A little while back, guitarist Scott O’Dowd of Allston, Massachusetts, rockers Cortez hit me up for a band bio. The record, self-titled, came out on Bilocation just this very week, and of course, I said I was glad to write up a history of the band. I remember when they put out their 2007 Thunder in a Forgotten Town EP on Buzzville, and we’d played shows together periodically over the years, so as Cortez began to really take shape as a band – and especially after vocalist Matt Harrington came aboard in 2009 – it was exciting to think of their first album finally coming out. Songs like “Johnny,” “Until We Die” and the C.O.C.-esque riffing of “Monolith” were mainstays of their live set, and the demo they cut of that material was stellar. We’d talked about maybe doing a release via The Maple Forum on CD before I decided to draw back on that side of the site, and as I listen now to Cortez – a massive gatefold 2LP release with cover art by Alexander von Wieding that includes that 2009 demo as side D – I really do think it’s for the best that it ended up as a record. While my general preference is for shorter releases that, like a short story, can be absorbed in a single sitting, Cortez simply have more ground to cover. Ostensibly, this is their full-length debut, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a follow-up to the EP, one that’s nearly five years in the making and one that has to do the work of establishing Cortez not only as a fresh act in Boston’s admirable heavy rock scene, but also a band who’ve put that half-decade since their last offering to good use in terms of development and creative personality. That’s a lot to ask of a 40-minute album, or even a 50-minute album. Cortez’s Cortez, including the demo, tops out at 75 minutes, and that proves to be more than enough time to get the job done.

In that span, all four members – O’Dowd, Harrington, bassist Jay Furlo and drummer Jeremy Hemond – distinguish themselves, but most importantly, Cortez shines as a unit, and whether it’s the melodic complexity of a track like “Wormwood” or the doomed atmospheric reveling accomplished by the later “Satan,” their songwriting sensibility is never lost. There’s a clear allegiance to riff rock – that’s not to say “stoner rock,” though I think that’s part of their scope as well – but Harrington soulfully belts out these tracks in a manner that clearly indicates that though he’s a more than capable frontman, it’s not about any single person in the band, but about the group working together toward a shared whole. Solos are taken, to be sure – O’Dowd is a classy player and that shines through no matter how fuzzed out the material gets – but one gets no sense of ego bleeding through Cortez’s straightforward arrangements. With a crisp New Alliance Audio production and mix from Ethan Dussault, the songs prove to be their own greatest strength, and it’s not just the riff, or the bassline (though Furlo kills it in the rhythm section with Hemond, crafting the stomp that makes the back end of second track “All Hail” so effective), or the drums or the vocals. It’s how all of it works together. That might be the most modern aspect of their approach, clearly grown out of a Boston punker/hardcore ideology – “no rock stars” – but it’s well met by their classic rock structures and heavier leanings. Even at his roughest (i.e. even on those demos), Harrington is never separated entirely from a melody, and his professionalism is wonderfully matched in the presentation of the album’s 11 central cuts.

What Cortez don’t do, however, is fuck around. There are very few ethics to which I apply universal favor, and strong songwriting is one of them. Cortez make songwriting sound innate, effortless, like the “Helter Skelter”-referential chorus that immediately plasters “Johnny” on the lining of the cerebral cortex like it’s a gig flyer is just what the band does every day after work. As the opener, “Johnny” emphasizes many of the album’s best aspects. It is impeccably constructed, briskly performed and crisply presented, and that remains a thread that runs all the way through to pre-demo closer “Nice Try.” A lyrical narrative of dudely heartbreak is met by undeniable groove, and Harrington’s melodies are infectious alongside O’Dowd’s riffing. It’s especially interesting to listen to “Johnny” as the first of the three demo tracks, because as they appear in order of “Johnny,” “Until We Die” and “Monolith,” that’s also how they come up on the record – just with other songs in between. So it’s probably something you might recognize your second time through or on some subsequent listen, but those songs sort of wind up being anchors for the rest of the material. “All Hail,” which divides “Johnny” and “Until We Die” on Cortez-proper, marries an epic intro to a driving guitar-led central figure – Hemond (also of Roadsaw and also in Black Thai with O’Dowd) gives an especially rousing performance here to provide early indication of the diverse style in his play that manages never to lose accessibility despite being technically complex, particularly in the fills – and shifts with about two of its total five minutes left to the aforementioned stomp, changing tempo some but mostly relying on Hemond easing off on the drums and opening the groove up some to match the guitars and bass. That sets a high expectation, but “Until We Die” quickly outdoes it.

Read more »

Well I don’t know about you, but if Roadsaw made an EP just for me, I’d feel pretty dern special.

In order to honor the Massachusetts rockers’ upcoming appearance at the London Desertfest next week (my goodness how time flies), Roadsaw recently hit frontman Craig Riggs‘ own Mad Oak Studios to lay down three mostly-live tracks as an advance EP that they’ve made available for free download via Bandcamp. You’ll notice Tim Catz (of “70 RPMs” fame) killing it on bass on the moody “Twisted Steel and Broken Glass” and the bluesier “Burn Down the Night” — on which guitarist Ian Ross also shines amid some pretty righteous organ.

And while I once swore a blood oath never to groove on a song called “Monkey Skull” (that’s not true), the barn-burning, grunge-laden punk of the third cut is more than enough to make me rethink my (hypothetical) position on the matter, drummer Jeremy Hemond seeming to be on three cymbals at once in the chorus while Riggs makes himself at home in the catchy lines. If I get to see them play any of these tracks next week — or, you know, ever — I’ll feel like I’m winning out.

Dig it:

No word on if they’ll press these songs to any kind of plastic, be it that compatible to lasers or that best read by needles, but to download Roadsaw‘s new EP, click here to get it free from Bandcamp.

A little known band from California once said that, “five years is forever,” and though that band was wrong about many, many things, they were right on that one. Fortunately, Allston, Massachusetts, heavy rockers Cortez are making up for lost time. Their new full-length, Cortez, will be released as a 14-song double-LP on Bilocation Records next month.

The album follows the Buzzville Records EP, Thunder in a Forgotten Town, which was released in 2007. True, members of Cortez play in Roadsaw, Black Thai and other outfits, but even so, it’s hard to keep momentum going off an EP for half a decade. Periodic shows and regional tours in the Northeast US have helped, but there’s no denying that Cortez are overdue for an album. I think the band would probably be the first to say it.

So what we have, then, in Cortez‘s Cortez is a long, long awaited release of classic-minded heavy rock songwriting. You got your ’70s, you got your ’90s and you get your ’10s from how the two are combined. Cortez‘s combination of riffs and soul has only grown in potency since Thunder in a Forgotten Town, and Cortez, the album, shows that quality songwriting is ultimately timeless. Catchy is catchy, whatever year it happens to be.

In that regard, and as a fan of the band, it’s my honor to premiere the first studio-recorded audio from Cortez in five years. They hand-picked the song “Johnny,” which opens the album, and I probably would have chosen the same one, since it’s a case of the band rocking at their unpretentious best on a song that’s as well-performed as it is immediately memorable. In other words, I dig it and I hope you do too.

Please enjoy “Johnny” on the player below, followed by some info about the band and the album:

[mp3player width=460 height=120 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=cortez.xml]

Cortez is vocalist Matt Harrington, guitarist Scott O’Dowd, bassist Jay Furlo and drummer Jeremy Hemond. The album Cortez will be released on Bilocation Records as a 2LP, features artwork by Alexander Von Wieding and was recorded by Ethan Dussault at New Alliance Audio in Cambridge, MA. For more on the band and updates on the release, check out their Thee Facebooks or the label’s website.

Earlier this week, Orange Goblin frontman Ben Ward described sending tracks across the Atlantic to Roadsaw singer Craig Riggs so he could record a vocal guest appearance. I took that as a cue to hit up Riggs (who also tour managed Orange Goblin on their recent American tour), to see if he had anything to say about the process. The resulting couple paragraphs comprise what I’m thinking of as a bonus track to this whole series, snuck in just before the conclusion this coming week.

Hope you enjoy. To see all the updates on Orange Goblin‘s recording progress, click here. Thanks to Riggs for taking the time out:

After joking in the public eye (Facebook) with Mr. Ward about having me sing some backups on the new OG record, I was pleased to see an email that contained 10 fresh tracks from the band. Ben gave me few instructions on just what they wanted and which songs to sing on. “Focus on these two,” he said. So I went into Mad Oak Recording Studio (I know the owner) with engineer Joe Slibia. We worked on the two songs, and worked on a few more. I put backups on five songs and sent them back UK way. I let Ben know that I was going to lay down as much as I could in the day and the band could use what they wanted and toss out the rest. They seemed pretty happy with most of the stuff, and went onto mixing. So I will soon find out what made the cut, and what hit the floor. I for one am very excited.

This new OG record is going to kick ass! from what I gathered, it’s like a perfect blend of Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, yet remains completely Orange Goblin. There is some great melodies and a fine mix of tempos. Even the rough mixes I heard sound killer. Everyone hit this shit at the top of their game. I got excited about the latest Lo-Pan record when I first heard it. I feel the same way about this OG record. I can’t wait till everyone can hear the fuckin’ rock that is Orange Goblin.

Go figure.

I was thinking of catching Richmond Southern specialists The Might Could at Acheron in Brooklyn on Saturday, where they’re playing with two bands I’ve never heard of and thus care very little about. Tooling around the internets today and what do I see but that the very next night, they’re sharing the stage in Allston, Massachusetts, with Black Thai, Gozu and Riff Cannon — which, if you need me to spell it out, is a fucking awesome lineup.

Because I’m jealous, here’s the flier. Dig its informative minimalism:

It was a Sunday night in Brooklyn and Crowbar was at the recently-busted Santos Party House, so I thought I’d skip out on the Boardwalk Empire season finale (DVR’ed it) and check out the live set from Allston heavy rockers Black Thai at Hank’s Saloon. Between all these factors and the fact that it was cold as fuck out, I didn’t anticipate much of a crowd at Hank’s for Black Thai or Thinning the Herd, who opened — all the better to go. Fewer people means fewer assholes. Woody from Mighty High was there, and a few others, but Hank’s is a small room anyway, so it worked out.

This was the second or third time I’ve seen Thinning the Herd, and of all the bands kicking around New York right now, I just get the feeling these guys are on the right track. Especially in the work of guitarist/vocalist Gavin Spielman, they’ve got tremendous potential, and if they got hooked up with the right recording engineer, who understands their kind of music — riffing and aggressive, but still aware of melody — they could come out with something really killer. They weren’t as tight at Hank’s as when I saw them last at The Trash Bar, but a little looser worked great for the Sunday night and the laid back atmosphere of the show.

Black Thai killed. They barely fit on the stage, the four of them, but even in tight quarters, they rocked hard and heavy, drummer Jeremy Hemond (Roadsaw, Cortez) reaching high to nail his cymbals time and again, and guitarist Scotty Fuse (also Cortez) and guitarist/vocalist Jim Healy (ex-We’re all Gonna Die) emitting riffs and solos with charisma and energy while bassist Cory Cocomazzi filled out the low end and added a moodier feel to the material. They’d played the release show for their Blood from on High EP (review coming soon) the night before in their native Massachusetts, and some of that energy clearly carried over to Brooklyn. It was a welcome addition to the evening.

It wasn’t the highest profile show happening in New York Sunday night — for that matter, neither was Crowbar — but both Black Thai and Thinning the Herd delivered big, making it well worth the drive from Jersey on my end. It was great to see Black Thai for the first time live after listening to the two tracks from their demo (with which they opened the set) and to get to know Thinning the Herd better as a live act. The night wrapped at about midnight and I headed back through Manhattan and the Holland Tunnel feeling better than I’ve felt coming back from Brooklyn in a long time.

If you’re in Massachusetts this weekend, the place to be is Saturday Black Thai‘s CD release show with Black Pyramid, Riff Cannon and Livver. With it, the band kick off a week-long tour in support of their new EP, the soon-to-be-reviewed Blood From on High, and prove that the Massachusetts riff scene is as strong as ever.

I’d go myself, but that’s a long way away, and I’m hoping to see Black Thai the next night in Brooklyn with Thinning the Herd. Wherever you find yourself in relation to Black Thai, they’re definitely worth checking out. Here are the updated dates for their tour:

12/04 Great Scott – Allston, MA CD Release show w/Black Pyramid, Riff Cannon, Livver
12/05 Hank’s – Brooklyn, NY w/Thinning the Herd
12/06 The M Room – Philadelphia, PA w/Backwoods Payback, Boss 302
12/07 TBA
12/08 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE w/Hoodless, Agent Mofo, Lydia Can’t Breathe
12/09 Velvet Lounge – Washington DC w/Borracho, El Grande
12/10 DIVEbar – Raleigh, NC w/Righteous Fool (Mike and Reed from C.O.C. – Free show)
12/11 37th and Zen – Norfolk, VA w/The Crimson Electric, Fire Faithful

Well, that’s how you do it. You play some shows, you write some songs, then you make a record and you hit the road to get behind it. Kudos to Allston, Massachusetts rockers Black Thai, who feature in their ranks guitarist Scotty Fuse and drummer Jeremy Hemond from Cortez (the latter also of Roadsaw) and vocalist Jim Healey of We’re all Gonna Die, for getting their debut EP together and promptly booking a week’s worth of killer shows, including a free one with Righteous Fool (Mike Dean and Reed Mullin of C.O.C.). If you can help them with the TBA dates listed, hit them up at the email address below.

From the band:

Black Thai is heading out on the road to celebrate the release of our debut EP Blood from on High. We’re kicking it off with a CD release show followed by a week’s run down the East Coast.

12/04 Great Scott – Allston, MA CD Release show w/Black Pyramid, Riff Cannon, Livver
12/06 The M Room – Philadelphia, PA w/Backwoods Payback
12/07 TBA
12/08 TBA
12/09 Velvet Lounge – Washington DC w/Borracho, El Grande
12/10 DIVEbar – Raleigh, NC w/Righteous Fool
12/11 37th and Zen – Norfolk, VA

If anyone can help us out with 12/07 or 12/08, email us at blackthai (at) ymail.com.