Month: June 2016

An interview with Jason Narducy (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Split Single)

June 20, 2016

Photo Apr 29, 10 46 12 PMJason Narducy is far from a household name. But in my opinion, he should be. Jason started his music career playing clubs with his band Verboten at the tender age of 11. Dave Grohl, who’s 13-year-old cousin was in the band with Narducy, credits him with inspiring him to become a musician. Jason is featured in the Foo Fighters documentary Sonic Highway.

A decade later, Jason and cellist Alison Chesley started an acoustic duo, Jason & Alison, which later morphed into the 4-piece band Verbow, and signed a record deal. Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar) became a fan of Verbow and offered to produce their record Chronicles. Jason was the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter on this album, as well as the band’s second release, 2000’s White Out.

Somewhat disappointed by the reaction to White Out, Narducy decided not to put his all into something and become that vulnerable again. Verbow officially disbanded in 2003. Narducy settled down with his family and began to run a successful painting business and play a handful of local shows on occasion. This all changed in 2005, when Bob Mould asked if he would be interested in playing bass in his new touring band. Jason, who was primarily a guitar player, practiced his heart out all summer until he knew he was ready for the gig as Bob’s bass player.

The following year, Jason was asked to play bass for Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices). Jason has also played with the bands Superchunk and Telekenisis and is in the process of recording his second album with his band, Split Single, where he teams up with drummer Jon Wurster (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Mountain Goats) and bassist Brit Daniel (Spoon, Divine Fits). Narducy once again took over the role of guitarist and lead singer. Split Single released its first album, Fragmented World, in 2014.

Jason is one of the hardest working musicians in show business, currently recording his own album as well as preparing for the second leg of Bob Mould’s tour. If this weren’t enough, he still has his painting/handyman business and 3 kids. All of these responsibilities don’t seem to slow the 45-year-old musician down. I recently saw him play with Bob Mould’s band and his energy and love of playing were clear. This man gives his all to his music. And it shows.

I was lucky enough to be able to ask Jason some questions recently. Not a man to take himself too seriously (follow him on Instagram and Twitter and you will find yourself laughing out loud at his frequent comedic posts), he responded in true form.

 

 J. You started your first band, Verboten, at such an incredibly young age. What inspired you, and did you always imagine yourself being a lifelong musician?
J.N. My dad took me to see The Kids Are Alright when it was released in theaters. I was 8. I liked Kiss, The Ramones, and The Beatles already, but The Who were a whole new level of intensity and importance to me. A year later, my mom and step-dad bought me a guitar. I started writing songs and looking for musicians to play with. By age 11, I had a band (Verboten) and we were playing clubs. It’s sort of absurd when I think about it now—the level of intensity I had.
J. Dave Grohl credits you as one of his main inspirations for becoming a musician. In your own music, particularly Split Single, I think I hear some Big Star and Guided By Voices influence. Are these some of the bands that have influenced you? What other bands influence the music you write?
J.N. Yes, I love GBV and Big Star. Cheap Trick is huge for me. They are from the Chicago area (Rockford) and I saw them often as a kid. Now that I’m older, I find inspiration from less obvious sources; a lyric I think of, a synth part I hear on a college radio station, a drum beat I hear but misinterpret where the “one” beat is, etc.
J. You are certainly well known in the music world, but your name seems to escape those in the mainstream. Is this frustrating or is it nice to be a professional musician that can fly under the radar and avoid many of the pitfalls of instant face and name recognition?
J.N. I would say I am most certainly not very well known in the music world. I know this because I’ve been to all of my shows. I would say I’m comfortable as a working musician who’s sometimes not working.
J. I took my 18-year-old son to see you, Bob, and Jon recently in NYC. I insisted he wear the earplugs I brought, knowing full well the volume at a Bob Mould show. How do you handle that kind of volume night after night?
J.N. You made the responsible decision.
J. You’ve toured with so many different yet amazingly talented acts. Do you have a favorite band or musician to tour with or do you enjoy changing it up and playing to different types of audiences?
J.N. The three bands I play in now have very similar audiences. I love my three current bands.
J. What are your plans now that the first leg of the Bob Mould tour is over? Are you planning anything new with Split Single?
J.N. I’m making a new Split Single album right now. Very excited about it. I’ve heard rumblings about a potential Superchunk show. Lots of Bob Mould Band shows coming up in the fall. We are thankful and excited that Bob’s new album Patch The Sky is doing so well.
J. You’ve had such a varied and interesting career so far. What would you like to do next?
J.N. I’d like to go get a sandwich.

John Doe, Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT 6/11/16 (Including a Review of “The Westerner”)

June 17, 2016

John Doe is a punk rock legend. Together with ex-wife Exene Cervenka,  drummer D.J. Bonebreak, and guitarist Billy Zoom, they formed X. They were a band that literally changed the musical landscape in Los Angeles in the late ’70s and early ’80s. They paved  the way for countless other bands to leave behind the corporate rock and disco mentality that was so prevalent in the country at the time and shake up the music world as we knew it.

John Doe, despite being punk rock royalty, has always had a bit of folk and country in his soul—folk, rockabilly, and country are laced liberally throughout many X songs. John also tapped into these roots with The Knitters, a side project he formed with fellow X band members Exene Cervenka and D.J. Bonebreak. This group showcases a genre very different than that of X, with original music, covers of country music songs, and acoustic versions of X songs.

In The Knitters, as well as in X, John’s lovely voice and really good songwriting was often overshadowed by the stage presence and exceptional songwriting of Exene. John needed to be on his own for his light to shine as brightly as it was capable of doing. When he released his first solo album, Meet John Doe, in 1990, his brilliance and ability to stand on his own became clear. Over the last 16 years, he has released 11 albums and has continued to grow even stronger in his songwriting, lyrics, and personal style. His star really shines most brightly when performing his own solo music.

When I spoke to John recently at a book signing and live performance at Rough Trade in Brooklyn,  I asked him how difficult it was to be touring with both bands this summer. He looked at me, laughed, and said “Well, somebody has to pay all the bills.” That’s the bittersweet thing about someone who has influenced music so greatly. Their influence can be heard in musicians decades behind them, but their paychecks and mainstream recognition don’t always match up to those following in their footsteps. Like so many artists, writers, and musicians before them, these innovators often don’t reap the benefits of being the ones that changed the landscape. They often have to work their hearts out just to survive in a comfortable manner.

Bandmate and sometimes-opening-act Jesse Dayton recently joked about aging punk stars using country music as “their retirement plan” and how the “alternative country” or “cowpunk” genre  seems to be all the rage, particularly among aging punk and alternative artists. The difference with  John is that he’s  been performing this music since the times it defied classification. This music isn’t something he’s cashing in on. It’s just the music that seems to flow seamlessly from his soul.

John, at age 63, is not slowing down. He has recently released a book of essays about the punk scene in Los Angeles in the late ‘7os and early ’80s called Under The Big Black Sun. With essays from John and other musicians including Exene and Henry Rollins, the book provides an insightful and accurate look into how these musicians lived, what they felt, and the music they made during this time. As a lifelong X fan (My kids knew the lyrics to most X songs from the time they were in diapers), as well as a huge fan of John’s solo work, I was thrilled to read Under The Big Black Sun. As a punk fan from NYC and CT, I’d often been intrigued by how the L.A. punk scene started and what it was like being in the midst of it. This book really brings me there (I will say, however, that as an East Coast/NYC punk, I did take slight offense to John’s assertion that L.A. punks were tougher than New York punks, but I digress…).  The L.A. scene, often overshadowed by the New York and London punk scenes, was just as critical to music. This book really brings that point home.

As if he weren’t busy enough, John has also released a new album, entitled The Westerner. This album was inspired by his time in Arizona, when he was recording and spending time with friend and author Michael Blake (Dances With Wolves), in the hours leading up to his death. Themes of this beautiful and haunting album include the inevitability of mortality and the dark expanse of loneliness, so beautifully exemplified by images of the Arizona desert. Most of the tracks on this album are softer and more haunting than what we are used to if we only know Doe through his work in X. Doe is joined by Debbie Harry of Blondie on one of the albums more upbeat tracks, “Go Baby Go”, but when you are finished listening, the songs that stick with you are beauties such as “Alone in Arizona” and “Rising Sun,” which speaks of friend Blake, “In his dreams he still flies, In his dreams he still rides,” touchingly .

Doe describes this album as “not country, but most definitely western” and that says it all. The Westerner is Americana at its finest.

I was able to see John and his band perform at Café Nine in New Haven on June 11, 2016. The band, with the incredibly talented Jesse Dayton on the guitar and X drummer D.J. Bonebreak on the drums, was excellent. Jesse Dayton is a shining star, and his guitar playing is exceptional. He was the opening act for John, and his talent is clear. Jesse was a guitarist on the late Waylon Jennings’ last two albums, and it’s obvious why a star like Jennings would want to work with Dayton. He is gifted and I expect that we will be hearing a lot from him in the future.

The setlist was filled with classic John Doe songs such as “The Golden Sate,”, but also included X classics, such as “The Have Nots” and “4th of July.” New releases, such as “Alone in Arizona,” really showcased John’s voice and talent. At 63-years-old, his voice remains clear and true and his passion for his music is evident. In this world of one-trick ponies and one-hit wonders, I’m relieved to see that there are still musicians out there with the capability of singing songs that range from hard and classic punk to lovely and poignant melodies. John Doe is a class act. And one with a very long career both behind him and ahead of him.

Subhumans interview, Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT 6/7/16

June 12, 2016

The Subhumans are one of those bands from my early teens that epitomized classic British anarcho-punk. With songs such as “Mickey Mouse is Dead” and the punk classic “No” (“No I don’t believe in what you say, you’re just part of what I despise. Yes you’re part of the fucking system, I ain’t blind, I can see your lies”), the band sang about all of the classic punk themes: oppression, mental illness, class structure,apathy, and angst. Between the release of their first album in 1981 and their breakup in 1985, the band began to experiment more with their sound. They cited musical differences and disagreements in direction as the main reason for their split.

Singer Dick Lucas joined the band Culture Shock in 1986 and then formed the punk/ska band Citizen Fish in 1990. The Subhumans remained fan favorites and briefly reunited in 1991. They had a more extensive return in 1998, where they played shows in both the U.S. and the U.K. The band continued to tour together on and off for many years. In 2007, they released their last album, Internal Riot, and have remained a semi-regular touring band ever since.

I consider the band one of my favorite punk bands from the U.K., and was thrilled to learn they would be playing at Cafe Nine in New Haven. I was even more thrilled when Dick Lucas agreed to a sit down for an interview with me before the show. I met Dick and the rest of the band ( Bruce Treasure on guitar, Phil Bryant on bass, and Trotsky on drums) in a dimly lit band room. Dick was instantly recognizable to me, and as he had told me via email, he is generally the one band member that does the talking during interviews. I found him to be passionate about his beliefs, well-spoken, and well-informed about the issues going on in our world today. He is also still really enjoying the fact that he gets to continue doing this for a living.

J. What was it about the punk scene that first drew you in?

D.L. Well, when it all started I was about 16. I was hearing bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols, and it was really just good music. They were singing about things like bored teenagers, anger at the system. It just seemed a lot more realistic than anything that had come before. And all of it packaged up nicely in little 2 and 1/2 minute blurts.

J. Were you more influenced by the British punk bands, or did you get any inspiration from the punk scene going on in the U.S. at the time?

D.L. I was definitely inspired by the British ones. The only time we had access to listening to anything else was on a radio show by John Peel. He was the only one that would play things we couldn’t hear anywhere else. So, I didn’t even really start hearing that stuff until later on.

J. You’ve always had a passion for writing songs about some of the evils of government and the people in charge. What are your feelings about politics in the world today?

D.L. How the people in charge interact with the people in their own countries, the other leaders of the world, economics, war … there just seems to be too much macho symbolism. I think that if there were more women leaders there would be less war and strife. However, when you take into consideration people like Margaret Thatcher, that hasn’t always been the case. We’ll see what happens when Clinton gets in, if she does. Lyrically speaking, the basic idea is to question attitudes that seem to dominate the status quo of how the majority of people behave in society and how that affects the positives towards working with each other, and the negatives, which seem to be the dominating force in keeping us apart. I write more about the negatives so that people are more aware. Knowledge is the first step in any kind of change and making things better.We are becoming a dumbed-down culture.

J. When I was first drawn into the punk scene, the lyrics were what drew me in. Do you think there are still bands out there today that speak to addressing the evils of society, or is it becoming less prevalent?

D.L. There are plenty of young bands that are emerging that sing about the evils of society and what’s right and wrong in the world. The days of singing just about beer and fighting are a thing of the past. I’d like to think that the kids are still hungry for messages in their music. Hopefully they always will be. It brings you together, makes you feel like a community.

J. I can only imagine, coming from the U.K., how the current political climate in the United States must appear to you. What is your take on U.S. politics at the moment?

D.L. It’s completely horrific. It’s the same way Hitler got into power, that Trump. By putting the blame for everything that’s wrong on minorities, using language that draws in the most gullible, the least educated, and extending it into racism and bigotry. Playing the racist card seems to work, because all racists like to think they aren’t alone in their thoughts. These are the same kinds of people that’ll believe anything if you feed it to them in a way that makes them feel superior. It’s shocking that a man like this has about a 50/50 chance of becoming president of the U.S. There are some really dangerous right wing groups coming into power, Golden Dawn in Greece, etc. It’s scary, actually. These right wing groups are getting support by promoting a patriotic backlash against refugees and people who aren’t white and have money. The fear factor, the scaring people into thinking these minority groups are harming the country as a whole. But that’s how people like this not only stay in power, but make all of their money, too.

J. Back to your music. You haven’t released an album since 2007. Any plans to release any new music, or do you plan to remain a touring band exclusively?

D.L. We are hindered by where we live.Our drummer lives in Germany, so we aren’t together in the same place very often. Makes it harder to make new music.We have about 2 completed tracks and 3-4 semi-completed ones, so it’s a work in progress. Slow progress, but we haven’t dried up creatively just yet.

J. Does touring get tiring?

D.L. It depends on whether or not we let it get tiring. How much whiskey we put down that stays down. You know, sometimes you still have a hangover from the day before and get up on that stage and sort of sweat it out. But over the years, you learn to be a bit more moderate. It’s so much more fun not being moderate!

J. Is there anything you’d like the readers of my blog to know about where the band is going or what your plans are for the future?

D.L. We don’t like to plan too far ahead into the future. We just keep on going and that’s what has appeared to work for us so far. The more plans you have the less they come into fruition. We are lucky enough to still get asked to play for people. I plan on doing this for as long as I can. There is no retirement age for us.We’re just going to keep on going.

 

 

 

 

Bob Mould, Webster Hall, 4/29/16

June 1, 2016
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Photo by Amanda Hatfield, Brookyn Vegan .My joy is pretty evident!

 

Bob Mould. He has  been my musical hero since I was about 15 years old and got to see him live with Husker Du in a little club in Bridgeport, CT. Through his days in Husker Du, his time fronting the band Sugar and his many years as a solo artist, all of Bob’s music shares equal time in my weekly music rotation.There is literally never a day that goes by without me listening to at least a song or two. Bob’s lyrics have always mirrored things going on in my own life, and because of that I’ve always felt a connection.This man has some kind of supernatural ability to see into the deepest recesses of the souls of so many of his fans who’ve had times when in their lives when they were outcasts, loners or misfits. He just gets us.

Because of the many years I’d stopped seeing live shows, I hadn’t seen Mould perform as a headliner since I was 15. I was blessed enough to see him join Dinosaur Jr. on stage at their show in NYC in December, 2015. This tiny taste of how hard Bob plays live and how much he gives to his audience made me even more determined to see him as a headliner.

My son, who is 19 years old and a musician himself, has a real appreciation for Bob.  I got us both tickets to see him play at Webster Hall in NYC on April 29, 2016. This was going to be a great show to share with him.

Any of you that have read Bob’s memoir understand that he likes to date a certain type of man. He calls them “Bears”. They can be identified by their stockiness, scruffy beards and fondness for flannel shirts. When the night of the show came and I looked over at my bearded, flannel wearing and very cute son, I felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested that it was cold out and he might be warmer in flannel? Kidding! I didn’t really try to bait Bob with my handsome kid. But if he wanted to talk to us after the show I wouldn’t mind! In all seriousness, though, Ryan and I were beyond thrilled to be at this show and made sure to be first in line so we could get right up to the stage. We succeeded.

Ted Leo was the opening act. While he was entertaining and really very good, I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I couldn’t wait for him to finish so that Bob could begin. My son, on the other hand, became a real fan of Leo, and came home to download some of his music.

When Bob and his longtime band, bassist Jason Narducy (Superchunk, Split Single) and drummer Jon Wurtser (Superchunk, Mountain Goats, Split Single), finally took the stage I was beyond ready. I had really hoped that Bob would delve into his extensive catalog, not only playing his solo stuff, but including Sugar and Husker Du as well. I didn’t have to hope for long. The set began with not one, but two, Sugar songs.;  “A Good Idea” and “Changes.”

Throughout the night,  Bob delved frequently into the back catalog of music so many of us in the crowd were hungry to hear. While the set was rich with new material from the incredible new album “Patch the Sky”, it was also balanced with frequent trips into the past. Husker Du was very well represented, with some of the highlights including “Something I Learned Today” and a beautiful and touching rendition of “Hardly Getting Over it” (The teenage girl next to me was literally bawling her eyes out, and if I’m being honest, I had to wipe a tear away myself).

What really impressed me about this show was how hard this band plays. Bob Mould, at 55 years old, plays the guitar harder and louder than musicians half his age. Wurster and Narducy also play with incredible sound and energy. They were happy to be there and happy to play for their fans. It was obvious in the energy they exuded. They were not going to be satisfied with going through the motions. This band came to play their hearts out and they succeeded.

The night ended with a 3 song encore set that began with Jon Wurster coming up to the microphone to sing the Ramones classic “Beat on the Brat” while Ted Leo took over on drums. This was followed by “Love is All Around”, which is the theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore show, and ended with an incredible version of Husker Du’s “Makes no Sense at All”

The night was full of energy, joy and outrageous volume. Bob and his band played their hearts out. I could not have asked for more. And while I missed the presence of my closest Bob Mould fan friends, who couldn’t make it to the show, I was extremely glad I got to share a show like this with my kid.

#bobmould #jasonnarducy #jonwurster

Drive-By Truckers, Music Hall of Williamsburg, 3/6/16

June 1, 2016

My musical taste may have started with the Replacements, the Ramones, and Husker Du, but my tastes have evolved to include other genres as well. One of my very favorite bands are the Drive-By Truckers. They are often classified as alternative country and site their varied influences as Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Replacements, the Rolling Stones, and REM, to name just a few. What they bring to music are incredible lyrics, amazing musicianship, and a true heart and soul for doing what they do. DBT is a band that has had up to 3 songwriters, very different in style and content, at any one time. While for most bands this could easily turn into a scattered, incoherent mess, with DBT it melds into something that seems effortlessly beautiful. A marriage of voices, styles, and souls that compares to no other band I know. With the departure of Jason Isbell in 2007 (and his subsequently very successful solo career—Isbell recently won two Grammy awards), the bands songwriting remains incredibly strong and relevant. And although Isbell was a critical part of DBT albums such as Decoration Day, The Dirty South, and A Blessing and a Curse, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley continue to prove that they are strong enough songwriters to preserve the DBT stories and sound without a third lyricist.

I’d seen DBT before, but only as an opening band for Alabama Shakes in September of 2015. While seeing them as an opening band was certainly better than nothing, my love of the entire Drive-By Truckers catalog made it a priority for me to see them as headliners. I waited patiently until I heard that they were coming to the NYC area on March 6, 2016. Overjoyed, I purchased tickets the second they went on sale.

DBT is a band that is also well-loved by some good friends of mine, so we met in a quirky (and very good) Thai restaurant called SEA a couple of blocks away from the venue. I highly recommend it as a pre-show stop for drinks or dinner.

As always, It was my intention to get there early so that we could stand right up front. I got my wish.

The setlist spanned the long and incredible career of DBT, beginning with the quieter and more reflective “Tornadoes” but segueing into the much louder “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” and then a rendition of “Sink Hole” that made you stomp your feet and cheer.

Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley alternated songs throughout the night, and what struck me is how rare it is to find a band where each of the singer-songwriters is so different in tone, style, and content, but each equally as strong. These guys really are some of the best songwriters out there, but they add to it with how well they play and how well they back each other up. There is no other team out there as cohesive as Hood and Cooley when they’re up on that stage together.

Hood is always a great story teller, and being the progressive woman that I am, I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the evening was when he stepped up to the microphone and said “Mama, I know you’re listening on the internet, and if you vote for Donald Trump, I’m putting you in the nursing home… .” I’d already been smiling from ear to ear because of the quality of the show, and that only added to it. Another favorite moment of mine was when Hood changed the lyrics of “Let There be Rock” to include the Replacements and REM, instead of Ozzy Osbourne and AC/DC. Hood has a very wide collection of musical influences, and this was really reflective of that.

The band had already been playing for almost 2 hours, but I never wanted it to end. They rocked the house down. I don’t think that a person in the audience was spared from having one of the best concert experiences of their lives.

When the band came out for their encore, I hoped for 2 or 3 more songs. I just didn’t want this show to end. And as if they read the mind of the overjoyed audience, the encore set consisted of 6 songs. Beginning with a rip-roaring version of “Birthday Boy” and ending with the subdued “Angels and Fuselage,” the show ended as it had begun. With a beautiful and reflective song, filled with a grand total of 21 high-energy, kick-ass songs in between. It’s not often that a show feels perfect from start to finish. This one really did.

Drive-By Truckers have been together for 20 years, but this band shows no signs of letting up or slowing down.They just keep getting better with age.