Subversion and influence of the masses via popular music is hardly a new thing, whether by design or just uninformed opinions of those who “don’t get it.” This issue has long dogged the heavy metal genre, in particular. Dating back to the beginnings of heavy metal, British metal forefathers Black Sabbath were accused of spreading the gospel of evil and being “Satanic” for their doomy melodies, lurching song structures and dark, ominous stories about Lucifer’s love, spell-weaving wizards and the wicked nature of humankind. Some 40 years later and in light of more overt expressions lyrically, musically and visually of all things blasphemous, heavy metal has lost some of its initial intrigue and mystery over the years as public tolerance for all things dark, twisted and owing to the Devil doesn’t ruffle the feathers of the status quo these days like it used to.

Along comes the then-unknown Swedish heavy metal sextet Ghost. On the strength of a demo and a single released in 2010, the band created a stir in the metal underground both for its retro heavy metal sounds recalling artists such as Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Blue Oyster Cult and Witchfinder General. While referencing these classic metal acts, Ghost drew even more intrigue for its unlikely pop-influenced melodies and sing-along choruses about morbid subjects as human sacrifices, evil witches, allegiance to Satan and the birth of the antichrist. This intrigue was solidified upon with the band’s first official full-length release, Opus Eponymous, in 2011. Press release materials for Opus Eponymous added an extra layer of curiosity to their burgeoning reputation, stating that, “Ghost is the name of an anonymous devil worshipping ministry, that in order to spread its unholy gospels and trick mankind into believing the end is ultimately a good thing, have decided to use the ever so popular rock music medium as a way to achieve their ends.” The band refuses to identify its members by names, choosing to only by known as “Nameless Ghouls” and hiding their faces underneath black hooded robes, masks, costumes and makeup. Even when giving face-to-face interviews, band members appear in their creepy, ritualistic regalia and have their voices distorted a la those secretive interviewees one might see on “20/20” or “Dateline NBC.”

With its macabre visual mystique and arresting musical mixture of heavy metal and ‘60s psychedelic pop, Opus Eponymous garnered Ghost accolades from both the metal community as well as music critics, earning the group the 2011 Grammy Award for “Best Hard Rock Album” in their native country – quite an unusual feat of mainstream recognition. Meanwhile, tours all over Europe and North America commenced to rave reviews praising the band’s musical chops and theatrical imagery. Then, in 2012, Ghost found themselves perhaps inexplicably signing to the Loma Vista imprint of Universal Records and receiving a jaw-dropping $750,000 advance for the making of the band’s first full-length for the major label. These reports seemed suspicious given Ghost’s self-imposed rule of anonymity, as well as its lyrical dedication to praising the Devil and all its related intent. Let’s face it, what corporate radio station would ever allow singles with “Hail Satan” chants anywhere near its Top 40 playlist?

The signing of Ghost – now known as Ghost B.C. in North America, due to legal issues – to Universal Records turned out not to be a hoax, and in April 2013 the band’s second full-length offering Infestissumam was unleashed. Despite an obvious lack of commercial potential, within one week of release the album debuted at #28 on Billboard. Why? First of all, the band’s imagery of faceless, hooded would-be monks and a frontman resembling a skull-faced Satanic pope has proved to be a visual aphrodisiac, drawing curiosity from even the most oblivious music rag reader and Youtube purveyor.

Then there’s the music itself – Infestissumam, while being slicker in production, is still musically a logical successor to Opus Eponymous. This time around, though, Ghost emphasizes its penchant for pop melody over the chugging, doom metal riffs that dominated its debut album while taking some ambitious musical chances to keep the proceedings fresh and adventurous.

Infestissumam’s debut single “Secular Haze” begins with a carnivalesque, waltz-time organ melody that is joined in by shifting metallic guitar chords that eventually swells into a glorious, soaring chorus led by Papa Emeritus II’s harmonious, cleanly sung lead vocals. Another song of note is the album’s follow up single “Year Zero,” which features the juxtaposition of Satanic chanting and a bouncy disco drumbeat underscoring lyrics of mankind’s failures and ultimate demise with the rise of Satan, aided by choirs and a sonic overload of bells and manic guitar work that builds to an intense climax before fluttering airily into a subdued keyboard solo. It is this type of subversion and juxtaposition that Ghost B.C. specializes in – using their metal roots along with their photogenic band imagery married to ear-infectious pop melodies, Ghost has managed to indoctrinate both underground metal fans as well as the unrelated, unsuspecting members of the music listening public into their fold that otherwise would not identify with the band’s obsessions with Satan and evil in general. This skill that Ghost has in spades might just explain their unlikely popularity.

Ghost B.C. is scheduled to play at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus on Sunday, May 19. Single day tickets are $69.50. For more information, visit rockontherange.com or infestissumam.com.

Being in a band is tough. Trying to write, record and express your emotions musically – it takes a different breed of animal to do it right. Being in a band is tough, but being in a band from Vietnam might be a little tougher. I’m no expert, but luckily I got the chance to talk with someone who is. Brett Newski, who fronts the indie pop-rock trio Brett Newski & the Corruption, is just the man to talk to on the subject. The group is touring the United States in support of their new album Tiny Victories, a fitting title for a band like them. Newski and the rest of the group were nice enough to answer some questions before their stop through Dayton at Blind Bob’s Thursday, May 16, and they managed to drop quite a bit of knowledge from their worldly travels.

Explain the origins surrounding the band. What’s it like being in a band from Vietnam? Has this made it more difficult to break into America and beyond? 

As a band from Vietnam, I never thought we’d be touring the USA. Matt Green, our drummer, was always optimistic that good things would happen as long as we stuck to our guns. Vietnam is so shielded off from the rest of the world as far as music, arts, western sports, etc. Saigon is decades behind the West, but in a good way. It’s an epic feeling, being able to step back in time like that. People drink way less gravy in Asia than they do in America. Living in Vietnam has made the band more difficult from a logistical sense, but easier in other ways. It’s fun to tell these weird tales from life in ‘Nam. People think we are full of shit, but it’s true. – Brett Newski

The band makes no secret of hailing from Saigon. How did you end up meeting each other?

We all lived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at the time. We were working there and somehow found each other in a city of 12 million people. Don’t know how – maybe it was some sort of musical destiny telekinesis. – BN

What’s the music industry like out there?

The industry in ‘Nam is still a bit of a blank canvas. Not too many original bands, but heaps of cover bands. If you can sing “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” even half-close, you’ve got a job in a bar somewhere. – BN

Who are some of the bands and artists that have influenced you the most and had the biggest impact on the music you make today?

I dig any band with a unique singer. They don’t even have to be a good singer by conventional standards, just as long as they sound like themselves. Violent Femmes and Bob Dylan are solid examples. “American Idol” seems to be the most popular TV program in Vietnam right now, if not the world. Nothing against the show, but it really discourages creativity and blocks unique voices. You don’t have to hit every note or sound like Adele to be great, but maybe I just say that because I can’t really sing. – BN

What have your past experiences been like touring other parts of the world compared to playing shows back home? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen or learned in your travels?

America is arguably the greatest place in the world to play music. So much love for the arts, so many cities, so many fast food restaurants to “help” you on your way to those cities. I’ve been fortunate enough to play in South Africa and Australia, too. South Africa was incredibly supportive – I’d love to go back some time. Australia wasn’t too shabby, but it costs $12 for a McDonald’s #7 combo meal, so that detracts from its appeal to musicians. – BN

Your album Tiny Victories was released last December. What was it like recording the album?

Everything about it was amazing except driving to the studio with heaps of gear on a little Chinese motorbike. No one drives cars. There is no space. The roads are slim and cluttered worse than my great grandmother’s attic. – BN

How much planning was involved in the band’s current tour for the album?

This tour has taken nearly six months to plan. We’re hitting some new territory and it’s always a bitch to expand to cities where you don’t know anyone. But, if worse comes to worst, I’ll sleep in the gutter. We’re trying to get sponsored by Super 8 – I would sell out for Super 8. I would cover “How You Remind Me” for a free night’s stay, but only if the room had a hot tub. – BN

So what’s next for the band after you’re done sleeping in gutters and Super 8’s? 

If we make any money, we’ll smoke a fat cigar. We must reconvene in Saigon and record another record at some point. I’d like to hit the east coast with Tiny Victories. I’ve never been more pumped about anything than I am for this tour. –BN

Brett Newski & the Corruption will be performing on Thursday, May 16th at Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St. Also on the bill are Me & Mountains and Grenades!? Admission is $5, doors open at 9 p.m. For more information visit corruptionmusic.com. 

As the saying goes, there’s only one constant in life: change. One person who can probably relate to this concept more than ever is Shadwick Wilde. A few years ago, Wilde was playing guitar in the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Iron Cross while also spending time in the street punk band Brassknuckle Boys. Tired of the confines of punk but not necessarily with its spirit, Wilde began writing songs that shifted more towards the sounds of Americana and alt-country, and with that Quiet Hollers was born. The band has grown from a small, solo project to a full-fledged band, and with the release of their debut album I Am the Morning, it looks like the band is here to stay. Currently on tour to promote the release, Quiet Hollers will be making a stop through Dayton on Saturday, May 4 at ReCreate Music, 438 E. Fifth St., and I was lucky enough to catch up with Wilde beforehand to talk about the band and their new album.

First off, when and where was the band formed?

We started playing together in Louisville, Ky. in mid-2010, around the time I put out my first solo album. I had been playing a lot of solo acoustic shows, but I wanted to put to together an actual band for the album release. Everyone seemed to get along really well and we all wanted to do something different from other projects we’ve done in the past. – Shadwick Wilde

How would you describe the band’s sound?

People call us an alt-country band, and that’s fine. There’s a massive wave of Americana/alt-country bands enjoying some serious commercial success right now, and although a lot of those bands are really great, I feel like it oversimplifies us to call it alt-country when we’re not really a part of that, per se. I like to think of us as Kentucky-fried, indie folk-rock, but even that feels a little misleading. – SW

What are some of the band’s influences? Does every member have their own unique likes/dislikes?

I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. He’s been a major influence on me ever since I was a kid. Everyone in the band is new to the kind of music we’re playing now, so our influences tend to vary pretty wildly. Adam Buntain (guitar) sites only one influence – Norman Blake, deity of bluegrass guitar and session player. Our violinist, Aaron West, is classically trained, but is very into experimental/noise stuff a la John Cage. We’re definitely a mixed bag. – SW

What was it like recording the band’s debut album, I Am the Morning? 

We recorded the album at an amazing studio in Louisville, Ky. called the Funeral Home. It has since moved, but at the time it was a studio built upstairs from a working funeral home in a 200-year-old mansion in the city’s Portland neighborhood. We had studio time booked, but our drummer, Nick Goldring, had an accident on the way home from Bonnaroo, which was also the week before we were set to record. He dove off of a waterfall and fractured his C3 vertebra on impact. To give you some frame of reference, know that statistically he had a 75 percent chance of being paralyzed instantly from that injury. Instead, he defied his doctor’s orders and recorded all the drums and accordion tracks for the record while wearing a heavy duty neck brace. So, recording the album was a pretty intense and emotional experience. I hope it turned out to be something worthwhile. – SW

Is there a running theme throughout the album, or perhaps in a couple songs?

The album deals mostly with either character-driven narratives or intense personal introspection. Most of the songs are what people might call “ballads,” though they aren’t in the traditional sense. Most of the songs I write are melancholy at best, and severely disturbing at other times, but that’s what I write and it seems to work for us. – SW

How has the current spring tour been treating you? Have you been through Dayton before?

The tour has been great so far, and we’ve been extremely lucky to have amazing people helping us out in every city. Dayton is one of our favorite places to play simply because of the people here. It’s really a treasure in that respect. We’ve been through Dayton a half-dozen times since we started touring. We have so many amazing friends here, and of course the label that helped release our album, F.M. Recordings, is based here. So, we owe a lot to this place. Every time we play Dayton, my faith in independent music is restored. Everybody is so open-minded and welcoming – it’s really rare to find that among such a talented scene. – SW

What’s next for Quiet Hollers after the tour wraps up? 

We’ve been writing a bunch of new material, so I know we’ll be recording again soon. We have a couple more short tours planned for the summer and fall. Definitely no rest in sight! – SW

Quiet Hollers will be performing on Saturday, May 4 at ReCreate Music, 438 E. Fifth St. Also on the bill is Frank Grimes. Show starts at 8 p.m. with open donations at the door. For more information, visit quiethollers.com. 

Reach DCP freelance writer Zach Rogers at ZachRogers@daytoncitypaper.com

If you were to think about it, quite literally, Starving in the Belly of the Whale implies being eaten whole. It implies that you are trapped inside a cage of bone and blubber. There you are dying of need while another creature will slowly absorb your body into its own. You’re hungry while he eats. This fits well to the word “irony” as people use it nowadays.

Starving in the Belly of the Whale is the musical creation of Ricky Terrell. A local by way of Germantown, Terrell has been making music since 2008. The Foolish Fellow will be his fourth full-length studio album. This will be released publicly on Saturday, April 20 as part of National Record Store Day. On April 27, there will be a CD release show at Blind Bob’s to celebrate the album. There will be five openers all doing 20 to 30 minute sets. This will be an all-acoustic show, so the transition between musicians will run much faster than is typically seen with full band performances. Starving in the Belly of the Whale heads the show, of course, and will be performing a full set.

The Foolish Fellow is set to showcase Starving in the Belly of the Whale in its prime. This has always been Terrell’s band and his level of hands-on creative control has only increased with this album.

“I’ve always sort of been the front guy. I’ve always had musicians, like a different band for each album,” Terrell said. “It started out rocky, but it’s gotten more and more acoustic. This is the first album where I’m the whole instrumental demand so I’m kind of proud of it from that aspect. I had some other people helping me but it was never a band together. It was all done singer/songwriter style where we used only the instruments in the studio.”

With a fourth album that fully embraces this new genre, stepping into the singer/songwriter world which welcomes it, you may question the title, The Foolish Fellow. 

“I was actually reading the J.M. Barrie novel ‘Peter Pan,’ said Terrell. “It was in one of the last chapters when Peter flies back after Wendy, John and Michael are all grown up. He wants to take them back to Neverland and Wendy tries explaining to him how they’re all grown up, like she has grandkids and stuff, but Peter can’t understand why she won’t go back with him and she refers to him as a foolish fellow. That’s where I got the name of the album. It kind of fit the theme of the whole album. Endings of things – like in your life there can be these big things but then they’re finally over, it’s sort of altering and you don’t entirely understand why. It was totally unrelated, I’d already written the song, but when I was reading the book and I discovered that passage I realized, ‘Oh this sort of fits what all the songs on the album are about.’ Not really about relationships ending, but in general your life moving into adulthood – how it’s difficult for some people.”

Inspiration can come from less direct sources. It can be general as a theme, or as specific as an emotional reaction to a sound. One could easily wonder what sorts of things inspire someone who could produce several albums in such a relatively short amount of time.

“I know it sounds sort of cliché but life [inspires me],” said Terrell. “Whenever I want to write, I just sit down and I think about things that happen in my life. Like, what are some things that have happened and I’ll write songs about that,” Terrell paused, perhaps thinking about the faces buried within the sounds of his music. “Family members, I guess people in my life inspire me,” he said. “I’m always [mentally] writing songs. Whenever I see something that catches my interest, I make a note of it. And when I go to write that song I try to get back into that mindset.”

Starving in the Belly of the Whale will be going on a tour this summer to promote the new album. Information on that will become available as the tour is planned. It will appear on the same website where you can also find all of Starving in the Belly of the Whale’s music, available for free, at starvinginthebellyofthewhale.com.

For a musical enterprise with such an ironic name, no sense of the meaning is left behind. From starting as a full band with a rock influence and progressing into the more elemental world of acoustic singer/songwriters, to the name of this new album that encompasses the idea of ends, growing up and progressing with no solid understanding of why. Starving in the Belly of the Whale is a one-man machine that keeps producing albums, about one per year. Terrell himself is an organic songwriter who keeps evolving his band along the way, and so far he shows no signs of slowing down.

Starving in the Belly of the Whale will play an album release show for Foolish Fellow on Saturday, April 27 at Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St. Also on the bill are Jeremy Rosen, The Repeating Arms, Brett Hill, The New Old-Fashioned and Denny Cottle. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for 21 and up. Attendees will receive a free copy of The Foolish Fellow. For more information, visit starvinginthebellyofthewhale.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Kate E Lore at KateLore@DaytonCityPaper.com

Reach DCP freelance writer W.C. Ruffnel at WCRuffnel@DaytonCityPaper.com.

In a world of music that seems to fit everything into cookie-cutter genres, Sound Rabbit isn’t afraid to think outside the box. Not only do they step outside that rock box, Sound Rabbit proceeds to dabble around with jazz, folk and pop, as well as a wide variety of other musical classifications. Synth meets steady guitar reminiscent of early Weezer on tracks like “Diminished Returns.” The very next track on Tree Trunk Airplanes, “Years Ago,” features a smooth strumming akin to Elliot Smith, while the track after that bubbles a bit like pop. All of this leads to a well-varied album that won’t wear out even after a dozen listens. Amongst my group of friends, we have a term for bands that lack variety: same-y. And Sound Rabbit is anything but same-y.

Sound Rabbit will be playing at Peach’s Bar and Grill in Yellow Springs Saturday, April 13. Although they have played here before, it has been several years since their tour hit so close to Dayton.

Sound Rabbit hails from Boulder, Colo. They formed when solo artist Russ LePrie sought to start a full band that could perform live and eventually record. Joining LePrie to create Sound Rabbit was Chris Anton on lead guitar, Chris Beers on percussion and Jason Kapp on bass guitar. The album This Room Becomes A Crowd was released in 2007. The follow up, Tree Trunk Airplanes, came out in 2009, while their third studio album, Don’t Forget to Remember, is set to be released later this year.

As the band set to work on Don’t Forget to Remember, Sound Rabbit decided to do something a little different so they could really focus on the project. All four members of the band travelled to Virginia where they stayed in a cabin to do nothing but make music for 10 days straight.

“We made 14 or 15 songs,” said LePrie. “Being separated from everything, we were able to really focus on group writing.”

As a band without bounds, Sound Rabbit seems to draw from a wide variety of influences, inspiration and experiences. “We just absorb everything we listen to,” said LePrie. “From pop radio to Brian Wilson, even John Mayer. We’ll listen to stuff like jazz or death metal on the bus. Our influences are all over. Because of that, we never really landed in a certain style.”

This openness to anything has gone past just the art itself; it’s reached into business and charity where Sound Rabbit is progressively breaking new ground with their “Backstage Community” program. This is a membership-based program that gives you inside information on tours, access to all their music, and opportunities to glimpse behind the scenes.

“Really, the influence was PBS television, how people become a member then contribute money to help fund their production of original content. It’s like you’re a non-billing shareholder,” LePrie said. “We were like, ‘What if musicians did that?’ We know there are fan clubs and things like that, but you’ll pay $20-50 and that still won’t get you the next album. We were thinking, ‘What if we did the whole enchilada?’ It’s a membership model. The fans pay $20 and get everything we produce that year and that includes if we go on tour we can get people on the guest list and things like that. There is no limit; if we make three albums that year you’ll get three albums.”

“Then we realized from that we have residual income where we could take revenue from what is traditionally the bread and butter of musicians like merchandise sales, ticket sales and CD sales, and we could donate money to charity,” LePrie said. “It became the prefect trifecta. The band is sustained by the fans and we also create this community. And society benefits where we are able to donate and do it quickly. When the earthquake in Haiti happened, we were able to donate to Red Cross the next day.”

Although Sound Rabbit is a fearless band that seems willing to step out in any musical direction, there are still some places they are strictly deliberate especially when it comes to where the money goes.

“You’ll notice we avoid any political giving. All of our donations are to universal charities,” LePrie said.

The future is looking bright and exciting for Sound Rabbit. Their Backstage Community program is doing well and expanding quickly. “At some point we’d like to include it with other bands where you sign up for X-band’s backstage stuff and you get this other bands stuff too,” said LePrie. “I think we’ll probably add one or two bands within the next two years.”

Justin LePrie heads Sound Rabbit with exciting new ideas and an openness to all musical possibilities. As a team, Sound Rabbit offers up a delightful mixture of music. They will capture your attention with every song, but each one in a completely different way. All of this bodes well for the upcoming album Don’t Forget to Remember.

Sound Rabbit will perform on Saturday, April 13 at Peach’s Bar and Grill, 104 Xenia Ave. in Yellow Springs. Admission is free for 18 and up. Doors at 9 p.m. For more information, visit soundrabbit.com.

Being a local, independent, grassroots underground musical act can be a pricy endeavor. While most homegrown artists clawing their way to national recognition aren’t being patted on the head by a sugar mama with a fat wallet in order for them to issue their music, many local musicians are still more than willing to invest their own hard earned dollars into releasing their art into some tangible form that can be enjoyed by friends and the public at large. Like-minded Dayton-based musician Stephen Barton has joined the ranks of many a Gem City musician before him by founding his own label, Red Moth Records.

“(I) started (it) in 2011,” Barton explained via email. “I was in a radio rock type band, working very hard with little turnaround, and like most radio rock bands (I was) looking for a label and financial support. Once it ended I decided it was time to do things myself – no more third parties, or at least when I can avoid it.”

While originally intended solely as an outlet for Barton’s current post-metal ensemble Close the Hatch, Barton soon expanded the catalogue of Red Moth to include other bands from Dayton and around the Midwest.

“It worked so well with booking and endorsements and touring that I decided to branch it out and sign more acts that I love and respect,” Barton said. “The label really came to life as a legit business in 2012 with three digital releases and a physical release (as well).”

This coming weekend McGuffy’s House of Rock will be playing host to a release party for the newest release from Red Moth Records featuring Close the Hatch and another heavy Dayton juggernaut, I Died Trying. A split release featuring the two heavy hitters came about naturally.

“Stephen approached (I Died Trying) about recording us and releasing it on his label,” said Tony Goff, guitarist and founding member of I Died Trying. “He was a big fan and supporter of what we were doing. He genuinely gets what we do, so it was a no-brainer.”

On a similar note, both Barton and Goff agree that the Close the Hatch and I Died Trying pairing was a perfect fit not just aesthetically, but thematically, too.

“(I Died Trying’s) topics and themes are as personal as possible,” said Goff. “(The lyrics) are just straight from the heart and people have latched onto that. I’ve always written about things I may not necessarily want to talk about or deal with, (but) it makes it real every time.”

“I have moved into much more honest and personal lyrical content, using the band as a purge of negatives – pain, loss and other self-related issues,” Barton adds. “I have a rather traumatic past like many folks and a lot of internal evaluations to handle.”

Close the Hatch tracked their portion of the split at a farm in New York in the summer of 2012. Close the Hatch’s portion of the split vinyl release is a two-song punch of dynamic and melodic post-metal that, at times, can remind an informed listener of bands like Isis, Pelican and Deftones. But for all the stinging harshness, these are well-crafted tunes with an underlying richness and beauty that seeps into your psyche.

Barton subsequently recorded I Died Trying’s one song contribution at his Dayton studio in the final months of the past year. I Died Trying’s track, “Somewhere Beneath the Sunshine,” is a noisy, sprawling epic chock full of zig-zagging guitar licks, heavy riffing, eerie dialogue samples and sludgetastic rhythms punctuated by both clean and shouted vocals. Clocking in at roughly 13 minutes, the song almost comes off like a metallic symphony. If you can imagine Today is the Day covering Pink Floyd, you might have an idea of what I Died Trying is capable of.

And this split vinyl release is merely a jumping-off point for both I Died Trying and Close the Hatch as both bands have even bigger plans going into the future. Close the Hatch has yet another split release with another Dayton band, Frank Grimes, coming out later this year followed by a short tour of the East Coast, as well as recording a brand new EP. I Died Trying is likewise putting together its own brand new record for release on Red Moth Records as well.

“(I Died Trying members) are writing our next release as we speak,” Goff said. “It is going to be a double disc release on Red Moth Records. We are taking (the music) even further in all the directions we are already known for and kicking down quite a few new doors as well.”

In the end, both Barton and Goff hope that other Dayton bands and music fans will support each other’s endeavors on wax and in concert.

“Red Moth Records is all about community,” stated Barton. “All musicians should have a little piece of that type of thing in their lives.  It’s not just about you and your band, it’s about all of us.”

Red Moth Records will be presenting the I Died Trying/Close the Hatch record release party on Saturday, April 6 at McGuffy’s House of Rock, 5418 Burkhardt Rd. Mephitic Husk and Cobrawolf are also on the bill.  Admission is free for patrons 18 and up.  Doors open at 7, music begins at 8 p.m.  For more information please visit mcguffys.net.

Reach DCP freelance writer Gary Spencer at GarySpencer@daytoncitypaper.com

The first song on However Strange, the debut album from the Los Angeles-based group Détective, has singer/bassist Guylaine Vivarat humming gently into the mic, putting the listener’s ears at ease next to a simple, pacing beat. The song in question, “Man Near the Surface of the Earth,” goes from simple mellowness to an engulfing grumble of guitar, all with Vivarat singing as if she doesn’t even notice that someone’s stepped on the distortion pedal.

Formed in early 2012, Détective will be making their way through Dayton on Friday, March 29 playing a show at South Park Tavern on a spring tour in conjunction with the full-length LP. As singer/guitarist James Greer put it, “This is the first release where we had a definite idea going in. We wanted the sound to be heavier. We’ve always thought of ourselves as heavier than what come across on records thus far. Certainly we’re a lot louder and more raucous live.”

The idea for Détective happened almost by accident, depending whom you ask. “It really started around September 2011, after imbibing many drinks one night at the Beauty Bar up in Chicago,” recalled Vivarat hazily. Vivarat and Greer came up with the idea because at the time, “Jim was asked to play a show in Chicago for an upcoming literary conference, but didn’t have a band. I had been writing a bunch of songs and Jim had a bunch of songs, too, so we pretended to start a band for this conference. It was fun and didn’t sound too bad and now here we are one year later.”

Greer’s explanation is slightly altered. “I have no memory of any of this, except the drinking.”

With the help of drummer Chris Dunn, whose hard-hitting chops add the right amount of weight behind each song, Détective is a trio whose dynamic balances loud, rambunctious rock with melodic indie pop, whether it’s from one song to the next or crammed inside a single two-to-four minute chunk. The band’s vocal duties flop back and forth between Greer and Vivarat, depending on who pens the lyrics. “We sing our own songs and sometimes I do harmonies on Jim’s too,” said Vivarat. “There are a couple exceptions to this rule. On the upcoming album, we actually wrote a song together and we may end up doing more of that in the future, who knows.”

That “upcoming” album is a pretty ambitious project. Entitled Hilarious Heaven, the record will be a double album worth of material that should see completion soon. “We have 12 songs so far, and we plan on finishing it up in April after the tour,” said Vivarat. “We’re excited because people don’t do double albums anymore.” The new release finds the band experimenting with different sounds than before. “We have one song that’s about ten minutes long and has a free jazz saxophone part in the middle, which I played,” said Greer.

Their stop in Dayton will be a homecoming of sorts for Greer, who played bass in the mid-‘90s for a kind-of-sort-of famous band from the area, Guided by Voices. Contributing to the albums Alien Lanes and Under the Bushes Under the Stars, Greer lived in Dayton throughout much of his time with the band. “Playing in GBV was a total blast. Living in Dayton was great, too. It’s the one place that feels like home whenever I come back.” There seems to be little animosity between Greer and his old bandmates, as Détective went on tour with the guys last fall. “They’re still the greatest rock band in the world,” said Greer.

Before his untamed days (nights?) with GBV, Greer worked as a writer/editor at Spin magazine. “When I worked at Spin it was a very loose, unprofessional environment,” said Greer. “We were just struggling to stay afloat. I ran the record review section for a while before moving to Dayton and afterwards I just wrote about whatever they threw my way. Once, I interviewed Captain Beefheart. That was a particular highlight.” Pretty soon, Greer moved on from music journalism to focus on both his career as a novelist/screenwriter and his own music, and noted how the business of music writing today affected his decision. “The main difference with that now is the money involved. The music industry barely exists anymore and the knock-off effect is that jobs where you actually get paid to write about music barely exist anymore either.”

For what it’s worth, the band probably doesn’t care too much about the state of the music industry right now. It certainly hasn’t stopped them from creating a ton of great music in a year’s time and it probably won’t stop them from creating more in the future. The industry can’t stop creative individuals from producing exceptional work – it’s just not possible. All we can do is keep forging ahead and see what happens and hopefully the results will impress. For a band like Détective, the results always do.

Détective will perform on Friday, March 29 at South Park Tavern, 1301 Wayne Ave. Also on the bill are King Elk and Kyle Sowash. Admission is $5 for all ages. Doors at 9 p.m. For more information on Détective visit detectivemusic.com. 

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Anderl at TimAnderl@daytoncitypaper.com