I swear it wasn't intentional, but we've seemed to hold off til the end on announcing the bands with the most ridiculous names. Rounding out the last few of our Total Fest performers are Portland's GAYTHEIST.
The amazingly named trio comes from Good to Die Records, the Seattle-based clearing house for the heavy sounds of the Northwest that has brought us TF vets like Sandrider and Constant Lovers. If the name wasn't an indication of their commitment to the absurd, these guys are a pretty off-the-wall bunch set on ruining your day.
A frenzy of maniacal drumming, guitar wizardry, and a hysteric, foul-mouthed (though very well-dressed) vocalist, Gaytheist churns out songs like "Post Apocalyptic Lawsuit" and "Wisdom of the Asshole" that have this whole Big Biz meets a 4-pack of Sparks and a packet of Pop Rocks sort of vibe. It's too bad that Fantasy for Adults on Main isn't on our list of venues for this year - it might just be the perfect place to witness this madness go down. Our whole all ages thing might be a problem though, so you kids will just have to settle for the Palace.
Music, like food and wine, is all about pairings. Combine Seattle's Constant Lovers hard hitting, rough-hewn rawk with sweat, a little bit of an ornery mood and a dose of caffeine, and you'll be kicking up your feet and working out those kinks in no time.
Seattle blog Sound on the Sound (get what they did there?) called Constant Lovers' True Romance "one of the best albums of 2011," with one of the creepiest covers, to boot, an instantly memorable piece of art depicting a finger stuck through a stick of butter.
Constant Lovers went through some changes last year when drummer Mike Horgan moved to Chicago. (A Stranger blog poll tried to guess who would replace him, and a cat nearly won,) They come to Total Fest this year with Helms Alee's Ben Verellen on drums, along with Joel Cuplin, Eric Fisher, Gavin Tull-esterbrook. Check 'em out on Good to Die records.
We're happy to welcome back Seattle's
Sandrider to Total Fest this year.
They were a freshly assembled band back in 2009 that melted more
than a few unsuspecting faces. Why people were so surprised was a bit
baffling. The three members, Jon Weisnewski, Nat Damm, and Jesse
Roberts have quite the pedigree beneath them. Jon and Nat hail from
(the all too fresh ashes) of Akimbo, and Jesse fromRuby Doe. The
band is extremely solid and sound like they've been playing together
for more than just a few years.
For a variety of reasons, their
self-titled, and highly anticipated, debut LP didn't come out until
2011 on Good To Die Records, but
Sandrider built-up a solid reputation based on their thunderous
live performances. For my money, it's one of the best albums of last year, and the tastemakers have been flipping their heads
with new adjectives to describe the band. They've been dubbed
approachable stoner rock and described as slightly less violent
chaos, but it's hard, and ultimately unnecessary, to find an adequate
definition for a band that meanders and crushes all at the same time.
The tempered screams are tracked by forceful riffs and punctuated
with colossal drums. It's more than just a genre, Sandrider exposes
all the raw nerves and muscle that makes you realize that heavy music
is best when it's felt. They're still one of the most fun, well-rounded, volcanic bands that I've seen. The band has erupted from its once dreaded
"side project" status into one of the most hard hitting,
power trios in the north west. In one way, Sandrider marks a
resurrection of Seattle's heavy heydays, but, much more so, the band
is building on that sound, taking it in new and exciting directions
that should force us all to realize how damn lucky we are to have
them return.
You have your warning this time; don't
look so surprised when they slap you in the face.
