Playing with and off conventions of punk, surf, heavy rock and more besides, New York trio The Mad Doctors have been a sort of gleeful anomaly. In the release info for what will serve as their final (as much as anything is final in rock and roll) release, the EP R.I.P., they use the word “weirdoid,” and I love that, because not only does it push “weirdo” to 11, but it has fun in the process, and from where I sit, that’s what the band have been about this whole time. They call it quits leaving behind a too-short discography of short releases, splits and the 2016 full-length, No Waves, Just Sharks (review here), and an aesthetic that seemed just to be finding its joy in the strange nuance of their songwriting, but their doing so hints that perhaps the point all along was the search, not the find. In any case, they were a good band. So it goes.

R.I.P. serves as vital emphasis on that point particularly; one more fuzz blowout from guitarist/vocalist Seth Applebaum, bassist Joshua Park and drummer Greg Hanson, who earlier this year also issued the Fuck Sean Hannity digital single, thereby earning a 1UP’s worth of charm points. I’ve done exit interviews before once or twice. A band breaking up can be a contentious thing, and as I’m not really into hearing dudes rag on each other or dig into “band drama,” it’s not something I always want to chase down, but with The Mad Doctors, that doesn’t seem to have been what did it. They just seem like they’re ready to move on. There are new projects in the works and they decided to put things to rest with the five songs on R.I.P. and some last shows. It’s hard not to respect that, and after a run that goes back to 2013’s Fuzz Tonic EP, they’ve well earned the victory lap. So here are the dates:

The Mad Doctors last shows:
Wed 7/17 – Brooklyn @ Windjammer
Thur 7/18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooskies
Fri 7/19 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail
Sa 7/20 – Detroit, MI @ Beaconsfield House
Su 7/21 – Chicago, IL @ Reed’s
Mon 7/22 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Hub
Tu 7/23 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
Wed 7/24 – Richmond, VA @ Cary St. Cafe
Th 7/25 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Lon Lon Ranch
Fri 7/26 – Washington, DC @ The Pie Shop
Sa 7/27 – Baltimore, MD @ Mercury Theater

I’ll say this about them: I never knew what a given offering from The Mad Doctors would offer — and that’s still true on R.I.P. — but I knew it would be a good time. I’m glad they had the awareness to pull the plug before it stopped being one.

Enjoy the interview and all the best to Applebaum, Park and Hanson on current and future projects:

The Mad Doctors – Exit Interview

Okay, so what happened? Why end The Mad Doctors?

Nothing happened, really. Creative projects just have ends. We were able to feel it coming and thought it was best to try to make the best of it and have some fun before we put it to bed. It’s better to have it end naturally rather than keep it going just for the hell of it. We had an amazing run – our adult lives are in many ways defined by it, we have made so many of our closest friends through it, we have seen so many places we otherwise wouldn’t have. And now it’s time to see where else the road goes.

When did you first start to feel like things with the band were drawing to a close? Obviously you’re still in it, but did it become the band you wanted it to be?

It has been about a year, maybe a little longer. It was mostly a lack of inspiration to write new material. It kind of felt like we had explored all the things we were excited about sonically that made sense with this band. Around this time, we had a few meetings to try to get the creative juices flowing again and see what we hadn’t tried (one of these attempts turned into “Aggro”) but most of the time, it ended with lukewarm tunes that just didn’t fit us. Sonic interests had changed, tastes had changed and we just felt like it was time to figure out a good way to put it to bed. So we came up with the idea of doing one more record and another tour to support it, a few goodbye shows and end on a high note.

Did you know as the new EP was coming together that this was it?

Yeah — we went into the recording process with the plan for it to be the last release. Thankfully we all still love each other and playing in the band is still a lot of fun so giving it some time wasn’t a problem at all but we have been sitting on the news and it’s exciting to be able to do it one more time.

You’ve toured, played fests, recorded albums, splits, the whole thing. What are you leaving undone?

Really, the only thing we wanted but haven’t done is tour internationally. It’s a bit of a bummer but we all have jobs and commitments to things locally so an international tour just wasn’t in the cards but we definitely wish it had! We had talked about Europe, Australia, Asia – we have had some good love from around the world – just good excuses to travel and see new places – which is always how we viewed touring in the first place. For another band, I suppose!

Best memory — live, in the studio, whatever. What specific moment will you look back on most fondly?

I mean, it’s impossible to pick one memory but when pressed, I definitely think one of the more magical moments was something that happened on a recent tour. We were playing a basement in Harrisonburg, VA that only had one light – a standing lamp that our friend (Jake from Illiterate Light) was whipping around, giving us a “light show.” Well, in the middle of one of the songs, he accidentally broke the bulb and we finished the song in darkness. Honestly, not the first time we have played in total darkness for one reason or another but after the song, we asked someone to turn another light on and we were told there wasn’t another light to turn on. So Jake turns on the flashlight on his phone and five or six more people in the front row take the cue and do the same so we finished the set by iPhone light and it was a moment that was totally awesome.

What lessons will you take from your time in The Mad Doctors as you move forward?

We learned all of the ropes in The Mad Doctors. Everything. How to book shows, how to book tours, how to not fight with band members, how to talk to each other, how to keep out of each others’ hair on the road, how to not take a bad show as a sign that your band totally sucks, how to embrace the moments of pure magic, how to maintain relationships in close quarters, how to play our instruments. It’s immense how much we have all taken from this band.

What’s next for you guys? Any new bands or projects in the works?

Always lots of stuff! Seth and Josh are doing Seth’s psychedelic soul band Ghost Funk Orchestra, who is doing quite well (and has a new LP coming out in August called ‘A Song For Paul’), Greg is in another garage punk band called Lumps, who is working on their second LP, Greg and Seth have a recording project called Power Children that’s like revved-up biker rock as well as their super-sometimes (like they play once a year) surf punk band The Fucktons, and Josh is always working on his solo drone/sludge project Sludge Judy (which Seth plays drums in). So – yeah, we’re definitely not done making music together in other forms and we’re all keeping active and happy with lots of music!

The projects:
https://ghostfunkorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/a-song-for-paul-2
https://soundcloud.com/ghostloadsound/power-children-night-time-is-the-fight-time
https://thefucktons.bandcamp.com/album/spring-cleaning
https://sludgejudy.bandcamp.com/

Seriously though, reunion tour in a year?

Who knows? Honestly, we’re not saying we’re never going to play again but this is the end of the band playing consistently, especially for the time being. Maybe we’ll have inspiration and write more songs and pick up the mantle again. But until then, we’re going to have a few more bangers and give our necks and heads a rest…

The Mad Doctors, “Shit Hawks at Blood Beach” official video

The Mad Doctors on Bandcamp

The Mad Doctors on Thee Facebooks

R.I.P. tape preorder

King Pizza Records website

King Pizza Records on Thee Facebooks

Let’s face it, when someone like Brooklyn’s The Mad Doctors comes to you and says, “Hey we’ve got a video for a song called ‘Shit Hawks at Blood Beach’ do you want to premiere it?,” the correct answer is not no. All the better that the clip in question takes animation influence from the likes of Bill Plympton and Terry Gilliam and probably eight or nine other animators I’m not cool enough to recognize and looks as disturbing as the track itself — which features guest spoken vocals from Matt Witte alongside the core Mad trio of guitarist/vocalist Seth Applebaum, bassist Joshua Park and drummer Greg Hanson — sounds, with the band’s weirdo take on surf rock chilling out a bit from some of the more uptempo fare surrounding on 2017’s No Waves, Just Sharks (discussed here) from whence it comes in order to set a creeper vibe like Faith No More‘s “RV” if someone had parked it in the sand and left it there for a month to bake in the sun.

Oh, it’s strange and oh, it’s fun. The clip, directed by Jordan Wason, is an inventive work of line animation and stop motion that much like the song seems to grow more psychotic as it plays out, starting innocently enough if with something sinister happening beneath. Soon enough there’s a plastic gun and garbage and bottles and oil paint being used to convey, what, sunburn, maybe? But like an existential sunburn? It’s hard to read and that’s pretty clearly the intention, but again, it meshes really well with the echoing guitar jangle of “Shit Hawks at Blood Beach” itself, which takes the innocence of early-’60s surf — before punk had the chance to dirty it up — and turns it into a bad trip unfolding right in front of the listener. Watch it fullscreen and be creeped out. I think it’s better that way. This isn’t the kind of thing I cover every day, and nothing against the standard or anything, but that’s kind of why I like it.

The Mad Doctors released a single in January called “Fuck Sean Hannity” that’s available name-your-price at their Bandcamp and well worth your time. Their work sees release through Hanson‘s imprint, King Pizza Records, and they play Pizzafest VI at The Gutter in Brooklyn on June 6. More info on that here.

Please enjoy:

The Mad Doctors, “Shit Hawks at Blood Beach” official video premiere

Jordan Wason on “Shit Hawks at Blood Beach”:

“The animation blends together antique photos and found toys from Brooklyn’s own Glass Bottle Beach at Dead Horse Bay. The beach is a former landfill from the 1930s, and some ghosts from the photos may be of the same era as the trash buried there. I thought it was appropriate to let them play together again, reunited at Blood Beach.”

The Mad Doctors on “Shit Hawks at Blood Beach”:

“Jordan is an amazing animator and we are stoked he took on the project — stylistically, his sensibilities lie at the crossroads of 80s/90s underground film, Svankmeyer/Brothers Quay stop motion, mixed media, and a dash of roadshow exploitation and that really suits our tastes. His choice of song makes perfect sense as it’s probably our strangest and most atmospheric. The vocals/monologue by Coach n Commando’s Matt Witte really set it apart for us and it’s cool to see it all set to some truly unsettling images. It’s rad to release it so close to the anniversary of ‘No Waves, Just Sharks’ release and we can’t be more excited to share it.”

“Shit Hawks at Blood Beach”
Music by The Mad Doctors
Lyrics and vocal performance by Matt Witte
Video concept and animation by Jordan Wason
Band photo by Jeanette D. Moses / Blood Sweat and Beers NYC

Off the album “No Waves, Just Sharks” by The Mad Doctors, available from King Pizza Records.

The Mad Doctors are:
Seth Applebaum – Gtr/vox
Joshua Park – Bass
Greg Hanson – Drums

The Mad Doctors on Bandcamp

The Mad Doctors on Thee Facebooks

The Mad Doctors on Twitter

King Pizza Records website

King Pizza Records on Thee Facebooks

There are bits and pieces of dialog interspersed between the tracks on The Mad Doctors‘ forthcoming second album, No Waves, Just Sharks, that come together to tell the story of the record. I’m not entirely sure what that story is, but it’s there, and it involves drugs, and somehow it feels really, really appropriate when put next to the heavy-surfer-punk that the Brooklyn trio proffer in the songs themselves. It’s a fine line to walk, since so much of the record is about thrust — of crotch and rhythm alike — and it basically interrupts itself at every turn, but yeah, they pull it off. If your brain’s not on board for some weirdness, take a second and get there.

Then go ahead and dive into the song “Dead Beach,” which is premiering below. Last we heard from the band was their 2016 split with fellow New Yorkers Sun Voyager (discussed here), and though “Dead Beach” is a little thicker than some of what No Waves, Just Sharks gets into at its most manic — The Mad Doctors get to be pretty zany as they go, in a subtly-malevolent kind of way — I think it represents the album pretty well in its impact and underlying sense of the unhinged, effectively conveyed across the span of the record as it courses through one song to the next.

The Mad Doctors have a slew of dates lined up to herald the April release via King Pizza Records — preorders are up now — and you can see those below and hear the debut of “Dead Beach” at the bottom of the post. Thanks to the band and label for letting me host the premiere.

Enjoy:

The Mad Doctors – No Waves, Just Sharks

The Mad Doctors continue their quest to surf the sludgy seas and headbang on Blood Beach with their second LP ‘No Waves, Just Sharks’. One part riffy fuzz, one part reverb-drenched surf – the Brooklyn trio pound out 10 tracks of driving garage punk shit and take to the highways and byways of America to cover themselves in beer and eat lots of chips (aka tour).

Collaborating with tons of familiar faces from the Brooklyn rock n roll scene – additional vocals by Megan Mancini of The Rizzos & Matt Witte of Coach n Commando plus voice-acting in the b-movie clips (featuring mems of Sirs & Madams, The Rizzos, and more), The Mad Doctors create an unholy soundtrack to a B-Movie you wish existed.

Blurring the lines between punk, sludge, psych, and surf, The Mad Doctors revel in their part of a larger scene bringing all types of rock n rollers together to party. So dig the tunes, spread the scourge, and lose your mind. And always remember, Justin’s a cop.

Limited run of 500 LPs, 100 on minty snot green, 100 on fool’s gold, 300 on black available for pre-order via King Pizza Records

Pre-order link: http://kingpizzarecords.storenvy.com/products/19006516-the-mad-doctors-no-waves-just-shark-lp

Release is 4/14 at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn with Stuyedeyed, The Royal They, and Crazy Pills

Track List:
The Ballad of Jort Dad
Springwater Supper Wizard
Dead Beach
Shit Hawks at Blood Beach
Lord of Garbage
Justin’s a Cop
Mind Rot
Dial M (for Sultry)
She’s a Psycho
The Rats are Coming

Tour Dates:
Th 3/16 – Brooklyn NY – The Gutter
F 3/17 – New Paltz NY – Fizzies
Sa 3/18 – Rochester NY – Monty’s Krown
Su 3/19 – Syracuse NY – The Spit House
Fri 3/31 – New London CT – Oasis
Sa 4/1 – Providence RI – POP Gallery
F 4/14 – Brooklyn NY – Shea Stadium
M 4/24 – Baltimore MD – The Annex
Tu 4/25 – Roanoke VA – Front Line
W 4/26 – Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
Th 4/27 – Boone NC – TBA
F 4/28 – Norfolk VA – Norfolk Taphouse
Sa 4/29 – Richmond VA – S.ADD House
W 5/10 – Boston MA – Obrien’s
Th 5/11 – Amherst MA – Spirit Ghost House
F 5/12 – Brattleboro VT – McNeill’s Brewery
Sa 5/13 – Burlington VT – Monkey House
Su 5/14 – Worcester MA – Distant Castle

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1857459804531134/

The Mad Doctors are:
Seth Applebaum – Gtr/Vox
Josh Park – Bass
Greg Hanson – Drums

Band photo by Jeanette D. Moses. http://www.jeanettedmoses.com.

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