Cathedral, Indeed- My Night With The Ware River Club

The Ware River Club from my pleasant little hometown of Northampton MA are a fantastic band. "Cathedral" is their third album, a national release on Spirithouse, an ADA-distributed indie. "Cathedral" is so beautiful that if you're not careful when you listen to it, well, cowboy, I can't be responsible for your ass falling off. Boom. Both cheeks. Right on the floor.

Spirithouse is also the home of another band I love deeply and play with, King Radio. Also on Spirithouse are Northampton's brilliant and venerable Ray Mason and The Lonesome Brothers. This label has done a public service beyond measurable ken recording and putting this shit out. Spirithouse? Tits up. They're done. Broke. Somebody shoulda let 'em in on the minor flaw in their business plan: MUSIC THAT ISN'T ABSOLUTE, EXECRABLE SHITE. Oops, we forgot to release FUCKING CRAP.

Ware River Club? History. Destroyed by debt, from the look of things. The gig I played bass for them last night was probably their last. I hork up chunks of lung when I think about it. This singer and front guy Matt Hebert is a writer of frightening scope and although their first two albums are superhip and really very good, "Cathedral" is in a class of its own because it is so flat-out beautiful. These guys let themselves do stuff that they hadn't before, vis-a-vis love songs and vulnerability and major sevenths. The song "Cathedral" itself is so sad and true and pretty that you could just cry. Oh, fuck oh dear is this some good and important shit. These are some really sick musicians. Matt Cullen the stage left guitarist has been playing for about 100 years and has been fired for being good by more major labels than there are anymore. Bob Hennessy, the stage right guitarist was the consummate stylist. His tone is extremely unique; he's doing this thing with swells and electronics that make his guitar sound like a pedal steel and it's really working. Probably helps that he's an asskicking pedal steel guitarist. Drummer Don McAuley was amazing; tasteful and propulsive and somehow not too loud. The room was fairly small and he played to it with great empathy. I locked with him from the first bar and was feeling it all night.

Did I have some big shoes to step into? Let me put it this way- T-Bone Wolk played bass on a couple of these tracks. I smoked HIS rank amateur ass.

'Course, it's 2005 so nobody wants to hear. These guys are in their 30's and don't look like faggot male models and god forbid a couple are maybe in their (hush hush) 40's so what could they possibly have to say? what wisdom could they possibly have to impart that a fucking 19-year old bottle blond hooker with fake tits couldn't impart better, yeah? The folks just want more processed, derivative, useless, redundant, unimportant, unimaginative garbage that they can swallow and shit out without thinking. These guys'll end up like me, playing fucking shit at fucking weddings. Fuck that. A-holes.



Go and buy this fucking records right now and maybe Baby Creepus will forgive you.

Actually, I take it back- these fellas are hot, hot, hot.

"buy this fucking records". ha ha.

RIGHT NOW. It's good for you. The Killers are not good for you. Green Day is no longer nutritious. Kanye West? I'm not even going to say anything.

Oh, you fucking kids today. You're supposed to listen to th' edgy shit, don't you know that? Yer spending yer parent's hard earned dollars to LINE THE MAN'S POCKETS. You're BLOWING IT!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. Or maybe that's how you kids rebel now; you piss your hip parents off by being little Robot Consumers. Hey, whatever it takes, you little miniconservatives. All that DARE propaganda has gotten to you. Smoke a fucking joint, for fucks sake. Steal Mom's cigarettes. Oh, wait, nobody smokes anymore. And with good reason- you don't wanna come down with Black Lung with THIS fucking health care system.

You'd be FUCKED.

Folks, it's time for violent overthrow. But can we not kill civilians? Please? What is it with you fucking pussy terrorists? Kill somebody who fucking matters. Jesus Christ. You fucking pussies. go after politicians for fucks sake. You think the man on the street is the cause of your problems? Jesus, don't they teach you ANYTHING in those fucking Madrasas except how to be pussy fucking ASSHOLES? You want the sympathy of the American Working Stiff? You want the hearts and minds of the proletariat? Kill a fucking senator for fuck's sake, you faggots. Whack an "elected" representative or 50 for shit's sake.

Jesus WEPT, for fucks sake.

I love that- Jesus WEPT. That's up there with using "words of christ in RED!" as an oath. That's awesome.

KREEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heh heh.

Played up in Vermont on Friday night at some place in Newfane. Got paid; didn't get ass kicked. That Is A Good Gig. Those are the 2 Magic Hallmarks of the Good Gig.

I have to go- I think homeland security is at the door.