Before he was in The Demon Beat, Prison Book Club, Bishops or RHIN, Shepherdstown’s Tucker Riggleman was doing acoustic stuff by himself. Roughly seven years after starting down his own musical path, Riggleman will release his seven-song sophomore effort, “Burn Out Too Bright” on translucent yellow cassette March 24 on Twin Cousins Records. Tucker took some time to talk about the debut single, “Signal” and bringing the solo material to fruition with friend and longtime collaborator Paul Cogle…
“Burn Out Too Bright” was essentially seven years in the making. It was that long ago that my only other proper release, “Let You Down”, became the first Big Bullet Records project that was completely handled in house. That feels like a lifetime ago, and a lot of really great things have happened since then. I was very lucky to be a part of some awesome bands with some of my best friends throughout that time. During that span, and especially once Bishops got up and running, it became easy for me to forget about my solo material that got me started down this crazy path. Even though I am the songwriter in Bishops, my solo material has remained a separate entity throughout the years. This particular batch of songs covers that whole seven year span --- some were written that long ago, while the single “Signal” is my newest solo song.
While The Demon Beat, Prison Book Club, and Bishops received the bulk of my focus during that stretch of time, I continued writing songs that didn’t fit with any of those projects. I would play them alone in my room, at the occasional open mic, or keep them hidden in notebooks. I finally set aside a couple of days to track some of them for posterity’s sake with my good pal (and founding member of Bishops) Paul Cogle this past October. I went in with a bunch of ideas, but ultimately kept it incredibly simple. All of these recordings are one take with no overdubs. It is just me in a room with a guitar, the way all of this started. I thank Paul as always for being an amazing producer, and knowing just what the songs and the performer need to make the record be its best.
The result is an intimate collection of songs that were written on the sideline of my twenties, in which a lot of good and bad things happened, just like in anyone else’s life. This is what I was writing when I wasn’t out touring and playing loud music that I love with the people that I love, and I’m glad that it is now available for anyone to hear.
Right where they belong: Tucker Riggleman and Paul Cogle have found a new home for their creative output in Bishops. After releasing their debut full-length in 2012, the duo returns with a new EP, Feel Alive, released in March.
Before The Demon Beat, before Prison Book Club, Tucker Riggleman was kicking around Shepherdstown area bars and coffee shops playing solo acoustic shows, singing his own songs. Late nights at Shepherd University, playing music and sharing songs with PBC band mate and The Fox Hunt’s John R. Miller helped Riggleman come into his own as a performer. The Demon Beat would emerge as one of the region’s better bands, and Riggleman would later share singing and songwriting duties in Prison Book Club, the Shepherdstown-based alt-country band, with his good friend Miller.
But it was only after teaming up with veteran musician and engineer Paul Cogle (Vox Populi, Alt 40, Fabled Sons, Black Blizzard) to record some demos that Riggleman’s songwriting efforts would emerge as his own band. After recruiting Demon Beat singer-guitarist Adam Meisterhans and PBC drummer Andrew Ford, Bishops, birthed out of Cogle’s Falling Waters studio, released its debut self-titled full-length in 2012. Bishops will release its new EP, Feel Alive, digitally March 5, and will perform at Gene’s Beer Garden in Morgantown Saturday, March 23.
WVRockscene caught up with Riggleman and Cogle for Spotlight West Virginia to learn more about the project and the new EP, which finds Riggleman and Cogle striking out on their own...
WVRockscene: The new EP, Feel Alive, how excited are you two about the material and getting it out to fans and friends? From original demos and rehearsals to now, how has Bishops progressed? Tucker Riggleman: I think it’s safe to say that we’re really excited about the new EP. I think it’s a logical step forward for us. A couple of the songs started as demos where I played everything, then I brought them to Paul and he added his magic. It’s a lot of fun to be able to bring in a song and have someone else hear something that they think can add to the vibe of the whole thing, and then mix it all together to get the finished product.
I’m particularly stoked on this batch of songs because they’re kind of all over the place stylistically.
There are a couple slow building acoustic/folk rock types of songs that get pretty triumphant at the end, there is a 70’s punk rock sounding song, a straight up rocker, and one that is just me and a guitar. What I love about what we’ve been able to do as a band, is that we can combine these different influences and it doesn’t seem too jagged or out of place. It makes sense that it’s one band making all that noise.
Paul Cogle: Yeah the EP is a really cool jam! We do stretch out a little more on this release which has been a lot of fun. Tucker’s writing is top notch and one of my favorite songs (“Let go”) is on it.
----- rockscene: How did Bishops get hatched originally? Tucker how encouraging and/or awesome has it been having Paul as a musical partner for your songwriting efforts? Cogle: Tucker is an awesome guy with a heart of gold. The best thing that’s come from Bishops for me is an excellent friendship. Yeah, Bishops began after a lot of email pestering by me, I initially wanted to record The Demon Beat but our schedules never worked out.
Tucker finally came to the studio to record some demos – and we just hit it off so Bishops evolved from there.
I think we hear things the same way. We love things that are over-the-top full of distortion and reverb but still melt when the song is as sweet and pure as a single voice and guitar. Riggleman: Paul is definitely a musical brother of mine. It’s so comfortable to work with him. He’s a great musician and person, but he is also an excellent engineer/producer in the way he can get certain things out of you, or maybe put you in a position to look at the song a different way and follow it down that path a little bit to see if there’s something awesome you can get out of it.
Basically, the band wouldn’t have happened without Paul’s encouragement. Originally, Paul had me come over last year to demo some songs I had lying around. I was clueless about what should be done with these songs; I just knew I wanted to get them down for posterity’s sake. Once we listened to the demos, I think we decided to get together and try to rock them out a bit, which resulted in the debut full-length. I am still very proud of that record.
----- rockscene: Tucker, given your past solo efforts, how has being in The Demon Beat and Prison Book Club expanded your own songwriting sensibilities? What’s rubbed off on you, if anything, being in these other bands? Riggleman: I would like to think I’ve got a lot of the boneheaded youthful mistakes out of the way (i.e. booking a show in New York City on Super Bowl Sunday at a bar with no TV) and can focus on efficiently writing, recording, and playing shows. Doing everything on your own tends to lead to a lot of trial and error, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I’m just glad I got those parts out of the way when I was 21, and not now when I’m 26.
But it’s not just the mistakes you learn from, but also the good things. For instance, we now have the luxury of knowing which places will be good for us to play, and which ones we should skip. The Demon Beat and PBC made a lot of friends over the years (as have Paul’s previous bands) and we’re lucky that a handful of them continue to follow our other projects. I think it’s just like anything else, you learn more as you go.
----- rockscene: Just like The Demon Beat, with Adam Meisterhans recording, with Bishops, Cogle can handle production duties. How important and/or convenient is it to be able to control the means of production in both bands? Cogle: The only way to get the best possible recordings are for people to feel one hundred percent comfortable and I’ve always wanted to have a place where friends could come, relax, jam, and record – and for the most part I have achieved that. It’s a private studio. I’ll only work with friends. I’ve never recorded someone I do not have a personal friendship with. It’s also really, really cool to be able to send Adam or Jordan [Hudkins] a mix to get their opinion. Riggleman: I think the familiarity makes all the difference. Try as they might, some producer at a costly studio somewhere is not going to know your music or what you’re going for better than your band mate and friend. It’s just really convenient to not have to/ rush in the studio and be able to build things up the way we do.
We have a pretty good process down, but it’s still spontaneous enough to catch those unexpected moments. For instance, the last track on the EP, a song called “Easy,” is just a guitar and me. I was playing it for Paul and he kind of snuck over and pressed record. Those are the kinds of takes I think you can only get while recording in an environment such as the one we have at Paul’s studio.
----- rockscene: Tucker you’re still running Big Bullet Records, which just released a winter sampler. How frustrating and/or necessary and/or awesome is it to be able to cut out the middlemen and run a label DIY?
Riggleman: You know what? It’s gotten a heck of a lot less frustrating once I decided to stick to digital releases for the most part: less overhead, less worrying about pressing deadlines. Everything is just so flooded these days, and I watched it happen from BBR’s inception up until now.
I think we have a small group of folks who diligently check out what we do as a group, and that’s really all you can ask for these days. With every band and label in the world putting things on Bandcamp for free, if you can get just a few people who actually care to click on your link then you’re doing okay.
----- rockscene: You’ve got this show 3.23 at Gene’s with your friends Billy Matheny and Tyler Grady in Goodwolf, looking forward to the show? Riggleman: I am really stoked on this one. I’ve only ever stepped foot inside of Gene’s once in my life, and it was awesome. The intimacy and potential for rowdy rock behavior definitely increases in smaller spaces like Gene’s, especially when the shows are free.
Billy and Tyler are two of my favorite musical people, and we are very excited and honored to share a bill with them. There are so many talented musicians in our state. I can only hope that anytime any West Virginia bands get noticed even the slightest that the outside world gets turned on to all of the state’s awesome music. Cogle: The first time I met Tyler he was opening for Bishops and he just totally blew me away. Love his work! Billy and his group are top notch people (and friends from way back) so this is gonna be one of my favorite shows – I’m so looking forward to it!
WANT TO GO? Bishops
w/Billy Matheny & the Frustrations, Goodwolf WHERE: Gene’s Beer Garden, 461 Wilson Ave., Morgantown (304) 292-1147 WHEN: 9 p.m., Saturday March 23 COST: Free ONLINE: www.facebook.com/bishopswv
Not only do fans of Team Transylvania’s horror movie-inspired pogo-punk stylings get pretty much every song recorded in this two-disc box set spectacular, there’s enough unreleased material to get this in the top 10.
Songs like “Renfields Go!” “Transylvania Fight Song,”“Ramones Zombie Massacre,” and “Porkchop” will be new favorites. If you’ve lost a copy of The Night THEY Came Home, Bastard Sons of Ed Wood, or the Stalk and Slash Splatterama series, that’s all here.
So, if you’re looking for that special something for that hard-to-buy-for Renfields fan this holiday season, All the Stuff and GORE makes the perfect stocking stuffer. The Renfields may be number ten on this list, but they’re number one in our heart.
9.Sly Roosevelt: Animal Tracks
If you fell asleep eating animal crackers watching Matt Taibbi on Bill Moyers, half reading a book on Teddy Roosevelt, and dreamt of a high energy post punk concept record, Animal Tracks may be that record.
The full-length debut from this Huntington-based indie rock outfit may not be some linear journey concept record, but the songs, (e.g. “Lion,”“Wolf,”) lyrics and CD art (awesomely done by Jarrod Schneider) all tie Animal Tracks into a really good record with a vision.
8.GoodWolf: Shitty Kids
Sleepwalker singer-guitarist Tyler Grady steps out to record more stuff on this largely solo, mostly melancholy, eight-song post-grunge release.
“Last Year” was the feel good, slacker hit of the summer. “Bikini Girl” and the highly charged, intensely personal middle finger to an ex, “Letter,” stand out. Not sure who the kids are, but whatever the motivation it’s promising to see Grady operating as GoodWolf.
Following up on 2010’s Phantom Moon, Lancaster continues charting new sonic territory, this time with his live band. “Saigon Moment” channels Lancaster’s inner Dave Grohl. His soulful vocals on the bluesy parts of “Like Castles” actually sound like Huntington’s own Bud Carroll, the song standing out among his solo material for taking this kind of direction.
Most of the material, though, like “The Riot Act,” and “Catacomb Satellite” tie back into or at least jump off from what’s heard on the solo debut, making the six songs found on Crash Test In Progress feel like some sort of expansion pack for the CD. Great material, even for a seasoned, polished hard rock work in progress.
6.Bud Carroll: At Least I Can Still Smoke In My Car
While you’d be right to imagine the guitar hero and multi-instrumental talent Carroll could knock out a few crunchy grooves in his Trackside Studios in a few hours, this release finds him standing astride his bluesy Southern Souls days (“I’m No Stranger”) now into AC30, still singing soulful songs about his nowhere towns and lost loves.
Standout songs include “There Someday,” “I Just Wanted You To Know,” and “We’ll Be Together Again.” Carroll released this (not surprisingly) stellar 12-song effort in January, and it’s stood out since.
5.Bishops (self-titled)
Would you believe that if Demon Beat bassist Tucker Riggleman recruited cohort Adam Meisterhans to shred in his nascent garage rock band with Paul Cogle (Nagato/Vox Populi) that the result would be killer?
Riggleman’s own singing and songwriting efforts pre-date his involvement in The Demon Beat and Prison Book Club, and hearing songs like the opener, “My Own Way,” “Happy,” and “Shit Happens” will likely excite fans of both groups.
How many Demon Beat side projects can there be? Never enough! Talented dudes, each, and it’s Riggleman’s chance to stand out here.
4.Spirit Night: One Man Houses
Shepherdstown native Dylan Balliett releases a killer, amped-up sophomore full-length and promptly gets dropped off in NYC by The Demon Beat dudes and sets up residence. Maybe he moved up there, then released it right after. Whatever.
Following up on 2010’s What We Will Be and the Normal EP, Balliett, again joined by drummer Pete Wilmoth (FOX Japan) and Ryan Hizer (Librarians/Good Sport) on bass mostly shed their dreamy lo-fi atmospherics for something approaching high energy 80’s post punk on this nine-song effort.
“Goodbye Jones” and “Summer Clothes” are standout tracks, but it’s Balliett’s version of “Rubberneck” that might take WVRockscene best song of 2012, if there were such an ill-conceived thing. Hopefully there’s more Spirit Night to come out of NYC in 2013.
3.The Tom McGees: This Just In
You’ll be fallin’ out, spinning and kicking, and raising your fists to the high-energy, hilarious, totally NSFW ska stylings of this Charleston-based eight-piece “punk party” band.
You’ll come for the driving punk rock, the alternately blaring and swooning horn section, and machine gun snare rolls. You’ll stay for the endearing, jilted love songs Mike Withrow and Adam Dittebrand are singing.
Never has cussing out your ex-girlfriend, or, then, telling her you really love her, seemed so fun. Hear “The Choice” and “Half That Bad” for that. Just a killer nine-song debut from these characters.
2.Juna: Sing
Like the mountains that surround us, John Morgan’s Appalachian folk symphony manifested as Juna seems at once imposing, maybe these days, cold, but unfolds itself to reveal a warm, stunning, sonic beauty.
That he’s able to create and record the richly arranged songs like “Even” and “Banner” all by himself, makes this 10-song effort all the more impressive.
Fans may expect this kind of sound as Morgan follows up on last year’s release, Hunt. It’s so much more, though, as Morgan provides a snapshot into his own life, the forces that pull, and the ties that bind him, and some of us, here in West Virginia.
1.The Demon Beat: Less Is Less
Like the cover itself, with Adam Meisterhans, Tucker Riggleman and Jordan Hudkins blended together to form one super-rocker, everything just seems to come together on this, the fourth full-length studio effort from these Shepherdstown-based dudes.
Ironically, maybe, given the title of the record, fans of the band could be said to receive more than they expected, even out of these guys.
The amalgamated rocker on the cover sports a flannel maybe as a nod to the fat, fuzzy, feedback-flecked grunge, almost stoner rock sound found on songs like “Bummer Machine,”“Fingers,” and “Bored Forever.”“Teenage Wasteland” and “Wunderwal” rock hard. “Song 2 Part 2” and “I Melted” are more melodic, some might say pretty, rock songs.
Space jams “Off The Wall” and “The Wall” close out the record impressively and more experimentally, as these guys are wont to do. Like the diamonds they sometimes adorn their album art with or get tattooed on their arms, the material on Less Is Less, instead of some huge departure from their previous material, just shines a little differently, reflecting a slightly different angle.
It would come as no surprise to their fans, and the band itself might try to downplay it, but The Demon Beat looks like they’re about to “break through” and/or literally explode. And we are talking weeks, not months, here people.
Well, that’s just judging from the positive press and praise from people who’ve heard songs off their upcoming release Less Is Less, or seen the band’s video for “Teenage Wasteland,” ably and awesomely done by Geoff Hoskinson.
As we’ve all followed Adam, Tucker and Jordan over the past, what four or five years solid, (always will remember pulling Heavy Nasty out of the envelope, never having heard of the band, thinking 'What the hell?') sure, they’ve received nods and thumbs up and various positive shaking of other body parts from “the press” and big outlets of other mediums. But now you almost have to keep up with what outlet is rockin’ ‘em out or singing their praises.
Impose Magazine premiered the “Teenage Wasteland” video, and the band was named (quite obviously, and rightly) by Paste Magazine as one of 10 West Virginia bands to check out. And Paste and Impose aren’t the only ones.
Less Is Less -- due out around the end of September on Funny/Not Funny, and available for pre-order now -- may be the record that sees the band take that next step, whatever that is. It’s just always been interesting to think about what bands get popular or put on and some bands that may rock as hard or harder, don’t. (hint: family members in the record industry?)
How many times have we thought to ourselves here we’d rather see The Demon Beat on Saturday Night Live than whatever silliness they’ve got booked half the time? More than once.
As much of a badass rocker as Meisterhans may be, as far as plans may or may not have been drawn up to kidnap Hudkins to have Rozwell Kid play the WVRockscene home office, it’s been great to see Tucker Riggleman (as the other dudes handle recording/art) handle the band’s PR front, in addition to setting up Big Bullet Records, in such a professional, thorough manner.
There was talk recently on Facebook about the perceived need to have some sort of a workshop where local music beat writers and aspiring musicians get together to discuss the do’s and don’t’s’s of approaching press types, taking a business writing class, and whatever else. Any such workshop would be very well served to host Riggleman.
He’s handled that end of things for the band. But all this positive coverage isn’t or doesn’t seem like hype. It’s people catching on after so much awesomeness from the band. The Demon Beat is a great example of a band doing things the right way, D.I.Y., worrying about rock and roll and not “breaking through,” “blowing up,” or much less approaching press types.
Pretty much exactly seven years after at a Hurricane Katrina benefit show at Shepherd teamed Tucker up with Adam and Jordan, The Demon Beat may or may not have big, rich, famous things in their future. But they’ve at least done this: remind people what’s great about rock and roll.
It’s always cool to see new bands form, ‘specially when they’re made up of cool dudes we’ve talked to in the past. Such is the case with Bishops, which grew out of Tucker Riggleman (The Demon Beat/Prison Book Club) recording some solo stuff with Paul Cogle (Nagato/Vox Populi).
Fast forward a few months, and after adding drummer Andrew Ford and pulling guitarist Adam Meisterhans (The Demon Beat/PBC/Rozwell Kid) in, Bishops is releasing a full-length in July and heading out on tour.
We caught up with Riggleman and Cogle to learn more and talk about some rock songs…
WVRockscene: The first Bishops full band show was June 10? How did that go?
Paul Cogle: The first band show went great! Loved playing the “Ice Breaker” in front of all our friends.
Tucker Riggleman: It was definitely a lot of fun. Everyone was real attentive and had nice things to say. It’s only gonna get better from here.
----- rockscene: You’re set to release the full-length real soon right?
Cogle: Yes, it’s recorded and we are in the mixing stage. It’s got a sound all it’s own – Trashy Garage Rock, Dream POP/Shoe Gaze and just down right Rock at times.
Riggleman: Yup, and it’s sounding way bigger than I ever expected. Everyone really brought their best. It definitely doesn’t really sound like anything else I’ve ever done. People keep asking me ‘What kind of band is Bishops?’ and I never have an answer. We have some songs that are pulled back and soaked in reverb, and that might be followed by a raved up, almost punk sounding song. It covers a lot of ground, but somehow still makes sense that it’s coming from the same band.
----- rockscene: Tucker you’d previously done solo stuff, still write in PBC, but played the MACRoCk solo Bishops set, how & when did this collaboration with Paul come about out of your own writing? Did you two say ‘Let’s start a band!’ at any point?
Cogle: I’ve been bugging Tucker for a few years about doing some recordings for either PBC or the Demon Beat and schedules had never worked, out but last fall we talked (about a side project) he’d like to record and wanted to know if I’d be involved. I jumped at the chance. It’s been a really good time!
Riggleman: I’ve been writing songs pretty frequently since I was about 16 years old. Once I got to college I had the opportunity to do some solo shows and travel around a bit with that, but I was never really satisfied with the representation of the songs. Everything I write has more of a “full-band” feel to it in my head.
Paul is a great guy and is very active in the West Virginia music scene.
I was finally able to find the time to go check out his studio in Falling Waters in early 2012 and cut some acoustic demos of a bunch of songs I had recently written. Once we got Andrew in there and plugged in the amps it all just felt pretty perfect. I was finally hearing the songs the way I had heard them in my head all of those years.
----- rockscene: Paul I thought I’d seen a Nagato show mentioned online not too long ago, what’s it like being in a band like Bishops with Tucker, something so different than Nagato?
Cogle: I’m a real music junky and love playing as many styles and with as many different people as possible (this is how I grow). Bishops and Nagato are so far apart but still, all a part of me.
----- rockscene: Paul, what’s up with Nagato, you gonna do another EP or anything? Still playing shows obviously right?
Cogle: Yep, still playing shows and getting ready to record a full length. Been a lot of challenges in “Nagatoland” but all is well. Greg Ball (also in Hovel) now lives back in Morgantown so there are a few schedule challenges but we do get together every few months.
----- rockscene: Tucker not to get too personal or specific but just looking at stuff you’d said on Facebook about life sucking in general, and then you have the lyrics on “I Wanna Marry Rock and Roll,” -- “Everything sucks don't you think I know/Tomorrow's gonna suck, just let it go.” But now the obvious question how cathartic is it now to have this band for you?
Riggleman: It is very cathartic. I think everyone needs that outlet. The Demon Beat’s songs are written by Adam, and PBC’s almost entirely by John, so it’s definitely nice to be able to cut loose and get some shit off of my chest. I think the entire act of writing, recording, and performing music is insanely therapeutic, and it always seems to help me out when I’m down.
I think as I get older I just realize that a lot of the negative or shitty things that happen around me are out of my control, so if I can try to remember to just sit back, let it go, and play some music with my friends it will make this whole “growing up” thing at least a bit easier.
----- rockscene: Is Meisterhans supposed to be in the band now?
Cogle: He started out as a fan, then a utility player but I think he needed to be in the band after what he brought to the recordings. Adam is great! Like cream, he rises to the top. Can’t wait for you all to hear the songs!
Riggleman: Yeah, we recorded one of the early practices we had with just a room mic and let Adam check it out so he could add some parts to the recording, but the parts ended up being so good and his enthusiasm about playing was awesome, so he’s going to start playing live with us as well.
----- rockscene: Where did you guys record at? And given each of your own respective amounts of recording how did it go for Bishops?
Cogle: We recorded at my house. Tucker, Andrew Ford (PBC) and myself. The energy was really good and we knocked-out the main tracks in an afternoon. All first takes! Was a pure joy to record. Adam came in a few days later and did his cuts. It’s all been really good. Lots of good performances captured to tape.
Riggleman: Paul has a great studio with amazing gear that he built from the ground up. That’s where we practice too, so it was a very comfortable environment to track in. I’ll admit, it being a brand new band I was a bit nervous about how the tracking would go, but I’ll be damned if we didn’t do 10 songs in one take each for the basic live tracking. Andrew and Paul are such professionals, and I’m really lucky that they let me add my sloppy playing style overtop of their locked in rhythms.
----- rockscene: You’re going out on tour with New God in July, how much are you looking forward to that?
Cogle: It’s gonna be a great time – totally looking forward to it!
Riggleman: I’m very excited about this, especially because Kenny (from New God/The Christmas Lights) and I grew up playing shows together in our very first bands, so it’s really come full circle for us. He’s an amazing musician, and New God is going to turn some heads. Check out their record “Motorcar” if you haven't already.
----- rockscene: Tucker maybe a side issue but you started Big Bullet Booking recently, what made you wanna do that and how’s it gone so far?
Riggleman: That is really just an attempt for me to take my years of booking experience to the next level. To kind of get my foot in the door. It’s been going pretty well. This tour actually started as Kenny from New God approaching me about booking a tour for them, and then I was like, ‘Well I’ve got this new band and we’d love to play some of the shows with you,” and he was all about it. I also have recently helped booked some stuff for my friend JKutchma from Durham, North Carolina.
----- rockscene: You’ve each been in and still are in multiple bands. How exciting is it to be in this band right now?
Cogle: The hardest part is scheduling. All the bands (we are in) are with our friends and time has to be shared with all our music endeavors but that said, I’m totally excited about Bishops and the future!
Riggleman: It’s very exciting. Like I said, it’s been years in the making for me to finally have an outlet for my songs the way I’ve always wanted them to be heard. That being said, it’s still just as important to me to go out and be super loud with The Demon Beat, or rock out with PBC. Each has its place in my life and are equally cathartic in different ways for me. I think we’re all pretty lucky to be involved in so many different projects. It’s hard for some people to find one band that they like to play in.
Bishops art: Jordan Hudkins
Sample mix of “Get Down” from Bishops soon-to-be-released debut record
It doesn’t get much more plug-in-and-go than The New Strokes Record by NU. “Written and recorded in minutes,” as it says on their bandcamp page, this latest killer side project and collaboration between The Demon Beat’s Adam Meisterhans and Tucker Riggleman, with Prison Book Club drummer Andrew Ford, only further cements these guys as pre-eminent West Virginia rockers, whatever band they’re in.
Yeah you can’t say Meisterhans and Riggleman ever got the memo that side projects are supposed to suck. While it’s not like they spent too much time thinking about the songs (the 10 songs average two minutes in length -- now that’s pretty punk) on The New Strokes Record, these three dudes capture a raw, abrasive garage rock sound (circa the 1970’s) and punk rock attitude that a lot of bands would do well to emulate.
Favorite tracks include, firstly, “Can’t Party,”“When I (get some)” and “Rescue You” -- but pretty much all of the songs run together in a sonically coherent fashion, and form a pretty great record. Don’t blink or step out of the room though: you’ll miss it.
But seriously, as you may have heard The Demon Beat approach something like The Stooges in the past, (think “This Is No Fun” off Shit We’re 23) and wish they’d explore that kind of tendency, flush that out, this is the record they never released. But now they have, as NU.
Pretty much all of the songs are catchy as hell, uptempo, with driving guitar, fuzzy, walking bass lines, Meisterhans’ near-patented, gnarly shouting and soulful voice ran through layers of reverb and echo all the whilst continuing his lyrical themes of losing in love -- nothing more straight ahead rock and roll than this has come across the desk of the WVRockscene home office this year.
Recorded (like everything else they do) in total DIY fashion by Meisterhans, with album art from Demon Beat drummer Jordan Hudkins, The New Strokes Record is both a step back and two thumbs up for rock and roll from these dudes.
After the “written and recorded in minutes,” liner note on NU’s bandcamp page, it says simply: “Turn that shit up.” Nothing better or more profound could be said here. Turn that shit up indeed.
Could you imagine hearing this, not having heard of The Demon Beat or any of the assorted side projects, each of which is indeed quite awesome? This would be your favorite “NU” band. Haha we’re here all week!
--- NU plays its debut show Thursday night at the Blue Moon Saloon (200 E. High St.) out in Shepherdstown with Sundown and Masquerade Manifesto.
Waiting to get matching Prison Book Club tattoos with his friend and band mate John Miller out in Martinsburg, Demon Beat bassist Tucker Riggleman talked with WVRockscene about his label his Big Bullet Records' upcoming Big Bullet Fest taking place Thursday through Saturday out in Shepherdstown.
Riggleman talks about the already out (online) Demon Beat cassette split with The Shackletons, the BBR Terminal Ballistics Vol. 2 compilation out Thursday, and the friendships he and The Demon Beat have developed over the last few years with the bands playing the festival.
--- For more info and full details on the bands and merch you can snag at Big Bullet Fest, visit the BBR site and check out the BBR bandcamp page for more related items...
The Demon Beat (Jordan Hudkins, Adam Meisterhans, Tucker Riggleman) backstage at the Ottobar in Baltimore 2.20.
In advance of their show Thursday night at Shamrock’s Irish Pub in Huntington, we caught up with Demon Beat bassist Tucker Riggleman for Huntington Pulse, a print magazine out of Huntington whose sales benefit homeless charities. Riggleman gives the scoop on what’s been up with the band and what he’s looking forward to in 2011...
WVRockscene: How did the NYE show at the V Club go? Riggleman: That show was pretty incredible. We rarely get to play with The Fox Hunt anymore, which is a shame because those guys are some of our best friends, so it was awesome to see them play again. The turnout was really crazy. We were all pretty stoked on it, and we were really excited about releasing our new album to such a receptive crowd.
Rockscene: What’s been the response to 1956? Friends, fans and reviews? Riggleman: Personally, I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about the response, just because it’s so different from our previous albums in so many ways; the way it was recorded, the pacing, the sounds, the concept, all were done differently than before. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response. Speaking from a record label standpoint, this has been the first time really that magazines and blogs have contacted me about wanting to review the album, which is a welcome change. Folks have been very flattering so far with their reviews, and I think people understand where we were coming from with the album, and more importantly understanding that this doesn’t mean we’ve “changed” our genre or direction necessarily, but that we are simply evolving as a band and wanted to try something new.
--- rockscene:1956 isn’t so much of a departure from some previous Demon Beat material but compared to a lot of the brit or more pop-oriented type rock sound it is more bluesy and ambitious as a record. How would you characterize the band’s progression from Heavy Nasty through 1956 and into 2011? Riggleman: As far as the progression from HEAVYNASTY, I’d say the most obvious change is that we’re all better musicians, and more importantly that we have learned how to write and play together more effectively as a band.
We also listen to a lot of different stuff these days. We’ve gone through soul phases and punk rock phases and everything in between, and I think the fact that we all three listen to different things and talk about music constantly has helped us experiment with new sounds and ideas to really find our own “sound” if you will.
We’re very proud of 1956 and what we were able to accomplish with that album. The next full-length is already nearing completion, and I think it will be our most representative album to date. We’re very excited for people to hear it.
--- rockscene: You played SXSW last year; did you not get booked for 2011? Riggleman: We were never on the “official” SXSW. Most bands are not on the official festival, but the unofficial shows are much greater in number and more times than not they are the best shows. Last year we had two shows booked and ended up playing every day, and this year we already have two more shows booked and plan to play as much as possible. I’m also excited because last year we only did two shows on the way to Texas and this year we’ve got a weeklong tour taking us down there to break up the drive. We’re getting to play a lot of new cities like Charleston (SC), Houston (TX), Shreveport (LA).
--- rockscene: You have the Big Bullet Records festival out in Shepherdstown in a few months, right? How cool is that going to be and what made you want to do that? Riggleman: Yeah man, that little festival is going to be so much fun. It’s going to center around our new free compilation, TERMINAL BALLISTICS Vol. 2, and is basically an excuse for me to get all of my friends bands to come down and play to a bunch of people and have a great time. We always talk about family with BBR, and this will basically be our version of a family reunion. It just might be a bit more drunk than normal reunions.
But yeah, it takes place April 21-23 in Shepherdstown, WV. The first and last nights will take place at The Blue Moon Saloon, and the second night will feature the bulk of the festival’s artists performing at this old church in town that hosts shows. It’s a really killer space and there have been some amazing shows there. We are really excited to be headlining the second night, which will also be the release show for our new split cassette with our friends The Shackeltons which will be out on Antler Tapes, an awesome little cassette label out of Pennsylvania.
--- rockscene: What is the scoop for 2011 for you guys? Obviously you and Adam do Prison Book Club, and there’s a Jude Universer release right? New Demon Beat CD? Excited about any touring or appearances? Playing with Mike Watt, obviously; what was the band’s response to hearing that? Riggleman: By this summer we will have put out two full-lengths and a split cassette in six months. The cassette comes out in April during the BBR Fest, and our new full-length will be out tentatively in July. We did the basic tracking for that album during our November tour, and the initial mixes are almost finished. Adam will be finishing the mixes in NYC with Chris Abell who worked on Shit, We’re 23, and then we'll be getting it mastered again by Justin Francis in Nashville. Mark my words, this WILL come out on vinyl, even if I have to go a month without eating to pay for it. The new album isn’t a concept piece like 1956 or anything, rather it’s more of a traditional album if you will. We’re very excited about the songs and the sounds that we were able to get. Jordan’s drums sound pretty epic on it.
As for the Mike Watt show, we are ridiculously honored to have the opportunity to play with someone so influential. It’s like having the pretty girl ask you to go to the dance.
--- rockscene: Looking forward to playing Shamrock’s with Arcane Rifles Thursday night? Riggleman: I just want to point out how much we love J Marinelli. I played a solo show with him down here in Charles Town, WV a couple years ago and have the privilege of hanging out with him for the night and picking his brain about music. The guy is like a living punk rock encyclopedia, and he’s one of the nicest, most genuine dudes ever. We are really excited to do a run of shows with his new band, because of course they sound badass too. If you haven’t yet, people need to go buy J’s new record on vinyl. It’s amazing, and he’s one of the most important musicians to come out of West Virginia in my opinion.
--- rockscene: You’ve played Huntington a bunch; whether it’s the V Club or Shamrock’s how have you been received? Riggleman: We absolutely love Huntington and everyone there. It continually blows my mind to see the turnouts at our shows and the enthusiasm that people bring. In November we played a Tuesday show there which I expected nobody to really be at since it was a weekday and all, and the turnout was still pretty awesome. It’s so great to have places like Huntington, especially it being in our home state and all. Nothing but love.
--- rockscene: What are the goals and/or expectations of the band? Success is such a relative term and is of course fickle in the music industry; how do you feel about the band after being together for roughly five years? Riggleman: I feel really great about what we’ve accomplished, and I think as far as “expectations” go, that we just want to keep writing and playing together and touring and meeting people and making friends. That’s really what it’s about. We don’t owe anything to anyone really, we’ve done the work and put in our time and that’s always a good feeling. To know that you've really earned what you’ve got out of it. We just want to stay true to ourselves and keep writing and recording and touring. So long as we keep doing that and having fun and aren't completely broke, I’d say we'll keep going.
The Demon Beat plays Shamrock's Thursday night with Lexington's Arcane Rifles and Universes.
Regular readers of WVRockscene will recognize the name Tucker Riggleman. Bassist for The Demon Beat -- and Prison Book Club in his spare time -- he’s assembled a full stable of solid artists on Big Bullet Records, the DIY label he’s been running for the past couple of years.
We caught up with Tucker to see what was up with everything…
WVRS: How did the 4.24 V Club show go for you guys in The Demon Beat? TR: The show was a ton of fun and we had a great turnout. Huntington is consistently one of the very best places for The Demon Beat to play and this show was no exception.
WVRS: Over the past few years, have there been any instances where you second guessed your decision to start your own label? Tough times? TR: Ha, it's funny you mention that. Right now I am finding it very hard to stay positive about things. My computer recently crashed, and it basically was the label. I feel like I'm behind on everything, but I'm really happy to see that things are still happening. The Goddamn Hills just finished a great record, and Dandelion Snow is about to put out an amazing album as well that has international press lined up for it.
Not to mention that both Prison Book Club and The Demon Beat are making new albums in the next few months. I guess it's inspiring to see that what started as me procrastinating from finals back when I was still in school has grown into something bigger than just me. It's a close-knit group of amazingly talented people that write, record, and press great albums, and then they go out there and play some great shows.
WVRS: BBR has had more than a few great releases in the past few months; The Dreadful Horoscope, BLACK FAG!, and Prison Book Club back in October, how satisfied are you with what BBR has been putting out recently? TR: I am very satisfied with what we've all been able to do. The PBC and BF! records were completely in house, but it's still awesome to see Jake and his crew doing things out in Morgantown that we can get behind too. It's the same way we feel when Greg Loftus or Stephen MacDonald & The Okay Win, or Dandelion Snow does something great. It's really grown into an upper East Coast type of a family and we're proud of all of it.
WVRS: Dandelion Snow will be releasing his new CD June 1st, produced by Chris #2 from Anti-Flag; how stoked are you about that, and what are your thoughts about Harvey’s music? TR: I am insanely stoked about that record. It's called "The Grand Scheme Of Things" and it's been done for a little while now, we've just been keeping it under wraps until everything was completely lined up. Roger used to be in a bigger punk band called The Code from Pittsburgh, and they were best buds with Anti-Flag.
It's so cool that Chris and those guys continue to support what Roger's doing. As far as the label goes, it's obviously great to have our name affiliated with something involving guys of that stature, I mean that band is huge to a lot of people across the entire world.
As for Roger's music, I think Roger is an amazing songwriter. He played with The Demon Beat in NYC last year and we both ended up really enjoying each other's music. I feel like the market gets pretty flooded with folk singer-songwriter types and it's rare to have one standout as much as I feel Roger does. There is something completely genuine about his music, plus he's just an all around great guy.
WVRS: Then there are other BBR artists like Greg Loftus, Roma Renegade and Cait O’ Shea, anything notable to look for out of them (shows, releases) for the rest of 2010? TR: Cait O'Shea actually just finished up tracking a new album with Adam and they both seem pretty excited about it. Roma Renegade released their new record in early February, and Greg has been laying low for a bit and doing some writing. Hopefully he'll have a new album's worth of material real soon too.
WVRS: You had the Terminal Ballistics compilation, which showcased BBR artists, how cool was it to get that out, and will you follow that up with more comps? TR: It felt great to get that thing out there. It was one of my initial goals when I started up the label, and it took a lot longer than I had anticipated to get out, but I feel good about the overall result. Our Valentine's Day comp that we offered up in February is even better in my opinion, and really showcases what everyone involved is capable of doing musically. My favorite thing about these comps is that they're not greatest hits; they're rare songs, covers, or B-sides that you can't get anywhere else, plus they're 100% free. And yeah, there are definitely plans for many more comps in the future.
WVRS: You’ve got some favorable press for BBR, how cool is that? TR: It's pretty cool I suppose because it's giving all of the artists some extra attention. Anything to help out those folks that are out there making good records and touring their asses off is pretty awesome.
WVRS: What are your personal relationships like with the BBR artists; is there any difficulty balancing a personal friendship with a potentially professional relationship? TR: Haha, well there's not too much of a "professional" vibe with anything we do. We only work with our friends who are doing music that we believe in. Who wants to make records and tour with people they don't like?
WVRS: Talking to fellow musicians and/or people in the industry, when they talk to you candidly what are some of their worries about getting their music out, the state of the music industry, or indie labels in general? TR: Everyone seems to be worried about the economy and all of that, but I'm a firm believer that art and music can wade through that shit. When times are hard people want to go out and hear music that makes them feel better, or get drunk and hear songs about how much things suck, but they eventually get better. It's a therapeutic type of thing, and I think that worrying about it isn't going to solve anything.
WVRS: Are you going to be doing any solo shows in the near future? TR: Right now I've got May 15th lined up at The Blue Moon Saloon in Shepherdstown, but that's it for right now. I'm going to be really busy as we begin recording the new Prison Book Club record this month, then The Demon Beat album this summer. Also, whenever I find time in between I'm going to be recording a full-length album of solo material; mainly older stuff that I never got a chance to properly record. It will be pretty sparse and mainly just acoustic stuff, but these are songs that have meant a lot to me over the years and I've never given them a proper recording, so I'm looking forward to that.
WVRS: You’ve been handling BBR for more than two years now, how would you compare how you handle it now, versus when you started your own label; lessons learned or horror stories? TR: I guess the biggest difference is that back then I didn't really know anything at all and now I might know just a little bit about what's going on. I still have no clue how to properly do any of this stuff, but at least I feel like we've gotten some good folks on our side who help spread the word about what we're doing, and if that helps our folks sell a few more records or get a few more people out to shows then it's all worth it.
As far as lessons learned, I would say be wary of outside "agencies" or "online distribution" sites that seem shady or gimmicky. Make good music, put out good records, play good shows, and the rest should fall in place. You don't need to pay someone else to do that for you, at least that's how I feel about it.
--- Related: Tucker Riggleman Q&A w/WVRockscene Pt. one & two; H-D article on The Demon Beat
In part dos of our Q&A with Shepherdstown-based rocker Tucker Riggleman, we talk to him about The Demon Beat, his writing career, and how he came across Joey Fuckup and Whiskey Brian...
Rockscene: What is up with new Demon Beat stuff? TR: Our newest EP (still untitled for now) is being mastered in Chicago at Saff Mastering. It will have most of the newer soul-type songs that we've been playing on it, so we are really excited.
Rockscene: How has the band changed since forming? TR: Well they started out as a two-piece. It was just drums and guitar/vocals, so everything was pretty stripped down. I remember the first time I saw them they had this one 40 minute song that was really amazing. They really blew me away. They were probably the loudest band I had ever heard live and there were just two of them.
Eventually they asked me to play bass at a couple of open mics with them and it just kind of happened. We had great chemistry from the start, and after years of trying to play with other people I instantly knew that this was the band for me.
As far as how the band has changed musically, we have definitely developed our own style over the past couple of years. Once I joined, Adam had the freedom to write more ambitiously and do a lot of really interesting guitar work. Before, they kind of just had these really awesome riffs and drum beats and they would just play the hell out of things and it was awesome, but now we have a fuller sound and it's a lot of fun to mess around with. As far as style goes, we have definitely gone in a more soul-type direction. We all got really into old Stax Records stuff and began writing more dynamically. Soul music is all about building dynamics - quiet/loud, soft/hard, it's all in the tension. I'd like to think that nowadays we have taken the older blue stuff and the soul stuff and really developed our own style.
Rockscene: How did you meet/know those guys at Whiskey&Waterbeds? TR: We knew of Brian through a mutual friend in the Fox Hunt, but I think they just kind of messaged us one day and dug our music. What those guys are doing is really cool. I think podcasts are a great way for people to discover new music.
Rockscene: Are you still involved with Hard Rain Magazine? TR: You know, I was and assume I still am, but those guys have kind of went under the radar. They are based out of Huntington, so I have always been slightly out of the loop, but yeah, I don't really know what happened. I'd love to keep contributing and helping out because I think what they do is also really cool and important.
Rockscene: What bands West of Shepherdstown (in WV) do you particularly dig? TR: The only other bands I've really listened to consistently are the Morgantown indie bands like Dave Bello and His God-Given Right, It's Birds, and Librarians. I think everybody should check those guys out, because what they're doing out there is awesome. 123 Pleasant St. is a great venue to have as a home base. I'd love to get into some more WV music, I just haven't really been exposed to much outside of our scene and the one up in Morgantown.
Rockscene: Will The Demon Beat ever get to play in Charleston? TR: That's the million dollar question isn't it? We'd love to and we talk about it a lot, but we'd need at least two shows back to back to make it worth our drive, especially with these awful gas prices. We are starving musicians too, so we would definitely need at least two shows in a row. We've heard really good things about The Empty Glass and would love to get down there at some point and rock in the capital.
We wanted to find out more about what's going on with Tucker Riggleman way out in Shepherdstown. For those that don't know, Shepherdstown is basically in Maryland. But whether with The Demon Beat, as a solo performer, or now with his label Big Bullet, Riggleman looks like he stays busy out there. We decided to pick his brain in a special two-part series...
Rockscene: What made you want to start a label? TR: Living in Shepherdstown and being surrounded by so much musical talent made me want to start a label. There are so many great bands in our area that I believe could greatly benefit from the unity and networking that an independent label offers. Also, I love music and can't imagine having a real job one day that does not revolve around music, so why not start my own label right?
Rockscene: What bands or artists made you want to play music? TR: When I was younger I was into heavier stuff and eventually went through the typical Nirvana/Green Day phase. Now that I'm older I draw from a lot of different places and types of music. It's actually pretty strange because nobody in my family was a musician, so I guess I just fell in love with music on my own. These days I tend to be inspired by a lot of older country and folk like John Prine, as well as newer alt-country singers like Ryan Adams.
Rockscene: What excatly does your role @ BBR entail? TR: As manager/president I am pretty much in charge of everything. Being that we are just starting out, there isn't much to do until we can establish our home base and recording studio in July/August. Once we get that all straightened out we can begin a cycle of recording records, pressing and promoting those records, and getting our artists some shows.
Right now what we are doing for artists is almost entirely on the promotional level. We have sent label songs to an area internet radio station, we have established an online presence that keeps people up-to-date on what our artists are doing, and we are helping Greg Loftus promote his album and get shows for his tour.
Along with myself, we also have Leah Seager on board who is in charge of our DVDs and live show footage. We also have Adam Meisterhans from The Demon Beat on board as our recording engineer.
Rockscene: What do you like about the acts involved with BBR? TR: I think my favorite thing about our artists is that they all believe in what they are doing. Integrity and passion are a big part of what we do and we want our artists to represent that accordingly. When you have musicians who are really passionate about what they are doing the rest will naturally fall in line.
I also love the diversity of our label. We cover so many genres such as rock, folk, alternative, pop, minimalist, and experimental.
Rockscene: Do you know who will be on this BBR Vol. 1 compilation? TR: As of right now we will be putting one track from every label artist on the compilation, but we also have a couple other possibilities such as using a live track of the West Virginia-renowned one man band J Marinelli playing at a famous Shepherdstown venue from a couple years ago.
We are also planning a DVD compilation that will probably take a little longer to get finished. We have around a year's worth of footage from area bands that we are compiling along with some cool behind the scenes stuff, so be on the look out for that too.
Rockscene: You do a lot of solo shows out there, where are some of your favorite spots? Jumpin' Java? TR: Yeah, I try to make sure that I don't let my solo material fall to the wayside while I get caught up in label stuff or stuff with The Demon Beat. It's really important for me to have my solo work as a creative outlet. Playing in bands is great, but sometimes we need something entirely our own, and I think Jordan, Adam and I have found a really cool balance between The Demon Beat and our respective solo work.
As for my favorite spots, Java is cool, but I'd have to say that my favorite place is On What Grounds? Coffee Shop in Chambersburg, PA. When I started playing there, the crowd was pretty small, but as I kept playing the crowds have really turned out and people there are really receptive. It's great because there's no stage or anything, so the setting is really intimate between the artist and the audience.
-- In part two we'll talk to Tucker about The Demon Beat, Shepherdstown bands, Whiskey & Waterbeds, and more...
