Black History Moth: Black History Moth report
Report from the road(s) from Nathan:
Black History Moth's first jaunt outside of the commonwealth left two members reevaluating their place in the squall, leaving Nat and I to play four duo shows before tearing back into Blacksburg. The first two nights in Cookeville, TN were signposts to what would come. On the 23rd and 24th the four of us rumbled the walls of a tiny one-room storefront space that faced the highway. Onlookers and listeners were limited to a handful of high-schoolers who were more interested in bumming cigarettes and beer. First night was much too rockist for my taste. As Trevor's laptop refused to cooperate we fell back on lazy stoner riffs and walls of volume. The second night opened some pathways that would be throroughly explored on the rest of the trip: mic'd sruti, heavy bass drones, sheets of glass-and-laser guitar. The success wasn't enough to keep Trevor and Walker on board, but in the end this turned out for the best.
Charlotte was another almost empty house but the sounds opened up and breathed with the two-man assault: pulsing chord-organ waves, motorik percussion, and some of my first attempts at vocal delay. When in doubt, drench in reverb.
Orlando was the clear high-point. Boundless hospitality, wonderful acts on the festival bill, lots of warm Scotch and sneaky sips of white label Jim Beam. Lots of thisty listeners and hungry eyes for this set with a stunning sound set-up to boot. Individual drum mics! Monster PA! Nat and I fell in with each other in a way that we've never done before or since. I pushed the vocal delay to the limits on this one, straining the walls and filling the air with the screams of drowning ghosts. Nat's playing was otherworldly and surreal, so it's a good thing that we have a high quality recording of the whole thing. One witness swore we were the sound of a Buddhist temple burning to the ground. If that's not a compliment, well...you know the rest. Thanks, Florida. Keep the heat to yourself please.
Chapel Hill was practically a repeat of Charlotte, at least in terms of general mood and audience apathy. Night had its moments musically and otherwise: free beer and food, Wrath of Khan on the VCR, and a party so terrible it crossed the line into comical, thank the stars.
The wrap-up show at the noisehouse in Charlotte Courthouse was the perfect nightcap. Longtime Moth member Jojo was able to join Nat and me after being previously incapacitated from a gnarly car accident. As the set began all seemed to be in order, but drunken audience participation reached critical mass at about the 15-minute mark and things elevated into a blissful, beautiful chaos. By the time I was finished with my darth-vader mask vocals (a truly hellish rumble) I realized that my drums were occupied by another frenzied fest-goer. Solution? Scream into the mask some more, stick your head into the bass drum, wait for a signal to toss a few cymbals at the ceiling. Thanks to people for listening and for the kind words. Moth live CD now being compiled. Tentative title: CORRUGATED CRUCIFIX BBQ. Casiotone for life!
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