard enough time getting my own ass off the couch, let alone anyone else’s.

That said, if e’er a rock bill in Brooklyn was going to do it, it was this one. With the two-day Small Stone Records showcase in Philadelphia this weekend featuring all three of these bands (and many others), I was thinking of the show as an unofficial warm-up, a kind of unofficial mini-showcase — but really, however you phrase it, it was a killer night. The Brought Low went on at 9:30, and if you looked back from there, you wasted your time.

I don’t know how many times I’ve said it at this point, but every time I see them affirms my opinion that The Brought Low are the best rock band in New York. They played a set that felt short, but pulled probably the night’s biggest crowd. The two faster cuts from their recent Coextinction Recordings EP, “Army of Soldiers” and “Black River” — on which bassist Bob Russell took lead vocals from guitarist Ben Smith — sounded great, and the material from last year’s Third Record was no less thrilling than when I heard it the last time I saw them in December. Nick Heller‘s drumming behind Smith‘s come-a-creepin’ guitar line on “My Favorite Waste of Time” gave me a newly-revitalized appreciation for that song.

That was about as subdued as they got. The rest of their time was devoted to energetic, upbeat songs like “Blues for Cubby” off of 2006′s Right on Time, which was another highlight. They were probably the perfect way to kick off the show, and set a high bar for Lo-Pan, who I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen this year at this point (another to come Friday in Philly). Union Pool‘s sound suited them well as they ran through tracks from the instantly classic Salvador, released earlier this year.

Guitarist Brian Fristoe played probably the best and most engaged set I’ve seen from him — Lo-Pan‘s stage configuration puts the instruments out front and the aforementioned Jeff Martin in the rear, and Fristoe is usually pretty subdued compared to drummer Jesse Bartz and bassist Skot Thompson, seemingly preferring to let the fuzz and the riffs do the talking — but it didn’t wind up doing him any favors. Late in the set, he broke a string and the considerable momentum Lo-Pan had built coming off “Bird of Prey” took a substantial hit.

It didn’t stop them. Jokes were tossed back and forth in the break while Fristoe changed out the string, and Lo-Pan was tight enough that when they picked back up and closed out with “Generations,” I didn’t hear another word about the string. In talking to the band before and after they played, they said they were well rested, and they played like it. Comparing it to a few weeks back at Stoner Hands of Doom XI, they were pretty great then, but better last night. Clearly just a band at the top of their game making the most of their time on the road. It’s exciting to watch them.

And what to say about Suplecs? The New Orleans trio’s bassist Danny Nick mentioned from the stage that it was the band’s first time in Brooklyn since opening for Clutch and The Hidden Hand at L’Amour in 2004. Last time I saw them was right around then as well, at South by Southwest that year. So seven years and two albums later, they loaded onto the Union Pool stage and let loose with songs from across their discography. I missed the start, but came back in shortly thereafter in time for the anthemic punk chorus of “Stand Alone” from 2011′s Mad Oak Redux, which carried even more heft live, Nick and guitarist Durel Yates sharing vocal duties and driving the rhythms nailed down by the stellar drumming of Andrew Preen.

“White Devil” from 2001′s Sad Songs… Better Days made my night, plain and simple. And that Suplecs followed it up with their take on The Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” which was included on the same album tacked to the more shuffling “Unstable” was even more righteous, but what was most striking about their performance wasn’t even how tight the band was — 15 years of a solid lineup will do that — but just how much diversity there is in their material.

Maybe it’s harder to hear on their records (though I would and have argued that their studio stuff has much to offer in terms of personality), but throughout the course of their time, it occurred to me just how many different roads Suplecs was taking the audience, from the hardcore punk of “Stand Alone” to the ultra-stonerly riffing of “White Devil” and “Dope Fu,” to the extended jams and solos they fused into the latter half of their set, to the off-the-cuff take on early Metallica — I think it was “Four Horsemen” — they threw into their finale. Yates, Nick and Preen made all these changes and shifts work, so that if you weren’t paying attention, you hardly even noticed the movement from one to the next.

On a night of impressive feats, that of Suplecs was as appropriate a finish as The Brought Low‘s was a start, and for that, and for the utterly transcendent fuzz of Lo-Pan in between (yeah, yeah, I know, I’m a nerd for Lo-Pan), the show was perfect. The crowd was filled with good people, Union Pool‘s sound is killer, and I even managed to make it back to my foggy river valley in New Jersey without running out of gas. I couldn’t possibly have asked more from the show than I got.

And for that, I owe Fred from BrooklynVegan thanks. I’m no promoter, and I don’t know squat about putting on shows, but Fred was cool enough to ask me if I wanted to be involved and it was hugely appreciated. Thanks too to everyone who came out and made it as special as it was. If I needed another reason to be stoked for Philly this weekend (I didn’t), this was it.

Extra pics after the jump, as always.

The Brought Low

Lo-Pan

Suplecs

I’m excited to be teamed with BrooklynVegan on this show, and am so pretty much only through their graciousness, so thanks much to them. It’s going to be a killer night — if you’ve never been to Union Pool, the taco cart is fantastic — with three righteous, bullshit-free bands for the low price of $10. It’s the kind of show I’d be happy just to go to, let alone have this site’s name on the flier:

Speaking of, here’s that flier:

Any spreading the news around or buying of advanced tickets you’d like to do is certainly appreciated. Hope to see you at the show.

Coextinction Recordings

Boasting the songs “Army of Soldiers,” “Black River” and “Don’t Give Up Your Good Thing,” The Brought Low‘s Coextinction EP (produced, not surprisingly, by the band in conjunction with Schneider) distills the elements that make the band among the finest their overcrowded city has to offer. The opener is a classic Brought Low barn-burner, “Black River” finds bassist Bob Russell taking the lead for some mid-paced classic rock stomp, and on the seven-minute finale, “Don’t Give Up Your Good Thing,” the trio — Russell, guitarist/vocalist Ben Smith and drummer Nick Heller — slam on the breaks and deliver the twanged-out melancholy as only they can.

The band and Coextinction were kind enough to allow me to host “Army of Soldiers” for streaming on the player below, so please check it out. Under that, you’ll find some insight from Smith and Russell about the three songs. Thanks much to all parties involved for kicking ass.

The Brought Low‘s EP is available for a whopping $2.99 at Coextinction‘s website: http://www.coextinction.com

“Army of Soldiers”

Ben Smith: The result of listening to too much NWOBHM in Bob‘s truck last tour. Originally the lyrics were about knights and dragons but I couldn’t sing them with a straight face so Bob suggested, “Make it about being a kid in Queens and getting fucked up on angel dust and doing graffiti.” Done.

Bob Russell: If you ever stood in the freezing cold somewhere in the woods wearing only your denim jacket and Cons just so you could listen to your Celtic Frost tape and drink a few cans of stolen Budweiser with your friends, then the army of soldiers wants YOU.

“Black River”

BR: “Black River” is about doing bad things. You may not want to do ‘em, but you know you’re gonna do ‘em. I wrote it while having to walk across the English Kills to work on a shitty construction site right between a waste transfer station and a demolition transfer station. I always wondered what you’d find at the bottom of that water.

BS: Bob’s jam. He had given me an acoustic demo of it and I instantly thought we could turn it up. Fulfills my dream of The Brought Low sounding like The Band using Marshall stacks.

“Don’t Give Up Your Good Thing”

BS: Wouldn’t be a Brought Low release without a weeper.  Had the first two verses for like 10 years but didn’t write the last verse until a few months ago. Whenever I bring in a ballad I always worry the dudes won’t like it yet they always do, which makes me very happy.

BR: I think this is the most glacially-paced song we’ve recorded. We reckoned it begs for horns and keys and stuff but here, in its sparse version, it works kind of sweet. This is also the first time I’ve seen Ben play a Strat. Just attach yourself to Nick‘s ride cymbal and don’t make any plans for the next seven minutes.

Get The Brought Low’s Coextinction EP here

Here’s the news from the band:

The Brought Low will be releasing a new three-song digital EP on Coextinction Recordings this July 15, 2011. We cut three new songs with producer Andrew Schneider about a month back and they will be available for download at the Coextinction website: http://www.coextinction.com.

Song titles are “Army of Soldiers,” “Black River” and “Don’t Give Up Your Good Thing.”

We should be posting some song clips in the near future.

Also we just booked our first show of the fall on Saturday, Sept 24, 2011, at The M Room in Philadelphia as part of Philly Fest‘s Small Stone Records showcase with Roadsaw, Gozu, Throttlerod, Sun Gods in Exile, The Might Could and Ironweed.

Third Record was their second release for Small Stone, and it rested on the mighty groove of tracks like “The Kelly Rose” and “My Favorite Waste of Time” just as much as the wistful emotionality of its ballads, “A Thousand Miles Away” and “Last Man Alive.” It opened catchy with “Old Century” and was enough to keep me coming back to The Brought Low for the whole year. And seriously, it was just about the whole year. I reviewed this thing in February.

I don’t think The Brought Low are ever going to be an album-a-year kind of band, but when they do get to putting out records, they’re killer. Third Record is the closest the band has come to capturing their formidable live energy on tape, and it was genuinely worth the four-year wait to get it. As the band matures, they only seem to get better, and of Small Stone‘s several really strong offerings in 2010, The Brought Low was most definitely among the upper crust.

Maegashira opened. There was a lot of friends, a lot of emotions and a lot of feedback. Then it was over.

I couldn’t remember if I’d seen The Brought Low since they put out Third Record earlier this year, but even if I had, I was certainly more familiar with the songs this time around. During the course of their set, they played the first four songs off the album in a row — by the time they got around to the ultra-grooving “My Favorite Waste of Time,” I was both drunk and so happy I couldn’t stand still — as well as cuts from their prior self-titled and Right on Time offerings. They’ve always been a live band in my mind, and since they went power-trio, they’ve only gotten better. Their garage rock side comes out more in their sound, but they offset it with thicker tones and occasional breakneck speed. However long it had been, it felt like too long since I’d seen them. What a band.

As they do, Kings Destroy pulled in a good crowd for the release show, and they positively killed. They were slower than the last time I saw them, and it seemed like the band had purposefully taken a step back to examine what they were doing live, to bring it more in line with the album. It worked. Porcaro and fellow guitarist Chris Skowronski played together with the kind of unspoken chemistry you can only have when you’ve shared a stage with someone for years — because they have — and bassist Ed Bocchino‘s tone is quickly becoming one of my favorites in doom. Couple that with the refined crash of Rob Sefcik and the increasing confidence of Steve Murphy — now firmly in command of the room — behind the mic, and you’ve got the makings of a classic.

They’re reportedly at work on new material already, but stuck to And the Rest Will Surely Perish for their set. I’m not sure when I grabbed it, but at some point in my stupor, I grabbed their set list and it went as follows: “Medusa,” “The Mounty,” “Planet XXY,” “The Whittler,” “Stung,” “Dusty Mummy” and closing with “Old Yeller,” leaving only “Two Tons” from the record unplayed. Even when Porcaro broke a string, they kept going. He got another guitar and was back in it in no time, and no momentum was lost. These dudes are pros — and I’ll be totally honest — they make me wish I had a real label, with distribution and promotion and all that happy crap, because they deserve to be heard.

The crowd thinned out some after Kings Destroy, leaving Alkahest to close out the night in the basement. I continue to be a fan and intrigued to see where these guys end up stylistically, since every time I see them it’s a different kind of experience. Frontman Chris spent a good portion of the set writhing on the Cake Shop floor (which didn’t look clean), leaving the stage to the rest of the band, who filled it amply. They were a last-minute replacement for Mighty High, whose drummer’s special lady had a baby the week prior, but Alkahest made the best of it and capped off a great night in fittingly aggressive fashion. Their balance of tortured vs. angry vs. ambient has not yet ceased to fascinate.

The Patient Mrs. drove me back to the valley, and certainly I wouldn’t have made it without her. I gave back some of the evenings Newcastles in the form of a short and sweet-tasting vomit session, then crashed out, my ears ringing, my body sore, and my stomach already looking forward to the omelet that would necessarily follow in the morning. I wouldn’t have traded any part of the night for anything in the world.

Here’s the news from Small Stone:

Small Stone is pleased to announce that we will be doing two back-to-back showcases at The Philadelphia Film & Music Festival in September. Our events will be taking place at the Millcreek Tavern which is located at 4200 Chester Avenue, University City, Philadelphia (215-222-1255). And, now for the lineup:

Friday September 24th: Dixie Witch, The Brought Low, Throttlerod, Lo-Pan, Sun Gods in Exile, Backwoods Payback

Saturday September 25th: Solace, Roadsaw, Sasquatch, House of Broken Promises, Gozu, Red Giant

This time, it’s The Brought Low‘s Third Record (review here), the band’s first offering in five years since they made their Small Stone Records label debut with Right on Time. An entirely unpretentious and confident collection of songs, it was easily worth the drive into the city to discuss with Smith and Russell the process of making the album with producer Andrew Schneider (Throttlerod, Puny Human, etc.), and as we went to dine at Cafe Edison — located in the hotel on Broadway of the same name — the environment reminded me of something straight out of a New York movie, one of those scenes where intimacy is somehow managed in one of the planet’s most crowded spots. For the record, Smith credits his father with showing him how to navigate Midtown.

Likewise, both Smith and Russell agree that a good portion of Third Record‘s natural, organic sound comes from Schneider‘s work behind the board, but neither discounts their comfort in the trio lineup of the band — rounded out by drummer Nick Heller — as a factor in the positive results. Over our shared meal, there was a lot of joking and a lot of lighthearted sarcasm (one of the charms of The Brought Low has always been their self-deprecating sense of humor), but it’s no question that the band is passionate and serious about what they’re doing and how far they’ve come in their decade of existence.

After the jump, Smith and Russell discuss making Third Record, their plans surrounding South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and, of course, how every other band is jive and The Brought Low kicks ass. It’s a given. Enjoy the interview.

So… tell me about the record.

Ben Smith: (Laughs)

Bob Russell: (Laughs)

BS: It’s called Third Record. It’s actually our fourth.

BR: That would be funny.

BS: I said this in another interview. The cliché is always to say the new record’s the best record, but it feels like the best record. I think the first one sounded good and had some cool songs, but it was just forming. The second record, great songs and a cool vibe, but the guitars sounded kind of weak. This one sounds amazing, and I think the songs are just – in a weird way, even though we’ve been a band for 10 years, this is the most of a band record. The first one, we were only around for a couple years. Then the second one, a lot of those songs were written even before Kevin and Bob joined. Other songs were just a little patchy.

BR: Obviously, the first record was out when I joined the band and a lot of the songs on the second record were already written. This record, it’s been five years, and I feel it’s more of a band record. We came together as the lineup we are now. It just gelled. Along with the fact that we let Andrew run with the production and didn’t try to manipulate every aspect of the recording, we just let the guy be a producer and do his thing and trust his stuff.

BS: I also think it’s this lineup of The Brought Low, which has  been the longest standing lineup. Bob really delivered a lot on this record, whereas, coming into the second record, some of those songs had been written already. This one’s got a lot of Bob’s vocals, he helped write some of the songs, so I just dig it. We’re sort of relaxed into what we’re doing. It’s the most energetic record, but it’s also the most laid back. We recorded in the least amount of time, but we worked hardest on it of any of the records. Also, working with Andrew, we really trusted him that, no matter what, even if we played like turkeys, it was gonna sound fucking killer. We could just relax and worry about playing.

BR: It’s also just being a trio. It’s a little bit easier to get a consensus and a focus. I always liked seeing a trio play, just because of the sound, the live sound. The balance. Being able to get things done.

[Lunch arrives at the table.]

There aren’t as many elements in trying to figure out what you’re gonna do. You want to get to that point of having a focus and agreeing on what you’re doing. It’s that much easier with three people.

I think there’s a certain live dynamic that comes out on this album too. Five years is a long time between records, but you guys really get that sound more on this album than either of the last two.

BS: Part of that’s intentional. After the last record – I love the last record – but even then, that wasn’t what we sounded like live. Live, especially with the two guitars, it was super-loud, aggressive, and then Right on Time was kind of a cool, funky Rolling Stones record. This time, from that moment of the last record, I was like, “Next record, I want to really capture how we are live.” Live, we’re this big, crazy, loud, rocking thing. We made an effort to capture that.

Did you tell Andrew that going into the recording?

BS: Oh yeah.

BR: With Right on Time, we were talking about the whole thing, the Stones going to the south of France and living in this house and making this masterpiece, and that has been done. Certain bands made their best record that way. Not that we did that, but we did spend a lot of time on the record. Maybe we overthought it and got away from that live aspect that people like about us. This time, it was more about trusting the guy behind the board and don’t overcook it.

Did you know Andrew going into this record?

BS: We met Andrew back sometime after the first album. First time we played Boston, when he was still living up there. He was like, “Hey, I’m Andrew.”

BR: Who was he playing with at the time?

BS: I don’t remember, but he was friends with the band Cracktorch, who we were playing with, and he was like, “Hey, I’m Andrew, I’d love to record you sometime.” I was probably like, “Yeah, whatever.” Then he moved to New York and he started playing with our friends in this band called Pigs, which Bob was the original bassist for, at the same time as The Brought Low. It was a side band. Andrew replaced Bob in Pigs, which is with Dave from Unsane and Cooper from Made out of Babies. They would use our practice space, and we got to know them really well socially. We heard the stuff he was recording with Pigs, and I was familiar with his production anyway. I knew he could make a great-sounding, big record. We knew he had the ability, and then we got to know him socially and we got along great with him. He’s like an East Coast, wiseass, ball-busting guy, like us. Self-deprecating sense of humor. He’s got a cool dog. Once it was like, “Let’s make a new record,” the list was Andrew (laughs).

I know some of the songs are older. There’s that YouTube clip of “My Favorite Waste of Time” from 2007.

BS: I’d say a third of the songs are two years old, a third we wrote in the past year, and a third were – going into it we still needed some more material, so we pulled out some things we just had hanging around.

BR: “Slow Your Roll” was from before I was in the band.

BS: Yeah, that’s when Tanner was in the band.

BR: That’s actually the only old one. Everything else is since the last record, I think.

BS: Well, that and the acoustic one. That one was, I had done a demo with Joel Hamilton. We were always like, “Let’s do a project” kind of thing, and I had recorded a demo years ago and it was like, “Let’s throw that on there.” I think because it’s our third record and because we’ve been playing together 10 years, and because we’re journeymen at this point, we’re just relaxed enough to be like, “Egh.” I think the record sounds spontaneous because we were relaxed and free and like, “Yeah, let’s throw that on! Cool.” We didn’t overthink things too much. We didn’t get stressed out.

And that was a concern coming off the last record.

BS: The last record took two years to make. We recorded half of it in 2004, and then sent it out to people and hooked up with Small Stone, and it was like, “Okay, go finish the record,” and it took us a year to get those first four songs. If you listen to the record, you can hear the difference in sound quality between some of the songs. The first four we recorded took us six months to finish between scraping together the money, doing the vocals, this and that. Then when Small Stone gave it the green light, we finished it pretty quick. This one, we went in one weekend, cut all the basic tracks, and then about two days’ worth of guitar overdubs, and about four days to cut all the vocals. Even though we were relaxed, we were definitely a little under the gun on this record too, which gives it a sort of urgency. We were dealing with Andrew, where he’s a friend and he’s a great guy, but he’s running a business, and it’s like, “Okay, we have to get the record done in this amount of time.” Because he’s so booked up. If we didn’t finish it by the first weekend in November, we were gonna have to wait until January to finish the record because he’s so booked up.

BR: Also, we’re all still working our regular jobs. It’s not like we’re getting to the studio at nine in the morning.

BS: Right. I was working a full day and going out there. So even though it was relaxed, it was like, “We gotta get it done or it’s gonna be the best record of 2011” (laughs).

What was it that let you have the relaxed attitude despite those pressures?

BR: It was just the faith in Andrew. It was like, “Alright, we’re giving it to him and he knows what he’s doing.” And maybe being a little worried about it because you don’t know what it’s going to sound like at the end of the day, but also, because I was working my regular job at the time and Ben was working his job too. So it was like, “I’m tired as shit, you take care of it. I’m not coming in tonight.” So he’d go down there, run through it. Makes it quicker.

BS: It’s not very romantic. As an artist, you’re supposed to live and die for your art, but I think another part of it is, in a certain sense, a little bit of not really giving a fuck (laughs). Some of that comes with confidence. Like, whatever, I know this record’s gonna rule because we fucking rule. We’re old guys, but there’s a little bit of…

BR: Some of those old, fucking, gray soul bands and funk bands are like, “Well, we nailed that song in one take.” It happens that way sometimes when people don’t worry about it. You just give it your best roll and that’s good enough and you move on. That attitude helps in getting something done and getting a more live sound out of it and that stuff.

BS: Yeah. Working with Andrew and being experienced. We had a gig on a Saturday and Bob had been away, and he had sent an email that was like, “I get back on Thursday, but I think men of our caliber, we only need that one practice.” Not to say we’re lazy, but that is the benefit of having been doing it for a while and especially this lineup being together.

BR: Obviously that was tongue-in-cheek, but that’s from experience too. We didn’t play in a month, but that’s happened before, and you get together and practice and it’s like, “Well, we did that alright.” And that’s just from practicing a couple times a week, every week, keeping it going. It’s not like we’re lacking in practice. We just keep practice. We can take that gap here and there and it’s not so catastrophic.

BS: Sometimes when you do that and you haven’t practiced and you come back to it, it has a freshness.

You guys are doing a week of touring leading to South by Southwest.

BS: The funny thing about SXSW is everybody down there either looks like they’re either in Skynyrd or The Strokes. If anything, we’re into not wearing bootcut jeans. I’m gonna wear some straight legs. The ‘70s are over, man. It’s the ‘80s now (laughs).

BR: (Laughs)

BS: Our hair’s a little shorter, we’re wearing straight legs, sneakers. You look at Bon Scott from ’78. Sporty rock.

BR: We actually never talk about that stuff. Once in a while before a show, we uncomfortably say, “What’re you wearing?” “I guess a black t-shirt.” We’ll make sure we don’t wear the same t-shirt of a band we like.

BS: That’s more out of necessity because we all have the same gear.

BR: I’ve never owned cool clothing. Always been kind of clueless and try to just stumble through it and play gigs. Hoping people don’t notice my sneakers or something.

BS: All those styles get tired.

That shit’s lame anyway. Who the hell in this scene needs to play dress-up? Why?

BR: One of the reasons you got into it is because the other shit bothers you.

BS: On the last record, we were trying to make it sound like a Rolling Stones or a Faces record from 1972, and my two things talking to Andrew were, “I want it to sound like we sound live, but I also want it to sound like a new, modern record that can compete sonically with everyone else on our label and anything else coming out.” We’re cool, older, humble dudes, but we also all think we’re pretty much the best band on earth, and I want to smoke these other bands, because I think they’re jive and we rule. The last record, I was like, “Yeah, this is great, it sounds like 1972,” then against everyone else’s record, it wasn’t loud enough and the guitar sounded hokey or something. That’s why, this record, I was like, “I just want it to kick ass out the gate.”

BR: Let’s not forget we’re a current band (laughs).

BS: Totally. I want it to be classic, not retro.

It’s a fine line too, and not an easy sound to get.

BR: Retro kind of sucks. Like you’re going for a thing. And we’re not going for a thing.

You guys have so much of that classic rock in your sound anyway that to do it with any kind of retro production might be overdoing it. Though I liked the last record.

BR: So did I. It’s all hindsight. At the time it was like, “This sounds great,” but you think later, “Maybe it’s not the most present-sounding thing, and maybe that’s what we want to go for the next record.” That’s why we went with Andrew and were like, “Let’s sound like a current band that kicks ass.”

BS: It’s also not so much that we don’t like the last record. I never understood people who are like, “If I died and came back tomorrow, I’d do it all the same.” Why would you do that? Why wouldn’t you do everything different? “I’m just gonna eat a burger every day of my life.” No, let’s do this this time and maybe the next record, in three years (laughs), in 2015, we’ll be like, “Oh, that last record stunk, we want to do it all completely recorded in an eco-hut.”

Eco-hut recording is going to be huge.

BR: Andrew Schneider, Eco-hut Records.

BS: (Laughs) Small Stone better watch out. Gonna put him out of business. “Sorry, we can’t do our next record for you. We got our own label. Eco-hut Records.”

What’s the newest material on the album?

BS: Probably “Everybody Loves a Whore,” “Old Century”…

BR: “The Kelly Rose.”

BS: “The Kelly Rose,” probably, is the one we’d only played out once before we recorded it.

Those are right up front. Those are the first three tracks on the album.

BS: Maybe that’s why. Yeah, “My Favorite Waste of Time” and “Matthew’s Grave,” we’ve been playing those for a few years, which is cool because you work out all the kinks, but I think the others are up front just because they were new and we were excited about them. The other thing is, because “Everybody Loves a Whore” is a little atypical of us. It doesn’t sound like Skynyrd, Sabbath, Stones. It’s a little more Black Flag or the Australian punk bands Bob and I like a lot. When you’re doing something different, it’s good to get it out the gate first. Otherwise it would be like, “Oh, here’s the Brought Low songs, then they’re trying some bullshit.”

BR: One of the things the last record was lacking was that bit of aggression. So those are more live songs, good songs right out the gate. Three songs, new material, coming at you really fast. It sets a good tone for the record. Then more mild stuff later, then a couple rockers. I like the pace of the record.

It’s a strong opening. It’s interesting to find out those songs were written concurrently.

BS: Also “Last Man Alive” is pretty recent. Actually, a lot of the songs, now that I think of it. “Blow out Your Candles” was an old –

BR: The riff that’ll never become a song.

BS: Yeah, it was the riff that’ll never become a song. A couple weeks before going into the studio, Andrew came down and it was like, “Well, we’ve got these six songs, then we’ve got the acoustic song, then we’ve got these three kind of fragments we’re gonna finish up in the next week or so, maybe even in the studio.” We played them all for him, “That one I like and it’s the most like a song,” so we were like, “Alright, that’s the one we’ll concentrate on.” That and “Last Man Alive” we never even played out. I think we’d like to start playing “Last Man Alive” live, but it’s kind of hard when you’re doing a half-hour set in a bar to bust out the six-minute ballad (laughs).

BR: Maybe at the record release party we’ll spotlight it. We should give that a live go.

BS: That’s another thing. We all like old school country and alt country stuff.

BR: That’s what Uncle Tupelo did. They’d bust out a ballad and everyone’d be crying, then they’d get back to the rocking.

BS: Uncle Tupelo. They were like alt country band, but they could rock out when they wanted to.

BR: They kind of started that.

BS: A lot of the other alt country bands are just sort of middle of the road.

BR: Some are hokey, some are too this or too that. Uncle Tupelo was one of those bands that was heartfelt. I was always a huge fan of bands like them. That song reminds me of them. It could be lumped in that genre.

BS: It’s a weeper. Every Brought Low record has the weeper. This one has the two more tender songs.

BR: Tender moments.

What are you guys doing after SXSW?

BS: That’s gonna be April.

BR: Immediately after SXSW, we drive our balls off to try and get to Richmond by that Saturday. We have two days, but that’s still a haul.

BS: We’re trying to figure out where to do a record release party sometime in April. The Zen Guerilla guys have a new band coming through in May, so we’re gonna play with them and hang. We’re playing D.C. in May and we’ll try to hook up another show down near that-a-way, and just keep trying to do shows within the East Coast, see what else we can get going on. The door is open. The new record’s out and we want to go out and play. Last year we didn’t play a lot because, in theory, we were writing all this material. Then in the end we didn’t exactly get that double album. Now we’re just really excited to be playing again. We’re doing this tour. We haven’t done anything more than a weekend’s worth of shows in a few years, so we’re pretty psyched about that.

The Brought Low on MySpace

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