Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with GRAMMY-nominated artist Tracy Bonham about her new music, her recent cancer diagnosis, and her longevity in the music industry.
"Damn the Sky (For Being Too Wide)”
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Interview with VICTOR POISON-TETE (RAT AT RAT R)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Victor Poison-Tete of NYC underground music legends Rat at Rat R about the band's history and his more recent work with Max Brody (Ministry) and Stu Spasm (Lubricated Goat).
The Brody-Spasm-Tete Encounter
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Perfumed Guitars and Perfection: The Church Shines in Boston
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| Photo by Hugh Stewart |
The Church is the best band in the world right now.
If you’re tempted to dismiss the above statement as mere attention-seeking hyperbole from an overzealous journo still buzzing from witnessing an awesome gig, please indulge me long enough to read this review.
First, I fully acknowledge how outrageous my “best band in the world right now” tag must seem to the unenlightened. After all … I’m saying this about The Church? From the ’80s? A band from Australia that last had a (semi) hit in America in 1990? A band that spent decades in indie purgatory after its last major label album (1992’s criminally underrated Priest=Aura) failed to capture the public’s imagination at the height of Grunge? A band that doggedly soldiers on in 2024 with only one original member in tow following years of personnel upheaval?
While any combination of these factors would normally be a recipe for irrelevance, bassist/singer Steve Kilbey continues to keep the ball in the air despite the (seemingly final) departures of beloved guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and (for a second time) Peter Koppes (gone since 2013 and 2020, respectively). The two albums released since Kilbey took the reins—2023’s The Hypnogogue and this year’s breathtaking Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars—are the finest things the band has done since its late ’80s commercial peak and stand as proof that he made the right decision by keeping the train rolling in the absence of his former cohorts.
The Church’s June 21 performance at the Royale in Boston was one of those classic concerts that seemed to fly by in an instant. Expertly holding the crowd’s attention throughout its lengthy set, the band (Kilbey, long-serving drummer-turned-percussionist Tim Powles, drummer Nicholas Meredith, and the guitar triple shot of Ian Haug, Ashley Naylor, and Jeffrey Cain) was intent on living in the here and now rather than winning over an audience by simply rehashing past glories. Although the sextet played two songs each from 1982’s The Blurred Crusade, 1988’s Starfish, and 1990’s Gold Afternoon Fix (and opened with "Myrrh" off 1985's Heyday), it largely devoted the evening to showcasing some of its best material from just the past two years. It was an incredibly ballsy move for a 44-year-old band that never quite stormed the American charts to make at a Friday night gig in Boston, but here’s the beautiful thing about The Church: If you’re at one of its shows, you get it no matter what they’re playing. Even after decades and dozens of albums, the group’s signature sound—which never fails to simultaneously chill and comfort—remains intact. Some may argue this point, but in my never-humble opinion, there’s no such thing as the definitive Church lineup. There’s simply The Church—and this current incarnation more than lives up to the band’s legacy.
Of course, no show by The Church would be complete without the inevitable inclusion of “Under the Milky Way,” which sounded even more sublime thanks to the Royale’s acoustics. Of course, Kilbey will have to sing that song until the day he dies. While that’s not a bad thing by any means (after all, the song will always touch the hearts of many), I couldn’t help but notice how basic it sounded among the band’s more complex and multidimensional current material. Unlike most bands, The Church has never once slowed its sonic evolution—making the difference between “Under the Milky Way” and The Hypnogogue as striking as the one between “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I can’t think of another veteran act on Earth whose modern work outclasses its biggest hit—and I can’t think of another band currently touring the U.S. that’s worth seeing more than this one.
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Interview with CHRIS FRIERI (MY 3 SONS/BUY OUR RECORDS/GHOST LIMB FILMS)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with NJ underground scene mainstay Chris Frieri (My 3 Sons/Buy Our Records/Ghost Limb Films) about his history in music and film.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview with PHIL CAIVANO (MONSTER MAGNET / BLITZSPEER / SHRAPNEL / SOLO)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran guitarist/bassist Phil Caivano (Monster Magnet/Blitzspeer/Shrapnel/Murphy's Law/Solo) about the late '80s/early '90s music scene in New York City and the history of underground music and culture in New Jersey.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview #1 with SAL CANZONIERI (ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN/THE THING)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran guitarist Sal Canzonieri (Electric Frankenstein/The Thing/Kung Fu Killers/Maggot SS/Doom Patrol) about his history with The Thing, the NYC underground scene of the mid/late '80s, and the current status of Electric Frankenstein.
Band Links in the Video Description
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
The History of THE PIPELINE (Newark, NJ) with EMILIO: Part 3
In this third installment of a multi-part series celebrating the legendary '80s/'90s New Jersey music venue The Pipeline, author/journalist/musician Joel Gausten talks with owner Emilio Mourao about his plans to keep The Pipeline's legacy alive.
The History of THE PIPELINE (Newark, NJ) with EMILIO: Part 1
The History of THE PIPELINE (Newark, NJ) with EMILIO: Part 2
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Friday, June 14, 2024
Interview with Music Journalist/Blogger ALEX SMITH
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran music journalist and blogger Alex Smith (Flaming Pablum) about his history in journalism, his current work, and some of his most memorable interviews and run-ins with musicians. Gausten and Smith also share their perspectives on their mutual favorite band, Killing Joke.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Interview with MARK BURGESS of THE CHAMELEONS
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Mark Burgess of The Chameleons about the band's recent chart success, current U.S. tour, and longevity in the music business.
The Chameleons' New EP, Where Are You?
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview with EERIE VON (DANZIG/SAMHAIN/SOLO)
(NOTE: AUDIO ONLY) Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Eerie Von (Danzig/Samhain/Solo) about his new solo album Not 4 Nuthin, his post-Danzig band Bighouse, and his collaboration with the late Mike "Ashley" Morance on the 1996 album Uneasy Listening.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview with DAVE TREE (TREE)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Dave Tree of Boston Hardcore legends TREE about the band's 2019 reformation and current activities, the past and current state of the Boston underground music scene, and more.
TREE Band Links in the Video Description
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Interview with BEN CHRISTO (THE SISTERS OF MERCY/DIAMOND BLACK)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Ben Christo of The Sisters of Mercy about his history with the group, its upcoming U.S. tour, and his bands Diamond Black and Shot Through the Heart.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview with DOUG VIZTHUM (PLEASED YOUTH/BAD KARMA/LUNAR BEAR ENSEMBLE)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran guitarist Doug Vizthum (Pleased Youth/Bad Karma/Lunar Bear Ensemble/Lunar Ensemble/Mr. Payday/We Kick Ass/This Stuff'll Kill Ya!/The Slugger) about his history in the New Jersey underground music scene and his current activities in Florida.
Doug's Band Links in the Video Description
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Interview with MICK LOMAURO (FLATUS/FRANKIE GOES TO DOLLYWOOD)
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran drummer and audio engineer Mick LoMauro (Flatus/Frankie Goes to Dollywood/The Tombstone Brawlers/Turbodemon/Man Made Devil/Mr. Green Jeans) about his history in the New Jersey music scene, his experiences as a touring musician, and his vast résumé behind the board for some of the biggest live acts in the industry.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Mourning Noise's "Screams/Dreams:" A Modern Horror Punk Classic
It’s time for Mourning Noise to settle unfinished business.
Way back in 1985, what was then the band’s final lineup (by that time featuring the late Mike “Ashley” Morance, always one of the more intriguing—and willfully mysterious—participants in New Jersey’s underground music scene) convened to record “Foolish Grief,” an epic tune much closer to The Damned’s gloriously melodic mid-’80s output than the fiery, Hardcore-flavored sounds of Mourning Noise’s earlier years. One listen to the track informed the listener that great new things should have been right around the corner for the group, but it wasn’t meant to be. Drummer Steve Zing was already well into his stint as an original member of Glenn Danzig’s post-Misfits band, Samhain, by that point, so Mourning Noise—already plagued by regular lineup changes and a singer (the talented and underrated Mike Mansfield) who quit, rejoined, and quit again more times than anyone could count—inevitably fell by the wayside.
Aside from a brief reunion in 1997, Mourning Noise seemed destined to be a footnote in the narrative of New Jersey Horror Punk—a great shame when considering that the band often outclassed all of its original-era Lodi scene contemporaries—yep, even that other group whose name starts with “M.” (Yes, you read that right. Listen to “My Demon Eyes” from the old days and tell me I’m wrong.) The injustice was finally rectified in 2021 via an extensive Mourning Noise compilation of 1981-1985 material released by Cleopatra Records. (An earlier collection, Death Trip Delivery, appeared—and quickly disappeared—in the ’90s through the seemingly now-defunct label Grand Theft Audio.) Before long, the band—now comprised of Zing, classic-era members Tommy Koprowski (guitar) and Chris “Draphobia” Morance (bass), and incredible new singer Robby Bloodshed—was back in the game and writing new material. Fast-forward to early June 2024, and the quartet is days away from releasing its first proper full-length album, Screams/Dreams.
Right off the bat, the fellas have a helluva lot to live up to—after all, a new record by a band featuring Zing (who’s been playing bass in Danzig for years now) will earn immediate attention. Also, things ain’t like they were in the late ’80s when Bobby Steele was the only old-school Horror Punk guy in Jersey still keeping it real. The Misfits have been back performing with Glenn for nearly a decade (!), while the fiendom surrounding all things Lodi has never been greater. (Hell, kids around the country make pilgrimages to Lodi Pizza, for fuck’s sake.)
Expectations for Screams/Dreams are incredibly high, so how does Mourning Noise handle the pressure? Well, the guys could’ve played it safe and released an instantly crowd-pleasing retread of 1982 with perhaps a touch of 2024 audio recording sheen—something that would have had about as much appeal to me as, say, a Maor Applebaum remaster of Evilive. Thankfully, Mourning Noise has instead thrown balls of brass into the mix, followed through on the potential showcased on “Foolish Grief,” and expanded its sound into something fresh for the here and now.
These guys aren’t relying on their past glories on Screams/Dreams—they’re dead set on exceeding them. Finally, the world has been gifted with a reunion record done the right way.
What does Screams/Dreams sound like? Imagine My Chemical Romance writing a Misfits album after a lengthy Phantasmagoria listening binge while avoiding the low-hanging fruit of gratuitous whoas or generic lyrics solely based on horror film synopses.
Bloodshed—who’s already a scene vet despite only being in his twenties—is the biggest star of the show, adding second guitar and keyboards alongside his stellar voice. (If you’ve seen Robbie live over the past few years, you’ve witnessed our Dave Vanian gradually come into his own. You know how we all revere Glenn? That’s gonna be how we think of Robbie in 20 years. Just listen to “Island of Unknown.” The kid’s a goddamn phenomenon.) And Zing, Koprowski, and Morance have never sounded tighter and more inspired together as they do throughout this album’s 16 tracks.
Best song: A tie between “Kiss of Death” and the truly exceptional (and T.S.O.L.-tinged) “Frozen Fever.” Greatest Musical Departure: “Sin.” Career-Best Performance: Koprowski, whose Steve Jones-meets-Johnny Ramone power reaches new heights.
Final Verdict: Screams/Dreams is the best New Jersey Horror Punk album since Walk Among Us.
Mic drop and fucking fin.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
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