Posted in Whathaveyou on August 3rd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The creativity born of restlessness. How was your quarantine? Was it productive? Well, if not, there’s always the next one, apparently. For Backwoods Payback guitarist/vocalist Michael Rudolph Cummings, the early part of the summer resulted in three new solo songs that he’ll release this week under the banner of MRC, or if you go by the logo, mRc. The EP is called What Year is It?, suitably enough, and is being self-released by Cummings with proceeds headed to the ACLU, which, you know, is legit. I don’t know who was involved in this recording with him — he calls the backing band The Souvenirs and has toured as mRc and the Souvenirs in the past — but the last time Cummings did an mRc release was 2015’s More Barn (streaming below) and that band included Jessica Baker from Backwoods Payback as well as Dan Metzker and Pat Shannon from Philly’s Hold Down the Ocean as well as drummer Mike Bardzik, who engineered that recording and also just engineered the new Hold Down the Ocean EP, Sidereal Month.
What Year is It? comprises three tracks and runs from heavier-ended Americana to more straight up ’90s alt worship and is a step-aside from some of the more intense fare that Backwoods Payback has unleashed over their last couple records, though Cummings‘ voice and songwriting are nothing if not characteristic. Kind of a fan-piece here, maybe, but hell, it’s a three-song tape, I can’t imagine he’s making too many of them, and all the money goes to the ACLU. You could do worse.
Incidentally, it’s definitely 2020. Sometimes feels like 1620.
Announcement is quick:
mRc – What Year is It? EP
August 7th I’m releasing a brand new mRc ep. Three songs written the first week of June and recorded the second week of July with the souvenirs. These songs are now. It’s never too late.
100% of the proceeds will be going to the @aclu_nationwide to ensure we can all keep fighting the good fight……
Easiest conversation I had last week went like this, “Hey man, we’re doing some shows with Cavern, you wanna present the tour?” “Yes. Duh.”
That’s not quite verbatim, but it’s enough to give you the gist anyhow, and when it’s Backwoods Payback doing the asking, the answer’s just about always going to be yes. Even if I hadn’t seen the Pennsylvania/Virginia three-piece last month at Maryland Doom Fest 2019 (review here) and been so thoroughly blown away, they’re reliable the way people think of sunrise as being reliable, and I’m too busy indulging delusions of relevance any time they ask for anything to say no. “Well, if Backwoods think it’s cool, I must be on to something,” and so on.
But lo! There’s intrigue here too, as the Marylanders Cavern will be heading out in their newfangled trio incarnation, having welcomed bassist Rose Heater to the lineup with guitarist/synthesist Zach Harkins and drummer Stephen Schrock and, for the first time, turning not just from a two-piece to a three-piece, but from an instrumental to a vocal-topped outfit as well. In order to “demonstrate their style” — as Madball once put it — Cavern put up the post-rocky, prog-tinged single “Fade Before the Flood” in April. You can hear it streaming down at the bottom of this post. Indeed, it sounds like something I’d want to check out live.
And because any excuse to put it on and I’m happy, I’ve included Backwoods Payback‘s 2018 album, Future Slum (review here), as well. I know you’ve heard me say it a ton of times by now, but if you haven’t given that record its due, the time is now. Quick, before they put out another one!
Genuinely thrilled to be involved here in the small way I am. Go see these bands on this tour:
Cavern & Backwoods Payback Sept. Tour: 09/23 Cleveland OH Now That’s Class 09/24 Youngstown OH Westside Bowl 09/25 Erie PA Basement Transmissions 09/26 Buffalo NY Mohawk Place 09/27 Toronto ON Bovine Sex Club 09/28 Montreal QC Turbo Haus 09/29 Philadelphia PA Kung Fu Necktie
CAVERN: Stephen Schrock- Drums Zach Harkins- Guitar/Synth Rose Heater- Bass/Vocals
BACKWOODS PAYBACK: Jessica Baker – Bass Mike Cummings – Guitar/vocals Erik Larson – Drums
I’ll admit I have no experience trying to manifest psychic weaponry of any sort, let alone a knife. If I did, I think I might go with a type-two phaser set to heavy stun and just shoot myself with it so I could get a full night’s sleep. But that aside, the visual theme to coincide with Backwoods Payback‘s “Pirate Smile” makes sense when one thinks of, you know, someone smiling at you and then stabbing you. There’s a connection there. It’s psychic. You can’t see it. But it’s there.
Also pretty easy to imagine envisioning a knife as a decent mindset for playing a show.
The song itself has a vaguely socio-political stance in terms of its lyrics — resulting in, among other things, a fun punk rocker’s emphasis on the word “fucked” as it’s presented in all-caps below — and the West Chester, PA/Richmond, VA three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mike Cummings, bassist Jessica Baker and drummer Erik Larson bring a likeminded uptempo kick to the track that they always seem to nail. There’s plenty of it to be heard on last year’s Future Slum (review here) and there was plenty of it when I saw the band this past weekend at Maryland Doom Fest 2019 (review here). They were a highlight of that festival, of course, as they’re a highlight pretty much of everything they do.
I don’t know if they’ve got more touring in the works this year or not — no, I didn’t ask; it’s not like I’m chasing bands around with a press card in my hat and mining for information; “Word on the street is you’re heading to Indy, can you confirm?” — but having so recently done so, I’ll reiterate that if you can see Backwoods Payback, do it. That’s pretty much all I have to say about it by now. I don’t care if you’re already a fan or not. If you can make it happen, make it happen.
Enjoy the video:
Backwoods Payback, “Pirate Smile” official video
From the 2018 Album, Future Slum
“The Initiates Guide to the Envisioning and the Initial Applications of the Knife”
a ship of sinking fools unaware of rising tides this population screwed standing in the bread or party lines in a word all they do is lie and they only work to waste all of our time in a way maybe I was blind now I’m old enough to open up my eyes you repeat the past mistakes I refuse to play in this charade a whole generation FUCKED cleaning up the messes that you’ve made in a word all you do is lie and you only work to waste all of my time ain’t no way no more I’ll be blind now I’m old enough to open up my eyes…what do you believe?
Shot by John Keefer & Chris Johnson Edited by Chris Johnson a 51DEEP Production
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 17th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
It will have been a couple months by the time Backwoods Payback hit the road again on their next DIY tour, this one headed west and south through a cut of the Midwest en route to SXSW in Austin, Texas, where they’ll play on March 14 before hitting Houston and leaving the Lone Star State behind with a couple more shows to wrap up. The Pennsylvania/Virginia (Pennsylginia?) three-piece will continue to support last year’s right-on-right-on Future Slum (review here), which put them ahead of the curve on any kind of grunge revival happening in the heavy underground while keeping to the punk root — and, clearly, work ethic — that’s been present in their sound all along.
To that end, don’t think the use of Raymond Pettibon art in their latest tour poster is a mistake or a coincidence, let alone the Black Flag-esque logo. They’re clearly aware of the kind of road-sloggery they’re doing, and while one doubts they’re eating dogfood — pretty sure convenience store burritos are cheaper anyway; plus they’re too friendly not to get fed — their commitment to “in the van” is admirable. Admirable enough you should get out and see them, anyhow. And maybe buy a t-shirt or an LP. You know, support and all that stuff that everyone hashtags nowadays.
Hashtag blessed, hashtag PR wire:
Backwoods Payback March Tour
Backwoods Payback March 2019 SXSW TOUR
Heading back out and hitting the spots we have been missing.
Week never ends up right? Don’t let that dull your knife!
Backwoods Payback March 2019: 7- sprout music West Chester PA 8- now that’s class Cleveland OH 9- melody inn Indianapolis IN 10- livewire Chicago IL 11- the blue room Dubuque IA 12- bottleneck Lawrence KS 13- Witts end Dallas TX 14- spider house Austin TX 15- rudyards Houston TX 16- boom boom room Lafayette LA 17- growlers Memphis TN 18- highlands tap Louisville KY
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 8th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
There are some really good shows on this tour. Boston. Brooklyn. Houston. New Orleans. Atlanta. And in between there aren’t many bummers to be found either, frankly. Backwoods Payback, whose recent live sets rank among some of the best I’ve seen domestically this year, head out once again supporting their 2018 album, Future Slum (review here), which, if you haven’t heard it, why not? They’ll do the Northeast and head south before cutting west into Texas, basically tying together a long weekender and a longer stretch as they do, en route to wrapping in North Carolina back on a northern swing. I could tell you to go see them and blah blah blah and all that kind of crap, but the bottom line is that the stream of Future Slum is embedded down there under the PR wire info for the tour, and you don’t check it out, it’s your loss. The rest of the blathering I’ll save for year-end list time.
Okay then:
BACKWOODS PAYBACK ANNOUNCE TOUR
Sludgy grunge outfit Backwoods Payback are about to embark on a tour in support of their recent album Future Slum, sharing the stage with Doomstress, Royal Thunder, and many more on their way from the Northeast to Texas and back.
Says the band: “Future Slum is here and it’s time to start spreading it across the land.
We are heading to some areas we haven’t toured in quite some time and a few bucket list destinations as well. The lineups for these shows are nuts. They form a pretty solid vision of where we come from, where we are, and where we are going.
This is just the beginning… Watch the trees, look past the tip of the knife… We will be running with the wolves.”
Tour Dates 11/16 – Midway (Boston MA) w/ Set Fire, Cortez, Lord Fowl 11/17 – Brickhouse (Dover, NH) w/ Set Fire, Scrimmy the Dirtbag, The Humanoids 11/18 – St. Vitus (Brooklyn, NY) w/ River Cult, Eternal Black, Blackout 11/19 – Basement Transmissions (Erie, PA) w/ Fog Giant 11/25 – Banditos (Richmond, VA) w/ Book Of Wyrms 11/27 – Springwater (Nashville, TN) w/ Shadow Horse, Hogan’s Goat 11/28 – Dan Electros (Houston, TX) w/ Doomstress, Red Beard Wall, Mr. Plow 11/29 – The Mix (San Antonio, TX) w/ Red Beard Wall 11/30 – Lost Well (Austin, TX) w/ Red Beard Wall 12/1 – Santos (New Orleans, LA) w/ Suplecs, Choke 12/2 – The Earl (Atlanta, GA) w/ Order of the Owl, Royal Thunder 12/3 – Slims (Raleigh, NC) w/ Chaosmic
BACKWOODS PAYBACK: Jessica Baker – Bass Mike Cummings – Guitar/vocals Erik Larson – Drums
[Click play above to view the premiere of Backwoods Payback’s ‘Generals.’ Their new album, Future Slum, is out now.]
Future Slum could hardly sound more sincere if Backwoods Payback had cut themselves open and bled it out. And, listening to the melodic, post-grunge ending of “It Ain’t Right” — an Alice in Chains reference, maybe? — I’m not entirely sure they didn’t. There are raging moments as the album begins at a sprint in “Pirate Smile” and “Generals” seems to lay hands on the listener only to shove them out of its way, and the later “Alone” offers tonal thickness and grooving lumber of a more seasoned pace. This while “Lines” finds the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mike Cummings, bassist Jessica Baker and drummer Erik Larson locked into blood-boiling tension before skillfully cramming in one last chorus for the opening salvo that ends with the rolling “Whatever” bringing forth a hook that one might call “signature” before guest vocalist Mlny Parsonz of Royal Thunder hurls out a scream that reminds of the harsher edge Backwoods Payback stand ready to unleash at any given moment.
Rest assured, Cummings will answer soon enough in “Threes” at the end of side A as Larson gives his toms a torrential workover, and “Generals” wants nothing either in terms of aggro edge. To the notion of authenticity as a myth in terms of art or, really, anything — it’s a false standard at the very least — Future Slum is a challenge. It is so much the band’s own, and so much of it comes across as an arrival point in their ongoing growth, that in kind with the atmospheric spaces it covers in “Cinderella” and “Alone,” its punk, metal, grunge and heavy rock elements craft an identity that stands in the middle of a Venn diagram of genres while delivering a hard no to committing to any of them for more than the purposes of the single track being served. And as they make their way through the 10 songs/34 minutes of Future Slum, what ties their disparate ideas together — aside from Baker‘s basslines, which would probably be enough on their own — ends up being that flat-out refusal to play to style or be anything other than the band they’ve become.
This isn’t accidental, of course. Backwoods Payback have never been shy in terms of getting out and touring, and as they returned in trio form with 2016’s Fire Not Reason (review here) after a half-decade’s relative quiet — they had a 2012 live release (discussed here) and 2014’s In the Ditch EP (review here) filling that gap — following 2011’s Small Stone-delivered sophomore album, Momantha (review here), they maintained their commitment to pushing their sound forward on stage. Future Slum only benefits from this on a performance level, as Cummings, Baker and Larson are tighter as a unit than they were even just two years ago, and one can hear it in the initial thrust of “Pirate Smile” as much as the dug-in emotionalism of the memorable “Big Enough,” a wistful highlight as much for its self-harmonizing as the instrumental build happening beneath, culminating in a wash and some quiet strum soon enough devoured by the opening riff of the penultimate “Alone.”
I used to call Backwoods Payback “dirt rock,” and there’s an aspect of that still applicable, but Future Slum makes easy tags a thing of the past, and as a fan, it’s all the more an exciting release for that. It’s been two full-lengths thus far, but since Cummings and Baker brought in Larson on drums, one can hear in the songs not that they’re playing against each other, but that all three members of the band are challenging each other to make the whole group stronger. And they do. Future Slum has three inclusions over four minutes long, and the band’s execution is accordingly teeth-grindingly tight, but as they continue to refine their processes and their delivery, their output makes it plain for anyone to hear that they’ve reached a new level in style and substance. Fortunately, in accord with this is a consistency of songwriting. Cummings‘ lyrics are spit poetry and the forward drive he, Baker and Larson are able to conjure amid dynamic turns of tempo and melody, is unmistakable. Fire Not Reason laid the foundation, and as a result of that, Future Slum is the strongest release they’ve ever had.
That’s true in terms of performance, craft and overall production sound, which remains thick where and when it needs to be while allowing the three-piece to still have a live feel and highlight nuances like the layered-in guitar effects in the second half of the opener or the timely shouts that punctuate the lines of “Generals.” Following the weighted nod of “Alone,” “Lucky” closes out as the longest cut at 4:57 and seems to find some middle ground in a Sabbathian central riff and steady initial pace, but true to form, it ups the tempo in a classically metallic turn — no less Sabbath, for that matter — that soon enough gives way to the slower chorus before landing in a chug that seems to disintegrate as it fades out, ending Future Slum with a bit of tension that one might even dare to think Backwoods Payback would answer with the start of their next album. Whether they do or don’t, and wherever they might go from here, the organic nature of their progression only makes Future Slum all the more of an accomplishment.
Some 11 years removed from their self-titled debut, they’ve risen to their own challenge and come together to create something special and truly theirs. It’s not dirt rock. It’s not stoner, or Southern rock, or doom or grunge or hardcore punk or whatever else. It’s Backwoods Payback. They’ve carved their sonic persona out of all of these things, and most of all, stayed true to themselves while embracing such a breadth of influence. In their faster and slower songs alike, one can hear the sense of immediacy, and it’s completely reasonable why. Backwoods Payback have been around, and they’re not dumb. This is a moment they’ve managed to capture, and there are parts of Future Slum that sound like they’re almost chasing after themselves before they get away. That’s not a negative at all. Rather, as it manifests here, it serves notice of the consciousness underlying their efforts, and they’re right. This is a watershed for them. Their urgency is nothing if not well placed.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 1st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
New Backwoods Payback arrives on a relatively quick turnaround. This is unmistakably good news, as it means all that, “We feel better as a band than we’ve ever felt” stuff wasn’t just riding a cool moment, but actually something that has fed into the creative process. Since founding duo Mike Cummings (guitar/vocals) and Jessica Baker (bass) joined up with Erik Larson (drums; ex-Alabama Thunderpussy, etc.), they’ve seem recharged. You could hear it on late-2016’s Fire Not Reason (review here), and I’m not saying that I’ve already listened to it or anything, but their new one, Future Slum, is only a step forward from where they left off a year and a half ago.
For a bonus to the good news, they’ve got live shows coming up, including Maryland Doom Fest 2018, so dig the album art and posters below, then find more from the PR wire, a special quote Cummings sent over about the record, and a teaser clip.
All goes like this:
Backwoods Payback – Future Slum
Future Slum is not a pretty record. It’s not the clean and well-manicured one sitting awkwardly at a table in the local watering hole, it’s the grizzled one propping up the bar and regaling the crowd with conspiracy theories. Mike Cummings, guitarist and vocalist of Backwoods Payback – the ones responsible for this lumbering hulk of stoner rock n’ roll – certainly fits the bill, whether he’s yowling his head off or singing in an eerily hypnotic manner. Meanwhile, Jessica Baker is the reliable anchor on bass, and Erik Larson (he of Alabama Thunderpussy and the legendary hardcore band Avail, no less) gives a thumping performance on his kit. A friend pops her head round the door too – Mlny Parsonz of Royal Thunder trades words in her usual melodious tones on the apathetic ‘Whatever’, yet also pulling out a surprising rasp.
Backwoods Payback are also able to spin a good yarn about their travels – sharing stages with Fu Manchu, Scissorfight and Third Eye Blind, a bewildering list when put side-by-side, but each represents an important factor in this band’s aesthetic. Fu Manchu demonstrate the “gloryfucked fuzz”, as Backwoods Payback so eloquently put it; Scissorfight showcase the no-holds-barred burly brawling such as on “Generals”; Third Eye Blind for the occasional moments of calm (!) like in “Big Enough”, giving brief respite from the warning shots being fired throughout the rest of the records.
Five albums in, Future Slum is the fruit of a hard slog for fifteen years. Understandably, they are excited for it to see the light of day, not least for its cryptic subject matter. “It all revolves around the idea of feeling lost and disenfranchised with your surroundings, finding your people, and losing yourself within them. Have you ever followed?” Mike finishes, quoting from second track “Lines”. It’s up to you if you can read between them.
Mike Cummings on Future Slum:
We went into the studio (back to Noisy Little Critter, where we have done everything since “in the ditch”) immediately following our Jan tour with Royal Thunder and laid down the record. We had been working on the songs for the few months leading up to that tour and it came together very fast. This definitely feels like the next step in the evolution of the band since Erik joined. The three piece thing has really streamlined the writing process and kind of taken us to a whole new place. I’m not quite sure where we fit into the landscape anymore, but we are making ourselves at home in this little valley we are carving out. We are stoked to be hitting the road again and getting back on the horse. See you out there with some new jams, some new gear, some new ideas, and our old hearts.
BACKWOODS PAYBACK: Jessica Baker – Bass Mike Cummings – Guitar/vocals Erik Larson – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 3rd, 2017 by JJ Koczan
As they continue to support late-2016’s Fire Not Reason (review here), Pennsylvania-based trio Backwoods Payback will hit the road for 11 shows alongside Royal Thunder this coming January. Most of the gigs are in the Southeast, but the tour starts out in Philly and hits Brooklyn before dipping back down the Eastern Seaboard to hit Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and so on, and in addition to Royal Thunder and Backwoods Payback, the first four nights of the stint are set to feature Heavy Temple as well, which only bolsters the bill as far as I’m concerned.
I was lucky enough to see guitarist/vocalist Mike Cummings, bassist Jessica Baker and drummer Erik Larson perform earlier this year at Roadburn 2017 (review here) as part of their European tour with New Hampshire riffwreckers Scissorfight, and of the many times I’ve been fortunate to see them play, I can’t recall one where they sounded so completely on-all-cylinders. The material on Fire Not Reason is a joy of heavy rock combined with raw hardcore, metal and other elements, and their presentation has never been so tight. Am I telling you outright it’s worth showing up to see them play? Yes, yes I am.
They announced the tour thusly:
Greetings from the other side of Halloween!
Lots about to be happening in the Backwoods Payback camp. We are hitting the road this coming Jan 2018 for a run of shows supporting ROYAL THUNDER! Heavy Temple will be jamming the first four shows with us as well.
1/18 – Philadelphia PA, Kung Fu Necktie 1/19 – Brooklyn NY, St Vitus 1/20 – Lancaster PA, Lizard Lounge 1/21 – Richmond VA, Strange Matter 1/22 – Charlotte NC, The Milestone 1/23 – Johnston City TN, The Hideaway 1/24 – Nashville TN, The End 1/25 – Jackson MS, CS’S 1/27 – Birmingham AL, The Nick 1/28 – Atlanta GA, The Earl 1/29 – Raleigh NC, Slims (just Backwoods Payback)
We were also just announced as a part of the Maryland Doom Fest taking place June 22/23/24 2018 in Frederick MD alongside some old friends in The Obsessed, Windhand, Weedeater, Lightning Born, Caustic Casanova and a TON more!
Some cool stuff should be hitting the digital shelves before the end of the year too…keep your eyes peeled
See you on the road,
bp
BACKWOODS PAYBACK: Jessica Baker – Bass Mike Cummings – Guitar/vocals Erik Larson – Drums
