Thursday Night War 6: A night of New Orleans and working class industrial sounds
Among the zooming cars and trucks, just past the big rigs hauling oil, potatoes and grapes, a van with a trailer in tow tears down the dusty sky freeway toward Bakersfield. Inside, Keith Ferguson of World Leader Pretend is deep in melancholy dreams of who knows what; he doesn’t stir, but continues a path of head-against-the-seat slumber. The previous night had been long. Since early February new friends had been made from Athens to Indianapolis, then from Austin to Anaheim. This was their cross-country whirlwind tour to promote their forthcoming album, Punches. Certain to be a critically acclaimed album in the company of Wilco’s 1996 Being There, Keith’s brilliance is inherently Jeff Tweedy-esque: just as dark and lively and in command of richly melodic guitar and piano work that in some song instances reaches passionate, explosive feedback-filled song moments. Their last show in Anaheim was just the night before at the Chain Reaction club. There they played a sold out show, headlining while The OC TV show theme song band, Phantom Planet and Agent Sparks opened…
The Bakersfield evening was to be a night of Screamo, not that the members of World Leader Pretend knew. This was a night where hard rock meant industrial working class sounds would fill a Latino plaza with neck-popping screams and ear-wrenching notes. Those are the kinds of sounds that if most mortals attempted to hit, would be voiceless for weeks following.
A crowd amasses at Montgomery World Plaza
What woke Keith Ferguson I’ll never know. Maybe it was the lull of the van engine coming to a quick end, or the wakefulness that hunger can cause; it creeps into the mind as slumber rumbles to a dreamy awakening. These are the uncertainties of not knowing details. What I do know is that Keith didn’t know much about Bakersfield, even before he awoke. He didn’t know about Buck Owens and country music of the 1960s heyday, even though one of his major influences is the Beatles, a band that once did a Buck cover song. Oh that Buck of Grapes of Wrath yesteryear, coming into the valley with a mattress on top of an old beat car, and don’t forget a rural working class youth in his veins. Keith would soon find out this was ruralville, the agriculture center of California’s Great Central Valley, the fertile crescent of North America; where here in the valley’s hydraulic society water is moved in as daunting a man-made wonder of technical marvel as those mysterious pyramid blocks that once littered and moved on the Nile Valley floor; and all for the sake of growing food. And he would find out more: that this was a night of working class angst; working class industrial sounds; an anger and love for music all in the same breathe, and not necessarily a music that World Leader Pretend could appeal to.
There were some disappointments on the evening. Even though a huge crowd had gathered, much of the local Indie folk didn’t show. The biggest disappointment of all wasn’t that Bakersfield Indie folk didn’t show; or that they weren’t supporting Montgomery World Plaza this night, nor that they turn themselves off to Screamo at all. No, there is always a chance for cross-pollination redemption. Melodrose, Myndsick and Relapse Trigger will all play again. It was that the Indie folk missed World Leader Pretend take the stage: an Indie band quartet from New Orleans who is one of the most refreshing bands I have heard visit Bakersfield… And, it was a music that had all the Screamo fans dead in their tracks, as mesmerized as I was as the melodic sounds of World Leader Pretend stared us in the face.
I asked Keith after the show who his influences were; this was after I heard guitarist Matt Martin mention Keith’s brilliance. Here was a musician as talented as a Jeff Tweedy in our midst. His command of the piano, his haunting soul-filled guitar work and vocals; a true orchestration of music, his songmaking, and of the talented musicians backing his musical genius. Keith listed influences as Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Smiths, REM, Neil Diamond and Sam Cooke.
Wilco’s recently acclaimed A Ghost is Born, having won a 2005 grammy with its songs like Hummingbird, and especially Handshake Drugs, is where World Leader Pretend aims without knowing. Some of their songs build to a passionate mix of guitar melodies blended with the piercing hum and throbbing of distortion, as in World Leader Pretend’s masterpiece, Grammarian. This was a song that left the audience spellbound. Keith also mentioned that they are soon touring Europe with the Doves (see other bands have blogs too) as well as returning to New Orleans for a jazz music festival featuring Wilco. Where were the Indie folk to listen to such masterful musicianship?
Melodrose packed a punch with Shane’s screaming vocals his usual passion for his band’s music. They played a clean set, with vibrant industrial rage, and with a clarity in songwriting that I don’t hear in all post-Industrial genre bands. I can only think of maybe three local bands out of a thick handful that present their genre with such clarity. Shane is a strong frontman. As their fan base is fully developed, Melodrose has potential to reach out-of-town fans, a mix that truly matters for bands serious about a big following. The question always remains how to reach out of town fans. Connecting in various ways with merchandise, T-shirts, songwriting, and don’t forget, unique websites these days. Have you seen the macabre Melodrose site? Go check it out and leave Shane a message.
Two other bands, Relapse Trigger and Myndsick had your typical big mosh pits and raging fans, which made for a great band battle of screaming lyrics, total mayhem and total fun for all the fans and bands participating. I saw members from New Orleans’ hipsters World Leader Pretend watching intently more than once at the Bakersfield working class industrial sounds smashed eardrums from the screaming stage.
One last note: I have to say that Jake from Relapse Trigger can scream his lyrics like no other. I’d never seen him perform. I’ve known him for several years as a quiet, nice fellow, a Southern San Joaquin Valley cool cat poet who works hard for his money, and who is also well written. On stage he and fellow band mates took their metal angst-ridden music to a deep howl that these boys from The Southern Valley can certainly growl in the darkest of ways…
Final note: I hope in the future that much politics are avoided in achieving band victories. I understand making fans feel important. Giving them the power to chose a winner can potentially bring more people to shows. However, I think an all-star panel of judges would work better. Put some of the city’s leading cool cat hipster music folk in the judge’s chair ala American Idol and at least there would be less of a popularity contest. If you disagree, please send emails, and I will post your replies. I’ll edit out all your curse words though… peace!
The Bakersfield evening was to be a night of Screamo, not that the members of World Leader Pretend knew. This was a night where hard rock meant industrial working class sounds would fill a Latino plaza with neck-popping screams and ear-wrenching notes. Those are the kinds of sounds that if most mortals attempted to hit, would be voiceless for weeks following.
A crowd amasses at Montgomery World Plaza
What woke Keith Ferguson I’ll never know. Maybe it was the lull of the van engine coming to a quick end, or the wakefulness that hunger can cause; it creeps into the mind as slumber rumbles to a dreamy awakening. These are the uncertainties of not knowing details. What I do know is that Keith didn’t know much about Bakersfield, even before he awoke. He didn’t know about Buck Owens and country music of the 1960s heyday, even though one of his major influences is the Beatles, a band that once did a Buck cover song. Oh that Buck of Grapes of Wrath yesteryear, coming into the valley with a mattress on top of an old beat car, and don’t forget a rural working class youth in his veins. Keith would soon find out this was ruralville, the agriculture center of California’s Great Central Valley, the fertile crescent of North America; where here in the valley’s hydraulic society water is moved in as daunting a man-made wonder of technical marvel as those mysterious pyramid blocks that once littered and moved on the Nile Valley floor; and all for the sake of growing food. And he would find out more: that this was a night of working class angst; working class industrial sounds; an anger and love for music all in the same breathe, and not necessarily a music that World Leader Pretend could appeal to.
There were some disappointments on the evening. Even though a huge crowd had gathered, much of the local Indie folk didn’t show. The biggest disappointment of all wasn’t that Bakersfield Indie folk didn’t show; or that they weren’t supporting Montgomery World Plaza this night, nor that they turn themselves off to Screamo at all. No, there is always a chance for cross-pollination redemption. Melodrose, Myndsick and Relapse Trigger will all play again. It was that the Indie folk missed World Leader Pretend take the stage: an Indie band quartet from New Orleans who is one of the most refreshing bands I have heard visit Bakersfield… And, it was a music that had all the Screamo fans dead in their tracks, as mesmerized as I was as the melodic sounds of World Leader Pretend stared us in the face.
I asked Keith after the show who his influences were; this was after I heard guitarist Matt Martin mention Keith’s brilliance. Here was a musician as talented as a Jeff Tweedy in our midst. His command of the piano, his haunting soul-filled guitar work and vocals; a true orchestration of music, his songmaking, and of the talented musicians backing his musical genius. Keith listed influences as Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Smiths, REM, Neil Diamond and Sam Cooke.
Wilco’s recently acclaimed A Ghost is Born, having won a 2005 grammy with its songs like Hummingbird, and especially Handshake Drugs, is where World Leader Pretend aims without knowing. Some of their songs build to a passionate mix of guitar melodies blended with the piercing hum and throbbing of distortion, as in World Leader Pretend’s masterpiece, Grammarian. This was a song that left the audience spellbound. Keith also mentioned that they are soon touring Europe with the Doves (see other bands have blogs too) as well as returning to New Orleans for a jazz music festival featuring Wilco. Where were the Indie folk to listen to such masterful musicianship?
Melodrose packed a punch with Shane’s screaming vocals his usual passion for his band’s music. They played a clean set, with vibrant industrial rage, and with a clarity in songwriting that I don’t hear in all post-Industrial genre bands. I can only think of maybe three local bands out of a thick handful that present their genre with such clarity. Shane is a strong frontman. As their fan base is fully developed, Melodrose has potential to reach out-of-town fans, a mix that truly matters for bands serious about a big following. The question always remains how to reach out of town fans. Connecting in various ways with merchandise, T-shirts, songwriting, and don’t forget, unique websites these days. Have you seen the macabre Melodrose site? Go check it out and leave Shane a message.
Two other bands, Relapse Trigger and Myndsick had your typical big mosh pits and raging fans, which made for a great band battle of screaming lyrics, total mayhem and total fun for all the fans and bands participating. I saw members from New Orleans’ hipsters World Leader Pretend watching intently more than once at the Bakersfield working class industrial sounds smashed eardrums from the screaming stage.
One last note: I have to say that Jake from Relapse Trigger can scream his lyrics like no other. I’d never seen him perform. I’ve known him for several years as a quiet, nice fellow, a Southern San Joaquin Valley cool cat poet who works hard for his money, and who is also well written. On stage he and fellow band mates took their metal angst-ridden music to a deep howl that these boys from The Southern Valley can certainly growl in the darkest of ways…
Final note: I hope in the future that much politics are avoided in achieving band victories. I understand making fans feel important. Giving them the power to chose a winner can potentially bring more people to shows. However, I think an all-star panel of judges would work better. Put some of the city’s leading cool cat hipster music folk in the judge’s chair ala American Idol and at least there would be less of a popularity contest. If you disagree, please send emails, and I will post your replies. I’ll edit out all your curse words though… peace!
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Saturday, April 02, 2005.
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