1 week ago
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“All my rowdy friends have settled down/ On the outskirts of town/ We’re doing divorcee drugs in bathroom stalls/ Of strip clubs or strip malls.” So go the opening lines of “A Half Finished Wall Of Glass Blocks.” The song is by American Motors, a noisy, minimalist post-something trio (Post-rock? Post-punk? Post-hardcore? It all kinda fits…) from Lancaster, PA. The song, which gets a music video today, is buried deep within their recently released debut album Content. If you’re stoked about the new Jesus Lizard album, if you’re bummed about METZ breaking up, if you have the FACS and are voting yes, this ominous and explosive combo might be for you.
Guitarist and lead singer Dustin Travis White used to haunt the same Columbus music scene that was my entry point to a grittier side of underground rock than I was finding on Pitchfork. He’s been a part of umpteen excellent bands over the years (I was partial to Sundown with TK Webb), but he claims Content is his best work to date. He might not be wrong about that.
At Aversionline, which premiered the “A Half Finished Wall Of Glass Blocks” video, White explained what’s going on there:
To celebrate [our bassist] Brad’s birth and to make content to promote Content, we paid Billy Bob’s Wonderland a visit. They have one of the only remaining functioning Rock-afire Explosion bands open to the public in the world. They were originally installed at a ShowBiz Pizza that existed across the street from their current location. However, depending on when you visit, the level of “functioning” may vary. The man behind the band, Aaron Fletcher, is a bit of a wildcard and has been arguing with the owners for years and denying them parts needed to keep the band in top form. So, like most bands, some sort of drama keeps The Rock-afire Explosion from living up to their full potential. When I visit the zone of West Virginia where I grew up, I usually pop in and see how they are doing. I hadn’t had the pizza in decades. It wasn’t bad. Like we say in the song, “Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.”
Below, check out the video and stick around for the full album.
Content is out now via CBCV Industries.
English (US) · 