WOLF EYES.

Wolf Eyes

"Well... noise has had an adverse effect on both mine and my son’s life... in fact my house almost burnt down because of it. Besides that episode, there has also been blown speakers on my new stereo, my dog has taken to hiding when my son is home, and my daughter Ella cried all of last halloween because the sounds reminded her of those that emanate from my son’s room!”
~ A concerned mother on noise

Life is hard, Wolf Eyes make it harder and can compromise lives.  On the night of March 23, 2006, a young man named Brandon Peek (fmr bassist for The Switch Hitters & Aristotle Cling) was returning home from a Wolf Eyes gig at The Hemlock in SF, still reeling and confused from the pounding sonic frequencies, Peek armed with an armful of Wolf Eyes merch walked into oncoming traffic and spent the next 6 months learning how to walk and read again.  Peek’s mother: Linish Peek (fmr guitarist for True Cannibals, Viral Citizen & Cake Tastes So Good) had started the group Mothers Against Noise in retaliation. http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Mothers_Against_Noise 

Mrs. Peek spearheaded a world-wide movement and gained the support from various right-wing groups (Gun Prophets, American Standers, God For Citizenship and right-wing radio host: U.S. Connie – who was the fmr drummer of No Duh).  Mothers Against Noise gained enough notoriety and collaborated with the Mningles Law Group and petitioned that the term and use of “Noise” be abolished.  After $2.4 million dollars was spent, a 7 year tarnish campaign, they got their wish.  At an October 20, 2013 official statement, Wolf Eyes member John Olson (fmr Rendering Suns drummer) proclaimed: “NOISE IS DEAD” and thus the newly named genre: Trip Metal was born.  Wolf Eyes, by law, are never allowed to use the word “Noise” for any promotional or music release purposes with the prospect of facing 5 years in jail or $50,000 in fines. 

Zombie Tools

Wolf Eyes: Nate Young, John Olson and the new dude they call Crazy Jim hold the keys to the Total Fest ignition.  They anger and confuse lot of folks considering Trip Metal activates compulsion in your brain and senses; kinda like nosing around a car crash or the desire to stop and watch a dog take a dump. There’s no point in the barrage of metaphors to describe the Wolf Eyes style of “music”, it’s all about taking a stand, back against the wall and the short moment of anticipation from closing your eyes and knowing that out of nowhere, within seconds, you will get punched in the face.  It’s about deactivation as well, tossing out the concept of structure and forgetting about verse/chorus/verse and embracing the uncertainty.  It’s about crossing over to the dark side, allowing to let go of coherency and accepting the fact that things and perceptions will never be the same again.  So, fuck it.  Everything is a mess anyway, your shell is cracked and there’s not much that looks good on the horizon – toss on a fresh new coat of nihilism, burn some books, shave yr head, get that HATER4LYFE tattoo – do what you gotta do.  Just know that when the shit comes down and nothing ever makes sense anymore, Wolf Eyes does/will make all the goddamned sense in the world just when you need it.  Trust me cuz when those dudes plug in all their weird shit and let the frequencies fly - I will be ruling that motherfucking pit.  - Rammer

(Vanek here) We'd also like to draw some attention to a big Total Fest sponsor: Zombie Tools who have been making their expertly designed blades for years now, and supporting Total Fest for a good number of 'em. It's in large part to Zombie Tools support for underground music that Total Fest gets to bring Wolf Eyes, so slap Maxon, Chris and the dudes there on the back next time you see 'em.

EX NUNS: ALL GRIT, NO HABIT

Photo by Bronson Karaff

Perhaps my favorite attempt at summarizing Minneapolis's Ex Nuns is Courtney Bade's straight forward statement, "They’re real loud and they’ve got some big fucking amps." There's something in the Minneapolis

water because that city keeps churning out stellar, ass kicking band after band. I'm no expert on what they have going on there, but I've yet to be introduced to a band that doesn't straight up slay. It's mind boggling. This isn't some the grass is greener lament, but holy shit it's a little enviable. Not that trading out the serene confines of our little valley is an option, but the anger and grit of what's been streaming out of the lake ensconced city is something to relish.

Almost every review, write-up, tweet, and scratched bathroom wall regarding Ex-Nuns spends time wrestling with what genre they fit in. Psych, metal, punk, post-punk, noise, and shoegaze are peppered throughout, hoping that one will serve as a compass for the wary reader. It doesn't work. What does work is listening to their records and say, "To hell with it. This rips." It's fantastic, storm-blazing, raw fierceness that refuses to compromise. The songs are rooted in hardcore tempos but take time to develop. Pop-oriented melodies are drowned and stretched out by pleasantly grating feedback. Purposefully timed and washed out vocals position Ex-Nuns as some reckless, time traveling, space devouring inferno. (If you parse that, I swear it means something awesome).

You know the transformation of Angel to Death to Archangel ... well, that's kind of where my head goes or to some Icarus style hubris that finally succeeds. No gods. No masters.

For me, their songs produce vivid pictures out of blurry lines and nondescript shapes. There's an awesome story telling ability to their songs that aggressively evolves as it funnels deeper and deeper. They just released a sweet EP, Death Triangle, and seem to be poised to take off. It's slightly different than last year's 25 Diamonds release, but if this is the type of movement these dude's can do in a year, we're in for a raucous ride.

TOTAL TOUPEE

Toupée

Toupée are a band introduced to us by John Yingling of Gonzo Chicago vids and the World Underground. We think John's got good taste, is always out flogging bands he digs and connecting people who should be working together, and were stoked to learn about Toupee.

I personally like knowing where bands are from, probably out of some weird baseball card collector subconscious baggage, but also because I think different parts of the country do have different flavors and while scenes may not really have "sounds" per se, they do share similar external influences, play for the same folks and you know, buy their records from the same place. Toupee are from Chicago, and played a sweet looking fest for their label (Rotted Tooth) last July, along with other rad bands like Running, Solid Attitude, Shaved Women, Oozing Wound, Wolf Eyes. All-star lineup.

Musically, I get reminded of a lot of the 90s Olympia and Portland bands like Kicking Giant, Heavens To Betsy, Longhind Legs, and Unwound when I listen to Toupee. Pretty lazy, I know. Would you rather I said "art punk"? No, you wouldn't.

Toupée - "Slowski" from GONZO CHICAGO on Vimeo.

LOOKIN FORWARD TO A SHITTY WEEKEND

No matter how old I get, there always seems to be a cranky 15-year-old within, just wanting to stomp around and drink pop and listen to punk rock.

Portland smartasses Shitty Weekend, playing Total Fest for the first time I believe, totally scratches that itch. Originally called Andrew Link and Metallica 3000, they wisely changed their name to something that's a tad faster to say and 100 percent more likely to offend fogies. Plus they did a split with King Elephant a while back!

Listen to Shitty Weekend on Bandcamp. Tell your mom and dad to eat rocks. Yeah!

(KW)

JUMP ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND

Harshest album art ever?

Let's all go on a magical junket with Underground Railroad to Candyland! This driving, catchy, poppy, San Pedro-based Recess Records outfit, brought to you by Todd Congelliere and other sundry talented folks, comes back for another rousing Total Fest.

Listen up and party! (KW)

(Vanek jumping in) I can't tell you how many times I've seen this band, exactly. It's probably 7 or 8 now. Todd's been bringing groups to Missoula since FYP first played the Union Hall in around 2000, or the late 90s. Toys that Kill have played probably 3 or 4 Total Fests and URTC maybe the same number. I'm over 40 now, let's face it. It's not a steel trap up there.

And the total appeal of the tight-as-hell, melodic punk rock band with that awesome nasal voice behind it,  from D. Boon's hometown just never somehow fails to wane for me. These guys will crush even the most in-need-of-heavy-riff XL bearded bro out there, I've seen it happen. Todd, among other things has a past profession as a pro skater, runs one of our favorite labels of all-time (Recess) and has been quietly advancing DIY/weirdo/punk rock for two solid decades, and is now embarking on a third.

When you look at how long SST had output worth considering, it really was maybe only about one third that many years. And here's Recess just slogging it out, continuing to put out great records and selling them cheaply as ever. It may sound like hyperbole, but it's always an honor to get these long-time, elder statesemen (ahem) dudes like Todd C. and the Underground Railroad to Candyland, and they bring the ooomph, man. They bring it.

(KW)

ANIMAL LOVER IS ONE FEROCIOUS BEAST

Photo by Bronson Karaff

I can honestly say that one of my most anticipated releases this year is Animal Lover's Learning Curve Records debut, Guilt.

Three years in the making, it doesn't disappoint.

I'll wait while you give it a listen.

Animal Lover was one of my top memories from last year, and I'm stoked as hell that they're coming back this year. They're a hard band to pin down. Backed by a strong DIY ethic, Addison, Nathan, and Evan have resurrected a sludge, noise, punk whirlwind that's reminiscent of all the good things about AmRep. It's not, however, a straight forward slug fest. There's a wonderful subtlety to them that haunts their consistent, droning, plodding, shredding, shrieking, bristling tempo. It's awash in pent up, tense frustration, boiling right up to the point of exploding but maintaining a simmering angst. Every time I listen to their records, I experience some weird, lingering, stinging bitterness. It's not like they've left me unfulfilled or that somehow the songs miss their mark; it points more to the unrelenting intensity of each song. Animal Lover sticks in your teeth constantly reminding you that the world is unclean and no matter what pretense or posture you harbor, life is a dirty mess. Animal Lover screams at you to wake up, to not take things for granted, and to bask in the relentless turmoil of chaos.

Well, at least that's where I end up.

There's nothing that sparks my interest more than a band who slogs through the tireless work of touring, recording, and playing and still finds ways to be inventive and to maintain their intensity. Throw in the fact that they're some super awesome guys who seem to collaborate on everything, their unique, solid sound is something that shouldn't be overlooked. Sadly, bands come and go, but I'm holding out hope that Animal Lover will play for my kids one day. Vibrancy is a gift.

TOTAL FEST PRE-BLAST, FRIDAY JUNE 6TH W. PRIZEHOG

That name, "Prizehog," in the context of Total Fest makes me think first of some kind of midwestern noise rock outfit, pretty male in the chromosomal department and also obsessed with a kind of 2010s version of David Yow's 1990s poetry/lyrics, mostly about the dark side of state and county fairs, and carnies and... I don't know. Maybe they tour with Animal Lover.

Not so. Coastal American Prizehog is none of the above, really. They're like a acid-damaged Melvins or a a more riffy Residents, actually. It's heavy-as-shit, and weird-as-fuck simultaneously, you know? For a lot of folks at Total Fest XII in 2013, they were the unknown, unexpected, and completely blown-away-by band.

Prizehog exists in their own realm. And it's a pretty stoney one. Not in the conventional "stoner rock" way either. More in a bizarre, soundtracky, diverse, melodic, down-tuned and sort of mystical vibe. It's friggin awesome. We can't stop listening to their recent "Re-Unvent The Whool" LP that Eolian Empire released. It's so great a record.

Prizehog

And, by chance and luck, you get a two-fer with Prizehog this year. Once in June, this Friday (June 6 at the ZACC, North 1st in Missoula) and once with everybody else at Total Fest in August.

Hefty metallions Shramana and Swamp Ritual, both from the flood-carved valleys of western Montana play to. This will be excellent.