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Join the Purr Mailing List: Happy to be part of the Independent Promoters Network Also part of
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05.12.02:
the apes + alta may
+ ivory springer The Apes (in their own words): People, in these days of over powering, media bought hysterics, it's sometimes easy to overlook the true apostles of the "word". But right now, it's time to sit up & pay attention. Listen, there's a new rumble in the jungle, they're camied up to the eyeballs & they've got a big f***ing attitude. Trampling a path direct out of the wet & heavy jungle of Washington DC, they are The Apes & they have come to command the rock subculture. Their modus: uniting great warlords, absorbing rogue factions, and educating red-handed guerilla bands with a passionately wayward rock signal. Propelled by Erick Jackson's burning, fur-lined bass growls/Amanda Kleinman's horny and celestial banshee organ/Jeff Schmid's iron-chest-of-cocaine drums/throat chieftain Paul Weil channels the kaleidoscopic eye and children's black tears into the hearts of all. "Introducing the primate scream. The Apes hail from Washinton, DC, but their majestic debut album is as wild as the forest they fetishize on its sleeve. ...It's a sound that really does defy categorization. Organist Amanda Kleinman rains down swirling torrents of choral fury, Jeff Schmid seems to be pounding his drum kit with tree trunks, while bassist Erick Jackson supplies elephantine low-end frequencies, as well as doubling up on Moog. There are no guitars, but that makes them rock even harder. In a world where dreary indie choir-boys like Starsailor are hyped to the skies, this ain't no joke. It's all-out gorilla warfare." - Timeout (London) "...The four instruments come together in a remarkably heavy, drenching sound that rides the fence between twisted freak-out, art rock and seedy underground garage. Drummer Jeff Schmid bashes out one song after another like Ginger Baker on some kind of angry pill, while vocalist Paul Weil adds an aggressive tilt from a diffent angle. A tough record to corner into any other genre than 'strange.'" - New City "The Apes rock with unapologetic volume and style, crushing everything in their path with blankets of heavy noise...Crashing drums and unbelievably thick bass lines propel the energetic tracks forward while mercilessly pummeling the listener with a crushing low end, but spooky and often otherworldly keyboards do step in to provide a bit of melody along with some moody and unexpected atonal low notes...It's often hard to even notice that the Apes forgo guitars, as they have an incredibly powerful and chunky delivery, but whatever it is they are missing, they don't allow for even the slightest of weaknesses to show through. 'The Fugue in the Fog' is a record full of huge-sounding rock music that's chock full of distorted grooves and amped-up howls; some may call it the future of rock, and few will be able to deny that there is something special going on here." **** review from All Music Guide "Loopy and huge, this D.C. quartet's debut, 'The Fugue in the Fog', is more hangar than garage. Amanda Kleinman's glorious surging and shrieking organ slithers between a slew of great big oogy knuckle-dragger riffs and great fat dumb drums -- the whole mess gives me the occasional Fuzztones flashback...This sound succeeds in being wry and real at once: 'Apessounds' is such excellent drone-and-grind it almost hurts. As it should." - Chicago Reader Website: www.theapes.com Alta May: "A head-on collision between the first Queens of the Stone Age CD and Nirvana's Nevermind. If that sounds pretty damn impressive, wait until you hear the music." - Swizzle-stick.com. Peel-approved Seattle 3-piece who've been compared to The Melvins, Bleach-era Nirvana, QOTSA & Pixies. Alta May record for Ohio's Glazed Records (www.glazed.com), home of Rocket From the Crypt and the New Bomb Turks. Alta May include ex-members of: Fluid, Cold Crank & Anodyne. Debut LP 'We As In Us' out now. Band Personnel: Erik Roper (guitar/vocals), Marcus Pina (bass/vocals) Garrett Shavlik (drums) "Alta May have more of a contemporary sound, an excellent Queens of the Stone Age aesthetic that mixes chunky guitar-fuzz effects with sullen desert melodies--the kind of music that makes you wanna drive fast and furious through some Southern California wasteland until the world melts behind you in a cloud of exhaust and dusty rock 'n' roll." - The Stranger, Live Review July 2002 "Locals Alta May opened the night up with a short but inspired set of tightly wound garage-slash-punk-slash-hardcore'sh anthems. Having been playing around town for awhile, this was only my first time seeing the band -- something that will soon change, as their music deserves further notice and future support." - Ear Pollution, Live Review May 2002 "Who, pray tell, are Alta May? Three guys who put the power in power trio, that's who. From the opening riff, stolen from Blondie's "One Way or Another" and then adrenalized, I was captivated. I hear grunge, I hear classic rock, I hear power pop, I hear three chord punk and I hear metal. I hear good old fashioned balls-to-the-wall rock-n-roll. Heavy, mighty guitars, tempered with classic song structure and really great sounding vocals. These guys rock but they're tuneful, and that's crucial. After listening to this I'm ready to go out and kick some ass. This is literally the best album I've heard in a long time. Hands down, it's the best rock out album of the year. I was so excited about it that I had to turn my stereo down and call my friend Pooch and insist he get the album immediately. Then I turned the volume up and blasted it into the phone so he'd see just how awesome Alta May are. I will scream Alta May from the rooftops, I will not rest until every rock fan on earth owns this record! Come on, feel the noise!" - Face of the Assasin, May 2002 "Like all of the early '90s SubPop bands, Alta May rips off classic-sounding fuzzy punk with strong melodies and an endless supply of wicked stoner-rock groove. A head-on collision between the first Queens of the Stone Age CD and Nirvana's Nevermind. If that sounds pretty damn impressive, wait until you hear the music." - BEST OF 2001, Chip Midnight/Editor, Swizzle-stick.com on 'We As In Us' "Can't thank you enough for the Alta May advance you sent to the Omaha Weekly. I'll probably never be able to have kids after listening to it as my nuts were blown off, but I'll live." - Kyle at Omaha Weekly, October 2001 "Alta May aren't fooling around. They're loud, prolific, and they seem kinda mad. Garrett from the Fluid, Erik from Cold Crank, and Marcus from Anodyne combine for a deadly audio attack that delivers much more noise than a trio should be able to. Plus clever and biting commentary on love and society. 'Love? Hits you like an icepick.' Indeed. Reference Points: Pixies, Soundgarden." - Tricia Halloran, Downloads Direct "Rockin' hard from their hearts, these guys put everything they've got into their shows." - Brent, National Spotlight, What's Up! Magazine "Though they may wear their collective neo-grunge heart on a cardigan sleeve, Alta May infuse their music with a vitality and passion that easily dismisses claims that the genre is old or stagnating. Be it because of the band's talent, or because so little has been done in the genre in recent years, 'We As In Us' goes beyond being just another grunge album; it's the sort of thing you put on when you feel like rocking out. If the genre remains fresh and vibrant, it will be because of bands like Alta May." - Splendid Amidst the piles of crap I've been getting recently comes this one gleaming diamond. FINALLY! A band I_ve never heard of that I really like. Oh, how do you boys rock? Alta May are not power-pop, alterna-rockers. Screw all that. This band just flat out rocks. From the opening of the title track, 'We As In Us', I knew I was in for a treat. Alta May is a bit early Nirvana (think Pre-Teen Spirit Radio Sell Out Nirvana), a bit old school garage rock and a whole lot of rock and roll. If you are sick of the same old same old, as I am, you may want to check out Alta May as a welcome alternative. There is just too much rock on this CD to describe. It's something you have to experience." - The taNk gYrl, Sparechange Magazine Website: www.altamay.com & www.glazed.com Ivory Springer: Bristol band rooted in hardcore, emo, and quality US indie in a heavy, angular-but-tuneful kind of way. Like Pavement arm-wrestling Shellac on the deck of the Hispaniole. This is, "angular rock terrorism ready to take on the city's post-rock Mafia single-handedly" - Choke. New EP out soon. "The obvious references here are US alt-rock pioneers like Shellac and Slint, whose influence I.S. take and develop in a direction all their own, adding strong melodies and some frighteningly catchy hooks" - Choke "Docks and Cranes is an essential purchase for anyone who is bored with bland British guitar music and dumb US rock. It's been a while since a new rock band has sounded as fresh and vital as this. Buy it" - Choke |
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