You've Changed- Making Sense of Let's Start a Cult by Rustic Overtones

I think the problem is the length.

That’s what she said.

No I’m serious.

So is she.

Moving on, I’m talking about the new Rustic Overtones album, Let’s Start a Cult, and how my problem with it, the main hang up I have about it, is the length. It’s too short. That’s the stumbling block. The last song seems to start right after the third song is over. I know there is a slow song in there somewhere, but ultimately we have the first two- “Let’s Start a Cult” and “Let’s Start a Cult Part 2,” which sound like one song, albeit one with a regrettable outro, and a nice enough third song, “Solid.” Then, just like that, the horns creep in for the beginning of “Going Out With a Bang/Grand Finale” and a few short minutes later, the album is over.

It’s confusing.

That’s what she said.

Shut up, I’m still serious.

Let’s Start a Cult is a shade less than thirty minutes long. It’s only eight songs, none that reach the five minute mark and only three that hit four minutes. In contrast, the last album, New Way Out, had only five songs out of thirteen that were under four minutes. Now a song doesn’t need to be long to be good. That’s not the point. The point is that part of the draw of Rustic albums was the depth and scope of them. There was a shitload of shit going on. With Let’s Start a Cult, there are really just a handful of things happening. It’s not disappointing and it’s not like the music is bad- it’s just…different.

My relationship with Rustic started in high school and since then, we’ve had the kind of relationship most people who are in their early thirties have with friends in high school- on again, off again. Life gets complex around your mid-twenties and the older friends you have seem to drift in and out of your life. With each reappearance they joyfully (usually) remind you why you were friends in the first place. I haven’t been as excited for a new album like I was with Let’s Start a Cult since New Way Out. Interestingly enough though, after listening to both the first time through, I was left confused. My old friend had changed. They had grown a beard, maybe started to hang out with different people. With New Way Out it took some time to get through the new facial hair, new crowds and new habits before I was able to see my friend again. For the most part everything is still awesome, just not as awesome as it was. But that’s life- you know, we grow, we change, we adapt. Inherently we’ll always be the same person- just tweaked a little bit here and there.

Yet this Let’s Start a Cult person- well they’ve changed even more and frankly, I’m just not sure how to react. It’s as if that same friend suddenly started going by their middle name or became a Yankees’ fan. I know we’re friends because we have been for so long. Now though, I’m starting to wonder why we were friends and if we still are.

Let’s Start a Cult had a disadvantage from the jump- Tony McNaboe was gone. That dude is one of my favorite drummers out there and the only drummer who makes me want to instantly play drums after listening to him. He’s no longer in Rustic. His replacement is fine- totally capable. While I question why he always wears sunglasses, I can’t knock his drumming. He’s Charlie Watts steady. Great. But the Tony Mac pop is gone and I really think with it, that signature sound of Rustic is gone too. There are moments of familiarity within Let’s Start a Cult, but they’re fleeting. Maybe I should be more concerned with my inability to move on because there’s a good sized part of me that just wants to hear “Combustible” over and over again.

I’ve thought about this before- how deep down, we should want our favorite artists, whether it’s musicians, filmmakers or writers, to change over time. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again you become Jack Johnson and I haven’t listened to anything he’s released after 2007 for a reason- I don’t see the point. But at the same time, we don’t want our favorite artists to change too much because then we might not be a fan anymore. Case in point, The Office- where Michael Scott left and over the past couple seasons, so has the dry absurdity that made the show so much fun. Now? Now it’s like almost any other bad comedy on television. It’s sad. It should be put down like a sick dog or the 2011 Red Sox. But there’s the fine line that comes with liking an artist with staying power- the line of evolving.

You could see and more accurately, you could hear Rustic’s evolution with New Way Out. String arrangements had replaced the horn arrangements and on stage, they had more keyboards up there than an IT department. There was a definitive maturity to New Way Out and a transparent attempt to move beyond a jam like “Combustible.” A jam like that was Paranoid Social Club territory now. “Nuts and Bolts?” That song is almost eight minutes long, but is absolutely nothing like “Dig,” the last long song the band released, way back in the day on Long Division. “Nuts and Bolts” had parts and sections. It was essentially eight to ten songs in one. The true testament to the skill of Rustic was that each of those teased songs were great and were potentially better than what most people were releasing. If there is any connection to be made to Rustic’s past with Let’s Start a Cult, it’s a connection to “Nuts and Bolts.” Let’s Start a Cult really doesn’t sound like an album, but a multi-part song with each song acting more as a movement than a traditional song.

Let’s Start a Cult is good from a music perspective. That’s not the issue here. Let’s Start a Cult is disappointing from a content perspective. The songs are all good, but not memorable- the ability to create a lasting impression is missing. It’s an album that sounds like an idea not quite flushed out- so close, but not quite.

If it’s the last one Rustic Overtones ever come out with, it’ll only make it more disappointing.

I just wish it was longer.

That’s what she said.

Probably.

And she’d be right.

The Day I Finally Listened to Spoon

There are few things in the world that match the pleasure derived from discovering a new band. It’s like finding out one of your neighbors is Questlove (almost happened) or finding any sum of money over a buck in your pocket (doesn’t happen enough.) And then it’s a bonus if this band you just discovered has been around for a while- giving you a treasure chest of music to get into instead of zealously burning through their one album in a day and a half.

Last night I spent about an hour trying to update my I Phone and in the process, added some music to it from Future Wife’s computer. One of the bands I added was Spoon. I had heard about them plenty and when they came on the radio and it was pointed out to me that it was the Spoon, I seemed to always make a mental note that maybe I should give them a listen or two and see what they’re all about. But I never did. It’s like whenever Morphine is played on the radio and it’s immediately accompanied by the following thought: I should listen to Morphine more. But I never do.

So I spent the first hour of this quiet Friday listening to Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and while I feel kind of like an idiot just typing the album name, I feel like a champ for having put it on. This is a great album. It’s like if Billy Joel had balls. Great melodies, splendid beats and the occasional horn arrangements. I’m a sucker for horns- probably one of the reasons that I A) love Rustic Overtones so much and B) was so initially bummed with New Way Out and it’s lack of horns (replaced by strings and synthesizers of all things.) What can I say? Horn sections put a smile on my face.

This is a great way to end what has been a tumultuous week. The week started with a mild and seemingly undeserved hangover that led into the dismal fart sandwich that was the Super Bowl, followed by ESPN giving Eli Manning credit for everything just short of curing cancer and Boston sports fans questioning the immortal Tom Brady. It wasn’t pretty. The hardest part about leaning on sports radio so much to get through the work day is that when something bad happens to one of your teams (Patriots: losing the Super Bowl, Red Sox: everything from August 18^th to the present, Celtics: old age and failed trade attempts) it makes it incredibly hard to listen too. Sure you can turn to politics, but how many times can you listen to the following analysis:

• Conservatives aren’t sold on Mitt Romney
• Newt Gingrich will either destroy himself or somehow get the Republican nod and prove that he’s simply not electable.
• Rick Santorum won’t go away and looks to be vying for a Vice President bid or leader of a post Apocalyptic colony.
• No one can take Ron Paul seriously.
• Obama is (according to Republicans) destroying this country and (according to Democrats) dying at the hands of a Republican Congress wielded log jam.

 Politics can get old fast.

The rest of the week wasn’t tragic, but it certainly wasn’t cupcakes and rainbows either. After four tries I was finally able to get a flu shot and it made me feel weird, it took me over two hours to get home Wednesday night because of a little rain/snow and Thursday felt like Friday leading to the eventual disappoint every time I realized it wasn’t. No car crashes, just lots of bummers.

These kinds of weeks are going to happen. They have to. It’s life. If life was only comprised of good times then how would we even know how good we had it? I think we need to get slapped in the face every once in a while. We needed to get knocked down, so that we can learn and appreciate the pleasure that comes with getting back up and regaining your footing. How we cope with these weeks is how we find out what we’re really made of and like with anything, coping mechanisms come in a variety of different forms. Some people drink, some people run marathons, some people find fun new bands to listen to. In the end, it doesn’t matter how we deal with shit, only that we did. Appreciating the process is for other things- like baking or fixing a clogged shower drain. When it comes to digging yourself out of the dumps, all that matters is whether you did or not and if you’re in a better place now.

So we’ll put a cap on this week and move on. We’ll listen to Spoon more and start concentrating on college basketball. We’ll think summer and buy cheap wine at Wegmans. Next week is miles away and could be action-packed, action-lacked or action-sacked. Erin is about ready to pop, so we have a baby on the way and you can’t beat a good Valentine’s Day dinner with your Future Wife.

Life might not be at the Life is Good stage. At least not today. But it’s at least at Life is Coming Along and that isn’t too shabby.

Go Celtics.

Happy Birthday Erin.

What up, Bayonne!

Bayonne.

It's my new favorite thing to say. You can't help but swing it with some attitude when you say it. I want to use it as a verb- maybe even an adjective. I would be perfectly happy calling a dog Bayonne, although dog names are already lining up and Bayonne would be third behind Buoy and McFly. I'm not sure of the order, only sure of the awesome names.

Bay-ONN.

The town of Bayonne is in the industrial offshoot of NYC part of Jersey. Not much to look at and it's only redeeming quality might be the name. BaaaaayyoHHNNN. But I cruised up yesterday then took a little jaunt over to lovely Jersey City. Speeding up the Jersey Turnpike in the rumblin' 350, I was running late to my meeting; my meeting in BAYONNNNNE and was blasting the new Rustic Overtones' record. It's still unsettling, but it's growing on me. I can't help but miss the devastating horn lines that seemed to have been replaced with grand string parts. It's just different, it lacks the POP of previous Rustic records, which could probably be attributed to the do-it-yourself production the dudes did. But it sounds muted and static. There's big parts, but I have to imagine them as bigger to do them justice. Ultimately I'd say it's a cool record, just a record from a different Rustic than I started to listen to in high school- a band that drinks with Ray LaMontagne now instead of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Cranked the new Sidecar EP too and continue to love the first song, "Hospitals on Fire." There's an acoustic tune on there, just Chayes solo and while it reminds me a lot of Sublime's acoustic album, it reminds me more of the power Chayes has with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. Dude has such a big voice and it's got some soul in it now, seemingly a product of growing older and living more. All the bells & whistles of Sidecar are fun, but Chayes drives that band and I'd be just as content to listen to him perform solo than with the band. I'd actually like to see that. It seems ages ago when that's all he did- if anything, accompanied by a dude and a dijembe. I wonder if my thirties will go by as quickly as my twenties did.

After Bayonne...BAYONNE!!...it was on to Jersey City, which is a little slice of heaven that is a little bit of hell when trying to park a rambling 350. The lots are all monthly and the garages all have a clearance of under 6 feet. But I took a chance with a garage and squeaked through at five miles an hour, just barely clearing the ceiling and the lights and the pipes that we're hanging down. I could see each pipe shake a little every time I went under one. But I made it and made it out, too. I was worried about that, thinking the change in direction mixed with the incline could really do some damage. The only certainty of the situation was that I was getting out, one way or the other. When I pulled up to the gate, the attendant did a double take and his eyes grew wider the closer I got.

You can't park that in here, he said.

Well I did, I said.

How? He asked.

Carefully.



But shit, saying Bayonne when you're drunk must be fun.

On the way back to Philly, with the sun setting and cars with one person in them darting their way through traffic, I played Them Crooked Vultures loudly as a way to ease out the frustration of the day. It seemed like some folks could have car-pooled, but like they said in Singles- people love their cars.

Back home, Flaherty & the Sea Captains were getting ready for a show in NH and it was good to catch up & talk music with Adam. Dude's getting married, which seems fun. He's not nervous, just excited. Probably a good way to look at it.

Kind of like Bayonne, baby! Ain't no need to get nervous, just excited. It's only going to get more awesome the longer you're there.

Bayonne!

Maintaining at 2nd floor, rear.

It’s quiet on the backside of this building- my new building, less artsy and more trendy geographically and with trash day on Friday, not Monday. In the apartment as well, it’s quieter. Everything seems much more low key now.

The roof deck is gone.

As are the large, old windows and the solid white walls.

I can get out of bed on both sides now. One wall is exposed brick and my desk fits nicely in the cubby of the bay windows. I’m stealing your wireless network now, thank you much. The apartment went comcastic Thursday morning. The installer baffled us all and showed up at 9:02am for a “between 9 and 11” appointment. I offered him a bottle of water, but he was all set. I never refuse a bottle of water. Never. This dude was nuts. Why would you not take a free bottle of water? It’s water and it’s crazy hot outside and everyone should be properly hydrating themselves. I give Visiy Vest dude down at the plaza on Spring Garden change and tell him to buy water. He tells me that of course that’s what he’s going to do! Of course! Until we get to the point in this country where the government provides us with free Gatorade on hot days- anything over 90 degrees, free water is all we have.

I make good use of fans. The place has a nice airflow.

The lack of foot traffic means any beer I want to drink, I need to get myself out of the fridge. This isn’t a big deal by any means- the fridge is roughly 10 feet from the couch. But having always lived with people, everyone once in a while you can pull the ol’ “hey, can you grab me a beer on your way back?” At second floor rear, this isn’t the case. A small robot would be nice, but I feel I have enough shit running on batteries. No thank you on a cat and I’ll start thinking about a dog maybe this winter- seeing how the fall plays out and going from there. But no it really isn’t that hard, the fridge is right there. It’s just one of the things I noticed.

It might be the close proximity of the toilet to my bed, but shit I have to pee at night a lot now. Maybe because it’s so close to the bed?

Apparently I have a theme in the bathroom, or a color scheme. Tan and green. Shower curtain has palm trees on it and I picked up the matching hand towels. Then Erin picked out dark green bathroom rugs and told me it all matched. She’s a teacher and so I believe her. I think the mats are green. For the first few months I was at Green Street, I thought my room was brown, only to be told by Knalez that it was orange, maybe a burnt orange. I just thought it was brown.

Not a lot of counter space in the kitchen, but it’s cool because I’ve started stacking appliances over the fridge and mounting a surge protector to the wall. It’ll work. I suppose for when really cooking up a storm, I could bring a folding table home. But for now, I can make do with the space I have. It’s the color scheme in my life now, making do with the space I have, the money I have, the energy I have. It’s not surviving or sitting back on cruise control. It’s maintaining and it’s what needs to be done right now.

Until I get a gig on one of these death panels- nice, cushy government job, it’s all about maintaining back here, second floor rear, and if it’s not a problem, I’ll turn the music up just a tad bit louder.

Always got to turn it up a bit when Rustic comes on.

Go Sox, Go Phils, Burnsy’ Off Duty Ninjas.

Now goodbye heat wave- we’ll see you next summer and not a minute before.

Top 7 Bands I would play drums for

Top 7 Bands/Performers I would love to play drums for:

This is based on a band/performer’s musical style, popularity, history, venues played, personal influence, and other random variables.

1. 311. 311 goes first because as I was just driving home from Erin’s and listening to 311’s From Chaos, I started thinking how I’d love to play drums for 311. That thought led me to think about the top 7 bands I would like to play for. 311 are a pick certainly because of musical style. They combine everything I love to play and the music just seems like it’d be a blast to play.
2. Rustic Overtones. Listening to Rustic back in high school made me want to be in a band and for a while, every band I imagined myself playing in was in some way or another, based on Rustic. The end of Rustic was disappointing, but it didn’t seem to deter any of the members, or in inhibit them in anyway. The music was great; big and fun. It always seemed like a band that it’d be a good time just being the drummer, hanging back and just kicking beats while all that music swirled around you…yes…swirled.
3. James Brown. I love kicking beats, staying tight. I’m not a big fan of fills and whatnot and for those reasons I think that playing behind Brown would be ideal. I was listening to his album In the Jungle Groove and the whole thing is deep, heavy beats throughout the entire album. From what I’ve heard about his live shows is that they seemed to have that same vibe. That sounds like something I could really get into.
4. Sublime. Like 311, this pick is largely based on musical style. But where Sublime differs from 311 is not so much the popularity, but the history of the band. The heroin use aside, Sublime has always seemed like it was a fun band to be in. I love wearing shorts and almost every picture I’ve seen of Sublime, they’re wearing shorts. That’s my kind of gig.
5. Jack Johnson. Playing drums for Jack wouldn’t be my ideal musical choice, but I could tolerate it. And the fact that my tour schedule would revolve around the good surf and would feature gigs and recording sessions in Hawaii would certainly help.
6a. The Roots. This pick is largely based on the fact that if I could trade places with
Roots’ drummer, Questlove, I would in a second.
6b. Jane’s Addiction. This pick is largely based on my secret desire to play steal
drums, surf, and hang out with Flea. I would’ve been cool to help start Lollapalooza too.
7. Phish. They almost didn’t make the cut. I don’t even really listen to Phish
anymore, and the other bands on this list have all sustained their popularity with me and my Ipod. But I can’t turn my back on Phish. I love 90% of their music and they played some pretty amazing shows that would have been crazy to be a part of. I can’t even fathom playing for 7 hours on an Indian reservation in Florida for 80,000 tripped out dreamers and wanderers to celebrate the Millennium. Sometimes I have a hard time trying to imagine myself even at that show. But that should be understandable.

Top 7 Driving Albums

TOP 7 DRIVING ALBUMS (not to be confused with Driving Songs, Driving Bands, or Driving Rain...most of which will appear in future entries.)This list is in no particular order, all of these albums are in the Top 7 because they all fit in this category equally well.

1.) Rustic Overtones Long Division. Yes, any Rustic album is a good driving album and any of them could fit into this spot. My vote is for Long Division though because none of their other albums have the opening punch that Long Division does. The album doesn't let up until the first part of Dig and by the time you get to Slowly you're on cruise control and thinking about how Phil wanted the song to be included in his wedding, and how Chachi and K Money spent a full afternoon on mushrooms listening to the album over and over again.
2.) Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magic. The key to a good driving album is flow and this album has it from start to finish. I firmly believe that I will listen to this album until the day I die, which unlike Forrest Whittaker in The Last King of Scotland, has yet to appear to me in a dream.
3.) Beck Guero. Beck's albums are perfect models of how greatness can come from simplicity and when looking for a great driving album, simplicity is key. I mean, let's be honest, between checking Red Sox scores on my phone, trying to find a water bottle that still has water in it, and finding change for tolls, I need simplicity. Sorry Mars Volta.
4.) Kings of Leon Because of the Times. Any Kings' album is great driving music, but this is a great driving album. Play it loud, drive fast, make your girlfriend wish you'd slow down...
5.) The Roots Game Theory. Big White swears by this album and anything Big swears by, I swear by. I strongly believe you should as well.
6.) Lyrics Born Overnite Encore! Erin and I were driving home for Thanksgiving and once breaking through NYC traffic, this album got me all the way to New Hampshire in record time. Live, Lyrics Born is amazing and this album effectively captures the energy of his live show. Plus, there's very little talking, which is one of the main things that kept the Roots album, the Roots Come Alive, off of this list.
7.) Justin Timberlake Future Sex/Love Sounds. I am not ashamed to admit that I love this album. I promise you that in a few years, Timberlake will have fully transcended that thin line between What Dudes Can't Like Because It's Considered Girly and What Dudes Like Because It's Awesome. Brad Pitt did it. Tom Cruise did, but then crossed over another line that is completely insane. On a side note, my dad was given a copy of War of the Worlds and when I was home last time, I watched it. I learned exactly one thing from watching it. If you think something crazy is going to happen, but it's behind you, just watch people's eyes and it will tell you everything you need to know.