Even In His Youth: 20-year old Tyler Childers has the blues

Photo: Chris Harper/Tophu Photo

Not even old enough to buy whiskey, or play at some area bars, Tyler Childers brings his bluesy version of Americana to the V Club tonight.

Reposted from The Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Tyler Childers has the blues. You can hear it in his voice, and in the songs the 20-year old Paintsville, Kentucky native sings.

It’s in the lyrics, in songs about whiskey and women, songs like “If Whiskey Could Talk,” “Hard Times,” “Silence,” and “Bottles and Bibles,” the title of his 13-song debut CD.

Despite not being old enough to even buy whiskey, or get into some bars to play, Childers has been developing a following in Huntington, thanks to his soulful voice and his distinctly Appalachian version of acoustic Americana.

Tyler Childers plays the V Club Saturday night with Sasha Colette & the Magnolias and The David Mayfield Parade.

Childers will play anywhere to make fans and meet new people. He recently played Qdoba Mexican Grill in the Huntington Mall. The crowd loved it, he said.

“It was nice,” Childers said over the phone, drawing out “nice” with an accent and a twang you’ll no doubt find around Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.

“It was a smaller place, more intimate, but it was a receptive audience. You meet cool people wherever you play, and I met some cool people there.”

It’s meeting cool people who love his songs that’s helped Childers, now living in Lexington, get more shows, this, in spite of his youth.

“It’s hard to get into bars to play, but I understand it. Everybody and their brother plays music, or thinks they do. But if you own a bar and you’re like, ‘You got to be 21,’ that takes out half of them. That’s that much more people you don’t have to deal with on a daily basis coming in saying ‘Hey you want to check out my demo?’

“And then there’s the whole liability thing; something happens, and here he is, and he’s not 21. It sucks, but I understand it. It’s just, there’s a lot of people out there who aren’t 21 yet and who have real talent.”

Getting his foot in the door at Huntington’s V Club has helped springboard Childers into a busy 2011.

“Getting into the V Club, I just went into one of their open mics one night, and everything I’ve got so far has been through that. That, and [V Club promoter] Don [Duncan] and Ian [Thornton] and them boys telling other people. But, in Lexington, I haven’t had much luck yet.”



Childers said everyone has the blues, in a sense, it’s just that not everyone turns it into songs.

“We’ve all got problems that we go through. I know I’m just 20 years old and people might be like ‘What does he know about the blues? He hasn’t been through anything.’ But I’ve went through my stuff just like everyone else. The thing is to take those emotions and concentrate on them and turn it into a song and make people understand what you’re going through, and believe you, and feel your pain and heartache.”

Hearing Childers voice puts any doubt to rest that he feels “it,” deep down.

“The voice thing is really big, that’s where it’s at for me. I can play guitar well enough, but where I try to bring it home is by the way I sing.”

On the subject of “home,” singing and playing the blues, and uniquely Appalachian accents and voices, Childers, heavily influenced as a youth by Robert Johnson and “Sun” House, said being around the latter influences the former.

“Being from Appalachia, we’re just really lucky to live where we live. The people you meet, and the way they talk, just, everything they say is a song. Our language is so colorful, the way we explain things, and exaggerate things, like a bunch of old men sitting around a barbershop. That’s what really helped out my songwriting, was just listening to people.”

Childers said it should come as no surprise to people that an Eastern Kentucky boy would win so many people over so fast with such talent.

“As far as talent, this area is full of it, everywhere you look. People are raised up singing in church, playing piano, or grow up playing bluegrass.”

And, small world that it is, Childers said it was another Eastern Kentucky singer-songwriter, already known for her own soulful voice, who influenced him as a teen.

“One local influence was Sasha [Colette]. I first saw her when I was 15, and I had just started writing songs, and, I just thought she was the coolest thing on Earth,” he admitted with a laugh.

Having the support and positive feedback from so many people has helped Childers move his songs out into public over the past few years.

“It’s kind of nerve racking sharing songs you wrote in public. You sit around and think about them and write them out. And of course you like it, because you wrote it, but it could be a success or an embarrassing failure. It’s always neat seeing what other people think about your songs.

Knowing that his songs have touched people is what it’s all about for Childers.

“It really means a lot, people like Don [Duncan] and the people who’ve come out to my shows at the V Club. Like, Adam Barraclough, any show he knows that I have in Huntington, he’s been there. Just to have people who follow you, and want to know about your music, that your songs mean something to people and reach them, it means everything to me.”




IF YOU GO:
Tyler Childers, Sasha Colette and the Magnolias, The David Mayfield Parade
Where: The V Club, 741 6th Avenue (304) 781-0680
When: Saturday, August 20, 10 p.m.
Cost: $8 adv., $10 DOS
Info: www.vclublive.com

For Christopher Lusher, It Is What It Is

DIY or die: Christopher Lusher didn’t wait around to have someone else feature artists in Huntington. The 37-year old multimedia artist follows up on June’s Destructive Criticism show with tonight’s show, It Is What It Is, with over 20 area artists.


Reposted from The Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Christopher Lusher wears his philosophy about life, and art, literally on his sleeve: it is what it is. The 37-year old multimedia artist has the cliché phrase tattooed in cursive on his left forearm, and it also happens to be the name and theme of the art show he’s hosting Friday.

“That’s exactly it, that’s the idea,” Lusher explained over the phone, laughing and describing the obviousness of the title. “Someone asked me the other day ‘What’s the theme for the show?’ And that’s what I told them, ‘There is no theme, hence the title, it is what it is, it’s everything.’ I thought it was a great name for an art show.

It Is What It Is runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Rivers Towers West, and is free to the public.

Heavily influenced by his teenage years as a skateboarder, and after moving from comic book art and drawing as a kid in Proctorville, Ohio, to painting, collages, street photography and more recent mixed media work (all of which are featured on his Hillbilly Magazine tumblr site) Lusher said that a very real do-it-yourself punk attitude infuses his art.

“When I look back on my life and think about what informs me now, and makes me who I am today, it goes back to that aesthetic I got from skateboarding. Doing that, you become so independently minded, because back in the day, you had to have tough skin, not so much now, people would come at you with hammers. So there was always me relating to this outsider mentality and doing things yourself.”

That DIY mentality has helped Lusher corral over 20 area artists for It Is What It Is, the follow-up show to Destructive Criticism, held in June. Lusher said his first show as a curator turned out great.

“It was more of a success than anyone had really bargained for. I think five or six artists sold. The one thing it did was it seemed to inspire a lot of people to start doing stuff. Most artists are usually kind of self-conscious, and a lot of the people who went to the show, who make art, it gave them the impetus to come out of their box and start putting their stuff out there, so it was great.

“Everybody from that last show was so stoked. It was like, ‘Get it of the internet, it’s not a jpeg.’ It’s like ‘Oh my God, that thing is eight feet tall.’ You can see it in person. It’s not the size of a postage stamp on your computer, it’s in your face.”

Huntington needs a place for in your face, outsider art, with a casual atmosphere where artists can show their work, Lusher said. And if you believe that a naked woman equals porn, you might just puke with rage at Friday’s show. Lusher said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I don’t want someone to look at something I’ve done and say ‘Oh that’s not too bad,’ because what they’re saying is, ‘I don’t care for this at all.’ But if someone says ‘This is the worst thing I’ve seen in my life,’ that, to me is the same thing as saying it’s the greatest thing they’ve seen, because they’re having a visceral reaction, on either end of the spectrum. It’s a good thing. Some people can’t handle criticism, but it’s great if you make someone have a really, really potent reaction, positive or negative.”



And don’t worry about monocles falling out of shocked highbrow eye sockets into glasses of sherry and champagne Friday night, Lusher said.

“I don’t want to be at a place with an atmosphere of a dentist’s office, sterile and stodgy, with a bunch of people standing close to each other and whispering. I’m trying to create more an atmosphere of a barbecue; there’s music and beer, and you don’t have to worry about holding your wine glass right.”

Lusher said giving other artists a venue to show their work in public is what it’s all about for him.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” he said. “I think it gets to the point with everyone where ‘I’m not going to Marshall, so I’m not going to be in a gallery in Huntington,’ because, let’s face it, I mean, they’ve monopolized everything to the point where there’s nowhere to show anything unless you’re a student. My whole thing was, ‘Who cares?’ I have this space, and we’re going to utilize this space and do our own thing because nobody is going to do it for us.

“A lot of people sit around and say ‘I know I’m talented, but I don’t understand why no one is paying attention to me.’ But if you’re sitting around waiting for someone to show up at your door with a bag of money, if you’re into art thinking you’re going to make money, I got harsh news for you: it isn’t going to happen.

“That’s not why I do it, anyway, I just don’t know how to do anything else.”


IF YOU GO:
It Is What It Is
1102 3rd Avenue, Huntington
Friday, August 12 6-9 p.m.



Update 8.14: To see works featured in It Is What It Is, visit John Drake's Faebook set here.

Hillbilly Magazine on tumblr (not safe for work)
www.hillbillymagazine.tumblr.com/

Related: Focus on the Photographers Q&A w/Lusher from June

Video: EyeBOX Productions

Extra! Extra! Outtakes from the Christopher Lusher Herald-Dispatch interview

One of the toughest things when it comes to putting an article together is deciding what to leave out. The interview with Christopher Lusher went so well and so much was said that didn’t make it into today’s Herald-Dispatch article, that we thought it appropriate to post this addendum to the reposted article above...

On putting Destructive Criticism together:
“The first show, the idea was there, it had always been there, it was just a matter of putting it into action. We had had people’s work, say a week before the show. And it got down to the Thursday before the show, and we were still getting people’s stuff. And this was the first time I’d ever done this, put a show together.

“But it was surprisingly easy to do. But I was just asking myself ‘Am I doing this right?’ I guess where it was my first time. That whole show really came together the week leading up to the show. Before that, it was just an idea in my head if not for my girlfriend kind of making sure she had her foot planted firmly in my keister, making sure I was crossing my T’s and dotting my I’s, making sure the show would happen.”


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On finding beauty in strange places:
“When I first started selling photographic prints, people would want to buy the same stuff. Like, there’s a really obvious beauty in like, here’s flowers, here’s a sunset, because there’s that really obvious beauty.

“And people were like ‘Oh I want that sunset, I want that sunset, I want that sunset.’ And what that does to me is, it makes me want to go in the opposite direction. It’s too obvious, and it’s too easy. And I just wanted to flip that on its head and do something else.”


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Portrait of an artist as a youth:
“I’ve always kind of accredited it -- around 14 or 15 years old -- my mom would go to work in town, and sometimes she’d let me hang out in town while she worked. And I was obsessed with comic books. Not just the stories, but the art. And I’d always drew as a kid.

“When I was a kid, that was all I cared about was drawing, that and becoming Indiana Jones, which obviously hasn’t happened. (laughs) But I started skating at 16 and won a contest and then when I was 17 I cracked my ankle in half at a demo downtown and that put the brakes on my skating. Then I saw a film with Tim Roth playing Vincent Van Gogh. For a while I was a film freak. I was just voracious about it, and that really inspired me to start painting. And starting out it was really structured, portraits and flowers, and then I quit. And after my mother passed, I did a painting about a week after she had passed away, and there was no structure to it, just complete abstract expressionism, and it’s still the style I do to this day, it totally relates to that first painting I did after she passed.

“And that morphed into me getting really into skateboarding -- this will make sense in a second -- um, when I was 18 I started painting. I didn’t start taking pictures until (thinking) about five years ago. I had written for a few websites, I made a short film, I played in a few bands, not a proficient musician by any means.

“When my mother passed in 2003, around that time I had dabbled in music, had been writing a lot, had made a short film. But aside from that the only thing I was doing was running wild and being a mad man and ingesting every substance on the face of the planet. And when she passed it hit me like a ton of bricks and I just thought I needed to get my life together. So I got married because I thought that was what I was supposed to do.

“Well, that ended, and I was working at this liquor store and this guy came in one day, and I had a friend who lived overseas. Well, this guy who I worked with came in with this little digital silver camera. And I asked, ‘Hey can I borrow that?’ And the idea was for me to take a few pictures of where I live, and send them to my friend, and say ‘This is where I live, this is my area.’

“Well what ended up happening was, I had to walk about 20 blocks to and from work every day. And I would take the camera with me and I would start documenting all the things I would see. And my friend was like ‘Dude you can borrow that camera as long as you want.’ And I kind of got obsessed with it, hitting the streets every day taking photos. And I look back on those photos now and I’m not really happy with them, but a lot of people were really encouraging about it, saying you’re really good at this. And it just became a part of what I did every day. There wasn’t any question about it, it was just what I was going to do. And that led me back into painting and collage work.”


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On making “goofy little videos” and directions his art is taking:
“My friends would come over and get drunk and I’d film them to make fun of them the next day. It’s just another avenue. Since Destructive Criticism I’ve not necessarily got away from photography, but my thing has always been street photography. And after five years, man, that well has run dry, and I can’t take my camera anymore, because I’ve taken pictures of everything.

“And in a way that’s good, because you can see things in a different way. Since DC I’ve done four paintings. One of them is the biggest I’ve ever done, it’s here in my living room here, it’s fifteen feet. God I can’t tell you how many collages I’ve done, maybe forty. I’ve done a whole bunch of mixed media stuff, just taking images from the internet, and um, and re-appropriating them, I’ve just been having a lot of fun doing that.”


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On the internet:
“It’s just a double-edged sword. The most important thing for me about the internet is, my girlfriend lives in another country, in New Zealand, so we’re doing the puddle-jumping thing for a while. Things have become so impersonal, people literally live their lives through social networking. How much of that shit do you need? You have Facebook, you have Twitter, and now you have Google Plus now, what more do you need?

“Nobody talks to each other anymore, this is the longest phone conversation, dude, I’ve probably talked to my girlfriend longer, I’ve had in years. And I’m not saying I’m not guilty of it too. We’ve become so enmeshed in living our lives through Facebook, and texting each other, another way of avoiding conversation.”


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On where this kind of art fits in Huntington:
“When you think about your options, its not the kind of show that goes on around here. I was recently invited to a show here, which will be unnamed, and I went to the show, I went into the show, walked in a circle, and went to Rio Grande and drank for three hours.

“I want people to hang out, not head to Applebee’s for three hours.”

David Synn plays This Ain't No Disco tonight at the V Club

The St. Albans-based electronic musician David Synn takes his act and all of his keyboards out to Huntington tonight for a This Ain't No Disco show with DJ Tanner at the V Club. There, he will be welcomed by Brett Fuller (Franklin Fuckin Furnace), who continues to bring an ecclectic mix of artists to Huntington.

Last we heard, Synn was working on Digital Ideations, the follow-up to Frequency of Static, his debut release on Empty Glass Records.

You can make sure Synn's story checks out by revisiting the Gazette article on him from May, pieced together by someone we can only assume to have a lot of friends, and be super cool in general.


David Synn: "Apathy" live @ Shamrock's 6.25.2011

A WVRockscene Special Report: On Roller Derby & The Renfields

This entire post can be summed up thusly: A. I am not necessarily a big fan of roller derby, and 2. I am a huge fan of The Renfields, have been for a long time.

No, I’m not an intolerant sexist pig -- I am the last person to hate on someone for loving skating, and no, I do not expect a medal for liking the band so much, but yes, I would be honored to help run a Renfields fan site if there ever is one.

The Clarksburg-based “Transylvania pogo punk” band has recently seen some publicity come its way in no small part due to their affiliation with roller derby. The band, long a favorite of mine with their love of punk rock and horror movies, was recently briefly featured in the Gazette in an article by Bill Lynch that was short on Renfields, and long on roller derby. And also, The Renfields just had a live version of their new song “Roller Derby Girl” featured on Radio Free Charleston.

Both Lynch and Rudy Panucci do really great work and stay super busy covering acts of all kinds.

But The Renfields are an actual band with actual songs they’ve released on actual CDs that they’ve financed themselves. And they’re about more than playing roller derby shows. Covering The Renfields as an adjunct to a roller derby event is a disservice to both the roller derby teams and the band.

Of course, it’s great that people who cover area goings on will support what has been the local, nascent phenomenon of women’s roller derby. I know that Lynch and Rudy have each recently covered and/or supported roller derby events; Lynch did a really nice feature on the Chemical Valley Roller Girls, with some video that was hosted on the Gazette’s site.

Panucci recently blogged favorably about the Heart of Appalachian Roller Team event on his Pop Cult blog, located on thegazz.com, on a post which quickly dissolved into something approaching a local roller derby conspiracy theory blog, with commenters from the CVRG and HART camps throwing accusations about, albeit in a largely polite manner.

My love of The Renfields dates back basically five years I think, whenever I first heard “Prom Night” on the band’s MySpace site. Since then, I’ve covered the band in Graffiti, the Gazette, and the Herald-Dispatch, and have collected all of their CDs, multiple Renfields t-shirts, have seen the band live a few times and have met the affable, ultra-nice and cool Renfields singer-guitarist Vincent Renfield.

People who know me -- a distinction that will qualify them for the endangered species list -- know that, well, maybe they don’t know this, but, back when I went to shows, due to something like social anxiety disorder, found it quite hard to approach band members I had talked to either online or over the phone. ‘Ohhh, hey I’m that guy you talked to about your band. Let me waste your time in person now.’ Luckily, bars sell a product that helps overcome shyness, but unfortunately, this product (which contains alcohol) has in the past led me to behave in ways that make me glad I didn’t talk to too many people in person in the first place.

Getting to meet Vincent was just awesome. The Renfields made punk rock fun again for me. This may not surprise some readers, but musicians have a tendency to take themselves too seriously, or attach their music to causes that aren’t discussed in the songs. Pretty much 99% of Renfields songs are about horror movies, with samples of the movies in between each song.

I got to witness some rap fans at the Blue Parrot basically attempt to harangue or somehow shout down the band in between songs, basically they wanted the band off the stage. Something inside me made me want to say something to these guys, who I was not more than ten feet from, but I was there to see a band I thoroughly enjoy, not get beat up, and worse, get kicked out of the bar for some stupid reason and have to miss The Renfields.

Talking to Vincent for the aforementioned publications, I got to talk to him about how much he loves slasher flicks and horror films. I heard about him moving the Renfields from a bedroom 4-track project into a full band. The crazy thing about talking to him about his band is, I don’t like scary horror movies at all, really. Knowing that The Renfields are singing songs about horrific murders and killers, almost blows your mind because of how fun, catchy, and raw the songs were.

“Driving through the city with a body in the back -- Machete a Go Go!” Vincent sings on “Machete a Go Go,” on Bastard Sons of Ed Wood, and you will likely be singing right along with him about going out on a Friday night committing random acts of murder.

While there are horror core type bands, rappers, etc., the thing that I always loved about The Renfields is an almost kid-like joy for their music and the movies -- think “Slumber Party Massacre” off Bastard Sons....

This kid looks like I feel when it comes to The Renfields. If he discovered the band at a roller derby, more power to him. Regardless, I think they've made a new fan...

But, since hearing their CDs, Bastard Sons... and The Night THEY Came Home, I have always thought that if The Renfields never played another show or put out another CD, they would forever be on my personal pedestal of all-time favorite punk bands. I mean that.

When I personally transcribed Vincent’s liner notes from Bastard Sons... onto the download page on the WVRockscene bandcamp site, I did it to show Renfields fans how much Vincent loves his band, and horror movies.

Off and on my entire life, I’ve rode skateboards, so I don’t hold it against anyone wanting to have fun skating. Skateboarding for me and so many others is about individuality and creativity and having fun doing it. I know there are great skaters out there who can bust all kinds of tricks on rollerblades and roller skates, but roller derby to me seems like skating’s functional equivalent of a NASCAR race.

I won’t here question the underlying motives of the women who join roller derby teams. I won’t ask how many of them skate for fun in their spare time when nobody is watching, no money is involved, and they’re wearing normal clothing. And yeah it might be cool to knock the hell out of someone riding rollerblades, but I don’t think back in fond reminiscence about how Christian Hosoi knocked Tony Hawk off his board that time in their one-time heated rivalry in vert skating.

And look, if The Renfields want to attach themselves to roller derby, which they apparently have, that’s great. Hopefully they can make new fans at these events. The Renfields have played a few horror movie themed events, and they are set to play The V Club this month for a This Ain’t No Disco showing of Teenage Strangler. If the band makes fans just from horror fans at things like Zombie Walk, that seems logical, and awesome of course.

It just seems weird to think that the publicity The Renfields are receiving piggybacking on roller derby is saying something like:

“If you like roller derby, then you’ll love The Renfields!”

Maybe that’s true, maybe not.

I just don’t want to see one of my favorite bands become something similar to Kenny Powers signing baseballs at Ashley Shaffer BMW. A gimmick. A sideshow, of sorts. Somebody else’s background noise.

If I talked to Vincent today about the band, I’d ask how Dave Cantrell and Bryan Flowers have fit into the band. Think about how much they must love the band driving up to Clarksburg to rehearse. I’d ask Vincent how they have been received at these roller derby events, I’d ask when the follow-up to Stalk and Slash Splatterama Part 2 is/would be coming out, if the band has continued its drift away from the catchy punk rock towards a blacker sound, I would ask Vincent if he has been digging any new horror movies, and I’d ask if they’d written any new songs not about roller derby.

But really the only thing I’d tell Vincent with any authority is how much I still love The Renfields. I’d try to explain how much getting to cover his band has made me more excited about covering bands. That I still have the print version of that Graffiti article, the certificate of re-animation he gave me in 2007 (I was run over with a lawnmower) the pumpkin mask and the Renfields patch and yeah, I may be in some fashion neurotically protective of the band.

I just hope people love the band, their songs, and their CDs, as much as I do.

Renfields GO.


--- Listen to Bastard Sons of Ed Wood in its entirety below and do visit the WVRockscene bandcamp page to hear The Night THEY Came Home...

The Renfields: Bastard Sons of Ed Wood

The WVRockscene Toast of Ian Thornton

To help celebrate the contributions Ian Thornton has made to the Huntington music scene over the past few years, and in advance of him putting on the second annual Huntington Music and Arts Festival, we went to some knowledgeable cats and asked them their opinions of Ian, and their thoughts on what he has been able to bring to Huntington, whether it’s good talent, good manners, or, just plain old good ideas...


As a musician, a music fan and someone who has both booked bands and birthed a music festival, Ian Thornton’s been on the Huntington scene inside, outside and upside down.

OK, maybe not upside down since he’s still working on his Cirquebass act. But seriously, Thornton’s been one of the most vital conduits in our city as a voice for hooking up music and the people by cultivating and celebrating the scene.

The idea of a music festival, the Huntington Music and Arts Festival, celebrating that music For Us, By Us, is a beautiful one, and one that’s just what we need.

-- Dave Lavender, Huntington Herald-Dispatch


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As a music writer, my job is to evaluate and criticize anything within the scene. Ultimately, though, my job is to sift through everything that comes through and decide what warrants the attention of those who might read my work.

Most people think that the job of a promoter is the opposite. Promoters are known as money-grubbing businessmen with little knowledge of music past what is commercially successful.

However, Ian Thornton isn’t a typical promoter. He isn’t concerned with making money as much as he is about getting the word out on quality acts. He’s taken chances and failed, but he’s also been quite successful -- all in the name of championing good music.

But that’s not all. He’s also a musician -- and a thoughtful one at that. He has an ear for what is worthy, and he does his best to help give raw talent a chance.

Regardless of which hat he wears, Ian knows not only what he’s talking about, but how to be effective in both roles. He’s helped jump start a following for numerous local and regional acts as a promoter and has been involved in some stellar acts around Huntington.

If our scene ever needs some kind of representative, we’d be hard pressed to find someone better than Ian Thornton.

-- Dave Mistich, Charleston Daily Mail, Graffiti, WVRockscene


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I really enjoy Ian’s hair most of all. He easily has the best alt-country rocker hair in Huntington. I salute him!

-- Chuk Fowlord, WVRockscene


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I wish every town had an Ian Thornton. His enthusiasm, dedication, and general hospitality are unrivaled. Ian was the initial factor in making Huntington a true home away from home for both of my bands. Not only is Ian an amazing and accomplished promoter, but also one hell of a musician in his own right. I could tell him thank you a million times and it still wouldn’t do his generosity justice. Huntington is lucky to have Ian, and every band who he has helped tour through is lucky to know him as well.

-- Tucker Riggleman, The Demon Beat/Prison Book Club


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Like most people I know in Huntington, I was introduced to Ian by Bud Carroll (the Kevin Bacon of Huntington, if everyone claimed they “know” Kevin Bacon). In fact I was on my way to Bud’s house when Ian called me with the idea of a music festival at Ritter Park. I told him that if anyone else had brought up the idea, I probably would have dismissed it. But Ian is a pugnacious, persistent fellow, who sets his sights on something and makes it happen, so I’m not surprised that he pulled off the first HMAF with flying colors. He is a shaggy haired, music-loving bar rat, so it’s no wonder that about a dozen bands have called on him to play bass in the last couple of years. Yet, when Ian went seeking sponsorships, all by his self, for the most part, companies entrusted him with their most precious asset, MONEY. And I bet he didn’t even wear a tie to the meetings.

Ian gave me far too much credit as an co-organizer for the event, especially considering now he has produced exactly one more music festival than I ever have. All I ever said was “Good idea” a whole bunch of times and, on maybe one occasion, “Bad idea” (there’s not enough body paint in Huntington for THAT).

It’s not even just the festival either; this time Ian has worked with the area’s most popular music venues to promote the fact that live music is happening all around us at these places all year round, and somehow, everyone seems to be working together for a greater good of the “scene.” It seems like Obama could learn a lesson or two on diplomacy from Mr. Thornton who, when the time comes, gets my vote for mayor.

-- Adam Harris, Mountain Stage


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Ian Thornton is my friend. Sometimes bands can be like rival packs of wolves circling a carcass trying to get the flank on one another in order to get at the best parts of the dead thing first. The carcass in this case being the microcosm of the Huntington music scene, a low stakes game without much pay out on its best day. The wolf packs were our former bands The Love Coats, and American Minor.

A lot of people on the local scene resented us for our success and did a pretty transparent job of masking the fact.

Ian Thornton was not one of those people. I can remember his smile and affable demeanor upon our first meeting at a show we played together at the old Monkey Bar/Huntington Music Hall. We might have met before this, but this is the first time I can clearly remember as I was living in Illinois at the time and was rarely in Huntington at this point. I would have no clue how much things would change for me, and even less of a clue how much of a part of my life he would become. This was 2005.

Flash forward to sometime in 2008. My post-American Minor outfit was releasing our first EP at Shamrocks Pub. Ian and I are actually friends at this point. We hang out on a regular basis, mainly at bars, but friends nonetheless. We are treated so well by Ian that I rarely play any other Huntington venue for the next two years.

2009 -- I fill the lead guitar spot in The Whirling Dervish. Ian and I unknowingly become band members because once TWD disbands we start recording an album that is abandoned then reconvened in the form of a group that is now known as The AC30.

2010 to present -- I am a regular at Shamrocks Pub. I struggle with mild to intermediate social anxiety and work pretty hard to overcome it. Mostly without the aid of alcohol, it’s tough to feel comfortable at bars when you aren’t drinking yet. Shamrocks with Ian at the helm was one place where I really felt welcome and comfortable. The Deadbeats Sunday nights became an institution. Ian created a situation where anyone could come and get on the stage and feel welcome and comfortable. He always treated the groups more than fair. And if an out of town band only brought a few heads Ian would kick them money out of the bar sales to get them to the next destination.

In a world where bands are treated like second class citizens by most clubs I ask, who does that? Answer: Ian Thornton.

2010 to present -- Ian Thornton and Shamrocks part ways. Much blood is shed and many fear a division in the already fragmented scene. Most people would hang up their hat. Ian puts even more effort and time into the second annual Huntington Music and Arts Festival after losing money out of his pocket the first year. I for one love him so much and believed in his idea that I orchestrated the first American Minor reunion in hopes of bringing enough people to make a success of the event.

This year he doesn’t need help. His efforts are going to come to fruition and by next year don’t be surprised if the amphitheater won’t hold HMAF. This is due to the tireless efforts of Ian, a man who I am proud to call my friend and band mate. Long live Ian Thornton!

-- Bud Carroll


Support the Huntington Music and Arts Festival in the Pepsi Refresh Contest by following this link and voting for HMAF to receive $10,000 in grant money. Vote by midnight Sunday though, as the contest expires at the end of the month.

Pepsi Refresh Contest link:
www.refresheverything.com/hmaf2011

HMAF online:
www.hmafestival.com

And Ian needs some volunteers to help with this year’s HMAF:
(Reposted & truncated from Facebook)

Hey guys and gals, HMAF is gonna need some volunteers this year to help out with such things as selling beer and food, merch booth, taking tickets, etc., and could use your help. Trust me, none of this is going to be very strenuous and it’s all within the festival grounds so you’ll still get to watch the acts on stage while you work.

We also won’t be putting you to work for the entire festival, just a shift or two so it leaves you plenty of time to enjoy your HMAF. We’re going to need at least 20-30 people to be able to provide all the essentials for the festival.

Perks:
1. Free admission to festival and all 3 shows that coincide
2. Free lunch
3. Free drinks (non-alcoholic of course)
4. A really cool HMAF Staff t-shirt

If you are interested, please shoot me a message on [Facebook] or my email (2010hmaf@gmail.com) and I’ll send you the application for you to fill out. Thanks for your contribution to HMAF!

-- Ian Thornton

Related: HMAF Fundraiser Party Saturday at the V Club in Huntington with Deadbeats & Barkers, Qiet, and Grim Charles

Elvis Presley Murder Files bring improv rock to V Club

photo: Gordon Grant

L-R: John E. Sizemore, Jude Blevins, Jon Dunlap, and Jason Robinson (plus the not pictured Jimbo Valentine) comprise the improvisational rock project The Elvis Presley Murder Files, which plays the V Club Thursday night, and really doesn’t know who killed Elvis...


Reposted from The Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Gathering on a Sunday to rehearse for just their second gig, the guys in The Elvis Presley Murder Files practice just like they play: by the seat of their pants.

The instrumental, improvisational rock outfit brought back to life by guitarist John E. Sizemore and bassist Jason “Roadblock” Robinson, whether it’s live on stage, or live at Sizemore’s house, makes it a point to shake things up and throw any semblance of musical structure out the window.

And before you get to how, really, what EPMF is doing is closer to jazz than what a lot of area rock bands are doing, you have to get the easiest, yet toughest, question out of the way: who killed Elvis?

“I don’t know if Elvis was murdered, and really, I don’t care,” Sizemore said to some group laughter, whilst throwing out the hypothetical suspects of Jerry Lee Lewis, and maybe Richard Nixon.

The Elvis Presley Murder Files play the V Club Thursday night as part of the This Ain’t No Disco series.

After the subject of “the king” had left the building, the discussion turned to what makes EPMF unique as a rock and roll project. Started out originally by Sizemore and a friend a few years ago, and recently re-animated with his Scrap Iron Pickers band mate Roadblock, the two each point out that they really don’t know what to expect on stage.

“We do the same thing here at practice that we do at the shows, pretty much,” Sizemore said. “We might start out loosely with a theme, and then somebody will start on something and that’s it. We’re getting a little more structured, but not really. There might be one or two songs structured for this next show, but they probably won’t be the same for the show.”

After recruiting drummer Jude Blevins and guitarist Jon Dunlap for their first show in April, and bringing on Huntington’s Jimbo Valentine for synth and ambient duties, Elvis Presley Murder Files was fully formed.



“It’s jazz,” Robinson explained. “In traditional jazz a group of musicians would show up at a club, someone would yell out a key, and sometimes they’d have a melody to go off of, and they’d start playing. It’s come to the point now where jazz is even getting more structured. And that’s why I call the Scrap Iron Pickers jazz, too. It’s almost more progressive fusion, and a little heavier. But Elvis Presley Murder Files is like pure, freeform jazz. It doesn’t matter what anybody is doing, it’s just musicians making music together in an improvisational way.”

“And not to compare us to Miles Davis, but hell, he didn’t practice with those musicians,” Sizemore said jumping back in. “They showed up for the gig and did the gig. And that’s kind of what we’re doing in spirit.”

“It’s just freeform improvisation,” Roadblock continued. “If people come to see the show, they might not correlate it to jazz, but that’s what it is. But, we don’t do heroin, so it’s not jazz, and we all take baths, so it’s not hippie,” the bassist said to much laughter.

Blevins, a member of the Huntington-area doom/drone band Hyatari, having driven an hour and forty-five minutes to rehearse at Sizemore’s Nitro home, said the Elvis Presley Murder style suits him just fine.

“It’s kind of like Satchell, when me and John [Vanover] get together; open and freeform. You’ve got to have some fun with it.”

While comparing and contrasting what they do in Elvis Presley Murder Files to Scrap Iron Pickers, Roadblock said the former wouldn’t exist if not for the latter.

“I think the Scrap Iron Pickers’ CD [Redeeming Metal/Union] actually pushed us more to do Elvis Presley Murder Files. On the second half of the CD [Union] we went out and actively looked for people we wanted to play with, and brought them in the studio to record.

“That’s the difference between Scrap Iron Pickers and Elvis Presley Murder Files; [EPMF] is just like a different personality of us. Some of the Elvis Presley Murder riffs, you might hear in Scrap Iron Pickers stuff, and vice versa. But Scrap Iron Pickers is more structured. Elvis Presley Murder Files is no limits, no rules or nothing.”

Sizemore said the collaboration in Scrap Iron Pickers, and the musical chemistry between him and Roadblock, lends itself well to the unstructured style Elvis Presley Murder is going for.

“Block’s a good friend. And he’s a good friend I make music with.”

“We kind of know what each other will do musically,” Roadblock said, jumping back in. “And we don’t have any big hang-ups in our lives outside of music.”

“We’re just musicians making music like everybody should be playing, not getting hung up on who’s writing what and playing what,” Sizemore said. “We all constantly write, so whoever wants to can bring anything to the table. There’s no standstill with the music.”

While saying that he makes it as high a priority as his and everyone else’s life allows, Sizemore said he hopes to continue the fun times making music.

“I want to keep doing this. Absolutely.”

Maybe unwittingly drawing a parallel between the Elvis Presley Murder style and their own lives, Roadblock summed it all up.

“Sometimes it can fall apart, but the cool part is bringing it back together.”

IF YOU GO:
The Elvis Presley Murder Files
Where: The V Club, 741 6th Ave., (304) 781-0680
When: Thursday, July 28, 10 p.m.
Cost: $3
Info: www.vclublive.com

Q&A w/Mike Ferrell of Pilot the Machine

Recently, Mike Ferrell, bassist for the newly formed Huntington band Pilot the Machine, introduced us to his band online, so we thought it was more than appropriate to catch up with him for a Q&A in advance of their debut show tonight at Shamrocks.

Topics include the member’s (Scott Ryan: vocals; Ferrell: bass; Jeremy Clarke & Chris Young: guitar; Ryne Arthur: drums) experience in other relatively successful acts, West Virginia rock band stereotypes, recording new songs with Barry Smith, and oh yes, maybe most important; having fun rocking out...



WVRockscene: You guys have all been in other bands that achieved some level of success, how does having honed your chops so to say in your previous bands help give you a head start, even though you’re a relatively new band?

Mike Ferrell: Well from my personal standpoint I have learned a lot about the music industry in general, some good things and a lot of bad things...LOL. I have always been a hard worker and shameless self promoter in bands I’ve been in and all of us being in previous bands we feel we have all paid our dues, so I don’t buy into the fact that every new project you’re in, you have to go through this painful pay-your-dues mentality that the music industry throws at you.

I’ve made a lot of good contacts in the business with stints in previous bands in Florida mostly when I was in Spun. We recorded our debut CD at Paramount Studios in L.A. with Barry Conley producing (Chili Peppers, Sugar Ray, L7) so in that aspect I got to see first hand how some of the top producers work and what all is involved. Also got to see the bad side of things as we had a crooked manager who liked to steal from us which eventually led to our breakup, so you live and learn I guess.

I filled in on bass for Crossbreed for a brief time when they fired Charlie Parker (previous bassist on Synthetic Division - Artemis/Sony) and although my wife and I had just had a baby and couldn’t commit to a full-time gig with them, I learned a lot about the record industry and touring -- most of them not pretty LOL, and a lot of pressure to produce results.

Moving back here from that scene not long ago was really eye opening. I want to help create a better and thriving scene like it was back in the days of Chum and even Guru Lovechild and such, where people actually came out to shows, etc. (side note - I grew up and been good friends with Chris [Tackett] and have known John [Lancaster] and Mac [Walker] since they were like 14 years old, LOL, glad they’re making a little comeback.)

It just seems like the bands around here always want to trash each other or compete against each other instead of helping each other and working together to make this scene great once again. The talent is here, with a lot of great bands, but just hard to get everyone to get along, lol. That’s how it was on the Florida scene; everyone helped each other out and no one said or put down other bands. I honestly never heard or seen anything like that. That is one big reason their scene thrives like it does: it’s not just all talent, etc.

We have good enough and great talent here that’s not the problem at all -- it’s getting more people interested in coming out to shows, which will lead to more clubs opening because they would then have the support and which will lead more bands forming or relocating to this area, etc. It’s like a windfall effect, but it starts with bands helping each other and supporting one another.

The other members have all been in successful local bands as well, and so once again even though we are new to the scene as this band we are all seasoned overall, so to speak. Sorry for the ramble, just want this scene to be the best it can be! That’s why I’m so grateful for people like you that give it their all to make this scene the best it can be...and the club owners for stepping up to the plate and keeping live music in their clubs and giving bands like us a chance to do what we love to do!!!

-----
rockscene: How and when did you guys meet/form and coalesce around a sound?

Ferrell: We’ve actually only been together going on roughly 6 months. I met [singer] Scott [Ryan] about a year ago through Band Mix I believe and we started working on a project similar to this one but it fell through and he reformed The Apology, and I stepped in on bass, but then eventually that folded and we were luckily enough to have met the other members through friends and various show we had done with them in the past...so it all just kinda came together...we started jamming and basically had 10 songs written in a few months and transformed from there.



-----
rockscene: In your ReverbNation bio you talk about trying or wanting to dispel stereotypical attitudes when it comes to the music and/or bands coming out of the Tri-State area in general, and West Virginia specifically; do you think these kinds of attitudes or stereotypes from out-of-state sources hold area bands back?

Ferrell: Well honestly I think it does to some extent, I mean some bands can pull it off by playing to that mentality. We want to be taken serious, and sometimes people that live in bigger cities don’t respect that because of the mindset they have of bands from West Virginia or Kentucky.

I think this area has some super talented bands that I would put up against the best bands in any city in America, but somehow the industry as a whole doesn’t give these bands the respect that they deserve. They think that because you live in New York City or L.A. that you’re great.

Well we have great bands here as well! Hate to go back to Chum, but I mean they were one of the most underrated bands ever. A lot to do with them being from West Virginia in my opinion. Same with Bobaflex, Split Nixon, Karma To Burn -- the list goes on and on; great bands, and all deserve better than what they are getting respect-wise from the so-called industry.

-----
rockscene: You’ve got these new songs you recorded with Barry Smith, who more recently worked with John Lancaster on Phantom Moon, how excited are you for people to hear those and what is up with getting a full-length debut out?

Ferrell: Barry’s a great engineer and friend. I’ve known Barry, gosh probably 18 or more years. Awesome to work with and I have so much respect for him as a musician as well. We recorded three previous songs in another studio and ended up not really being happy with their turnout and sound.

Barry was able to bring out our sound and was able to have us step up to another level. We’ll be going back to him in the very near future again for sure. Once again, although we are still in the early stages of this band (especially writing) we all feel our best material is yet to come. We just wanted to get a couple songs recorded and out to see if we could generate some interest. We want to write about four or five more additional songs to choose from, and then we will probably go in with Barry and do a full-length release. Hopefully over the winter at the latest.

-----
rockscene: You’re playing Shamrocks tonight, -- between the debut, new songs, and just being a new band, it’s got to be an exciting time for you guys right?

Ferrell: We’re super stoked to be playing Shamrocks with Unload as they make their return to the scene after a little hiatus. Shamrocks will rock tonight for sure. Hope everyone reading this will come check it out and hang out with us and Unload...we promise a great show and a fun time!!!

--- Pilot the Machine plays Shamrocks Irish Pub (2050 3rd Ave.) in Huntington tonight.

CD Review: "Bullshit Walks"

CD: Bullshit Walks
ARTIST: The Demon Beat

Two words might best describe the songs found on Bullshit Walks, the new 10-song release from The Demon Beat, and those words are as follows: primal energy.

It’s this energy, not unfamiliar to fans of the Shepherdstown-area retro-rock trio, that is captured and is put on display for all to hear on this, their fifth release in as many years.

Whether this energy springs from sexual tension (likely), lovelorn isolation (likely), or band related aspirations and frustrations (unlikely) is for Adam Meisterhans, Tucker Riggleman and Jordan Hudkins to know, and for us to find out. But who cares? People who hear it know it.

Evoking something like The Who + The Stooges equaling some neo-grunge, garage-based power rock three-piece, with echo/reverb-drenched vocals, cavernous, almost 80’s rock band drums, this review, given the guitars in parts, can be filed under feedback and distortion.

Following up on their eight-“movement” concept record 1956, the band seems to have incorporated some of the guitar tones from that release into their previously known melodic rock (pretty progressions & changes, well placed jammed out and sometimes experimental bridges, hooks and epic choruses inside of the loud/soft dynamic song structure) output, still, with Meisterhans’ familiar, alternately soulful crooning and gnarly singing.

Standout tracks for us include “Give Me All Your Money,” a song that might tie together the band’s discography, (or not) “Get It” reminding you maybe of old Weezer, but for us, the best is to be found last on Bullshit Walks.

“Bang” sounds like it’s right out of 1956, a prom song only Marty McFly could sing to get his parents to fall in love, or at least just have sex, with Adam, Tucker and Jordan’s plane crashing into a mountain after the show, further cementing their place in rock and roll history. Or, not. A great, swaying, pretty song, though, that sums up the aforementioned isolation, desperation and sexual frustration, with a killer, distorted guitar solo thrown in that would blow away all those squares at the dance!

“Totally Blissed Out” is five minutes worth of slow-building, pummeling instrumental noise rock. And “I’m Not Really There” closes Bullshit Walks out with more hard driving, distorted guitar rock, and while the lyrics (“I want what I want, and what I want, it ain’t mine…I’m all out of good ideas…”) sound down in the dumps, the song is somehow uplifting, providing a nice end to the record.

That The Demon Beat has been self-recording and self-releasing (this time with help from Caustic Eye and art, again by Hudkins) their material only makes them even more punk rock, even more DIY than most bands. That they’ve established themselves, but still have a chip on their shoulder, and haven’t lost that energy and desperation that makes rock and roll great, will only continue to win them more fans, whether they get laid and/or rich and famous, or, not.

mp3: “Bang” by The Demon Beat

CD Review: "The Line"

CD: The Line
ARTIST: Jeff Ellis

There might not be any better day to review a Jeff Ellis CD than the Fourth of July.

Ellis, the Chapmanville native and South Charleston resident, who, having turned his experience in the Middle East as a member of the Army Reserves into now four records’ worth of rockin’ Americana, folk, bluegrass, alt-country, and yeah, rock, returns right in time for the Fourth with his new 10-song EP The Line.

Like on his previous efforts, A Front Seat for the End of the World, Covering the Distance, and most recently, The Forgetting Place, Ellis’ lyrical themes cover topics sung from only the perspective a soldier and a veteran can sing from.

Subjects totally appropriate to appreciate on Independence Day: faith, family, and friends -- but run through the prism of being involved in a foreign war, and maybe losing your own faith in it.

This ain’t Lee Greenwood or Sean Hannity’s version of a soldier’s diary, though. Like many soldiers before him, Ellis quite clearly has been finding his way through this whole thing with his own questions and doubts over the past decade, as the war on terror has continued without any end in sight.

But where The Forgetting Place and Covering the Distance touched lightly on the war, they seemed to hover mainly around Ellis’ own experience “coming home,” as it were.

The Line finds Ellis returning to more conflict-oriented themes and thoughts, like on AFSFTEOTW, with his continued branching off into a more alt-country and bluegrass sound than what was found on that great, iconic record.

There are killer, sludgy, dirty riff rock songs, “God Ain’t On Our Side No More” and the very nicely redone “In My Time of Dying.” Ellis, throughout, displays his vocal range, from delicate rasp to guttural power.

But on alt-country and bluegrass songs like “For You,” “Hard Times,” the somber title track and “How Do You Fight a War Like This?” Ellis not only finds the domestic job front lacking, and his friends unable to understand what he’s dealt with as a soldier, he ends up having most of what he ever believed in thrown into doubt, and turned upside down.

Maybe no song encapsulates Ellis’ own attitudes more than the dreamy alt-country tune “Tim’s War,” sung from the perspective of a soldier who signed up for the army after 9/11 to avenge the attack, ends up in Afghanistan, but over 400 days of fighting, moving past revenge, just wanting to get home, now arrives home with doubt and unease at “a darker perspective only vets understand.”

Just as on the aforementioned records, Ellis, on The Line enlists the help of friends Bud Carroll, Jimmy Lykens, Steve Barker and Jon Cavendish (of the now defunct Southern Souls) along with his Guinness Clarke’s Wine friend Phil James.

But Ellis recruits even more guest musicians on this one. Ed Price, Mike Parker and Bobby Withers (who rocks lead guitar on “God Ain’t On Our Side”) round out the sound throughout on pedal steel, banjo and guitar. Ellis is joined on vocal duty by Jess Kauffman and Lauren Weldy (always a nice touch) and he welcomes Sasha Colette and the Magnolias for an alternate, stripped down bonus version of “Dying Days,” before closing the EP out with a bonus, acoustic version of “God Ain’t On Our Side.”

Ellis even has Eddie Ashworth making appearances as a guest musician, and this is worth noting to point out the very coherent sound Ashworth has helped Ellis achieve in the studio over these past few records. Just as Ellis writes great, well-arranged songs, has help from great musicians, and makes great records, there is a very consistent sonic thread that permeates and transcends Ellis’ records; a feat for any musician to achieve in any studio.

If there’s ever a Jeff Ellis Greatest Hits or compilation of the songs from AFSFTEOTW through Covering the Distance and The Forgetting Place now into The Line, if you shook up the records and made your own mixtape, it would, even with the skipping of the genres, all sound like it was from the same recording sessions.

But this is a great EP to check out just to keep tabs on Ellis and keep in touch with where he’s at, in a sense. He has been able to take his experiences in the desert, and with his acoustic guitar, make what can only be called real national treasures, and this one arrives right in time for the Fourth of July.

mp3: “God Ain’t On Our Side No More” by Jeff Ellis

Live Review: Hudson Falcons, Wine & Water, Black Acid Over Drive, The Transmissions @ Shamrock's 6.25

By Chuk Fowlord

New Jersey's Hudson Falcons brought their working class brand of punk rock back to Huntington once again on this humid summer night.

First up was Black Acid Over Drive. A little out of place on this bill with their modern metal stylings. Live they reminded me of Black Label Society, Lamb of God, a tad bit of Down (which I love) and other modern metal influences. I'm not really into that scene and why they were on this bill is a mystery to me but a diverse lineup for a show is good. Something for everybody.

Next up was Ashland Kentucky's The Transmissions. I love this band. Great old school punk rock. Think The Ramones, Blanks 77, Johnny Thunders, The Dead Boys, The Cramps, and all the great sleazy aspects of punk rock. Live, they deliver the goods; a great old school sound with a great bass player with chops, a vocalist that if he wanted to could be as good as Stiv Bators.

They played a great set and it's good to hear a punk rock band that actually plays punk rock in 2011. Good stuff.

After The Transmissions great set Wine and Water took the stage to continue the great night of diverse slabs of rock to be dished out to the crowd. Wine and Water seem comfortable in their new formation with Cody Lynch on drums and vocals.

Wine and Water seem to be hitting their stride as a band now. Not just as a side project for Cody Lynch -- Wine and Water is becoming its own entity. Dave Mistich handled the bass duties but needs to start shakin his booty a lil more, hahahaha. If you haven't heard Wine and Water they are a great melting pot of musical influences such as Bruce Springsteen, Hot Water Music, The Clash, etc.

This new incarnation is getting better with each show and they have been recording so be on the lookout for some new music from these guys.

The Hudson Falcons have been playing shows in Huntington for years. They have been putting out quality records for a decade plus and Mark Linsky has been the mastermind for the Falcons. The night's set was full of great songs off their albums such as Desperation and Revolution, For Those Whose Hearts and Souls are True, and La Famiglia.



An added bonus was my good friend Pete from the Gc5 (a great band you should check out) was playing second guitar for the Falcons. The Hudson Falcons on June 25th 2011 were on fire. They showed the Shamrock's crowd what a real rock n roll show is supposed to look like, sound like, feel like.

I mean they were amazing. A band that reminded me of seasoned veteran heavyweight champs that don't know nothing but being heavyweight champs being heavyweight champs. Let me tell you the Hudson Falcons knocked out the crowd for sure. A pummeling set of rocker after rocker that despite Pete having some technical issues was a sight to see, a sound to hear.

Bands like the Hudson Falcons only get that good with years of experience with members from bands that have years of experience that really put on a good show.

The Hudson Falcons crowd is the realest of the real. No bullshit posturing. The people there that night were real people that wanted to rock. A great crowd assembled for a great band. The set was long and the crowd was left sweaty and wore out. I enjoyed the hell out of myself and so did everyone in attendance.

So if you have not heard the Hudson Falcons check out their records and catch 'em next time they come to town. Which if we're lucky will be soon.

Chuk Fowlord over and out for wv rock scene.

CD Review: "S/T"

CD: S/T
ARTIST: Bonfire

It will come as no surprise to the readers of this blog that sometimes, bands that sound good live don’t capture that energy on a recording. And conversely, a band can have a great CD but just can’t pull it off live.

This is said here because most of what we’ve heard from the Morgantown-area “cupcakewave” four-piece Bonfire has been recorded live. From live youtube clips with varying degrees of audio quality to the exclusive WVRockscene ghettotech recording of Bonfire’s hour-long set at WVU’s Gluck Theater way back in April, they quickly became a favorite and something you would frequently hear around the WVRockscene home office.

Recording live performances off college radio shows is not something we do often -- in fact, it had never been done before Bonfire played that night. But since being introduced to the band by interviewing Zach Francis for the MAYSP benefit show at 123 Pleasant Street in September of last year, for Bonfire’s first show out, maybe only Dream The Electric Sleep has been listened to more than that live performance by Bonfire; we wanted to have that performance recorded just to document the event, as it were, and if anyone else heard it, all the better.

It must be noted that their debut seven-song release S/T is received by this reviewer with a bit of a bittersweet flavor before even hearing it; the band has apparently recently undergone a lineup change and will have The Emergency’s Kevin Post replacing Liz Toler on drums, and Rich Johnson replaces Amanda Burris on bass. The pair of Chris Quattro and Jodi Hollingshead are still fronting the group, just with a little less estrogen.

Back to Bonfire’s sound -- “cupcakewave,” really means fun, catchy pop-infused indie rock with jangly & fuzzy guitars with Moog and organ-backed atmospherics and minimalist drums and bass. Inspired heavily by acts like Henry’s Dress and The Aislers set, Bonfire is kind of a shoegaze meets 60’s rock vibe, with some hard charging, uptempo numbers thrown in, combined with the split vocals and loud/soft dynamic provided by Hollingshead (she can sing!) and Quattro, listening to Bonfire gives this reviewer the feeling of holding hands, bouncing heads back from side to side with the music, spinning around in circles, and falling to the ground laughing before getting into Bonfire’s version of The Mystery Machine to head to the show.

So yeah, a cool band with a cool, unique sound and vibe. I sound like that blonde girl on the Certain-Dri commercials: “Cool!”

But seriously, first hearing S/T it seemed the energy that was heard on the Morgantown Sound show might have been missing; maybe it was the lush, echo soaked, almost too-dreamy vocals. I am not an engineer and don’t record bands, obviously. The band sounds rockin enough on personal favorites like “Calendar Days,” “Song 1,” “Boy of Big Thoughts” and the galloping “Surprise, Surprise,” but between recording and mastering that live energy may have been diminished, if only slightly.

If this was a CD that we’d come across out of the blue, not having heard Bonfire live, it would still be a rockin CD, it would just be interesting to see how we felt having the whole thing being reversed; first heard on CD, then heard live.

And listen, honestly, it seemed like there may have been one or two parts in that live show where Bonfire didn’t exactly nail every song to a T (the band, in its original incarnation, remember, played its first show in September, remember when we talked about that earlier in the review?) but even with a missed chord or botched vocal harmony, this reviewer would still rather listen to Bonfire’s songs with the rare, slight live blemishes, than most other bands.

And that’s another thing -- S/T is too dang short! Just seven songs equaling less than a half hour? The band played for an hour on U92, maybe 13 or 14 songs?

But either way, after getting past the differences between Bonfire’s live sound versus what comes out of a studio it is quite literally all good. Would we recommend paying $5 US dollars for S/T? Yes.

And heck, you don’t have to listen to one or the other -- you can listen to both! Then you can nitpick and debate endlessly and needlessly which you might like better, making yourself sound like a jerk. Do not let us ruin this band for you. Regardless which you do like better, at the end of it all you just might find yourself bobbing your head from side to side, totally digging this band.

Bonfire’s original lineup is dead, but long live Bonfire.

--- Bonfire plays 123 Pleasant Street Friday night with The Young Reptiles

Live Review: Tyler Childers / AC30 / Prison Book Club at V Club June 11, 2011

By Dave Mistich

For some unexplained reason, there has always seemed to be a lack of alt-country in the area. It's one of those styles that hasn't ever been exclusive to any one region of the country, with bands like Uncle Tupelo (Illinois), Old 97's (Texas), Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown (North Carolina), and Drive-By Truckers (Athens, Georgia via the legendary Muscle Shoals, Alabama) all springing up with little regard for their respective geography. It's just proof in point that Americana holds no reservations about where we are from: sounds and stories like these are common ground in every corner of our country.

Sure, location becomes an influence on the inflection each band has focused on. The Truckers' socio-political storytelling of the "dirty south" and the 97's twangs about Texas put an indelible stamp on each of their respective catalogues. Regardless, alt-country--like any sub-genre of popular music--has yet to be confined by it's origin and eventual audience.

But looking around West Virginia and the surrounding states, alt-country has somehow missed our scene--mostly on a local level. It's confusing, considering the lifestyle and down home ethic we find ourselves involved in from day-to-day. Saturday night at the V Club somewhat calmed all those frustrations with a line-up that was chock full of it.

Paintsville, Kentucky's Tyler Childers started off the evening with his one-man with whiskey and serious heartache style. For being (and certainly looking) so young, Childers' talent is mature--far more so than his innocent, blue-collar farm boy image might suggest.

It's difficult to speak of Childers' in the pantheon of alt-country greats quite yet, but his vocals evoke Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne equally. With songs about whiskey and women written by a man in his early 20s, it may seem a bit premature to hand him a trophy, but the kid sure deserves a gold plaque.

AC30 isn't quite ever going to hit alt-country the way they could or should. But that detail is minor. The gentlemen in this band are spectacularly efficient players who know their boundaries.

The band's cover of "September Gurls" by Big Star is likely the closest they'll ever come to alt-country (at least for now)--even though power-pop touches lightly on the genre's tendencies. Regardless, though, the band found ways to fit right in with the rest of the evening's lineup.

And there's a certain level of respect and honor that needs credited with the group's style of playing. Few bands--especially led by prolific players like Carroll and the rest of his semi-supergroup in Huntington care about the songs more than their own individual shining moments.

Sure, because of Carroll's status, he's the de-facto frontman (and this fact is obvious, and maybe a bit uncomfortable for those surrounding him at moments). Yet the man shares the craftsmanship of not only songwriting, but more importantly, playing with his fellow members.

But enough about that and back to the topic at hand--alt country.

Prison Book Club is widely regarded as a collective of some of West Virginia's finest. With members from The Demon Beat and The Fox Hunt, the band gets an almost instant promotion to supergroup status. While this label is somewhat warranted, neither of the two groups have attained the status past a regional scale.

However, what is undeniable about the group is the fact that they're the best alt-country outfit this area has seen. Sure, there's a lack of competition for them but it would take quite awhile for anyone to match them.

Led by the lead licks of Adam Meisterhans, the group sound comes across as a distinct point somewhere between Lucero and the Mike Cooley-penned tunes of Drive-By Truckers. His paying is exact and technical, almost sounding as if he's playing slide at moments. It's somewhat remarkable that Meisterhans, who has made a name for himself with a Pete Townshend-like persona in The Demon Beat, could match the quality of his playing in other genres--yet it's almost more impressive. He strips it down to simple strumming with Prison Book Club when needed and balances those moments with tasteful and thoughtful leads.

Singer-guitarist John R. Miller and bassist (and occasional vocalist) Tucker Riggleman are equally impressive. They may be slightly less flashy than Meisterhans, yet their ability to lock in with the fast paced drumming of Andrew Ford (Where the hell did this guy come from, by the way?) is note-worthy.

Miller seems fit for this style of music, there is little doubt. Both lyrically and vocally, he comes across as well-versed in the genre and life-experienced to back it up on a practical level. There's a level of authenticity that matches his talent--and it's one of those things that cannot be learned or practiced, but rather accepted and made use of.

With nights like these, one can only hope that new bands in the area will make note--should the alt-country scene really take off.

FOCUS ON THE PHOTOGRAPHERS: Christopher Lusher on "Destructive Criticism"

We’ve always admired the work Christopher Lusher has posted on his Hillbilly Magazine tumblr page. Friday night Lusher and a handful of other artists will gather in Huntington for the “Destructive Criticism” photography and art show. We caught up with Lusher to find out more about the show, the artists involved, and the art of photography.

WVRockscene: How and when did the idea to have a show like this get hatched? Who put this together?
Christopher Lusher: The genesis for the show has always been something that existed, I think, for everyone involved but it was just a matter of actually making it happen. It can be difficult to actually see anything to fruition in this town seeing how often alcohol and unfulfilled delusions can often get in the way. I put it together just by saying it existed but it’s everyone involved in the show who actually made it happen. As well if my girlfriend weren’t around this would have been a title and an idea and nothing else and I would’ve continued musing about “what a great idea that was.”



"I'm Not Here" by Christopher Lusher

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rockscene: How close knit or supportive of an atmosphere exists between the artists showing their works Friday night?
Lusher: I’ll make assumptions and say that we all love each other like a deranged version of the Waltons. We just don’t say goodnight to each other when it’s all said and done we are more than likely carrying each other home or arm wrestling over the last beer. I think this show is all about a mutual admiration society and that we all appreciate each other we just think we’re too cool to tell each other that.

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rockscene: Calling it Destructive Criticism, do you expect one of the artists to have his or her work panned? Or is everyone pretty much already a fan of the others? Was it tough to kind of draw the line at 10 artists?
Lusher: The title is just a play on constructive criticism. I’d be surprised if it didn’t get some venom strewn a bit over it. People don’t often like to be exposed to things that they perhaps have never seen or don’t understand. This show is like molotov cocktails exploding in the middle of Disneyland and Slayer provides the soundtrack. No it was easy to pick them. I just pretended I was on ‘Lost’ and had to pick who I wanted to be on the island with.



"Introduce a Little Anarchy" by Yasmine Ganley

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rockscene: Like bands transitioning from a garage out to a live venue or bar, sometimes there can be butterflies either dealing with a crowd, taking constructive criticism, or just talking with your art in person with people in public. Some of you have done these kinds of shows, right? Nervous about it?

Lusher: I’ve done some shows before or been in them. I think nearly all of us have. The difference with this show is no one is getting ripped off or having to be exposed to rubber gloves and wine glasses.

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rockscene: A few of you are not exclusively either into making art or photography. What are your thoughts on the respective mediums and forms the works take? Is it just as hard to get a good live picture of a band, a person, or put something together like a mural or painting?

Lusher: Art history and theory is for teachers and the students who romanticize the idea of being an artist. I’ll leave that to them. I just know what I like. I like a hobo with his pants at his ankles covered in urine and passed out more than I’d ever like something that say Terrence Koh would ever do. It’s all hard and getting something good is akin to being one number off on Powerball. Exciting yet defeating and often thankless except in your own mind.



"Trusty" by Kelli Bellomy

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rockscene: Talking about where you find your influences, how much of being a photographer is just finding beauty or something meaningful in seemingly everyday things or people? Anyone can go out and buy an expensive camera but you have to have a real eye and spirit to be a photographer don’t you think? Wouldn’t you say there’s a reciprocal relationship between the subject and the photographer, what makes something/someone “photogenic” or something?

Lusher: With any kind of art it all lies in the eye of the individual and their perceptions. There is to me no one specific subject matter and a pile of garbage or dirty diapers is just as relevant as a photo of the worlds most beautiful person or a painting like the Mona Lisa. Kinds of cameras or how “good” a specific camera is has never meant shit to me. All I have ever really worked with has been cheap pawn shop cameras. Though that’s probably painfully obvious when you look at my work.



"Air Burst" by Jason Lucas

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rockscene: More on your own influences, who is Max Snow and how big of an influence is he on you? Any other photographers make you wanna do what you do?

Lusher: Max Snow is the younger brother of the artist Dash Snow who died a few years back. Dash is a huge influence on me and Max is filling the shoes that Dash had vacated quite nicely. His work is all its own but reminds me of a hybrid of Ryan McGinley and Dash. Other photographers would be William Eggleston, Juergen Teller, Ryan McGinley, Hanna Liden, Jack Siegel, Harmony Korine, Leigh Ledare, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, Tim Barber. The list doesn'’ go on and on I’m just hungover and can’t really remember.

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rockscene: I’m familiar with the works of half of the 10 artists who will have their work featured; can anyone fill me in on these other artists and what they’ll be showing?

Lusher: Depends on what half you’re talking about. I think we all know we are here to promote regression and to get back to a more caveman mentality where we don’t have to tweet at each other but rather bash each other with our mental baseball bats in person.

"Jimbo Over Shoulder" by Christopher Lusher

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rockscene: You’ve got some photos from [Kelli] Bellomy, [Jason] Lucas and [Yasmine] Ganley featured at Hillbilly Magazine. It looks like Ganley took that pic of you with the sad clown face; how much of an influence are these other photographers on you not only as artists, but these friends of yours, as subjects in your own photos/portraits?

Lusher: Well they influence me and I’d like to selfishly think I influence them in some way. I think we unintentionally push each other forward and make each other want to do better and better work. We’re like the Weather Underground but without the afros and indictments.

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rockscene: Will anyone’s works be for sale?
Lusher: Yes. Everything must go! One day only! Going out of business baby.

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rockscene: Is this free? Any refreshments or other special goings on you’d wanna mention?

Lusher: Totally free but it’s a possibly dangerous social experiment. Payment will be made through the eventual mental derangement of the viewer. As for refreshments it’ll be like that Daniel Day Lewis movie ‘There Will Be Beer.’

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rockscene: As of Wednesday night 75 people have RSVP’d to the show on the Facebook page for it. You have got to be excited about that right?

Lusher: I kinda take that with a grain of salt. I mean people actually reside in Facebook. It has become it’s own fucking country. This event may be viewed by certain people as something like Farmville and that when 6 pm hits on Friday they will be taken into a Sims like virtual playground where they can purchase artworks with gold coins and by selling pigs or bails of hay.

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rockscene: Do any of you have a particular favorite artist in the lineup or a piece you’re looking forward to seeing?

Lusher: I actually just look forward to seeing all of these animals together in the same room. Someone else might be better suited to answer this.

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rockscene: You’ve got links to or posts on exhibits in other cities bigger than Huntington. Do you have any plans or dream of showing your work in any big cities?

Lusher: Well anything that I’d link or post would be on Hillbilly and probably have absolutely nothing to do with me. As far as showing in other cities I’ve done that in a weird way by having photos published on Purple Diary which is the website of a leading art/fashion magazine. As for plans and dreams I think I’m at a pretty good spot to say that they are both simultaneously working themselves out.



"Destructo" by Christopher Lusher

 (all photos via Hillbilly Magazine except "Destructo")



--- video via eyeBOX

Monday afternoon video theft: Arcane Rifles “Loner Soul”

Being a prestigious blogger and supplicant freelancer, you come across and/or are introduced to people who are mainly just into mutual handwashing. This is fine; it is how our society and culture operates.

These are mainly people who are not in bands, and will send emails out asking people to do things for them only when they benefit them. Sometimes, after people email you asking for specific things to be done, you think it would not be rude to email them back and ask them about the possibility of doing a thing or two. They are not as interested in talking to you when it is YOU asking THEM to do something.

Morgantown resident, artist, and true friend of rockscene Eli Pollard is not one of these people. Having hooked us up with a pre-emptive burned copy of J Marinelli's Pre-Emptive Skankery Sessions late last year, and sending a PSS t-shirt, all at his expense, not even asking anything in return, and at least having the courtesy to respond to an email, dealing with and hearing from him on Facebook is a breath of fresh air.

Well, Pollard and his friend Eric Hastings, together as eFACTORe, have put together a rockin official version of Loner Soul from Lexington's Arcane Rifles. You may have caught Ben Allen, Phillip Farmer, and one James Marinelli out around Huntington or Morgantown, or heard them more recently on WRFL.



Pollard and Hastings have put together a great video for their song. Check it out, check out Arcane Rifles and thanks to Pollard for for being so nice. In as much as we know him online, we'll call him a friend.