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Constantines with Death In Graceland and Oxford Collapse
Thursday · Mad Hatter
Canada’s Constantines present Rock & Roll as an artform, but avoid any pretense of “Art Rock.” Elegant and powerful, the Cons’ music is nuanced Post Punk laid out on a bed of fluid, captivating song structures and a tempered innovation that is desperately missing in today’s Rock music. It’s not so much that the band has tossed out the R&R rulebook; rather they’ve intensely immersed themselves in it with the restless curiosity of a bored scientist, reading between the lines and understanding what it’s really all about. The Ontario-cum-Toronto fivesome formed in 1999 and set about to ignite the Canadian Rock scene — literally. Their self-titled debut on Canadian indie Three Gut Records contained a single matchstick, perhaps to set a candlelit mood for listening, but the idea of dousing something in gasoline, striking the match on your stubbly chin and watching it burn is an equally, if not more, fitting visual accompaniment. The band might not have leveled any buildings, but the music community up north caught on quickly, when the debut was nominated for a Canadian Grammy (or Juno, as the hosers call ’em). The band’s second album, 2003’s Shine A Light, saw the band get even more musically ambitious, and a U.S./Europe release through Sub Pop helped spread the Cons’ good word well beyond Canadian borders. Fugazi’s name gets tossed around a lot in articles about Constantines, because the band shares Ian MacKaye and Co.’s slanted adventurousness, ropey, Dub-wise bass, amazing, tugging drum lines and wiry guitar exchanges. But the dynamic nuances of the band’s music (which includes clever spurts of keyboard and horn texturing) defy quick and easy comparisons. Singer Bryan Webb has one of the coolest voices in Rock today, a husky, soulful rasp that falls somewhere between Bruce Springsteen, a more tuneful Black Flag-era Hank Rollins, Joe Strummer and that guy from Spoon.
There’s an epic quality to Shine A Light, which is usually what writers say when something is really long. But in the case of Constantines (whose songs never cross over into “Stairway to Heaven” lengths, by any means), the elevated nature is more in the momentous, matter-of-life-or-death urgency that spills from every note. (Mike Breen)
Walter Trout & The Radicals
Thursday · Southgate House
You’re not likely to find a more passionate spokesman for the Blues than Walter Trout. After years of touring and recording as a sideman for greats like John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Trout finally branched out on his own, becoming a sensation in Europe in the process. That success was borne out with a recent BBC poll of the 20 greatest guitarists of all time, which found Trout winding up in sixth place, ahead of Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and Eddie Van Halen. With a half dozen releases available only overseas (and a bona fide chart hit to his credit among them), Trout eventually signed with Ruf Records and his albums finally found an American audience. Since then, Trout has toured relentlessly to spread the word and in doing so has found an amazingly receptive fan base here in Cincinnati. Last year, Trout told CityBeat that his show at the Southgate House in 2004 was the highlight of that year’s tour and, by all accounts, his show last August, which turned into a three-plus hour jam session, exceeded even Trout’s expectations and once again became a highlight of his entire touring year. This year’s show promises to follow that pattern. According to show promoter Dean Newman, owner of Mole’s Record Exchange in Clifton, this year’s Walter Trout show offers an even more compelling reason to attend. Trout and his band, the Radicals, will be conducting a raffle/fund raiser for their bass player Jimmy Trapp, whose 20-plus year stint with the band was interrupted when he suffered a massive heart attack in May. Trapp is still recovering and has been unable to work for three months, so Trout is using the raffle concept to drum up some financial support for his ailing friend. (Brian Baker)
30 Seconds to Mars with Chevelle and Taproot
Saturday · Bogart’s
Over the past few years, Jared Leto has received great notices for his film work (particularly in Fight Club, Panic Room and Requiem for a Dream), but it was his 2002 musical debut with his band 30 Seconds to Mars, formed in 1999 with his brother Shannon, that surprised most people. 30STM’s debut was well regarded by many music critics who had initially been sharpening their claws over what they assumed would be an ego-driven mess but what turned out to be a well executed Hard Rock amalgam of Pink Floyd Prog, Depeche Mode Electronica and Rush Rock with undercurrents of Pop melody and Metal volume. The album eventually sold over 100,000 units, a phenomenal achievement for a relatively unknown band. Given that success, it seems natural that Leto would draw some sonic parallels between his first two albums, but when the question is broached about what exactly he wanted to do differently with the band’s new album, A Beautiful Lie, he doesn’t hesitate.
“Everything,” Leto says conclusively. “I wanted to explore completely different avenues this time. I knew that I was going to have throw away a lot of things that worked the first time around in order to move forward.”
Leto’s desire to retool 30STM’s sound and vision while retaining his core influences trickled down to his songwriting process, fueled by what he characterizes as “personal and professional challenges.”
“The last record was very cerebral and obtuse at times, much more wrapped around the head,” says Leto. “A Beautiful Lie is, by comparison, much more wrapped around the heart. I think it’s much more emotionally transparent. The record is about going to war with yourself and ultimately winning the battle. It’s about renewal, regrowth, change, rebirth.” (BB)
Circa Survive with Emanuel, Dropping Daylight & Rescue Effort
Tuesday · Bogart’s
Circa Survive began like a sappy Hollywood love story ends … only with dudes and guitars replacing Meg Ryan. Philadelphia native Anthony Green had scored a gig as singer for Saosin, an up-and-coming West Coast Post-Hardcore act. But after a year in the band, he felt like it wasn’t gelling. Coming home to collect his thoughts, he looked up an old friend, guitarist Colin Frangicetto, who was also having band problems. The pair hung out and had many a fruitful jam session. They even discussed the possibility of starting a project, but the specter of Green’s departure hung over them. On his way back to California (during a layover in Phoenix), Green made the decision to follow his gut and return to Philly and form a band with his Frangicetto, thus abandoning Saosin. Unlike a silver screen climax, we can see what’s become of these guys, and it’s clear that Green made the right call. In just a year, Circa Survive’s popularity has exploded, culminating in the release day sale of 2,500 copies of their Equal Vision Records debut, Juturna. The Circa sound is an impressive mixture of Emocore, Pop Punk and Experimental Rock. Frangicetto and guitarist Brendan Ekstrom weave sonic fractals along the lines of The Mars Volta in between chiming melodies; drummer Steve Clifford and bassist Nick Beard are liberal with intricate rhythms and fills. Green’s vocal style is similar to the soprano siren of label mates Coheed & Cambria, but Circa eschews the over-the-top Prog pretense of these bands, instead hitting from a more radio-friendly angle thanks to the tight and slick production of Brian McTernan (Thrice, Hot Water Music). Circa has shared the stage with Taking Back Sunday, Dredg and Muse, whose audiences are fertile soil for the band’s palatable Prog. (Ezra Waller)
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2005.
