VIDEO: Black Knots @ the Glass 7/26

Yeah we got to catch a little of the Knots at the Empty Glass Saturday...





See if the footage is cool and definitely check out the Knots. We're experiencing technical difficulties but the players should work.

Q&A w/Greg Miller of The Whiskey Daredevils

We caught up with Greg Miller, frontman for Cleveland-based rockabilly outfit The Whiskey Daredevils, in anticipation of their show at The Empty Glass 7.26 with Huntington's Black Knots and The Big Bad.

WVRS: So how were the shows in Europe?
GM: Against all odds we have somehow become a viable live act in Europe. I don't really know what happened. People really like us there. At first I thought it was because of our good looks, but it turned out that our twisted take on American roots music appealed to the Euro sensibilites. Plus anytime you create a rockabilly Butthole Surfers cover, you're going to get a crowd. I guess Mosh from our label (Knock-Out) is really doing a good job over there. Or maybe the world is finally ready for Whiskey Mania...

WVRS: Any particular horror stories from touring over there?
GM: I wrote an extensive Tour Diary that people can check out at our web site. It turned out to be the cover story for the Cleveland Free Times. My favorite day was when we played two shows in Belgium. The first one was an outdoor festival where I was horribly hung over. Not two hours later we played a crazy biker party at a bar in the middle of nowhere. These people were savagely drunk on Belgian ale, not to mention having taken fistfuls of psychedelics. It was like driving into a smaller version of Altamont where most of the people kept their composure. Guys that can't stand are driving choppers around the Belgian countryside while we play at ear splitting volume. The guy that ran the party looked like Lemmy and as far as I know is still knocking back beers in his parking lot. Madness...

WVRS: I guess everything on a tour like that has to be lined out well in advance itinerary-style, instead of just showing up and seeing what the hell happens? (The Daredevils way)
GM: Thank God we were placed in the hands of the always uptight Germans. These guys handle all the details to the letter. "Greg, you guys will go on stage at 9:52 and play for 67 minutes. I told the promoter you were down to 7 beers, and he will be bringing 16 more. After the show, we can relax for 47 minutes, and then we can load out to go to the hotel. It is 14 minutes away."

WVRS: Is your drummer really the expert cultural guide for Europe? Sounds like he made some friends, huh?
GM: Leo usually has no idea what is going on in the larger sense. This aids him in unfamiliar circumstances. He is not fazed by not knowing where he is, who the people are that he is partying with, or where we are going to sleep. It's almost a zen approach. He is like a cultural surfer. He just catches the wave. I highly recommend traveling with Leo at any time. He has a few gifts that make him ideal on a road trip such as being able to sleep on command in any location, or the ability to stay awake for 4 days straight unaided by stimulants. Plus he can always find a good port in a storm. This is Leo's World and we all just visit.

WVRS: Your rhythm guitarist just had to quit the band, how do you see the band moving on? How close is the nucleus of you, yer brother, and Leo?
GM: Ken, Leo and I are definitely a unit. We know what we want to accomplish, and are all on the same page. By sticking together we have been able to accomplish some pretty great things. With the music we have made, we have been to Europe 5 times. How cool is that? We have been rehearsing with Gary Siperko from The Mofos to join the band, and we expect to start playing shows with him shortly. If that doesn't work out, Ken/Leo/I will find someone else that shares our idea of what rock n roll is and how to play it. As long as I keep having ideas, and people have some level of interest, we'll keep playing.

WVRS: Did Leo & Bobby end up getting voted best drummer & guitarist for Cleveland?
GM: Yes they did, and they are in fact the best in NE Ohio. Maybe anywhere in the state. Well, at least they were 6 months ago. Maybe someone else snuck up on them while we weren't paying attention. The best part of that whole thing is to watch the acceptance speeches they made. Bob's is already legendary and will be hard for any one to top. We think that whole thing is funny, because music is clearly not a competition. Although if there is a chance at a plaque, we are going for it!

WVRS: You just played the Rock n Roll HOF with Lords of the Highway, how did that show go?
GM: Surprisingly well actually...It was horribly hot, but a nice crowd of people that don't normally go to club shows came out. There were plenty of fans that were older. A bunch of parents that brought their kids. Then there was this mix of young people that had attended the Mt Dew Tour nearby. I met some cool kids from the Czech Republic, and we both lamented there was no good pills in the area. The Lords played really well that night. I thought we killed. Good time all around.

WVRS: You've played a lot of shows at the Glass, how are you guys received there?
GM: I love playing the Glass, although I would like to publicly say it is time for a remodel in the men's room. It's weird that there are little insects that buzz around in there in the dead of winter. However, it does match up with the rock paradigm...The worse the men's room, the better the club. I really like the people we meet in West VG. Really interesting folks with artistic ideas and open minds. I like that there is a mixed crowd of people in the club. I hope everyone leaves their air conditioned homes to come out to this show. It should be really good. The Black Knots are the real deal.

WVRS: You got some new Daredevils clothing made up? Will any be on sale at the Glass?
GM: We'll bring all the goods left over from the Euro 2008 tour. We've got some cool new work shirts and limited edition Leo t-shirts. It's Leo's terrifying passport photo with his name typed out below it. It's the feel good t-shirt of the summer!

WVRS: Will you have any Whiskey Daredevils ironic trucker hats?
GM: You would think a marketing machine like us would have made some up, but alas, I feel the ship may have sailed on the Ironic Trucker Hat.

Co-operating to save the Co-Op!

Billy Matheny didn't want to see the Mountain People's Market Co-Op in Morgantown close, so he and his rocker friends decided to do something to help. Next Friday, they'll rock The Blue Moose Cafe to raise money and awareness to help this locally (and, co-operatively) owned Morgantown institution.

"The people who work there live down the street from me," Matheny said. "I would much rather give them my money instead of giving it to whoever owns Kroger...I simply didn't want to see it close and it's really great that the community and other businesses have stepped forward in the Co-Op's time of need."

Matheny's bandmate Haley Slagle said the Co-Op's fare is a big part of her life, and that, in this day of lead-based cardboard dumplings from China and Salmonella-tinged tomatoes, she doesn't want to see it close either. "Eating organic and eating local are a very big part of my life. Without the Co-Op, I'm not sure where I would get my food. The Co-Op really focuses on trying to get local produce, meat, eggs and cheese. I really believe in being as close to your source of food as you possibly can. Without the Co-Op, we would be eating food from who knows where."

There have already been a few benefits, with Wild Zero Tattoos raising some serious cash money to help recently. 123 Pleasant St. in Morgantown will host a benefit show (as they have done so many times) in early August.

Aaron Hawley and his '85 Flood bandmate Dusty Hays will perform some stripped-down acoustic Flood tunes and some Hawley originals at the Blue Moose benefit. Hawley said the benefit was a no-brainer. "Besides the obvious benefits of organic and locally grown produce, the Co-Op also served as a meeting place for a lot of cool, like-minded folks. I also appreciate it because as a Townie, it's one of the few institutions that's been around this town longer than I have. I remember the Co-Op from when I was very, very young."

Hawley, who, like Matheny, has been involved with putting on benefit shows mainly at 123, seemed rightfully proud of the area bands who pitch in to help righteous causes. "The benefit shows that go on in Morgantown are one of the coolest things about this scene. Most musicians here are very aware that they exist in a tight-knit community here. Everyone wants to pitch in and help out and nobody lets their egos get in the way."

Matheny admitted to a kind of shock and awe at the power of the 123 Benefits. "All of those benefits raised over $1,000 for their chosen causes and it certainly opened my eyes to successful music benefits. Given the size of the Blue Moose Cafe, I don't think raising that much money from the cover charge alone would be possible, so we've asked local businesses to donate gift certificates (Thanks to Bead Monster, Inner Life Yoga, Ancient Wisdom Yoga, Black Bear Burrito, The Warner Theatre, Carvel, The Hotel Morgan and Leanna Richman) or gift baskets for a raffle that will be going on throughout the evening."

So these rockin' acts from Morgantown will again rock for a good cause. They all say that the Co-Op is too important and has been there too long to not help.

"The Co-Op closing would be a damaging blow to the town itself," Hawley said. "I would hate to see places like the Co-Op turned into Sonic Drive-Ins," Matheny summed up.

Related DA articles:
Saving the co-op

Local business raises money for co-op

"Full Fathom Five" -- live Clutch tour DVD

Here at WVRockscene, we revel in our conflicts with other states, like our sub-rosa dirty war with OhioRockscene. Everybody knows a Buckeye is a worthless nut, but that's not what this is about...

We're fans of Maryland-based Clutch. Even though from what we understand from listening to too much talk radio, Maryland is or will soon be fascissimo, and try to take Shepherdstown from us!

But no, we rocked out Robot Hive/Exodus, and now, Clutch has announced it will release a new tour DVD August 12. They're getting ready to go on a tour from hell, with daily shows for the most part over the next coupla months.

They just uploaded video of the song "Texan Book of the Dead" onto their MySpace profile. So see, MySpace serves some function sometime!

But no if you haven't heard of Clutch yet for some strange reason yet check them out...

Now they owe us $50, right? Does that work on Blogger like it does on MySpace?

Why no show go?

We came across a pretty pointed MySpace bulletin from our photographer friend Stephani up north in Wheeling. She'd let us use one of her killer pics of Treasure Cat for a Graffiti article we did on the band. Well, she was perplexed as to why nobody came to Saturday's show at Yesterday's Draught House & Stage.

We think her bulletin is a good jumping off point for the question: if fewer and fewer people are going to shows, why?

Gas? TV & the internet?

Here is her bulletin, reposted...

"Once again, Chuck books a good show at Yesterday's and once again, it's pretty damn empty there. Lo-Pan is amazing, their new vocalist kicks ass. And Rebreather... *whew* blew my doors off.

I left with a broken drumstick!

Now I haven't been out lately because of monetary concerns, but unless EVERYONE is as broke as I am, we've got to start showing our support for this venue, and the bands that play there.

If Chuck books a band you've never heard of, see if they have a MySpace page and see if you like the music, don't dismiss it because you've never heard of them.

FREE SHOW TUESDAY - didya see that? FREE SHOW.


Let's start showin' up and representin'!"

-- Have you decided to not go to a show for any particular reason? Ga$ money? Internet porn? Don't agree with the smoking bans (Yesterday's went through that) or just think area bands suck? Let us know, you've read this much...

SPECIAL UPDATE: We just came across this most rockin' MySpace blog from our show-goin' Charleston friend Jim, who was at the Glass Saturday and witnessed a similar phenomena; few people showing up...This show featured some bands from Ohio -- TheDAMNits and Razorbliss (which sounds like Marilyn from what we heard, and also, according to Jim, they played the Lords of Acid song "Pussy" -- we used to rock them out all the time back in the day when we stayed up all night...

Our only conclusion is that, as the bands at these venues were from Ohio, there exists a secret conspiracy among West Virginia rockers to not support Ohio bands. Well, we need to break this up by the 26th, when the Whiskey Daredevils come to town...

Whiskey N Waterbeds: way more punk (and smutty) than you!

We here at WVRockscene are fans of those who put bands and their music out on the internet, whatever format. Well, no format is more fun than that of WhiskeyBrian and Joey Fuckup at Whiskey N Waterbeds.

The Roanoke, Va.-based duo just released their 14th podcast, which no doubt includes some Colt 45 consumption mixed with a little smutty humor. Even though they're from Virginia, they've played some cool WV bands, so that's awesome. And -- we don't have to worry about them coming through our state, driving slow in the fast lane, then, merging over into the slow lane and speeding!

That's right -- our campaign against Ohio drivers has begun!

Oh, we mean check out W&W -- ye shall have a good time.

The Fiend gets re-animated!

We just heard that the young lads in The Renfields have brought their bassist The Fiend back to life! The Transylvania-based pogo punk band had been taking some time off while they prepared to bring him back to life with a new body. Apparently they were able to keep only %30 of his original brain, so they've set up a new MySpace profile for him.

We're glad to hear about this news and hopefully The Concept can get Team Transylvania back to Charleston sometime. Look for new stuff out of the band soon, we hope.

New WestByGod T-shirts

Our friends in WestByGod just announced they've got new shirts for sale. Check 'em out on their MySpace blog and check out WBG while yer there.

Buckstone @ FestivALL

Got to catch a little bit of Buckstone at FestivALL Saturday. No, we didn't get a copy of their new EP, but Tom, Jamie and Diana definitely rock...

Buckstone 6.28 @ FestivALL

REVIEW: Bud Carroll & the Southern Souls

CD: Bud Carroll & the Southern Souls
ARTIST: Bud Carroll & the Southern Souls

On their new EP Bud Carroll & the Southern Souls pull together seven songs of highly charged rump shakin' southern rock, blues, and soul, with a little reggae and some country and western thrown in at the end. Carroll hasn't exactly snuck up on anybody with his talent (having been in a relatively successful band) but after catching this three-piece live and hearing the CD, we were doubly impressed.

"Hell Raisin' Kind" kicks the CD off with a swaggering nod to the ol' WV and the effects the water and/or dusk might have on said hell raisin'. Like most of the songs, there are cool solos and nice tempo changes in the song. Having grown up rockin' out The Black Crowes, I can easily get into what Carroll and crew (Jimmy Lykens and Steve Barker) are going for; it's like Dr. Mindbender cloned all the talent of the Robinson brothers into one diminutive stature in the form of Carroll, who coincidentally enough looks like Chris Robinson, or, depending on your perspective, Jesus.

The high-energy southern rock standard "Time Don't Wait Around" is pretty much our favorite track; all the ingredients for a great story are here -- summers spent "runnin' with the dead end crowd," and a deal going bad and red & blue lights. Carroll finds himself thrown in jail, "lookin' for Jesus through a gridiron view," and espousing the golden rule.

"Stand Up And Be Counted" is a genre-skipping call to arms, mixing mellow reggae/dancehall verses with powerful organ-soaked rock choruses. Choppy organ over dub bass and Carroll's riffage is a tantalizing taste of a style that you won't hear much in the WV. Carroll's lyrics border on the radical, as he sings emotively "There is no revolution in our hearts anymore/Everybody's fighting for something, but what are we fighting for?" One of the best lines on the CD:

"When the hour of judgment places its hand on your shoulder, do not step aside/until you can stand up tall and speak out loud, do not ever be satisfied"

This song is really the jewel of the CD, but one drawback -- don't get used to hearing the organ and any layered guitar in the live act -- they're only a three-piece. Unless Carroll secretly has four arms or something, they'll have more of a stripped-down sound than what you hear on the CD, but that's cool.

"It's Been A Minute" is a somber, dreamy lovelorn ditty that, with its clear bluesy riffage to open, at first reminds me of an old Pearl Jam song. Carroll sings "It only takes a minute for a love to go astray" over cool organ.

"I Don't Believe You" has been an anti-authority favorite of ours for a while now. With "Stand Up" it forms a kind of bookend of the most high-minded idealism Carroll offers, as he opines "Don't let anybody tell you, that theirs is the only way/If anybody tries to sell you the truth, just stand right up and say I don't believe you," as they roll into the chorus. Very cool solo and bridge on this bluesy rock number.

The first few bars of "When It All Hits You" at first reminded me of a song off the movie Goodfellas or something. But it grew on us as we listened to it "over and over" again, thinking about how things may have been different when we were younger.

The CD closes with "If You Don't Want Me," a bluesy country western number that, in a pinch, Carroll and the Fraternal Order of the Souls could play in case they were ever playing in place of the real Good Ole Boys from Nashville.

Throughout the CD, Carroll's talent for musicianship and songwriting are on display. This is a good start for these guys, and yeah, our only thing is that we'd like to see the band with a keyboard player for their live act; the songs on this CD are way deeper than what you'd hear live.

But we're reviewing the CD, not the live act. Carroll is obviously hugely talented and we'll be interested in what he and the Souls do from this point on.

Smoking ban comes to town July 1st

It's finally here: the smoking ban in area bars. Some towns and cities have already put laws like this in place, some patrons of said bars have taken up acting like bar patrons and turning the bar into a "theater" so they can smoke, getting around the law on a technicality.

No, having talked with the public about this before specifically as it relates to going to shows and "the bar scene" etc., we know how passionate people are about being called drug addicts, having the consumption of a legal product criminalized or, from the perspective of the venue, having the state tell them how to run their place.

It's jack-booted nannyism, as Christopher Hitchens himself called it.

People also know that, for those who don't smoke, it sucks going to shows and ending up smelling like the absorbed odors of a thousand cigarettes. They may have always been tying one on anyway, drinking you know, and never thought about the basic assumption underlying the ban; that second hand smoke is harmful.

It's been a relatively peaceful coexistence, until July 1st.

No more smoking in your favorite bars, like The Empty Glass or The Blue Parrot. Area rock group Quick & Dirty is holding a "Smokefest" June 30th at the Parrot; free smokes and whiskey for you if you show up. What kind of whiskey?


Threefold Theory recently did a Raze benefit -- the lines are drawn! Of course the Glass has the patio so that should work fine for them.

So what's going to happen is the people who don't smoke are going to make a pill to get people off nicotine and when they don't take the pill (or take too much) they'll be thrown in jail. Public safety.

And cigarettes will still be legal.

But no, we wonder how this will affect going to shows. Most business owners say it will hurt business but there are examples of smoke-free rock venues, right?

CD REVIEW: The Emergency "EMC"

CD: EMC
ARTIST: The Emergency

Eight is not enough on The Emergency's newest and final (?) CD. Compared to their previous releases, the CD is more of the same quirky power-pop meets richly textured psychadelic brit rock that we've come to love out of this Magic Town three-piece, only shorter.

The CD opens with the backhanded "Soaking Up The Scene" and "Friends At The Factory" with singer-guitarist Rob Wehrle bemoaning the social life up there, it seems. "Scene" opens with guitar feedback over a galloping beat laid down by drummer Kevin Post. Wehrle says he hates the scene and that he wants to "stare at the lyric sheet all day."

"Factory" is a swaggering number with a not so subtle message tucked inside. Just want to know which factory they're talking about, it's not good; backs scratch each other, and little mafias are established to keep the good times going.

Of course with The Emergency you still get bassist Aaron Crothers laying down the walking bass lines and filling in with oohs and aahs and other backing vocals. Wehrle and Crothers together form a veritable dynamic duo of rock.

The "Where's Waldo" standout song is "Wicked Witch" because it doesn't sound like anything off any previous Emergency CD. Most fall into a kind of power-pop garage rock or experimental brit rock type thing, but this song is unique in its driving velocity. With Wehrle's faux-brit accent sounding like Liam Gallagher at times, it sounds like Oasis joined Pink Floyd, with the Dark Side of the Moon sounding choruses, where Wehrle exhorts listeners to "be who you are," a cool song indeed.

The guys in the Emergency seemingly have a bittersweet view of their time as a band up there in Morgantown, and that's clearly stated on the pull-no-punches songs on the CD.

Our favorite track is a depressing love song, "Not This Time" that nicely encapsulates The Emergency's two-minute catchy powerpop side. A deep breath and cool riffage opens the song, with Wehrle singing about some chick:

"I get high off the scraps that you leave behind/I get high off the scent of the pillow you left behind"

You can hear "Church of the Chix" in the fills, and Crothers singing "Everything will work out fine" as Wehrle sings "Not this time" over and over is a good example of their chemistry together. Cool change at the end of the track will have your air guitars out.

"1234" is basically a breakup manual set to catchy music and numbers. "Up Is On (Breathe In/Out)" and "Misunderstood (Goddamn!)" are more bittersweet numbers, with Wehrle asking "Don't you have anything nice to say?" and pretty chord progressions on "Misunderstood" as they sing "On and on" over and over again.

The guys close with the mellow "Bring On The Good Times," opening with a cool bass intro before going into a slow tempo build with cool Moog-sounding synth filling in. The band seemingly feels the end is near, as they seek "happy days" before ending in a big rock finish. The song ends just like the CD starts, with feedback.

The CD was ably produced by Ryan Hizer and Trey Curtis of Morgantown's Librarians. You'd like to say that the guys in The Emergency have grew and matured as a band since the appropriately titled "How Can You Move?" but listening to songs like "All Over Town" with its cool samples and the expansive acoustic "Matt Won't Come Back" prove that The Emergency have had the rock thing pretty much sewed up for a few years now. It also ties in with "Doo-Lang Doo-Lang" which was more experimental, it seemed.

No, The Emergency is one of our favorite bands we've came across. To put it into words, they rock. On the liner notes in the CD sleeve they number the CD 3 out of 3 (?) with a question mark, so maybe they're not really done; this is all a carefully orchestrated publicity stunt or something. It sucks that the guys would feel so bitter, that it would dominate their songwriting, but it's on all their other CDs, so nothing much has changed -- The Emergency rocks.

MP3: "Not This Time"

Pawnshop Skateboards Summer Slam

A pretty cool thing Saturday, with Pawnshop Skateboards over there in Marmet hosting this Summer Slam demo-contest thing at the Community Center across the river.

We would've liked to have done more on this, and we still plan on making the short drive over there this weekend, but it sounds cool and there are cool sposnors involved. Look for more cool things out of these guys; their skate team just took a trip down south and they're making specialty decks and putting together cool stuff, so check these guys out.

Skatopia Bowl Bash XIII

We came across some pretty cool pics from Bowl Bash XIII at Skatopia. Apparently there was cool skating and rockin' bands, two things we wholeheartedly support.

We would love to live near something like this, but this is actually in Ohio. You know -- the people who drive slow in the fast lane then merge into the slow lane and speed up like maniacs!

Seriously, we love Ohio. No other state has chosen more presidents, and no other state has Skatopia. Check out the pics at their MySpace profile.

Q&A w/Tucker Riggleman (pt. 2)

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.

photo: Sara Chroussis