#oxep

COALESCE by Morgan Y. Evans

LINKS:

myspace.com/coalesce

Someday the shameless bastards out there are going to remake even The Wizard Of Oz. Maybe even Gone With The Wind with Megan Fox and that Twilight dork. Nothing is sacred or left alone. I'm not about living in pure nostalgia and have even been proven wrong before about some things that I never would've considered worth the time of day (like Alice In Chains without Layne. It might not be the same without him but they still made a great album with William DuVall). Still, there is something to be said about the reliable institutions out there.

Since forming in '94, Missouri's Coalesce have consistently made some of the most important underground heavy records out there. Even after a ten year break between 1999's 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening and 2009's critically acclaimed powerful reclamation of metalcore OX, this is a band that you can rely on.

It was great a few years ago when Helmet came back and taught the cocky young blades out there a thing or two with Size Matters (particularly with the pulverizing and yet melodic "Crashing Foreign Cars"). Coalesce pull off a similar feat on OX and with the close on its heels companion OXEP (both on the mighty Relapse Records), making new art that nonetheless can fit in amidst past victories and yet outshine many current contenders for the throne. It's not every band that rather early in their career could pull off a split with the mighty Napalm Death, and the band has lost none of that steam in the interim years. "Questions To Root Out Fools" from OX retains the rolling grooves and desolate yet liberating chords that make listening to Coalesce like being hypnotized by a meat-grinder (in a good way). You can hurl your body into this music and let it envelope you, like Today Is The Day or Landmine Marathon or any band that really shakes the walls with no bullshit attached. The OX and OXEP full experience is something not to be missed, especially with the strange yet somehow cohesive injection of Americana influences that color songs like "Wild Ox Moan" and the cold-twang of "Joyless In Life". East Coast fans of Coalesce can also rejoice that they'll be closing out the their triumphant return year of '09 by decimating Brooklyn's Club Europa with A Storm Of Light and Coliseum (can you say "sick line-up"?) near the end of December.

I talked with guitarist Jes Steineger about their motivations, camaraderie, and the (not even dysfunctional) relationship between OX and the OXEP.

MORGAN Y. EVANS: OX and the OXEP are meant to be considered together instead of as an album and left overs. There are certainly thematic or musical correlations, but can you kind of take a magic marker and underline for us why some songs made one release versus the other conceptually? Was it all about feel or segues that worked?

JES STEINEGER: We recorded the less crash and bang songs on OX toward the end of those sessions. All of us had such a good time doing it that somebody said it would be cool to just do an entire album of pieces like those. All non-crash and bang songs with the OX-esque western vibe; that was the original idea behind OXEP. Over the next few months we wrote “The Blind Eye” and tried it out at the Scion fest in Atlanta. That weekend at the fest, we got snowed in and started putting together some more songs. When it came time to finally record, we had a couple western jams and a few crash and bangs that felt complete as an EP. That’s the gist.

MYE: What have been some of the irresistible grin inducing moments of being "back" for the band, whether old faces in the crowd or shared "psychic" moments or in-jokes between the band when confronted anew with playing live in a familiar city within the context of the latest era of the band?

JS: Every tour or weekend trip brings its own inside jokes and moments. Part of the joy of doing Coalesce is the spontaneity it brings, so I don’t think there are too many things that have carried into the present from the past. Maybe there wasn’t as much joking back then? I guess nicknames carry over for years actually; but a lot of jokes just get old and lose their humor. I often feel irresistible grins when I find myself suddenly tuned to Z onstage, knowing that Ellis is plotting the ways he will attack me once the set is over. Whenever we write a song we name it before Sean has even put lyrics to it (e.g., "5 Alive", "Bacon Fat", "Balls", "Nude Western", "High Noitey", etc.).

MYE: See, I like some of those names! A lot of bands do that. Coheed and Cambria's "The Light & The Glass" has a working title of "Stairway To Heaven part 2".

JS: The problem with this tradition is that it takes us especially long to get used to the official names that Sean finally gives the songs. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time I was in Europe. It was by far the best Coalesce tour we’ve ever had, I think. That was a pretty special thing to share with the guys. No sleep, but a lot of fun. And even within that trip there were particularly memorable moments. I think we all had the same feeling of excitement during that BBC session. It was powerful to be in that famous studio; just the four of us, our instruments, and two best friends. It was awkward to have someone besides Ed in the control room, but we let it go pretty quick. Another great grin-inducing moment is when someone comes up to us at a show and says, “Man, I haven’t seen you guys in forever; at least 6 or 7 years! Who is the new guitarist?”

MYE: The best part (to me) of more enlightened thinking is being able to recognize your own processes/cycles and also to lay claim to your heritage and "identity" as well as to see outside the box and sort of objectively look "above" yourself, for lack of a better word. Your band has always been reflective and angry, but I think the horizon line where the two meet and you can sort of find more "peace" is probably by doing something along the lines of where OX is at. I mean, every record for a musician is an expression or search in some ways, but it is also good to make a document to your own sense of Americana,as you've mentioned elsewhere. Thoughts?

JS: I think we’ve always considered ourselves less angry than many give us credit for. I think all of us find anger quite banal. There’s a place for anger in our music, I guess, but I’d hate to think it’s one of the defining characteristics.

MYE: Sure, you guys are contemplative as well as loud. It isn't mindless.

JS: I’ve spent a good portion of my life looking for powerful moments of emotional excess. I think it’s fair to say that all the Coalesce records were an expression of my (our) search for more excess. I also agree with you that there’s a deep sense of tranquility after going through high emotional moments. I felt that way when OX was finally recorded and mixed. I feel that way after a show. Sometimes I feel that way after rehearsal, depending on how long it has been since we last practiced. So OX follows our pattern when it comes to looking for deep feeling in music. The Americana aspect of OX is an expression of both intention and happenstance. We definitely had conversations where we discussed what it would mean to build on the Midwestern and earthy dimensions of our background; but I think we also consciously avoid putting too much “reflection” in Coalesce since that ends up making the whole thing too taxing. There’s a lot of tongue in cheek mixed in with that Midwestern Americana.

MYE: Sure thing. Growing up, I was always thrilled to have a "different" musical experience than other people and then compare it to theirs, whether finding a Fugazi live-bootleg tape from Germany or getting into The Ventures or whatever. It wasn't about being snobbier-than-thou or having more rare Misfits 7" than anyone else (although I wish I did). Nowadays it seems like there is more of a desire for the same signifiers and shared experiences of music. It's weird, everyone wants to feel safe and secure but also "cool", which leads to some weird crossover points between punk rock and arena ambition or trend-hopping. I guess it makes me sad when I talk to someone amazing like Tribe After Tribe and then think about how many kids are less open to different elements and want it all mapped out for them.

JS: I’m not sure what to say in response. I don’t think I’ve ever thought that a person could have the same musical experience. People can like the same thing, but I don’t think that’s equivalent to having the same experience. A person’s experience is as unique as that person herself. And ultimately, it’s hard for me to think that the punk underground was ever free of trend-hopping or shared signifiers for what’s “cool.” Maybe you’re just wanting to make the point that “punk” used to signify something unique and small, but now it has become the new arena rock. Surely there are kids in every scene, underground or mainstream, who want things mapped out for them, but surely there are a portion that don’t. In any case, Coalesce has always brought us into contact with open-minded people, and we’ve met a good deal of younger kids at our shows these past few years that seem to be no less interested in finding authentic experiences through music than we were when we were younger.

MYE: Right on. Some bands like Burnt By The Sun chose to release that elusive "one last record" or came back and made a statement, like Starkweather. What has made you decide to keep going (again) instead of billing this as a (new) last hurrah?

JS: We learned our lesson the hard way when it came to announcing our last hurrah. We are incredibly appreciative of the people who have supported Coalesce throughout the years, but the decisions we make regarding Coalesce always boil down to two things: whether it’ll be conducive to our friendship with one another and whether the music gives us each a rush. I think when one of those two things dissolves, then it’ll feel natural to call it quits, and this time, probably without a big hoopla about it.

MYE: [laughing] No More Tours or Jay-Z's "Encore". With bands like Defeater taking a more narrative approach to hardcore and also injecting life into older forms, what do you think of concept albums vs. the idea of a "real life snapshot" that older hardcore like Agnostic Front or D.R.I. personified?

JS: I think I’m the worst person to talk to about the discursive and lyrical elements in music. Lyrical contributions to records rarely affect my encounter with the music. I’m the guy that rarely knows the words to songs and so makes up words just so he can sing along. Whatever it is that makes music separate from poetry or prose or any sort of writing is what I love about music—rhythm, melody, timbre, execution. When we started Coalesce when I was in high school, I was running away from the crowd that wanted ideological lyrics linked to music. I just wanted to feel and not think. I still feel that way. I’m not trying to knock lyricists or vocal contributions, it’s just not my thing. Sean could scream in gibberish and I’d get the same effect from Coalesce. Going back to what you said a couple of questions ago, I always saw the punk underground as allowing for any expression imaginable. I always loved the variety of opinions and zeal that people put into their beliefs. But ultimately, I wanted a place where no one expected anything of me and I could work out my own feelings on things. I was reminded of that recently when a band called us out on stage about playing shows that were sponsored by Scion. It was such a flashback to the ‘90s, as if there was some homogeneous movement known as the “punk underground” that required bands on stage to call everyone in the scene to arms. Who knows, maybe it is and I never got the memo. I have only ever wanted a place to develop my beliefs and sentiments in any direction I see fit, and whether some company is paying me to do that or not doesn’t matter to me. It’s not like Coalesce is writing jingles for Toyota for Christ’s sake or appearing in commercials telling people to buy a car. Honestly, we’re indifferent to everything except our friendship and the feeling we’re after when playing our songs live. Making friends and meeting people who like Coalesce’s music is totally icing on the cake (just as making enemies and meeting people who hate our music is the burnt bottom of a bad cake), but it’s not the goal. Damn. I got sidetracked. Getting back to the point, I am indifferent to the discursive approaches that people choose for their music; it’s the specifically musical dimension that moves me most.

MYE: You were aware of Don Clark (ex-Demon Hunter) before working with him on the artwork for OX, etc., but was there a preconceived conceptual discussion?

JS: We’ve known Don for years. If there is a cohesive conceptual element to OX, then it came about very gradually and Don worked with us as it developed. Some things were chucked early on; some newer ideas came in at the very end. It definitely wasn’t like we had a totally preconceived idea of what we wanted when we first got in contact with him. The album art developed alongside the songs as we wrote and recorded them.

MYE: On a positive side, HC has a real good penchant for creating dialogue, sometimes. In all your travels, could you relate an incident or two where some barriers were broken down via the mind-opening power of music?

JS: Any form of music has a penchant for furthering communication. Again, we’re not trying to further some ideological agenda including that of opening minds or breaking down barriers. We are four rather different people who have a variety of interests. It’s more common for us these days to have rich conversations with musicians that we’re playing with than it is for us to do so with people hanging out after or before the show; not by any means because we prefer it that way, but only consequently because there is more time to get to know someone you’re travelling with. There’s more than a few cases where music (e.g. our playing a show with some band or other), provided a context for great conversation or the sharing of insights about a topic. I would categorize most of those cases, I think, as instances of privacy and so not fit for public interviews; but to answer your question in a general way, yes, music has often provided us the experience of creating meaningful dialogue.

MYE: Ok, level with me. Do you guy's feel it more the next day after a wild show ten years since 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening? I wish I could see the Jesus Lizard shows in NY this week. No one can complain about bruises whilst David Yow still manhandles/injures himself with such style.

JS: I’ve seen The Jesus Lizard four times in my life, the first of which was the first underground show I ever attended and the latest was a week ago in Austin. Every time I’ve seen them I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can honestly say that Yow significantly shaped my thinking about what the punk underground is. There’d be no Coalesce if I hadn’t experienced the freedom of a Jesus Lizard show when I was 14 years old. I cut loose that night and didn’t feel a thing that night or the day after. That being said, I feel it a lot more the day after than I did even 2 years ago. All of us do (except maybe Jr…haha). However, I can honestly say that I feel nothing when I’m playing and that has always been the case. Adrenalin has an uncanny property of overriding pain and it brings such an emotional high.

MYE: I only saw them live twice but I dry humped David Yow's leg once when he jumped into the crowd at Lollapalooza '95. Ok,Let's talk about your song "Joyless In Life". How awesome is that song! Pretty awesome.

JS: Ellis, man. That’s all him. He wrote the majority of interludes on these records and they are my favorite aspects of the past two years’ sessions.

MYE: You've mentioned at other junctures issues like the mass-marketing of the hardcore scene, but what younger bands in the scene do you admire who you think might be doing it for the right reasons? After all, there's nothing wrong with success if you are coming from a good place.

JS: I’m sure there are a ton of bands doing it for the right reasons, if by ‘right’ you mean for themselves. These days, I’m so removed from the scene in general that I could only list a few. I think the Atlas Moth from Chicago are the real deal, as are the Daughters. I saw Trash Talk earlier this year with The Bronx and thought both bands were awesome. Sex Vid, Circle Takes Square, Monotonix, Young Widows, Chere Catastrophe and Stuntman in France, more established bands like Torche and Kylesa are surely the real deal—great music, great people, playing because they love to play. Thinking about these bands (as well as the ones I’m inevitably forgetting now but will remember later) makes me think that the underground music scene is thriving. I can honestly say I prefer today’s scene and the bands we get to play with a thousand times over what we experienced in the ‘90s.

MYE: Yeah, I fuckin' worship Kylesa to an embarrassing degree. Atlas Moth is cool, too. Anyhow, I've been re-reading the great book The Dirt about Motley Crue. Taking into consideration the times and places and also the fucked up backgrounds growing up of the musicians involved, you can totally see how they turned out the way they did. Do you think, if in some contexts even indulgent yet arena-worthy rock like the Crue electrifies peoples' lives on a large scale, even with bigger corporate backing, isn't that far better than something insincere?