Eugene weekly., June 28, 2012, Page 21, Image 21

music
No Smiles, All Styles
Sad Face, the Seattle-based rock band, has a sound
that secretes a cavernous misery with narrow undertones
of pleasure; a juxtaposition only achievable by masters of
music.
With guitar riffs and raw vocals reminiscent of groups
like Radiohead and Wilco, Sad Face’s sound is difficult to
classify. “Usually I say we are a noisy rock band; we can
utilize noise as well as harmonies,” vocalist Tim Mendosa
says. “We try use all those ridiculous classification and
say we are avant-garde, post-music, classic, jazz, funk or
something.”
Sad Face creates an ominous vibe at live shows with
commanding lyrics and rich instrumentals. But the group
is not completely devoid of humor. “Our shows have a
pretty intense energy, but in between songs we have a
tendency to get goofy,” Mendosa says.
Sad Face’s vocal and instrumental abilities are a
There’s Never Any Leftover Crack
Punk was designed to exude grease. Oily, filthy, sweaty
grease at the perimeter of safety-pin piercing-holes and
studded denim vests. The turn of the millennium saw crust-
punk outfit Leftover Crack making its start with Choking
Victim frontman Stza (Scott Sturgeon) bloodletting his
disgusting songs to the public. It didn’t take long for
Leftover Crack to get picked up and widely released, and
more than a decade later the five-piece N.Y. group, which
laces ska and grimy squatter-punk noise together without
delicacy or poise, is still going strong, starting mosh pits
and farting out nasty punk rock.
There’s a wail of rebel revolution at the backdoor of
Leftover Crack’s sound, though this is due to a steeping in
punk-movement dregs from years passed, and it’s probably
a credit of success that the band’s music makes angst-
ridden punkers twitch like ... well ... like they just freebased
cocaine. Alec Baillie and Ara Babajian, who work the rhythm
section, are completely responsible for this — not because
there’s anything particularly proprietary about their
generic, albeit talented, drum and bass work, but they’re
tight and at the end of the day no one’s gonna listen unless
you can keep a beat going, even if it does become a catalyst
for getting your teeth knocked out and your gums bashed in
with a spiked bracelet.
A longstanding riot mentality that got dumped out on
the sidewalk with the falling ra-ra-ra of ‘70s punk flies out of
the Leftover Crack community like shrapnel in an explosion
of throaty, phlegm-fueled lyrics, distorted guitars and the
people screaming for change. They’ll probably never get it,
just like there’ll never be any leftover crack, but that’s just
what keeps the fight alive. Raise a fist, fuckers, Leftover
Crack’s bubbling in the pipe, waiting to give our town an
overdose of awesome.
Leftover Crack and Skatter Bomb play 8:30 pm Sunday,
July 1, at WOW Hall; $10 adv., $12 door. — Andy Valentine
textured sound, carefully designed and gently woven.
“We generally like having balance between personal,
emotional stuff and also more out of body observational
stuff,” Mendosa says.
“For not having that many instruments there’s a lot
going on,” guitar player Joel Katzenberger says. “There
are four singers, four guitars and bass and drums.
There’s an element of noise and a sonic quality that
creates this dynamic setting.”
Currently Sad Face is working on refining its moody
sound and creating a cohesive full-length album to
showcase the group’s abilities. “We want to try to be
accessible enough but still also a little left of the dial,”
Mendosa says. “We find a balance between catchiness
and shit that’s just weird.”
Sad Face plays 9 pm, Thursday, June 28, at Sam
Bond’s; $1-$5 sliding scale. — Ali Enright
Landing Party
Portland’s Lost Lander produced some funny YouTube
clips to promote its last Kickstarter campaign. Go watch,
I’ll wait … Okay, I told you they’re funny. But these clips are
painfully smart and a little sad. The schmarmy faux-
telethon spoof (callers are standing by, only you can help
fund our next record) is the future of music.
The internet, once ballyhooed as freeing artists from
constraints of commercial concerns, has instead left them
standing on a street corner with a cardboard sign reading:
“Will record music for food.”
The YouTube satire proves Lost Lander isn’t your
average indie band. And while Portland is one of the
hippest places on the planet right now, the problem with
being “in” is that one day you’ll be “out,” and Portland’s
rock scene is showing signs of stagnation. The Decemberists
are graying at the temples, Blitzen Trapper sounds like dad-
rock and the Dandy Warhols long ago descended into their
Odditorium. So what’s next? It might be Lost Lander.
Lost Lander’s 2012 release DRRT is literate and
bittersweet indie-pop with synthy new-wave flourishes.
Vocalist and songwriter Matt Sheehy (who bills himself as
a singer/forester — how Oregonian is that?) sings in a reedy
tenor recalling James Mercer of the Shins. Much of DRRT
came about in remote locations on the Oregon coast, and
the recording sounds like overcast with great waves
cresting onto rocks. Inevitably, DRRT will end up on best-of
lists, and it deserves to. Lost Lander deserves to be
listened to, particularly live.
Lost Lander plays with The Golden Motors 9 pm
Thursday, June 28, at Cozmic; $6 adv., $8 door.
— William Kennedy
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