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GARAGE ROCK SAVAGERY
■■■he last time I stumbled upon Thee Oh
I Sees, I literally happened upon them
after hearing the echoing screeches of
guitar in open Austin city air, reeled in
by the faint sound of a kick drum pulsating
in the distance. It was 3 a.m. on some blurry
night of the whirlwind week known as SXSW,
and people who were picking up their third
wind were rushing up the pedestrian bridge,
crossing Ladybird Lake to see what all the
loud noise and commotion was about. When
we made it to the top of the bridge we found
out—there they were, plugged into a genera
tor, ihe crowd five-bodies deep all around
and closing in as San Francisco garage-rock
royalty screamed rock and roll in our untiring
mugs. The crowd-entity sucked in all those
standing near—a disjointed but connected
amorphous blob with Thee Oh Sees as the
nucleus sending impulses out to its extremi
ties. There was electricity snapping between
our limp and flailing bodies, basslines jolting
us this way and that, and John Dwyer howling
into the microphone under a March moon put
ting the devil into each and every one of us.
We screamed right back at them, pushing and
shoving for no good reason, climbing over one
another to surf over the crowd unbounded, no
ceilings. We were savages.
For the band, rowdy behavior is nothing
new. It is something these four have been
sparking all around America, across seas in
foreign countries, in cramped bars under
red lights, in smoke-filled rooms and in the
dingy basements of dance halls. Dwyer is an
animal ripping raw, wiry rock riffs and lead
ing his pack into turbulent, hazy jams. Thee
Oh Sees offer a wild, drugged concoction of
shrieking noise, reverbed yelps and tremors of
crude sound and a chugging rhythm section
inducing quadrospastic seizures. Dwyer, along
with Brigid Dawson on vocals and keys, Petey
Dammit on guitar and Mike Shoun on drums,
has been relentlessly bringing Thee Oh Sees'
rough and gritty sound to garage-rock fans all
over, with frequent hometown shows in San
Francisco and constant touring.
"Touring's the only thing I know," Dwyer
told transatlantic Bearded Magazine last sum
mer while playing a handful of shows across
Europe. Thee Oh Sees are starting off 2011
with another U.S. tour, leaving their Bay
Area nest for sunny Miami for the soon-to-be
infamous Bruise Cruise, which sets sail for a
three-day rock and roll party at sea out to the
Bahamas. The Cruise, an event cooked up by
Panache Booking's Michelle Cable, is a treat
for any garage-rock fan. In addition to Thee
Oh Sees, the lineup includes The Black Lips,
Vivian Girls, Surfer Blood and Turbo Fruits. In
honor of the inaugural Bruise Cruise, Goner
Records is releasing a split 7-inch between
Thee Oh Sees and Bay Area buds Ty Segall,
which is included with the $500 ticket price
of the Bahamas-bound vacation. Luckily for
those of us who can't afford to dish out that
kind of cash, we can take a vacation in our
backyard as Thee Oh Sees bring the party to
the Caledonia Lounge.
Brian bchon
RYAN
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NEWEST OVER-ACHIEVER
onahan wanted two things out of
his move to Athens: an adventure
and a place to make music. And
since his arrival in 2008, he's had
both—in spades. In less than three years,
Monahan has done more than many Athens
musicians have done in their entire career, and
he's just gotten started. Today he's preparing
for the official release of his new album, Stop
Saying I—a skillfully constructed eight-song
treasure that's easily already one of the most
beautiful local albums of 2011.
Hearing the record today, it's hard to
believe that it almost didn't happen. In
fact, from its inception, the album took over
two years and four studios to complete and
met countless roadblocks along the way.
In fact, 90 percent into
the record's completion
with Downtown Athens
Recording Company's Eric
Friar, the studio closed its
doors for good. "It was
a real test of patience to
keep moving forward,"
Monahan says. "I helped
Eric tear down his studio
downtown and then waited
as he rebuilt it in his
house." Luckily, Monahan
persevered and eventually
finished the album.
Stop Saying I is a
unique and multi-layered
dark jazz, alt-pop gem.
Monahan notes that
although Damon Albarn,
Paul Simon, Arcade Fire
and '80s Britpop some
of his top influences for
the album, each song is
purposefully distinct for
the purpose of storytell
ing—ultimately sharing a
tale of personal growth.
One of the most notable
tracks of the record, the
mournfully heartfelt "Love
Me Sober," was recorded in
Monahan's living room and
almost didn't make the cut.
"It's really lo-fi because
it wasn't professionally
recorded, which actually gives it a unique con
trast to the rest of the stuff on the album."
After completing an album as strong as
Monahan's latest release, most artists would
be dizzy with excitement. However, Monahan
feels more relieved and overwhelmed. He also
says there are still a few things he would have
liked to have done differently, such as includ
ing a string orchestra. "I always listen back
and hear what I thought could be better,"
Monahan says. "I see everything as sort of a
painting that never dries."
While the obstacles and struggles of fin
ishing the record were frustrating, Monahan
believes the relationships forged during the
process were well worth the setbacks. The
importance of live music and the camaraderie
of musicians in Athens is something he says
he hadn't fully experienced in previous towns.
After completing his music degree,
Monahan gained recognition as a member of
bands Eschellon and Shadowgraphs in New
Haven, CT, where he says musical resources
were limited. It was during his stint in
Brooklyn that Monahan—heeding the advice
of a close friend—finally decided to pack up
everything that would fit into his car and
head for Athens.
"I realized that if I wanted to stay in
Brooklyn, I'd struggle a lot financially and
probably not have a lot of time to work on
music," he says. "I wanted to move to a city
where I could have the free time to record and
rehearse."
Upon landing in Athens, Monahan joined
Beatles cover band Beatles for Sale and
began playing local shows and party gigs.
Beatles for Sale caught the attention of sev
eral Athenians, including Cindy Wilson of The
B-52s, who hired the band's services twice
for her own parties. Eventually, Wilson asked
Monahan to take part in her project, Ola
Moon.
As a part of Ola Moon, Monahan performed
for R.E.M.'s 30th Birthday in March 2010 and
at a Dali Exhibit at Atlanta's High Museum of
Art this past August. He is quickly gaining
local and national recognition as songs he
recorded on previous records have played on
major TV networks, national radio stations and
in the soundtrack for the 2009 major motion
picture Crossing Over.
* "This is another thing about Athens,"
Monahan says. "You put yourself out there,
and you end up meeting people and these
strange, magical things happen. You end up
playing in a band with Cindy Wilson."
Carrie Dagenhard
WHO: Monahan
WHERE: little Kings Shuffle Club
WHEN: Friday. Feb. 18.10:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH: FREE! (before II p.m ),
$5 (after 11 p.m.)
Admission includes a free CO.
16 FLAGP0LE.C0M-FEBRUARY 16, 2011
