Interview: Mary Kelly – Modus Operandi of gore-core

Interview: Mary Kelly – Modus Operandi of gore-core

Mary Kelly band Modus Operandi album

— We rarely do interviews around here or are inspired to crank out some questions to bands unless we think we might fish something interesting back. In this case the singer/screamer “Si” from Mary Kelly gave some thoughtful answers and insights of his band that at first reminded us of hardcore matinees at CBGB’s where there would be inevitable thrash band on a bill that would turn out to be really great mixing in thrash and hardcore hybrid; and not just a doc martin foot-print in the face. The pits of the pit.

They call their version grunge-core trash and founded themselves in 2007. They like to drink and make love and break it down for us here. We think gore-core is more appropriate. Although I don’t know if there is any loving or real gore with brain spatter for that matter in their live show and probably won’t know unless they make a trek out here from the UK but allas. One hint though is that most promotors don’t want them back. The other thing about that word “grunge” is it’s one of those terms that was worn out in the 90’s, the same as indie rock, or emo for that matter. Terms start to loose their meaning after a while but can get redefined to those that choose to champion their music their way. A way into the images one conjures about a sound. Anyway, their new album Modus Operandi has varying degrees of fast punk with the occasional solo thrown in. Not as metal as GWAR because those guys are aliens and from outer space; but definitely more hardcore than most with a penchant to dress-up in drag or whatever scary flick is giving the youth of today boners. Before we begin their guitar player Matt Spencer want’s everybody to know “he does not like the Wombats.” So they won’t be making any friends there.

BAND INTERVIEW:
RS: Want to tell me in your words why you named the band Mary Kelly and not Hellen Keller or something like that?
SI: We decided to name the band Mary Kelly because if you know anything about this country’s dark past, you’d know that she was the last victim of Jack the Ripper. He absolutely destroyed her. Cut her to shreds and left no prisoners. That’s what we have always tried to do with people’s psyche and also their ears. Plus Helen Keller wouldn’t cooperate.

Mary Kelly grunge core band

RS: Have you ever heard of the the band Perfect Pussy?
SI: Never heard of them although I’m intrigued?
RS: What’s your song Bagpussy about?
SI: Bagpussy is about a friend of my mothers. She never married or had kids but she did have like 9 cats. This one time my father went round there to do something for her and after she didn’t answer the door he peered through the window…the song is about what he saw!

RS: You guys remind of my friend Dave Witte’s band Municipal Waste. What are your influences? Because you guys sound like Die Kruezen mixed with a bunch of 80’s NYC thrash bands like Prong.
SI: Our influences as individual members are quite different. Personally my lyrics are usually about things that scare or worry me and I’d say that comes from growing up with depressed parents and listening to bands like Nirvana, The Cure and AFI. It’s only in later life I’ve started to appreciate the stuff that my mother especially, used to listen to. Bands like Creedence, Prince and of course Chris deBurgh although they haven’t consciously had any direct influence on my writing…I don’t think. I know Matt’s influences are The Wombats and that’s about it so we really had to try hard with him. Oh and breeze doesn’t like radiohead so that was difficult. We were doomed from the start really.

RS: Are you ever afraid of Riot GRRLs getting mad at you?
Si: We’ve always had a lot of female attention. It’s something that just came naturally. I’m pretty sure we counted once and between the 5 of us we had slept with 6 girls so that’s something like a success rate of 250%? The girl that Sean slept with may have been a Mini Cooper though.
RS: Would you play a gig with Pussy Riot?
SI: We’d love to play with Pussy Riot…I believe in them.

RS: Which usually helps are there any tunes we can let out into the wild? ( I think he missed my meaning on this one)
SI: Take your pick really although if you want an insightful, truthful look into the band, may I recommend ‘there’s no such man as Michael Fish’. A track that is already being skipped over dispite the album only having been out a few weeks. It’s a 6-something minute epic, spoken word Song about how to treat and discourage astraphobia in children. It’s a very important piece. Enjoy. Either that or Penny Dreadful which is a fucking cool song about monsters. Plus there’s a wicked video for it!

BUY LINKS: Amazon | iTunes | Mary Kelly Site

RIYL: 80’s hardcore, Token Entry, Verbal Assault, Moshing

DOWNLOADS:
Heroin – “Leave” MP3 by s/t (1997)
Send More Paramedics – “Zombie Crew” MP3 from The Hallowed And The Heathen (2003)

The Afterimage of CAPTIVES EP Review

The Afterimage of CAPTIVES EP Review

CAPTIVE EP REVIEW Afterimage by Review Stalker

MUSIC REVIEW: Digital EP’s are in vogue as reported by your roving EMO reporters all over the blogosphere. The challenge is to be able to put out a set of songs that rock together. I think for most young bands the album format is pretty much dead unless they can afford to do the vinyl thing. Anyway, you are in luck because CAPTIVES have no issues here with their latest effort called Afterimage which will be available as a 10″. Luck for all you nerds. Sounding pretty alternative rock with their big guitars and throaty delivery these dudes are from Eagle Mountain, Utah and they show us that all good manly things can go beyond the distortion only mantra of your father’s hardcore. While I don’t think these guys have or run Meth labs this music is totally amped. There is some subtle use of delay on the guitars and plenty of throaty ‘scringing’. What is unique to these guys is their dual-vocals are coming at you from both channels via Jeffery Mudgett and Trevor Bookout. I could never tell Guy from Ian until after seeing fugazi live. The feeling was the delivery was as one. Same sort of effect here which works to help give these tunes a little depth. The most accessible song on this release is the emo infused semi-ballad “To Forget” with a line about poking your eyes out. The sounds are big and we recommend giving it a spin. Crap it’s the fucking internet people you can listen before you buy or decide to go see them live. Brought to you by Reveille Records.

We are only bound by the things we let bound us, we are all captives.

RIYL: Metal, Systems of A Down

NJ/HC Punk Revival at a Strip Club

NJ/HC Punk Revival at a Strip Club

Just the other morning I was thinking about the Double LP compilation Burning Ambitions: A History of Punk because I realized I left off the song “1,2, X U” from the Wire posting this week which seemed like an obvious track to gab about anyway being that even the likes of Dag Nasty had covered it. This 1984 comp is where I first heard of a lot of UK punk bands who seemed old or passe in my youth at the time like the Adverts, X Ray Spex, UK Subz, etc, etc but others who were on still thrill me today like the Fall, Swell Maps and The Stranglers. All were brilliant actually as they really had already made their impression on music history.Here’s the whole playlist. Then shortly there after sometime in the mid 80’s i got wind of the NJ/HC thrash/hardcore band scene with bands like Lethal Aggression, Dirge, Crucial Youth and a few others thanks to Hardcore Sundays at CBGB’s (whole bunch of stories there in the future). I had no clue who Social Decay were as I’m sure there are many all of which Devil Dick talks about on the Demo Tape blog in much greater detail than I’ll ever be able to. Bands like seem to just pop-out of the Jersey devil ridden woods back then and here they are again making new music!

A bunch of these bands will be playing a BYOB show at The Players Rock Lounge at Club XXXV, 7090 Rt 35 N, Sayreville being produced by
DAA Entertainment. I can’t make this shit up. there is actually full on punk/thrash show going to happen at a nudie club with Mcrad w/ Chuck Treece, Social Decay, Lethal Aggression, Jumpship, The Vivid twisted, Fight Back and Casting ships. I’m sure most of the bands will be fronted by a bunch of old guys.

Ghos† Smile MP3 by Fight Back [Free Demo here] This is pretty good hardcore. Lots of variety. Worth checking out for the price.
Kill-or-Die MP3 by Social Decay 1985 demo
Fiend MP3 by McRad from Absence of Sanity (1987)

Others older Punx:
New Face In Hell MP3 by The Fall
Walk On By MP3 by The Stranglers
Girls Don’t Like It MP3 By The Undertones

DUH New Jersey punk rock band

DUH New Jersey punk rock band


New Jersey yielded some great hardcore, Thrash and punk bands in the 80’s. One of them was a band called DUH with ties to Westfield, NJ which featured drummer Ben Forgash and guys from Rutgers( think one was named was just “J”?) I can’t remember exactly. Anyway, I’m not even sure that this 11 song record was called Trout (I made that shit up but it seems appropriate). Whatever the case here are 11 tracks I made from a cassette I had of their full length demo lp. I saw them play a few times in high-school and I always thought they were sort of goofy and sometimes akin to the philly band that did bitch’ camero. These guys wrote songs and goofed very sarcastically about fishing, Apex tech and Quick Chek (making fun of jersey maulers chicks with lots of hair spray). Your normal white suburban textbook theme i guess looking back at the songs now.

01 Fish House Road
02 Poison Ivy
03 Put the mask on
04 oeieoeo
05 Swamp Thing
06 Chopping up your friends
07 New by Ronko
08 Anaconda
09 Quick Chek Baby [ Download mp3 ] This is a WRSU classic
10 Apex Tech [ Download mp3 ]
11 Trout

Get the whole Trout ZIP here [ You are Welcome ]

I’ve also discovered a great list of older thrash/Hardcore by Dirge and Ripping Corpse, etc up on FB the other day. You’ll find old demos and out of print 7 inches and lps and some hilarious photos. Check out NJHC Jerseyshore reunion group. later.

NJ Demo Tape punk graveyard

NJ Demo Tape punk graveyard


So if you’re old enough to remember there was a time that any band with any sort of DIY ethic could put out a run of 100 demos. No internet. No email. Just collect the beer money set-up the mic, make some artwork and then just start duping tapes. The distribution network was slow and conducted via snail mail and shows. Tommy Southern AKA devil dick has another blog playing tribute to said lost demos (his other mp3 blog is pretty killer too) who just never could release a proper LP. With all his posting he writes about all the bullshit that went along with the punk/hardcore and thrash scene of the day. Much like a modern day reality show except there were no damn producers or videos cameras. Just bored suburban kids living without a care in the world other than their scene. If you have been digging around looking for for Hogan’s Heroes, Lethal Aggression< Social decay go no further than to the demo tapes blog. He’s on a mission from Satan.