Worship The 'Witch as they open for the Ghost at the Webster

photo by Magdalena Wolinski 

In today's social media saturated world, many bands think that just sitting on their asses and collecting "likes" on Facebook equals popularity, instead of going out there and winning fans the old fashioned way by touring. Luckily, there are some bands that still go out there and lay it all on the line to win over people night by night, venue by venue. Ohio-heshers Skeletonwitch are one such band.

They go out and win fans the tried and true way, by touring their asses off. They always seem to be on the road, and they'll play anywhere with anyone, whether it be on a big stage at Ozzfest, or at less glamorous places like our beloved Cherry Street Station in Wallingford. Their modus operandi might seem like a grind to some people, but for the band, they thrive in these situations. "We always say that the worst day on the road is better than a good day at work," said guitarist Scott Hedrick. "We are out there doing what we love to do, so if you look at it that way, it isn't so bad."

Still, it must take a little toll on the band, which also features lead singer Chance Garnette, his brother guitarist Nate Garnette, bassist Evan Linger and drummer Dustin Boltjes, to deliver such a high energy set each night. Once again, Hedrick, says they have found ways to deal with the stresses and weariness that can happen when on the road. Hedrick said that they do little things to keep themselves fresh. They might not party as much on some nights, and they watch the type of food that they eat, also. For them, it's knowing how to find a balance between the fun and the rational that keeps them going.

Speaking of fresh, the band recently just finished recording their new album, named "Serpents Unleashed", with Converge guitarist, and go-to-heavy-metal producer, Kurt Ballou at his Godcity studio in Salem, Massachusetts. This is the band's first time working with Ballou, even though they have tried to record with him in the past, but schedules couldn't be worked out, and they are very happy with the results. In fact, they were psyched to finally record with him, citing his work with such bands as Torche, High On Fire and Disfear, as one of the major reasons to get him to produce one of their records. "We wanted someone to capture our live energy. See I get it when people say we are known as a great live band and that's a double edged sword when it comes to recording. The cool thing about Kurt was that he was able to bottle lightning," said Hedrick.

Hedrick also said to expect a lot more of those old school guitar harmonies and melodies that are reminiscent of their "Beyond The Permafrost" record. You see he had more of a role in writing this one. Usually, Nate writes a majority of the songs, and Hedrick explains that Nate likes to sprinkle a little sugar with the heavy riffs, while he likes to dump a whole bucket of it on top of the music. "It's like he's the chef, and I'm the sous-chef," said Hedrick.

The new record is slated to be released by Prosthetic in October, but before that, the band has a short run of dates as the handpicked direct support for Ghost B.C., as that mysterious group of occultists does a string of dates on its way to playing Lollapalooza. Hedrick said they were pleasantly surprised by this development. "We were asked to do it by the band. We were on the road in Canada and I received a call asking us if we wanted to open for them. I spent a lot of money calling the United States to confirm this. I needed to know if our label had anything to do with this, but in fact, they were the last to know," said Hedrick. "So, of course, we said yes". So, if you're heading to the Webster next Saturday, be sure to get there early in order to catch them doing what they do best, which is tearing up the stage, and having a ball while they do it.

You see, they live for these moments. They are very happy with what they do. "We like to tour. We see how this band which was started by five assholes in Ohio and how it has grown through our hard work into something cool. It's quite a trip," said Hedrick.  

Ghost B.C.SkeletonwitchSaturday, July 27 2013The Webster Theater31 Webster StreetHartford, CT 061147:00 pm - All Ages - $20

Vektor get ready to blast Cherry Street into outer space

photo: Emily Ibarra

There have been many thrash bands coming out of the woodwork in the past few years. It seems as if we've been invaded by a bunch of groups that try to mimic the sound and look of an earlier, supposedly more golden, age. Unfortunately, a lot of these bands may get some of the sound right and maybe some even dress the part, but very few are adding anything new to this most classic of heavy sounds. It's a rare band that pushes the genre forward and should be celebrated.

Vektor is one such band.

A Well Practiced Sneeze: Melt Banana playing The Space 10/28

Since their formation in 1992, Japan’s Melt Banana have been blowing the minds of audiences worldwide with their hyper speed take on noise rock, which incorporates elements of punk, metal, J-pop, electronica and even hip-hop. It’s a bug eyed crazy sound, one that is full of energy and sends their fans into fits of joy whenever they play out.

Though not for everybody, the people who love them, love them intensely and it has lead the band to collaborate with such artists as Merzbow, John Zorn, Discordance Axis and Mike Patton. They have even opened for prog metal heavyweights Tool in the United States.

It’s been a long strange trip for the band, one that has seen them grow a sizable fan base among connoisseurs of way out aggressive music in both the United States and Europe. In fact, they end up touring these parts of the world more than their native Japan. One big reason could be the reaction they get from the audiences here and in Europe.

“When we started, we met K.K.Null from Zeni Geva. He gave us a chance to record our first album with Steve Albini in Chicago as well as play shows in Chicago and San Francisco. Our first show in the United States was in Chicago and we liked it a lot. It was totally different from shows we had done in Japan during that period. The audience was loud and told us what they thought about our music and our show. These days the Japanese audience is changing and I think they are getting similar to people in the United States. But it is still fun to play in different countries. So the reason to tour the United States, the UK, or Europe a lot is that we like it and fortunately we have very good people to help us to play shows in those countries,” said guitarist Ichirou Agata, who along with vocalist Yasuko Onuki and bassist Rika Hamamoto form the nucleus of the band. “As far as the fan base goes, we are not sure. The number of people who show up to our concerts, in the US or UK are bigger than the ones who show up in Japan. But we play more than 15 shows in Tokyo every year, so if we only play once every 2 years in Tokyo, then there might be more people showing up to our Tokyo shows,” he added.



As mentioned before, their music is a mish-mash of styles, one that is played with lightning speed and manic energy. Though earlier records have more of a lo-fi sound (recorded with Steve Albini) the newer ones have a clearer, cleaner production. But this doesn’t mean that the music is any less vicious. You can definitely say that the band doesn’t sound like anyone else out there and they wouldn’t want to have it any other way. In fact, that was their intention all along.

“When we started the band, actually we were not really good at playing instruments or singing. We were beginners. But we knew very well about the sound we liked. For example we liked feedback a lot more than just playing the "E" note or "G" note. We liked strange drums rather than normal rock or hip hop drums. So we were very bad at playing normal music, but we practiced a lot, playing our own thing. We wanted to control an obscure, noise sound. So we practiced again and again to play that same obscure, noise sound. It's like when you practice to sneeze again and again to make exactly the same sound every time you sneeze. While playing these sounds, we met many good bands at our shows and on tour and got influenced by them on how to use the "E" note or "G" note, or normal rock or hip hop drums. It's like when you practice saying words the same way every time you speak,” said Agata.

But for them, it’s just not about recording the music. It’s about getting out there and throwing down for their fans. People tend to go batshit crazy during their sets, and they would not have it any other way. But instead of being violent and destructive it’s a way for the band and audience to connect with each other. They form an unbreakable bond with their audience.

“The best thing about playing live is that I can share Melt Banana music with the audience. We are enjoying the music together. We can express and convey our music not only to people’s ears but also their eyes and all of their senses. Also it is nice to see people's faces from the stage. If they look like they are having fun during the show, I become happy too,” said Onuki.

With each tour, usually means they bring out a new drummer. For this current United States trek they have turned to old friend who will be returning to the throne after a little hiatus from the music business.

“Our live drummer for this tour is Takiya Terada. Actually he was with us when we toured with the Fantomas in 2004 and when we went to Europe with us in 2005. After that, he stopped playing music for private reasons, so I won’t talk those here. But, he started playing drums again, so we asked him if he can play with us again. He is a very good person and practices so hard. And since we had already played with him many times and knew about his skills, it was natural decision to ask him to can play music with us again,” said Agata.

Playing music has to be a release for them, because Japan has been a country plagued by a whole bunch of disasters over the past year. The country is hurting and according to Onuki it’s been rough on the people who live there.

“We are still in bad condition; disaster areas are still on the long way to recover, and also nuclear plant problems have been not solved yet and we are even having a hard time living in Tokyo. It is hard to see the truth too, unfortunately. But we need to go forward and solve all problems clearly. I really hope this happens,” said Onuki.

But if there is one thing that lifted the spirits of the Japanese, it was their women’s soccer team winning the World Cup this past summer. The band was in Finland to play a festival, but once they found out, they were quite proud of their fellow countrywomen.

“When I knew about their victory, I thought it was great. It seems like people in Japan got excited and they talked about the team members a lot in the media. But I did not know that there was a professional football league in Japan, so it was big news to me. But I think it is good that their winning brought a good mood to Japan,” said Agata.

After they finish their current North American tour the band is going to head into the studio to record another album for release on the band’s own A-Zap label in the spring or summer, as well doing a whole bunch singles too. They also plan to some things with Melt Banana lite, too.

“There are many things that we want to do!” said Onuki.

So, it looks like the band will be keeping busy, spreading manic, crazy, happy music to all that will be willing to hear it. This is an excellent time to catch the band at the Space. Last time the show sold out and I heard they had to remove all the furniture to make way for the crowd and their “dancing”. Once again, this is another can’t miss show. See you there.

Manic Productions Presents:

Melt Banana
Tera Melos
Fugue (Last Show)

Friday, October 28
The Space
295 Treadwell Street
Hamden, CT

$14 ($12 advance) – All Ages and 21+ to drink at the Outer Space – 7pm

BUY TICKETS NOW or pick them up at Redscroll.