Written By: Chris Parsons
St. James & The Apostles is Philadelphia’s gritty acid rock power trio born out from the ashes of neo-psychedelic rock band The Three 4 Tens. Jamie Mahon, the bassist and founder of TT4T, starting playing guitar and singing with his two cousins– Mike Kiker on organ/bass and Jeff Castner on drums– after going through a number of line-up changes for TT4T. The new heavily psyched-out sound the trio began to form clearly deserved a whole new approach and name. September 2012 saw the debut of St. James & The Apostles‘ studio full-length LP, Baphomet, and Monday 10/22 will kick off a U.S. east coast mini-tour in support of the record. The album also appears to feature guest musicians from all across the Philadelphia music scene including collaborations with Adam Weaver (The Three 4 Tens, The Asteroid #4), Slo Johnson, Stefano Amodei, Andrew Amado, and Brian McNamara (The Three 4 Tens), explaining the familial chemistry invested and enjoyed in the soul of SJ&TA’s grungy blues.
“Kiss & Tell” is a slow-groove, psych blues that introduces a heady, cicada-like fuzz from the start. The bass and drums are constantly locked-in and maintain the steady ride of this rocker as Mahon croons in a throaty, southern style, possibly imitating the baritone of the late Jim Morrison. What you don’t notice right away is the subtle, almost subconscious chords spilling out of the organ, adding to St. James & The Apostles‘ powerhouse wall-of-sound. Then towards the end, the vocals cut out and the fuzz is toned down a notch or two, opening up the sound to expose the soulful ring of the organ which jams around a bit, improvising on an instrumental vamp to bridge the closing choruses.
On “Let the Right One In,” there is an organ in the forefront to remind you to pay attention to your subconscious, where its sure to otherwise slip down into, especially when the garage fuzz kicks in. This time around though, keyboard sounds more processed as it flanges in and out of the sound, suggesting some fluency with incorporating electronic sounds to create a contemporary relevancy in the meat-and-potatoes sound of the blues. Jamie’s vocals are more of a growl on this track, but still sounds a bit like the style of The Doors’ iconic vocalist and frontman. The guitar fuzz is dialed in and mixed perfectly; an intense, but controlled wild snarl that fuels the gritty energy of St. James & The Apostles‘ acid rock sound, but manages to never spill over or overpower the other musicians. This track goes right into the high energy “Garmonbozia” with splanky organ, cymbal-and-snare-heavy drums, and an almost garage punk feel from the guitar licks and subtle, experimental noise. The momentum of this short track is further fueled by sludgy vocals and supporting backing vocals, up until the jam of heady noise meets for a final crash, as if slamming an exclamation point on the end in confidence.
The straight blues are back on “St. James Infirmary,” which meanders between the feeling of a soulful ballad and a high-tempo jazzy jam. Jamie Mahon’s vocals feature more of a bluesy warble on this track, infusing the soulful vibrations with sincere, sorrowful passion. The keyboard is set to a smooth Rhodes tone and noodles up and down the blues scale adding groovy, old-style pizazz to the trio’s blues sound; paying tribute to the classics, their influencers. Mahon’s guitar occasionally slides on the guitar to pull the band– and the listener– into a shortlived, but lively swing feel, with exploding splashes of shimmery organ and the cymbals, exhibiting St. James & The Apostle‘s refined taste for jazz as well as their talents in arranging and nailing creative transitions.
“12 Steps With Jesus” has a very somber ballad feel with acoustic and Hawaiian sounding guitars, and a shimmering organ setting the ambiance of the track in a blue glow, all the while being coaxed by low thunderings on the tom drums. The vocals are at least doubled giving them a very full, and spacey but ultimately soft, and mellow quality. The lyrics recall the accounts of a sinner who is considering taking ’12 steps with Jesus’ in an attempt to save himself and be born again in renewed faith. Overall, the track is a nice change of pace from the mostly heavy garage rock album, and has a sound slightly reminiscent to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Here.”
As is typical of the power trio aesthetic, in St. James & The Apostles‘ intense wall-of-sound, every musician’s contribution is essential and the sparseness makes for a tight clarity that suggests these guys have been around the psychedelic block of town a few times. This band is a supergroup of seasoned professionals hashing out controlled, improvisational freak-outs and loud reinvented blues, fuzzed-out a bit for good measure, very much in the legendary and contemporary veins of both The Doors and The Flying Eyes, respectively. The love for improvisation is especially clear with this group, so be sure to check our their new vinyl and keep your ear out for them if you’re on the east coast next week.
TOUR DATES:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22nd
@ SILK CITY, PHILADELPHIA, PA (BITBY NO ALTERNATIVE SHOW/TOUR KICKOFF PARTY)
http://www.facebook.com/events/118257644991805/
TPR-Mag.com 