TPR Featured Bands-to-Watch: Shark Week + The Flying Eyes

Written By: Chris Parsons

Two underground bands from the Baltimore, MD/Washington, D.C. cities’ collective music-and-arts scene– The Flying Eyes and Shark Week, have been fairly busy  since the turn of 2013. Both bands thoroughly create loud, psych-tinged garage rock ‘n’ roll and have effortlessly established their names among the local ranks on the east coast (and for The Flying Eyes— across seas!). The best part is that these two bands deliver for their fans and Shark Week and The Flying Eyes are  both expecting forthcoming releases soon, are sharing a billing, tonight in Washington D.C. at the Rock & Roll Hotel with other local bands, Joy Buttons and Dance for the Dying!

Shark Week
recently  premiered a brand new music video at Brightest Young Things for new single, “Baby, Maybe”.  The video and song were recorded on site in Puerto Rico during a small stint of shows back in mid-January.  The band has also announced that they will be shooting some live footage tonight, so if you come out you could make it onto the big silverscreen!

The Flying Eyes
are on the verge of completing  a new forthcoming LP! Last summer they launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project. Now we are close to experiencing what will be The Flying Eyes‘ third full-length record, tentatively set for May 2013. Recently, the release was given the title “Lowlands”. They worked with Rob Girardi (Lord Baltimore Recording Studios) and mixing engineer, Chris “Frenchie” Smith, a renowned psych engineer based in Austin, Texas.

TPR Featured Releases: Dead Leaf Echo 7″ Single + Whoarfrost Sophomore Album

Written By: Chris Parsons

Today, we have are ears tuned into two channels– dreampop, “nouveau wave” from NY’s Dead Leaf Echo and Baltimore, MD’s experimental rock free-jazzists, Whoarfrost— as they are both celebrating the release of brand new material. Both underground artists are eminently artistic and established projects that have been releasing new material in some form or other at a fairly constant and prolific rate, thus cementing their effective presence in the contemporary underground rock communities, especially in their respective local scenes. Definitely take the time to listen to one if you’re a fan of the other, and vice-versa, as their audiences are constantly growing, and why would you want to be left out of all the fun of some fresh, quality jams– and just the kind that your collection is missing!

Dead Leaf Echo
is expected to release their debut LP, Thought & Language, on March 5, 2013 via Neon Sigh Records. In the meantime, the quintet had released 7″ single, “Kingmaker” b/w “I Belong,” in September 2012 and, now, their single “Birth” b/w “Etiolated,” both serving as extended-play precursors to the forthcoming, highly anticipated real deal, coming next week. “Kingmaker,” was an released digitally and on vinyl, as well as the appearing in the production and premiere of a music video, directed in collaboration with fellow New Yorker, Patrick Ryan Morris. The new “Birth” 7″ single is also being release via Bandcamp, as well as vinyl (pics), plus the internet easter egg of a live recording of “Birth” for KEXP 90.3FM. If you’re in the New York area be sure to head to late show tonight  (Wed. 2/27) @ Mercury Lounge to catch Dead Leaf Echo‘s Record Release Party, also featuring D.C.’s Lorelei opening up the bill.

Whoarfrost
has officially released their 7-track sophomore album, You Say Yes, for streaming and download via Bandcamp! This professional studio recording of the trio captures their live sound, but with amazing clarity and deliberate pace– every sound explored is both experimental and super-natural, as if executed on the first take, and we can assimilate there were likely little to no overdubs necessary– capturing a pure improvisational and methodical performance, which was further expertly mastered in-house, by the singer-guitarist, Jon Lipscomb, himself. If you are in the Baltimore, Maryland area tomorrow (Thurs. 2/28), you should head over to The Windup Space to catch Whoarfrost‘s Record Release Party, including appearances by Canary oh Canary (VA) and The Inbetweens (NY).

TPR Featured Band-to-Watch: Whoarfrost as Whornfrost (Mini-Documentary)

Written By: Chris Parsons

On January 10, 2013 I hopped on a Greyhound bus from Philadelphia to Baltimore to wind up at no other space than The Wind-up Space; a cozy bar right in the heart of the Baltimore independent music scene. While the bartender and owner seemed very serious about what events or acts he booked at his venue, it soon became clear that this night would be enjoyed with a round of familiar faces; a collective of sorts to which I was no more than a stranger. Enter Jordannah Elizabeth, the only face familiar to myself, and The Process Records was officially in attendance to catch the premiere of Whoarfrost‘s Neighborhood Watch: WHORNFROST Mini-Documentary. In case you aren’t familiar, Whoarfrost is a compact, yet expansive, power trio amalgamation of free jazz and post-hardcore experimental rockers and close friends that are local to the Baltimore and New York music scenes. Sometimes their sound is even classified as noise or avant-garde, but I took note that the jazzist background of the participating musicians would be the focus of the night’s debuting “Whornfrost” feature. There would also be live music following the mini-doc from not necessarily defined “groups” or bands of musicians (Ethan Snyder of Whoarfrost could not be in attendance this evening), but rather exhibiting a couple of makeshift line-ups culled from a collective of like-minded, professional-grade musicians.

To give some background, Jon Lipscomb (guitar/vox) and Ethan Snyder (drums) of Whoarfrost both attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music, a school renowned for their specialization in jazz theory and development. So, naturally, the sound of their experimental, free form trio, while dizzingly chaotic at times, has deep roots in the improvisational approach and learned techniques of jazz’s long, but youthful history. However, this sense of “structure” is only subtly apparent in their performances, as they almost seem to abandon any trace of “rules”– another trait borrowed from jazz and experimental arts– so that their sound and energy is fueled by both a learned, and un-learned animal collective naïvety. At some point, within Baltimore’s healthy and tightly-knit community of musicians, Whoarfrost crossed paths with other jazzheads– a whole slew of horn players [Tiffany Defoe (Baritone Sax), Derrick Michaels (Tenor Sax), Jarrett Gilgore (Alto Sax), Chris Pumphrey (Keys), John Dierker (Tenor Sax)] who had all studied jazz performance at some point or other, at various schools with prestigious music programs including Baltimore’s Towson University and the Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University. Some of these saxophonists even seemed like local legends in their own right, which was certainly impressive to witness, but it was clear that this particular collective were all peers in their love and enthusiasm for jazz, almost echoing the 90’s shoegazer movement’s aesthetic of a “scene that celebrates itself.”

Throughout the documentary there is a catalog of interviews, performances, and practice sessions which Eric Smith incorporated in an effort to capture the process involved in transforming Whoarfrost into Whornfrost, and hash out the background of how the whole concept was birthed and solidified. For the first time, Jon Lipscomb publicly offers a good deal of insight into the band’s songwriting processes which had been a something of a mystery and muse to the casual listener or passerby. One particular quote from Lipscomb was that the original power trio line-up and focus of Whoarfrost was to establish as a solid, defined, and clear sound. Now, with the Whornfrost side project, horns are thrown into the mix and a whole new set of doors are opened, and new rules are adopted or abandoned accordingly. However, this “can of worms” free-form nature, does have structure  The horns aren’t necessarily given free range, much unlike the earlier, feral sounds of big band jazzheads such as Sun Ra and his Arkestra, but rather, they are cleverly arranged to add a whole new depth to the trio’s wall-of-sound with an undercurrent of powerhouse saxophones. The style of the sound produced is very reminiscent of the late Frank Zappa’s jazzier explorations, which was a real treat to experience young, contemporary musicians paying tribute to appropriate, deserving legends and bent on keeping the experimental nature of music alive and well, instead of sitting back and making strictly “normal” or derivative sounds. When Whoarfrost steps out of their comfort zone, they are in their comfort zone. Many have been caught scratching their heads, actively listening, for some kind of subconscious clarity within the dizzying realms of Whoarfrost‘s swirling birr and chaos, but these cats are the real deal; jazz purists with a knack for obliterating avalanches of sound and energy.

The Whoarfrost homepage does not offer a “shop” to purchase the documentary, but if you contact them via email, you might be able to snag one of the flash drive sticks that they had for sale at the event. And be sure to dig their live recordings which fully document and exhibit their improvisational and experimental endeavors if you haven’t caught up with them in person, just yet.

TPR Featured Band-to-Watch: Smoke Bellow

Written By: Joe Brown

Australia is colloquially known as a hotbed for original music (including recently productive psych rockers: The Murlocs, Tame Imapla, and The Walking Who), and the very same hot blood runs through Smoke Bellow, an experimental rock trio from down under, currently based and collaborating within the Baltimore, Maryland rock scene. The group further cemented their foothold in the psych rock community with the release of their most recent EP, “Old Haunts,” which is a triumphant display of psychedelic drone and warmingly transcendental rock which Smoke Bellow has generously released on their Bandcamp, leaving listeners with the option to “Name Your Price.”

“Patient Belongings” introduces the EP with washy organ drones and a tambourine which lulls you into a lucid trance, joined by smeary, legato vocals and steady, almost subconscious shakers. The overall experience is a heady collage of intersecting earworms, which easily sneak up and envelope the once open and naked space beside you. Smoke Bellow have the ability to draw in any listener, suspecting or otherwise, much like a siren out of Greek mythos, which is allowed through their care to avoid cluttering or overthinking their individual parts, all the while in pursuit of a collective sound and experience, as a singular entity. A guitar joins in the jam and insists on grooving on simple strum patterns which not only contribute another layer to the sound, but subsequently instill a sense of rhythm within the established ambient foundation. Two-part harmonies guide the listener as the harsh twang of guitars and feedback transform the soundscapes into an acerbic realm of tense, yet clever, dissonances that may spook your nerves. Just when it feels like you won’t be able to take much more, the trio smooths out the sound into a meditative trance with shimmering guitars and warped tape sounds, as if illustrating a far-off siren or alarm coming to bring you back to the real world.

The nighttime feel of “Conscious Heads” may very well be a nod towards Yo La Tengo, as the introduction sounds a bit like a faster-paced “Green Arrow.” Add to that a three-note bass riff and looped guitar which mystically stalk the the background, and soaring, reverb-drenched mantras and you then you will have met Smoke Bellow‘s sound, just before the groove gradually picks up a subtle, propulsive movement and swells with urgency. The energy of their sound is now a fevered fervor; the expansive nature of the instrumentals feels rushed, while their deliberate, yet minimal use of percussion anchors down the interwoven intricacies. The jangle of the guitar, the mobility of the bass, and the smattering of synth amble on gently, into an easy conclusion.

“Kelp, Part 1” greets us with spacey feedback and and a  dirge-like soundscape which could easily have been included as part of the soundtrack for David Lynch’s Eraserhead. The ebbs and flows are sporadically ornamented with the wails of guitar pitch-bending and bursts of tremolo picking that fuel an undercurrent of tension into the tranquil ambiance. Ostinato guitar riffs dot the horizon and soothing vocals caress your ears as the soft drums eagerly lean on the verge of pushing the envelope of sound towards a grand build-up, up until it these tensions rise to the forefront accompanied by an ominous trembling. You certainly expect a power surge, but taking cues from the heydays of krautrock, the steam subsides and cools down, allowing the the feedback enough control of the reigns to calm the energy just in time for the follow-up, and conclusion, “Kelp, Part 2.”

The early wah-drenched sequence maintains the tranquility of “Part 1” as light and bending guitar and shakers round out the sound. Never becoming too much of an idea or arc, but rather insisting on holding back and hanging on to droning ragas, the trio’s warm sound seems to straddle the line of sedating and subconscious. For the first time on the EP, Smoke Bellow instill a sense of dread and impending darkness kicks in as woodblocks dictate the pace and the guitars play with a more deliberate nature, but in the end, easing off again without much of  a climax. Smoke Bellow‘s sound constantly teases the listener by not developing the ‘arc’ of their sound, but they are ultimately embraced for their craftwork in constructing an audiophile void of warm and harmonic vibrations which themselves are sympathetically interactive. Their staple of combining calm with chaos rings through on “Kelp, Part 2” as distorted, choppy guitar riffs grind side-by-side another guitar which is comparatively more delicate and light. It’s surely strange how the juxtaposition works out, but it is executed so well! The energy slowly winds down and instrumentals begin to strip back to make a comfortable return to the familiar sound that kicked-off the track, until just a single synthesized note to is left to round off the whole trip.

TPR Featured Band: Whoarfrost

Written By: Chris Parsons

Baltimore, Maryland’s Whoarfrost is a psychedelic jam band with a refreshingly new, completely anti-pop sound, albeit one that comes across as “intelligently” chaotic. A quote from their Bandcamp describes that “Whoarfrost follows their ears and hearts towards the unknown. A band not afraid to fail.” Which is a trait not typically found in many new bands these days, as their goals are usually quite the opposite, being more afraid to fail and focused on pursuing success. This opens up a whole world of experimentation, and the bravery to do so, for the members of Whoarfrost, and they have reason to be unafraid, in that their collective chemistry paired with this freedom yields some of the gnarliest collages of noise and pure, heavy psych rock.

This power trio has been rocking the jams out since 2007… and it’s all documented for you to get caught up with! Similar to the jam band practice of encouraging bootleg taping of shows, Ethan Snyder (drummer), has recorded many of Whoarfrost’s (and some related projects’) shows and published them to Archive.org, which leads us to believe that their live performances are in a constant flux, and at least half-improvised. These kinds of bands are always a treat because it’s almost like a grab-bag surprise for every show that you attend, but if you simply trust the artists to create a once-in-anyone’s-lifetime masterpiece, well you’ll damn well get it every time you get out to see Whoarfrost. These guys have an ear for a matured progressive-math rock, most likely composed from a wide range of influences, especially when a math groove starts to feel real jazzy and jerks it’s way into into an almost-mellow, sometimes-frenzied instrumental vamp of post-rock tones and drones. But really, it’s hard to tell where the band is going to start, and finish, and everywhere in between; sometimes managing to slip into more composed jams including vocals and hooks that stoners will totally eat up. These cats truly run the gamut in pursuing every infinitely possible direction, and misdirection, that their tiny human brains can conjure up.

The band has published all the live recorded material on Bandcamp.com and Archive.org and made them available for free streaming and downloads, but they have also released a superb self-titled album on Engine Records in 2011, which exhibits more songwriting than improvised jams, though there was certainly still an experimental mood to the whole package. Every song explors multiple influences calling to mind elements of King Crimson, Tool, Fly Pan Am, and Cap’n Jazz… all relatively different, but progressive bands nonetheless. Whoarfrost is the surely the next wave, a whole other level of free-form, unlimited experimentation.