FAMILY

The MetalSucks family is a tight one, both literally and metaphorically. Did you know that some of us are in bands of our own? I’ll leave the guessing games for another time, but today let’s focus on Brooklyn’s own FAMILY, of which longtime MetalSucks scribe Kip Wingerschmidt (his mama calls him Steven) is the founding member and chief shenanigan instigator.

Friendship and professional loyalty aside, I’ve been dying to share Family’s debut album Portrait with you all for months because it’s that damn good and I know you guys are going to love it. Family take the best of Soundgarden’s and Tool’s capacity to make your head spin with hooky, progressive, off-time riffs, splatter it with a smattering of classic rock influences and wrap it all up in a modern-day package heavy enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mastodon and old Baroness. Portrait is full of intricate but accessible music for intricate but accessible people… or something.

Check out “Bridge & Tunnel,” now streaming at The Deciblog, and then listen to “Bopsky” at Family’s Facebook page. Portrait comes out on October 30th via Robin Staps’ (The Ocean) Pelagic Records in Europe, and the band will self-release it the same day in the U.S. - MetalSucks

So, yeah…before long, everyone’s going to be telling you they were listening to Family way back in the day, before they were big.

That’s because Family’s likely going to be one of those bands everyone’s going to love six months from now. I can see them amassing a Baroness-like following.

Anyways, now you know about Family, a Brooklyn based band with a classic yet progressive rock sound. The band’s new album, humorously titled Portrait, will hit stores October 30.

You can hear what Family sounds like right now.

The good folks at Decibel Magazine are streaming the album’s opener, “Bridge & Tunnel.”

Family is comprised of two native New Yorkers and two deep Southerners bringing together a wealth of musical influences and life experiences.

In fact, guitarist Joshua Lozano also plays with avant-black metal band Cobalt and former Swans vocalist Jarboe.

Robin Staps, guitarist of German band The Ocean, will release Portrait through his own label, Pelagic Records.

Staps hails Family’s debut as “crushing and unique, unlike anything I have heard… all killer, no filler.”

Family play a show September 7 at Don Pedro’s in Brooklyn, with Tiger Flowers and Meek Is Murder. - Gun Shy Assassin

We’re sorry to do this to you, but this little premiere we’re going to bust out today, is going to make the next several weeks drag on as you anxiously await the release of Family’s debut album for Pelagic, Portrait, on October 30. We can guarandamntee you we will be spinning our advance copy incessantly. We tell you this mostly because we want to make you feel bad.

What’s all the fuss about? Well, Family are a Brooklyn-based quartet—half native New Yorkers, half Southerners—that have taken a cue from Mastodon and sprinkled some freshly ground classic rock on their meaty version of modern metal. It has groove, it has rage, it has some serious bludgeon capacity. There are even progressive touches to the arrangements that cohesively bounce through all kinds of tempos, riffs and moods. We hear Unsane splatter-scrape, Soundgarden throb and maybe just a touch of 21st century dirty-knees blues.

Who is responsible for this ruckus?, you may ask. Here’s who: guitarists Steven Gordon (of MetalSucks notoriety) and Joshua Lozano (who’s also played with Cobalt and ex-Swans vocalist Jarboe), drummer Jody Smith and bassist/vocalist Kurtis Lee Applegate.

The tune we’ve bestowed upon you below, “Bridge & Tunnel,” is a good indication of what the rest of Portrait has in store. There are plenty of dynamic peaks and valleys both within each song and from song to song on the album. We are particularly fond of the part two minutes in where Family digs into a grinding riff and drummer Smith decides to kick in the double bass for a spell. Like the entire album, it features a good mix of crunchy and smooth(ish). Hell, see for yourself.

Since we feel a little bad for teasing you with this track, we’ll go ahead and send you over to the band’s Facebook page, where you can also stream a second track, “Bopsky,” from Portrait. Not sure if it’ll make the wait until Oct 30 any easier, but at least it’ll give you an additional peek at what is sure to be one of our favorites of 2012. - Decibel

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, metallic quartet Family makes its debut this month with Portrait, mixing the low-end heft and beastliness of Unsane and other noise-metal giants with classic-, straight-ahead, southern-, and even post-rock elements.

“Daddy Wronglegs” is propelled by a groove and a lurch — not to mention some nifty fret work by guest guitarist John Lamacchia (Candiria, Spylacopa, Julie Christmas). Dig. - Alarm Magazine

Many fans of darker, heavier music can trace their predilections back to frustration or angst brought on by a strained relationship with a parent or other family member. By actively engaging and seeking out this music, relationships eventually form, whether in the local scene or behind a screen on a message board, until they’re tight enough with fellow metalheads to call them a “second family”. This is where Family derives its name.

A four-piece that includes guitarist Joshua Lozano of Man’s Gin, Family’s debut album Portrait is a concept record about a dysfunctional family that develops supernatural powers. The first single, Illegal Women, has an opening riff reminiscent of “Selkies: The Endless Obsession” by Between The Buried and Me, with hints of Coalesce blended with proggy classic rock in the vein of Rush. There’s a lot going on. Listen for yourself below, and get your hands on the full album on release day, October 30th or at the album release show on November 2nd at Union Pool in Brooklyn, New York. - Invisible Oranges

It’s here! After releasing Volume 3 of our completely free digital music compilation series NYC Sucks in March, Volume 4 has finally arrived. This edition features seven — count ‘em, SEVEN — previously unreleased tracks that are now available to the world for the very first time. The compilation boasts thirteen songs by some of our favorite metal bands from the NYC area, running the gamut of genres from death to tech to prog to grind to black to hardcore to doom and more. We truly feel that this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer, and we’re beyond proud to be sharing it with you — absolutely, 100% free of charge.

You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, and as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin’ music by any means necessary! Here’s the track list, with full descriptions of each band further down the page:

1. Extinction A.D. – “Mummified”
2. Torrential Downpour – “TKV”
3. Artificial Brain – “Absorbing Black Ignition”
4. Dead Empires – “Five Day Death”
5. Family – “Precedent”
6. Old Wounds – “It Can’t Rain All the Time”
7. Pigs – “If I’m in Luck”
8. White Widows Pact – “Collateral Damage”
9. Alekhine’s Gun – “Crown of Knives (Tsoncha Korlo)”
10. Flaming Tusk – “Thousand Year Plan”
11. Mutilation Rites – “Fogwarning”
12. Fin’Amor – “Bleed the Oceans”
13. A Pale Horse Named Death – “Shallow Grave” - MetalSucks

True to their evocative moniker, Brooklyn progressive noisemakers Family arrive not without their share of tumult and dysfunction. Led by founding guitarst/songwriter Steven Gordon and vocalist Kurtis Lee Applegate, the four-piece has already replaced 50 percent of their body ahead of the Oct. 30 release of their debut full-length, Portrait, self-released in the US and on Pelagic Records in Europe with cover art by Eric Diehl.

Guitarist Owen Burley and drummer Phil Sangiacomo, who both played on Portrait, have since had their respective roles in Family filled by Josh Lozano (also Cobalt, Man’s Gin) and Jody Smith, so while the album will no doubt give some sense of the direction they’re headed in, Family‘s sound is destined to be different the next time out. All the more interesting, then, to get an idea of what got the band started and the ideas behind the themes they’re working with on the debut. In a way, the moment has already passed, and that only makes it more awesome to wonder what might come next.

I’ll admit to some trepidation in sending out these questions to Gordon for this emailer. It’s one thing to interview a band and quite something else to interview someone who also writes about music. I felt a bit like Gordon, who scribes for MetalSucks under the pseudonym “Kip Wingerschmidt,” would probably know everything I wanted to ask before the sentences were even over. I’m not exactly trying to trick the dude up, but it puts a little more pressure on me to not make some gross grammatical mistake like, “Where is in your band?” or something like that. Maybe I’m being neurotic.

Either way, the record — some of which you can hear on the ReverbNation player that follows the Q&A — lives up to the band’s motto of “Family slays,” and has already earned some hearty endorsements from the likes of The Ocean‘s Robin Staps, who just so happens to be the brains behind Pelagic. Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

1. Tell me how Family got together? When did you guys start up and how did you wind up bringing Josh and Jody into the band? Has their inclusion changed the songwriting process at all?

A few years ago, I was working on music with a couple difficult guys but furthermore we were having a very hard time finding the right bassist. When that situation fell apart, I began to look for new collaborators and ironically met three solid bassists almost immediately, one of which was Kurt. I didn’t realize at first just how mighty his scream was, but once I heard that power it was apparent that there could be no going back. I had recently moved into a new rehearsal space, having been ousted by my neighbors from playing music in the loft space where I live, so I asked Kurt if he wanted to move his amp into the space and we started auditioning drummers.

Phil appeared pretty quickly thereafter. He immediately grasped all the complex time signature changes and frankly was hilarious and a joy to hang out with, but for some reason kept his chops under wraps initially in lieu of playing more simply, which gave us a bit of pause. So we were initially on the fence about whether it would work. Then he serendipitously cracked a cymbal that belonged to another drummer that we shared the practice space with and needed some time to make the money to pay for it. So we were stuck with the guy! And his amazing skills quickly showed themselves. Best accident ever.

We didn’t start gigging until after Owen joined the band and really rounded us out both personally and musically. That chance to have dual guitarmonies and counter parts helped develop the sound and brought my song structures to life in a more vibrant way. But unfortunately just before we started playing shows Phil decided to leave Family to focus on his other band, Grandfather. Thankfully Jody appeared almost immediately, through a recommendation from a singer/guitarist that both Kurt and I had both been in touch with but never met. Phil and Jody have such different styles that the sound shifted pretty dramatically right away and we began working on new tunes that fit Jody‘s feel a bit more. But overall it was a smooth and rapid transition, and there was no lag time.

A similar thing happened when Owen left the band. Literally the day after he told us, Josh (who we knew from having played with his band Fashion Week) sent me a text simply stating: “I play guitar.” I quickly responded “You sure do, buddy!” and we instantly had a replacement. Ironically he was the only person I thought of before he even sent me that text, so I guess it was meant to be.

Josh and I have only recently started collaborating on guitar parts for newer songs, and despite a natural fretboard kinship and similar work ethic we’re still finding the common musical ground. Josh himself claims to only listen to music from the ‘90s, and I’ve always felt like a lot of Family‘s style derives from classic rock influences, so there’s plenty of room to fill in the gaps between those varying elements. Furthermore Josh is very open to experimenting with different gear and sounds, which I look forward to exploring more together, especially in the studio. The next album will no doubt benefit from his and Jody‘s unique contributions and evolve our sound dramatically.

2. Is there a philosophy behind the band’s name? The word “family” is evocative of so many things, but what does it mean to you in terms of the band and in general, and how are you using the idea as relates to Portrait?

I was looking for a word that meant many different things and was open to wide interpretation, which was no easy feat — on top of it being extremely difficult to find something that fits and communicates the mood you are going for, most words are already taken as band names! I thought of “family” as an option before I even met Kurt, and tried to convince the guys I was playing with prior that we should use it, but the hesitation was always that it was perhaps too soft… In retrospect I realize now that maybe it was more the music we were working on at the time that was too soft, because given how the band sounds now I don’t see it as an issue whatsoever. If we were a jam band the name would be too on-the-nose but for a heavy group the contrast seems to sit well. Frankly, I enjoy that kind of juxtaposition of moods anyway, but obviously there are plenty of dark connotations to the word “family” as well as the sunny, togetherness aspects.

Naturally there is a family within every band, and we are no exception. We bond and bicker at times like brothers, and moreover do our best to bring forth a familial vibe to our audience. The goal is to bring people together through the music, and as a frontman Kurt always makes a concerted effort to communicate with the crowd. Despite the band’s personnel changes, we are still close with our former members and support their bands, and it seems perfectly normal to hang out with our old and new guitarists and drummers. We’re all still in it together.

There’s an obvious kinship between the words “family” and “portrait,” and for me it works on a couple different levels: on one hand, with our first album being anchored by the concept of a dysfunctional family that develops supernatural powers, the title is meant to suggest that we are offering a glimpse into the family members’ lives. From another perspective, this being our debut album, we hope it encapsulates the band’s message from the outset and offers a substantial portrait, if you will, of our sound. Having since changed our lineup, I see the first album as a time capsule of sorts that captures the combination of the initial round of players in the band, and we are all very proud of how it turned out.

3. How did you get hooked up with Robin Staps for the album release, and what does it mean to you to have someone like that interested in putting out your music in Europe? Will you guys tour over there to support the album?

Robin and I met briefly years ago outside the old Knitting Factory during a MetalSucks interview that Editor-in-Chief Vince Neilstein was leading — I may have asked a question or two, but doubt Robin even remembers me from that! Last Fall I was able to help put together a successful Brooklyn show for The Ocean with Family on the bill. That night he mentioned his label Pelagic and when we finished the album a massive email chain began between he and I to discuss all the details.

It is a huge honor to be working with Robin – his band has meant a lot to me over the years and it’s tremendously encouraging to have his stamp of approval. I believe we are the first American band to be signed to Pelagic so hopefully we can help spread the word in the States about what they are doing.

We would love to tour in Europe, so hopefully there will be an opportunity to do so in 2013.

4. Eric Diehl’s paintings seem to be commenting more on suburban or rural life, and with Family being from Brooklyn, how do the two relate for you? Both the front and back covers are kind of undercutting what looks superficially like a serene setting or scene. How did you come to select his works for the album and how do you think the art factors into the overall atmosphere of the record?

I came to Eric with a specific artwork concept in mind for an indoor family dinner scene with cosmic/supernatural elements added to it. But as we discussed the idea further, the more it seemed we’d be better off working with an outdoor, backyard-type setting. When the “family” concept evolved into two different paintings, Eric was essentially presenting two options for the cover artwork but I felt they worked quite well together and couldn’t imagine one or the other being the sole piece we would use. The way I see it is that the back cover painting is more of an abstract representation of the dysfunction and inner emotional turmoil that the family on the front cover is feeling. The rural house is the common thread that links the two paintings.

Suburbia was always the focus, in an effort to portray the nature of heartland Americana as much as possible. I get how that may sound ironic coming from a city-based band, but as much as I wouldn’t want the sound of our music to be pigeonholed into simply having an “urban” flavor I feel similarly about the artwork that represents us. There’s obviously infinite room for evolution in a band’s brand and design, and I for one hope our artwork takes many different forms as we progress.

5. There are so many different facets to Family’s sound. Do you hear anything in particular on Portrait that you know you’d like to develop further in the next round of songwriting? Is there one direction or another you have in mind for where you want to take the band?

Well in a way our sound has organically evolved automatically with the lineup changes, most specifically when we added Jody. As we all know a band is only as good as its drummer, but I also like to think any band is only as distinctive as its drummer as well. Thankfully we’ve had the chance to work with two very unique drummers that sound quite different from each other and that evolution will absolutely be noticeable and even highlighted on our next recording. Chops are one thing (and don’t get me wrong, both Phil and Jody have chops for days), but I’m talking more about style and feel, two elements that often take the backseat to backbone and flash in metal. So it’s exciting to think about already having a new version of our sound that still falls in line with the general vibe of the band. And going back into the studio this shift seems even more crucial than changes to the songwriting – case in point, some of the tunes that will appear on the next album predate Portrait, even…

Having said that, I always think there is room to get more brutal and more beautiful, and varied instrumentation can help open up the sound on recordings, so it’d be great to experiment with that. We are coloring the newer tunes with more complex structures as well as a bit more melody, both of which I think will give the sound a denser feel overall.

6. Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

The main plan is to keep moving forward. We are about halfway done with the songs for the next album, and are hoping to go into the studio to record that early next year. It’d be great if some good tour offers came through and we were given the opportunity to spread our wings a bit more. But for now we’re just trying to spread the word and are looking forward to hearing people’s reactions of the album when it comes out. Despite all the work that’s been put into getting this project off the ground, I feel like it’s only just beginning… - The Obelisk

Brooklyn-based rock outfit Family play the type of music that lures you in with hooks then bashes you with leaden heaviness. Comparisons have been made to Tool and Soundgarden jamming with Mastodon and old-school Baroness–it’s complex yet accessible.

The band, consisting of primary songwriter/guitarist Steven Gordon, guitarist Josh Lozano, drummer Jody Smith, and bassist/vocalist Kurtis Lee Applegate, is set to release its debut LP, Portrait, on Robin Staps’ (of The Ocean) Pelagic Records on October 30th. It’s an exhilarating first salvo. In the midst of a swirl of activity, Steven took the time to answer some questions for us.
— Thomas Pizzola

. . .

How did the band form?

Well, I started writing music in this vein ages ago, but it took quite a while to refine the sound and get it right. My first song attempts were way too long and not nearly heavy enough. Not to mention that finding the right people to play with is an extremely difficult task. You’d think that with so many folks in New York City it would be easy to find players who fit, but it can be really hard to locate those who are serious as well as those who bring music to life.

Momentum (or lack thereof) can also be an issue–if you have a great collaboration going with someone but it’s difficult and frustrating to find other guys to join, many folks will lose steam and give up after a while. Natural selection, perhaps? I tried to make the band work with various players, but it took several attempts and disappointments to get to the initial lineup.

When I first heard Kurt scream, I knew the band needed that thunder. His vocals automatically make the music heavy–plus, he’s got excellent bass skills–so to contrast that fury with syncopated, often major-key, classic rock-style riffs seemed to create something new. In a lot of ways, the merging of those two elements has ultimately helped to inform the sound.

Phil, Owen, Jody, and Josh have all brought their own styles into it as well. And I think there are certainly both heavier and funkier places for us to go. Jody and I share a common love of New Orleans groove legends The Meters, and I’d like to explore that kind of behind-the-beat syncopation even further, just in a much more brutal context.

Where do you guys fit into the current New York City metal scene?

The NYC metal scene, Brooklyn in particular, feels very (for lack of a better word) familial right now. Most of us who are in active New York bands, despite subgenre, know each other and have played shows together. And for the most part it’s a great, supportive breeding ground. But for those of us who have the ambition to succeed there’s also a sense of restless hunger–an itch to evolve past “local band” status and therefore play less in New York City in order to starve the market. I suppose it’s a necessary route to expansion, though–but for now we just want to be out there playing as many great shows as we can.

Amid the diverse New York spectrum of doom, black metal, tech-y prog, spazzy abrasive chaos, and everything else, frankly, I’m not really sure how we fit. There is obviously screaming in our music, so it falls under the category of “metal,” but we can certainly fit into less heavy bills as well, and that suits us fine–we enjoy playing shows on diverse, unexpected lineups, and don’t want to be pigeonholed.

Your debut album Portrait is a concept album about a family in disarray. Where did the concept come from?

I spent several years working in the film industry, and have always been taken by characters and storytelling. But it wasn’t really a conscious effort in this case–the whole concept came about very organically.

When Kurt and I sat down to write the lyrics, many of the thematic instincts he had lent themselves to tell a story. It started with “Bopsky,” which was initially just a working title because I thought the verse riff felt “boppy!” When Kurt came up with what ended up as the anchor of the chorus–”My father…revived me”–I ran with that idea to come up with a story of a young man named Bopsky who attempted to drown himself in a bathtub, only to be yanked out at the last minute by his father (who later became the character in the song “Daddy Wronglegs,” which on the album features our bud John LaMacchia of Candiria/Julie Christmas/Crooked Man fame), for which the son forever resented him. So right away we had characters and conflict, and as the work continued and evolved, more elements of the dysfunctional family came into play. Our hope and plan is to extend this theme into the next album, which is meant to be about an apocalyptic war.

All of the music was written before the lyrics, so in essence we were able to sculpt the words and cadence to fit within the various time signatures and changes. It has been a blast collaborating on the lyrics, and I can’t wait to do it more.

Inspiration comes from many places. Actually, during one of those lyric-writing sessions, we were working on the beginning of “Bridge & Tunnel” when a delivery guy who had stopped by to help us get, ahem, “inspired,” came in spouting some whimsical jabber about there being no time–”only the moment”–and shortly after he left I turned to Kurt and said, “That’s it! ‘There is no time–only the moment’.” And the opening line of our album was born.

The band’s music incorporates a wide range of influences. How did you arrive at this sound? Was it a happy accident, meticulous planning, or a little of both?

The sound we have is definitely a conscious effort, but doesn’t feel like it was ever that meticulously planned–aside from intricate heavy music, my musical style has been influenced tremendously by funk, classic rock, and progressive rock, and I think those facets are all in there to some extent. Most of the songs on the album feel like a nice blend of my style and Kurt’s unbridled heaviness. But the music was also written with melodic singing in mind too–we were auditioning clean singers early on, in order to combine singing and screaming. So I guess the originality of the stark nature of screaming with our lush riffage could be called a happy accident.

Major props must be given to Phil Sangiacomo (from the band Grandfather) and Owen Burley (from the band Demilitia), who were there for the beginning and played on the album as well. We spent ages in our old basement rehearsal room at The Shop (RIP) getting those tunes tight and jamming out many more great ideas that I hope will resurface someday.

How did you hook up with Pelagic Records?

I first met Robin years ago during an interview for MetalSucks outside the old Knitting Factory, but we didn’t talk much further. The last time The Ocean came to the States their tour plans got majorly rearranged at the last minute, so with purchased plane tickets and visas already acquired they were left to book their own mini-tour for part of the time. It ended up being very serendipitous for us–I helped figure out a Brooklyn show for them, with Family playing on the bill as well, and Robin mentioned his label to me that very night. We are huge fans of The Ocean, so it’s been a pleasure and honor to work with Pelagic.

How do you guys balance life in the band with your lives in other music projects, as well as commitments to other non-musical endeavors, such as work and family life?

It can be tough. New York City certainly isn’t cheap, so it’s important to keep working between rocking in order to keep our lifestyles afloat. It’ll be interesting to see how this evolves as the band progresses and life continues to unfold. There was a point when all of us were playing in other bands as well, but it’s a bit more contained now. Josh is currently the most musically active of us; he’s got his own awesome noise-rock/metal project called Fashion Week.

What are the plans for the band once Portrait is released? Are you going to tour?

We have a handful of new songs with our current drummer Jody Smith and guitarist Joshua Lozano, and more on the way, so it’d be nice to record that material soon.

We definitely want to get out there and spread the love as well. It’d be great to team up with a bigger band or two that could take us under their wings, but we also like the idea of touring with other Brooklyn bands, so we’ll see what happens.

We are planning to return to South by Southwest next year. West Coast would be nice too. Since Pelagic is based in Germany, there has been talk of a European tour at some point. We are open to possibilities!

- Invisible Oranges

“We are Family… and so are you,” Applegate said during their first live set in Brooklyn. New York’s Family opened their arms wide to anyone would get hooked on their sound, grow with their progression and back them up just like any solid support system should. Well, back them the scene did. Along with other successful up and coming metal acts such as Hull and Primitive Weapons who have found a steady following in New York, Family has carved their own way though fairly constant gigs and word of mouth. Spawn through a concoction of the urban anger and southern hospitality, their progressive mix of Botch’s aggression, a rock inspired blend of Tool and Unsane’s musicality topped with Celan like creativity has only added to the level of top notch musicians in the city, pumping out some truly innovative stuff that should be spread to the masses.

Their debut release will not disappoint their brothers and sisters. “Portrait” comes out on October 26th in Germany, 29th in the rest of Europe and October 30th to the US/Canada through Pelagic Records; a concept album that tells the tale of a broken family who acquire odd and incredible, paranormal powers.

To get your first listen, Decibel is now steaming ‘Bridge & Tunnel,’ the first and strongest track off their album. Trailing in with distant drum beats, the layers build as guitars cascade in like something out of Mastodon’s “Leviathan,” inspired by some Zepplinesque classic rock. Kurt Applegate’s voice towers over Steve Gordon’s intermittent sludgy riffs with the lung capacity of a hot air balloon and ferocity of a restrained pit bull. Instrumentals continually shift direction, keeping the tone refreshing and avoiding the cliché of pattern and hooks to attain the same auditory interest. Again, ‘Daddy Wronglegs’ wowed me with its intensely guitar-driven, varying structure. Having two guitarists is defiantly a key to Family’s sound, breaking out into a killer soundscape of soloing expertise to bring this track to a close.

Though I have yet to find a track on this album that does not at least tickle my fancy ever so slightly, other tracks of interest include ‘Delphonika.’ Drumming on this track is splendidly solid and with a band that’s reliant on so many tempo changes, I would hate to be their drummer. There’s some serious talent going on behind those sharp cymbal crashes and hammering base drum. At almost 9 minutes in length and the longest track off of “Portrait,” ‘Delphonika’ is worth every second of your time.

Since in the end, it’s inevitable that through all these supernatural family happenings, it cannot end well, they leave you with ‘Exploding Baby.’ Leading in heavy on the base, the intricate guitar leads you in every which direction, creating funhouse walls of sound. Ending with Applegate screaming his lungs off in a gruff and testosterone infused fashion, I’d be totally blown away if you’re not completely enamored with Family.

If you’re a Tool fan (There are obviously some of you out there. I mean the band sells out ever frigging time even with insane ticket prices.) with a hankering for pulverizing vocals, heavy riffage and want to have your face melted clean off, go and check out Family already! - This Is Not A Scene

Christine from ThisIsNotAScene became a big fan of Family and was able to not only review the release “Portrait” but was also able to sit down with band member Steve Gordon and talk about all things Family.

What prompted the name Family? Used by several bands since the 90s from indie pop, rock and disco to hardcore, would this not make it more difficult to market yourselves, though the name is fairly simple and all inclusive?

I’ve wanted to call the band Family since before linking up with any of the guys. But we definitely debated about it for a while. I think the biggest question was whether it was powerful enough for our heavy sound, but my feeling has always been that its strength lies in its diversity — family means so many things, both sunny and dark, to everyone, and it’s instantly relatable.

My favorite band names are single-word ones that are open to interpretation and don’t pigeonhole a group into just one feeling or scene, and I think Family does that perfectly. It definitely doesn’t make things easier marketing-wise, though! When we were first starting out, a couple of friends pointed out that our band name would make it extremely difficult to search for us online. But I still love it, and think it suits us well.

As far as others that have used the name in some form or fashion, the one that comes to mind is the British progressive rock group named Family that broke up almost forty years ago that was always on the periphery of their rising scene, but never quite reached a major level of success or notoriety. In a way, I like to think we’re carrying on the torch for them…

Since the recording of “Portrait”, what do you feel the latest additions to the Family, guitarist Josh Lozano and drummer Jody Smith have added to the group?

Jody joined the band right after we recorded the drums for “Portrait”, when our original drummer Phil Sangiacomo left to focus on his other band Grandfather. Jody and Phil‘s styles are both so unique that to me we’ve felt like a different band with each of them. Phil has a thick, Danny Carey element to his playing while Jody’s feel is a bit more raw and rootsy. Jody and I also share a common love of New Orleans funk (he’s from there as well) so I’m interested to see how that evolves in the band’s sound.

There’s still the same overall mood throughout, but our new material is definitely different in some ways. And I really appreciate that. I love when bands evolve and forge new sounds from album to album while retaining the same magic. Needless to say, our next record will be distinct from the first one. But we’ve been playing newer tunes that aren’t on “Portrait” at shows for almost a year, so anyone who’s seen us live will recognize a good chunk of them.

Josh is an amazingly omnipresent Brooklyn band dude. He’s played with plenty of projects (including Jarboe, Inswarm, Man’s Gin, and his own noise-rock/metal band Fashion Week), and therefore has a wealth of diverse musical experiences under his belt. He also brought the immediate practical bonuses of having a great practice space and a van, both of which we really needed at the time. But it transcended far beyond that immediately — he’s a unique guy and a solid player, and it’s been a pleasure to get him up to speed and start working on newer songs together. Josh is a lifer in this scene and a welcome addition to Family.

Who designed your album art? It’s a truly ominous and ghostly collage of brushstrokes, carving out chunks of old photographs of family life. What a great way to capture the album title, not to mention the track names on “Portrait”.

Brooklyn artist Eric Diehl did two excellent paintings for the front and back covers of “Portrait.” He and I first discussed one concept capturing our album’s family in a dinner scene, which ultimately evolved into the two different paintings that I think work very well and strangely fit the album.

What I love most about them (the front cover especially) is that they are decidedly un-metal… in many ways it’s an ongoing effort to shirk metal clichés, and I’m happy that the album artwork has done that. It’s nice that the iconography both represents all of the characters from the album’s story and abstractly suggests the conflict between placid family life and dysfunctional inner turmoil.

I hear guitarist John Lamacchia (Candiria, Julie Christmas, Spylacopa, and Crooked Man) makes a guest appearance on a track. Which one is that and how did this collaboration come to light?

John LaMacchia plays on the second track, ‘Daddy Wronglegs’. He is a good friend of the band and one hell of a guitar player. We played a couple shows with Crooked Man last Fall and thankfully the timing worked out well for his contributions to the outro of this song. He sent us a few different passes, and we edited parts of each of them into additional layers. John is such a fluid player and a great guy, and we are already talking about future collaborations.

As far as the concept of the album goes, as surreal as a dysfunctional family that developing supernatural powers may be, is any of this based on personal experiences and some personal way you have used your imagination to escape?

Well, there was that one Summer I figured out how to shoot laser beams out of my eyes but it gave me terrible headaches so I had to cut it out.

If you could have a supernatural power, which one would you choose? Which one do you think you’d get by default since life is unfair and you don’t always get to pick your strengths?

I used to have lots of dreams when I was a kid about flying, so much so that there was a point early on when I really thought I could pull it off! So probably flying. Although invisibility would certainly come in handy.

However, I’ve already been given a superhuman shlong by the universe….life is truly unfair!

Family seems to play local gigs quite frequently, even before “Portrait” was set for release. Was it important for you guys to develop a local fan base before you invested money in recording an album? I’ve been totally captured by you guys since I first saw you live so this may have been a good strategy.

Thank you! We usually try to space out gigs but yes often end up with lots of dates on the calendar. It wasn’t a specific strategy to develop a local fan base but it has definitely been important to play with our friends in as many of the best Brooklyn bands we could, such as Hull and Primitive Weapons. We were quickly embraced, and it’s been a lot of fun. But “Portrait” has been in the works for over a year, so in the meantime we’ve simply been gigging as any band would.

What are your hopes for international status?

We’d love to play in other countries, on other continents, other planets… It’s definitely important to spread our message beyond the US, and working with Robin Staps‘ (The Ocean) Pelagic label gives us very good reason to hit Europe first, as they are based in Germany. But when the time is right this band will be eager and ready to travel far and wide to play.

Justin Mantooth and Alan Douches have done some exceptional production work on this album. Everything is just impeccably sculpted together and sounds incredible. How were they to work with?

It was a pleasure to work with both of them. Justin is a hell of an engineer and mixer, and we spent ample time getting everything sounding the best it can be. He gets endless credit for how the final product sounds, and our collaboration just clicked. Alan is great too; we spent a day at his mastering studio upstate, and in that short time he really brought the album to a new level of clarity and crispness, which we absolutely needed.

Were they selected based on their history of working with amazing bands such as Cave In, Unsane, Mastodon and Torche; some of whom you sound has been compared to?

Well Cave In and Unsane both recorded at the same studio we did (Translator Audio), but with a different engineer. Mantooth is extremely experienced but hasn’t worked with too many big names in the metal world. Hopefully this album will help get his name out there, because he really is exceptional and deserves more opportunities. He’s actually involved in opening a new analog/digital studio in Brooklyn as well. Hire him, he will make your band sound amazing!

Alan Douches is a veteran who has mastered MANY of our favorite albums. He was recommended to us by our publicist Curran Reynolds (who also plays drums for Today Is the Day), and I’m extremely grateful that it worked out so well.

This could get a little messy but Portrait’s final track ‘Exploding Baby’ prompts me to ask to be inflicted with your worst dead baby joke. Shoot!

Q: What’s grosser than 1000 dead babies stacked on top of each other?
A: One live one on the bottom, eating his way out… - ThisIsNotAScene

Brooklyn’s newest bringers of pain, Family are prepping the release of their debut record Portrait which will be released by Robin Staps’ (The Ocean) label Pelagic Records on October 30th and are currently streaming two new tracks. The first track “Bridge & Tunnel” is streaming over on The Deciblog and another track called “Bopsky” is streaming via the band’s Facebook page. These tracks are fucking phenomenal and you should all check them out and get pumped for the band’s album Portrait. Tell us what you think about the band in the comments section. Enjoy. - American Aftermath

Family – Portrait (Pelagic Records)
By Jay Snyder
October 24, 2012

Brooklyn’s Family really put on one helluva show on their debut LP, Portrait for Pelagic Records. This bastardized, flaming head on train-wreck of sound scrambles up the abrasive vocals and riff textures of noise-rock with a slab of quirky, classic prog-rock bacon and goes heavy on the syrup bottle in the form of big grooves that are sure to please doom and hard rock fans looking for a breakfast of champions. I was going to drop some names, but every time I thought I had this band/record pinned down they go and throw in a few changes that completely fucked-up my normal brain functioning patterns. The great part of it is that everything these guys lay their hands on comes off as completely natural and organic; none of the drastic changes in terms of riffs and styles feels forced or forgettable…the record sticking with me long after I listened to it a few times. Now let’s dive in heavy, shall we? And I do mean HEAVY!

Hard charging opener, “Bridge & Tunnel” barges in with a bulging and sickly engorged belly stuffed full of pained noise-chording, marching snares, and incessant low-end throbs. Once the build-up is properly presented, guitarist/founder Steve Gordon and 2nd guitarist Owen Burley start dishing out complex grooves, intoxicating prog licks, and boulder crushing noise/doom riffs that really get way fuckin’ intense during the song’s Matterhorn scaling finale. Vocalist/bassist Kurtis Lee Applegate’s low-end sounds like all of the strings are about to snap off and come whipping out of the speakers, his dense tone and vibrant shading another one of the band’s secret weapons as it ricochets shrapnel off the impregnable fills and jazzy tempo fluxes of drummer Phil Sangiacomo. Applegate also handles the vocals, and his bellowing, deep throated holler echoes of Chris Spencer locked in a roaring match with a grizzly bear. I’m also digging the juicy fuzz and wah-applied to some of the track’s odder, melodic riffs; lending the band a real classic rock vibe that makes an interesting juxtaposition to passages which are very blatantly, cut your throat violent! “Daddy Wronglegs” slaps a halt on the faster pacing heard in the opener, lunging speed bursts replaced by cascading, vintage Am-Rep abandon which morphs into doom-y sludge and chugging, murky tom drum battery reminiscent of Danny Carey’s busy playing style on Aenima. If Unsane, early Tool, Dinosaur Jr., Keelhaul and Cavity had a child; I’ll bet the little bastard would look exactly like this. Additional props and gestures of thanks can be extended to the extensive, 70s laced solo that brings this behemoth home.

The guitars adopt some My Bloody Valentine-esque prettiness and jangle on the stop/start mayhem of “Bopsky,” drummer Sangiacomo practically controlling the actions of his bandmates by allowing turgid beats and rabid fills to drive the action back and forth between riff-y sludge and bouncing prog-rock full of intense time changes, reverb-delay soaked clean lickage, and majestic, dual slide harmonies that sound like a crazed mix of country and old school metal. The dynamics on here constantly shape-shift like an elusive desert mirage; guitars pulling back to let the rhythm section breathe and play headmaster for a moment, before anvil heavy doom riffs and ghostly 70s rock sensibilities become the song’s intense focal points. Breakneck polyrhythms and interwoven arpeggios from hell trigger inherit bipolar disorders in normal listeners during the interplanetary introductory salvo of “Illegal Women.” Suddenly, the band do the old loop de loop into a vortex of chunking, broken noise-rock nihilism, riffed-up stoner grooves, and unique leads that tip the hat at bluesy southern rock from years gone by. If you dug the rocked out turns taken by Voivod on The Outer Limits you may very well find yourself obsessed with this tune (though it has only a passing resemblance to Voivod overall…it’s more the tense changes and inventive songwriting that make it a kindred spirit), though this stuff is more blown-out and scream-y than anything on the aforementioned album…very good for a worthy, sperm splashing head-fuck or three. “Delphonika” steamrolls through almost 9 minutes of bluesy dirge and sheer sludge riffing might, but as this isn’t a band that follows any set rules or templates, the careening twists and rollicking turns taken in the psychedelic, instrumental, midsection break (which lasts until the very end of the song) brims and completely shocks with FX laden malice, dazzling lead/riff trade-offs, and extensive fuzz soloing…a real piece of directly 70s dialed jamming if I’ve ever heard it, making this by far my pick for the go-to track on the album. It’s fucking class no matter how you slice the pie. Family continues to cut-up and dissect sturdy southern rock with gonzo stylistic shifts on “The Wonder Years,” go totally spacey during the build-up of “Othermother” which starts out feeling like Pink Floyd and ends up as dizzying tech-metal by the time it draws to a close (another one of the record’s best offerings), and then proceeds to reinforce a bit of everything you’ve just learned with the psychosomatic endnote of “Exploding Baby.” I could probably type a few hundred words for each of these songs, as there’s more jukes and jives than you can put a pair of boxing gloves to, just believe you me that this shit never lets up for a second before the next jab’s sent into your reeling jaw.

Portrait is a fucking highly-recommended piece of spastic, stalwart noise-prog, but unlike a lot of bands in the genre there’s an honest, blue collar 70s influence that infects everything they do. I love the jamming on this album, these guys put pretense in the backseat and just let the songs breathe the way they’re supposed to. If you like everything from Unsane and Keelhaul to King Crimson and Lynyrd Skynyrd you should be able to get into this one, no sweat. Since the recording of this killer album, drummer Phil Sangiacomo and 2nd guitarist Owen Burley have been replaced respectively by Jody Smith and Josh Lozano…rumor has it that this new incarnation is already working on a 2nd record, and I’ll be first in line to see what these maniacs come up with next! - Hellride Music

Family are a perfect example of a band who have got the balance right between the excessive riffing of heavy metal, the gutsy, earthen groove of southern rock and the melodic, blues-referencing structures of classic rock. Initially a feral experience, what sets family apart from similar bands is their ability to brace their melodies with a sense of real power, and to produce a sound that pays careful tribute to the past without aping it. As a result, over the course of the album you’ll hear fleeting references to many of rock and metal’s great institutions and yet Family succeed in sounding like precisely none of them. It’s a difficult trick to pull off over a song, let alone over a whole album, and yet not only do family do it well, they make it sound easy.

Opening track ‘bridge and tunnel’ is easily one of the heaviest numbers on the record – an incisive riff providing a howling backdrop for Kurt Applegate’s terrifying roar. The track hints at what’s to come with its strong sense of groove, but it’s only when the band lurch into the second track, the tom-destroying ‘daddy wronglegs’ that you realise something special is taking place. The track is still heavy, still swampy, and yet there’s a strong groove and melody there that owes much to southern rock despite the track’s overt sense of weight and power. From this point on it becomes clear why family have attracted the attention of Pelagic – a label known for its taste and restraint in signings – and as the track devolves into a doom laden anthem of despair the only source of light is from the stately solos of Steven Gordon and Josh Lozano which penetrate the bass and draw you back to the land of the living. The oddly titled ‘Bopsky’ operates in an awkward time signature all its own, the guitars neatly intertwining with each other over the verse before heavier riffs are conjured, as if from nowhere, as the song becomes increasingly agitated, before the whole thing stumbles off, blinded and in pain, in a progressive direction, the sudden lightness of mood a stark contrast to the heavy riffs found seconds previously. It says much about the band’s skill as musicians that they can pull off such changes without breaking a sweat, and the result is an album that is complex without being impenetrable and heavy without resorting to shock and awe tactics of overwhelming force.

Having got under your skin with the opening tracks ‘illegal women’ kicks off with the sort of cyclical riff that Mastadon have built their career upon but with a greater sense of space between the riffs allowing the song to veer into Sabbath territory with its corrosive riffs weaving an air of menace and decay before Jody Smith’s pounding percussion takes everything up a step and you realise you’re being worn down by the sheer volume the band can bring to bear when they choose so to do. ‘Delphonika’ is a quirky number that recalls the stop-start dynamic of Helmet crossed with the distinctly mid-tempo groove of and crushing misanthropy of Buzzov*en and it sounds immense; as viscous as tar and as toxic as a cyanide pill. Arguably the track that most references the classic rock of Led Zeppelin, ‘The wonder years’ opens with a deceptively muted introduction before stabbing riffs and off-kilter tempos explode, providing Kurt with the perfect entrée as he bounds into view, his vocals set to stun. Things take an arty turn for the psychedelic ‘Othermother’ which recalls the post-rock beauty of Isis and Red Sparrowes although it has a hefty sting in the tail for all that. The album concludes with ‘Exploding baby’ – a track that operates in a more progressive sphere, albeit one that heaves with tension, still managing to surprise despite the innovation that has characterised the previous six tracks. A lengthy, awe-inspiring conclusion to the album, ‘Exploding baby’ is a highlight that has you automatically reaching to hit play once again even before the disc has stopped spinning.

Family are by no means the first band to meld together the elements of classic rock, post rock and heavy metal, but here they have crafted their songs with such natural flair and panache that it sounds utterly natural. Heavy, but not so that it overpowers the subtle elements, fans of Neurosis, Isis and The Ocean will find plenty to admire. Couple that with the excellent artwork and you have a powerful heavy rock release that puts a new spin on familiar genres whilst simultaneously offering enough complexity beneath the surface to keep you coming back for more. An album that only grows with time, ‘Portrait’ is an intelligent and exciting album indeed. - Sonic Abuse

Family is a Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal Band from Brooklyn, USA

The members are:

Kurt Applegate, Josh Lozano, Steven Gordon, Jody Smith

Family are a Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal Band taking influence from bands diverse such as The Mars Volta, Unsane, Tool, Baroness, Mastodon and Thin Lizzy. You would think bands like this should not go together but you know what they do. And Family deliver it by the bucket load.

Their debut album – Portrait – is a concept album about a dysfunctional family that develops supernatural powers and their struggle to fit in with the world around them.

Now let us check the talent behind this colossal band.

"Based in Brooklyn, Family is comprised of two native New Yorkers and two Deep Southerners, bringing together a wealth of musical influences and life experiences. Guitarist, primary songwriter, and native Manhattanite Steven Gordon writes for preeminent music blog MetalSucks. Second guitarist Joshua Lozano, a Queens native, was employed for years at the legendary CBGB, and also plays with avant-black metallers Cobalt and former Swans vocalist Jarboe. Drummer Jody Smith came to the Brooklyn metal scene by way of the funk and jazz of his hometown New Orleans and bassist/vocalist Kurtis Lee Applegate -- a towering hulk of a frontman -- doubles as the world's friendliest chef from South Carolina"

Well Portrait is just one insane ride of riffs, vocals and loud heavy crushing Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs mixed together with an air of classic rock. If you are fans of the bands mentioned above then this is going to blow your mind as it did mine.

I will admit that this album did not impress me on the first listen as I thought it was too many ideas for one album to hold. Then I took a few more listens and BOOM – I got into it in a big way.

Bridge & Tunnel and Daddy Wronglegs the first two tracks will show you what is in store for this brilliant album. Just a wild ride of high impact riffs that Baroness and Mastodon used to do back in the day with a hint of Tool in the background.

Listen to the lyrics as the songs do tell you what is happening with the characters in the album’s story. The vocals have a loud hardcore feel but not the type of Sludge/Death Metal screech you think you would hear. They are brilliantly clear despite the loud vibe to them.

The album cover might be a bit on the boring side but that is the point of the album. It is about what happens behind closed doors and behind this cover lies a screeching monster waiting to infect you with the infectious grooves and riffs.

3rd track Bopsky definitely shows you a sign of things to come for the remaining 5 tracks. A dark underlying tale of family unrest that will have you hooked from start to finish.

Portrait feels like a Hollywood sci-fi epic coming to life. As it has an intelligent story to it with cool characters to match.

4th track – Illegal Woman adds more layers to the story but it is the riffs and vocals that keep you intrigued. Just top-notch Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs to head-bang to while paying homage to great bands past and present.

Now I am going to stop here, as I do not want to spoil the story any longer as it does get more exciting and action packed. Especially on the 9 minute epic track -Delphonika.

The album is superbly produced and it showcases the action packed riffs off to perfection. The album is brilliantly put together in terms of scope and structure with the concept behind it. But the main selling point is obviously the music.

Portrait is an action packed masterpiece that will have you hooked from the word go. Family is a band that is going places with works of insane genius like this. I loved every second of it. I cannot wait to see what these hugely talented rockers have in store for us next time.

Awesome and highly recommended.

You can buy Portrait on Pelagic Records now and from all good stockists everywhere.

I have to thank the awesome dudes at Pelagic Records for letting me review another brilliant product of theirs. These guys are becoming one of my fave labels out there - The Sludgelord

about%20-%20jpg.jpg reviews%20-%20jpg.jpg interviews%20-%20jpg.jpg gigs%20-%20jpg.jpg cd_review_family_portrait001006.jpg
FAMILY
www.familyslays.com
Another addition to The Ocean's Robin Staps' Pelagic Records label, Family are not, thank fuck, Willie Nelson's touring band who have the same moniker. Rather, this talented American quartet have forged a fairly original sound by melding classic rock and prog influences within a wider, innovatively heavy and more modern dynamic. And it's a seamless fusion of styles as there are no discernible passages of discrete classic rock idioms - instead, riffs and grooves of rock's past have been blended with crushingly heavy dissonance within genuinely progressive song structures that lean towards oft-discordant, quasi-cacophonic underpinnings. Having said that, tracks are occasionally punctuated with moments of classic stylings (most emphatically on 'The Wonder Years') although, generally, this is music that works on two levels and Family adhere to a paradox of harmonious discordance in their songwriting and its execution. The half-screamed/half-growled vocals, similar to Burst's Linus Jägerskog, will probably be enough to deter the classic rock purists, as will the sonically challenging compositional structures so 'Portrait' works better as a kick up the arse to the modern underground scene than something that'll appeal to aficionados of Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd et al. And mentioning Burst, they too (amongst others, of course) blended classic rock influences with a genuinely progressive vibe and had a discordant/melodic duality so it could be argued 'Portrait' is nothing new. Wrong. Burst's blend was a more polished, structured affair. Family, on the other hand, make it sound like they're effortlessly jamming out their amalgam thus there's a pretty natural feeling to their fusion. And, ironically, by infusing their material with classic rock flavours, Family are a rather refreshing listen. The cover art, although apt for the album's lyrical concept of a dysfunctional family who develop supernatural powers, might not do the band any favours as it's not that eye-catching and perhaps more country music than metal (Willie Nelson's Family?!). It's more representative of the concept than the actual music. Maybe that's just me, though. - Metal Discovery

I've always wondered whether there is a conversation that takes place when a new metal band is forming that goes something like this:

"So guys these jams sessions are great, we seem to be getting a pretty good response at shows, but if we want to release an album and perhaps do this for a living then how are we going to stand out from the thousands of other metal bands?"

If you strip down the sum of its parts, Family do not have any one element that differs, no flashy gimmicks, synths, samples or seem to have any outlandish production methods. What they have in spades compared to others is immense class. Bands that would appear on similar sounding playlists would include East of the Wall, Mastodon, Contortionist, Led Zeppelin, Unsane and Baroness.

What Family do extremely well is experiment between accessabile and elusive structures, progressive and acute instrumentation, customary and off-kilter drum patterns, intricate and intimidating bass tones with modern and classical guitar work scattered throughout.

Portrait rocks with such a memorable purpose and profound tension that you find yourself fully engaged in whats going on, but never really aware of what may happen next. That is a rare trait from a band releasing its first album.

Vocalist and Bass player Kurt Applegate can rip your head off yet tell a rather inriguing story at the same time. The commanding vocals fall alongside heavyweights Troy Sanders & Aaron Turner. Its not an overpowering vocal performance at all, yet it is grippping nonetheless. Portrait actually follows the concept of a dysfunctional family that develops supernatural powers, it fits the music really well and does not sound like a forced storyline whatsoever.

The structure of the album is largely a guitar oriented, thats not a surprising thing given there are 2 axemen (Steven Gordon & Josh Lozano), they deliver thunderous riffs over classical rock and even bluesy melodies, track after track. listening to their work on Portrait you would be forgiven for thinking they had been playing together for decades. Tracks can groove and pummel, yet twist and turn and thats where drummer Jody Smith deserves mention, the skins
do not sit in the forefront of the mix, yet the skill portraid (pardon the pun) is clear to hear. They are an incredibly talented group of musicians.

So getting back to my initial statement - do I believe a conversation like this took place early in Family's formation? Fuck No! They do not need to force a thing for the remainder of their careers, sure there may be challenges ahead in trying to continue to progress forward, but it feels like they have achieved Portrait so naturally. You can't help but wonder where this family will end up. Avoiding divorce may be the only barrier to longeivity.

We are Family, and so are you! - The Conjoined

In our ongoing series of guest columns, we’ve asked a bunch of metal’s heaviest hitters to provide us with a list of five crucial albums they think will change you — either for the better or the worse. Today, we hear from Jody Smith, the drummer for Family.

Creating 
lists 
such 
as 
these 
is 
always 
synonymous 
with 
the 
whole 
“if
 you’re
 stranded
 on 
a 
desert 
island…” 
conversation 
– 
questions
 that,
 for 
me, 
are 
directly 
dependent
 upon 
which
 side 
of 
the 
bed 
I woke 
up. 
For
 instance, 
if 
today
 were 
a 
Monday 
morning
 that 
followed 
a 
Sunday 
filled 
with 
bloody 
marys, 
wine,
 and 
beer,
 this 
list
 would 
likely
 have 
some 
death 
metal
 included
 on 
it. 
That
 said, 
today
 is 
not
 that
 Monday, 
and 
while
 these
 may 
not 
be 
records
 that 
will 
change 
YOUR 
life, 
they
 changed 
mine 
and 
if 
you 
haven’t
 heard 
them 
maybe
 you
 should!


The Meters — Rejuvenation
This 
was 
the
 first 
of 
my 
four 
drum‐centric, 
life‐altering
 listening
 experiences
 and 
it
 hinged 
on
 a
 single name: 
“Zig.” 
New 
Orleans 
is 
a 
town 
of
 badass 
drummers, 
and
 Joseph 
“Zigaboo” 
Modeliste 
is 
no
 doubt
 one
 of the 
quintessential 
New 
Orleans
 drummers. 
He
 also 
happens 
to 
be
 in 
straight 
‘beast
 mode’ 
at 
times 
on 
this record.
 Supported
 by
 a
 cast
 of 
fellow 
New
 Orleans 
legends
 (keys 
player/singer 
Art 
Neville,
 uber‐groovy bassist
 George 
Porter 
Jr., 
rhythm‐shark 
guitarist
 Leo 
Nocentelli
 and
 percussionist/singer
 Cyril
 Neville),
 this 
is
 the 
album 
where 
the
 group
 really 
came
 together 
and 
started 
crafting 
full‐on
 sing‐along 
funk
opuses.


From 
my 
first
 favorite
 jam 
“Just
 Kissed 
My 
Baby” 
to 
the 
slamming
 funk
 of
 “What’cha
 Say” 
to
 the 
swamp‐nasty 
tempo
 of
 “Jungle 
Man” 
to 
the 
twelve‐minute 
jam‐out 
“Ain’t 
No 
Use,” this
 record’s
 got 
it 
all. 
(Not 
to 
mention
 the
 closer,
 “Africa?!?!?!”) 
Given
 that
 the 
Meters
 started
 out 
as 
an 
instrumental 
band,
 this
 record 
is 
the 
convergence 
of 
the 
funk, 
the
 vocals, 
the 
songwriting…
you 
name 
it. 


James 
Brown — 
Love 
Power
 Peace: 
Live 
in 
Paris, 
1971
If 
The 
Meters 
were 
the
 gangsters
 of
 swampy
 New
 Orleans 
summer‐funk 
jamz, 
James
 Brown’s
 bands
 were
 precision‐based,
 up‐tempo
 groovin’‐ass
 SEX
 MACHINES
 that
 could
 bulldoze
 your
 house 
in 
one 
sitting!!!
 And
 NEVER 
was
 that
 more
 apparent
 than
 on 
this
 album…
it 
seems 
like 
the 
entire 
band
 might
 have
 had 
some
“cocaine
 snooters” 
right 
before
 they
 hit
 the
 stage,
 ‘cause
 these 
motherfuckers 
sound
 like
 they’re 
riding
 the 
white 
tiger 
straight
 to 
the 
pearly 
gates 
with 
swords
 n’
 shields
 n’
 shit!!!! 
FOR 
REAL!!
 


This 
record 
has 
an 
all‐star 
band 
comprised
 of 
the 
original
 JB’s:
 you’ve 
got 
the 
dual
 drumming 
anchors
 of
 John 
“Jabo” 
Starks
 and 
Don 
Juan
 “Tiger”
 Martin,
 the 
root
 of 
all
 funk 
bass
 playing
 Bootsy 
Collins, countered 
by 
the
 insanely
 funky
 rhythm 
guitar
 playing
 of
 Bootsy’s 
younger
 brother
 Phelps
 “Catfish” 
Collins, 
AND 
it’s 
all 
led 
by
 the
 Godfather
 himself
 ‐‐
 James
 Brown!!!!! 
Oh,
 and
 there’s 
horns,
 organs, 
and
 all 
sorts 
of
 other 
bad ass‐ness 
as 
well.



It
 starts
 with
 Bobby
 Byrd
 MC’ing 
and 
setting
 the
 stage
 for 
The
 Godfather
 to 
come 
out
 against 
the
 backdrop of 
grooves 
pounded
 out 
with 
start/stop 
precision…
you 
can
 already
 start 
to
 taste
 the
 electricity
 in 
the
 air!!!
 Then 
Bobby 
Byrd 
pronounces:
 “And 
now 
the 
star 
of 
the 
show, 
let 
the 
brother
 rap…
 JAMES
 BROWN!!!!” From
 there 
it’s 
a 
steamroller‐style 
set,
 including
 a 
killer 
version
 of 
“Ain’t
 It 
Funky 
Now” 
where 
Phelps “Catfish”
 Collins 
slays 
dragons 
with 
his 
axe, 
yet
 another
 “Catfish”
 killer
 in 
“Sex
 Machine,” 
followed 
by 
a
 high‐speed 
medley
 of 
“Papa’s
 Got
 A
 Brand 
New 
Bag/I 
Got 
You
 (I 
Feel 
Good)/I
 Got
 The 
Feelin’”
 and 
wild
 reprises 
of
 “Sex
 Machine”
 with
 segues
 into 
“Super
 Bad” 
and 
“Soul
 Power.” 


One 
of 
the 
most
 incredible 
moments comes 
where 

Brown 
hypes
 the
 crowd
 to 
an 
absolute
 frenzy 
prior 
to 
dropping
 “It’s
 A 
Man’s
 Man’s
 Man’s 
World,” only 
to 
be 
topped 
off
 with 
“Get
 Up, 
Get 
Into 
It,
 Get 
Involved”
 to 
close
 it
 all 
out.

 And 
to
 think
 that 
this 
was
 originally
 slated
 to 
be 
a 
triple 
release 
that 
never 
saw 
the
 light 
of 
day 
(due
 to 
Bootsy 
and 
his
 brother
 leaving
 for 
Parliament‐Funkadelic) 
until
 20 
years
 later
 when 
it 
was 
released
 as
 a
 single disc…
Better 
late
 than 
never!!!!!!!
 
 
 


Frank 
Zappa — Roxy 
& 
Elsewhere

With
 the
 vast
 catalog
 that
 is
 Frank
 Zappa’s 
output, 
sorting
 through
 the
 silly
 shit
 (lots)
 and 
pinpointing
 the 
gems 
can 
be
 a 
task.
 This 
record,
 however,
 to
 me 
is 
the
 pinnacle
 of
 Frank’s 
catalog
 and
 an 
absolute testament
 to 
the 
genius
 that
 was 
this
 prolific
 writer,
 composer
 and
 (often
 underrated)
 guitarist.
 One
 thing
 to 
remember:
 Zappa 
learned
 to
 write
 ORCHESTRAL
 PIECES 
by 
going 
to 
the 
LIBRARY 
and 
reading
 about 
it!! 
That
 is 
a 
true 
story! 
But 
I 
digress…



The 
players 
on 
THIS 
crazy 
record
 are 
a 
cast 
of 
(at 
times) 
15 musicians 
utilizing
 melodic 
percussion,
 horns, 
bass, 
guitar,
 two 
drummers,
 backing 
vocals
 and 
more.

 You 
have 
instrumentals
 like 
”Echidna’s
 Arf
 (Of 
You)” 
and 
”Don’t 
You 
Ever 
Wash
 That
 Thing?” 
(with 
dueling
 drum
 solos
 courtesy
 of 
Ralph
 Humphry
 and
 Chester
 Thompson),
 an
 ode 
to 
B 
movies 
and 
the
 prototype
 for
 the
 entire
 first
 Mr.
Bungle
 record
 called
“Cheepnis,” 
and 
the
 finale 
called
 “Be‐Bop 
Tango
 (Of 
the 
Old
 Jazzmen’s
 Church),” 
which 
features 
a 
bizarre
 skat‐style
 organ/vocal
 unison 
melody 
that
 is
 played, 
then 
sped 
up 
beyond 
comprehension
 WHILE
 members
 of
 the
 audience 
are
 invited 
up
 on 
stage 
to 
dance
 to 
it. 
Not 
to 
mention 
it 
is 
of 
course 
LIVE 
and 
with 
the
 exception 
of 
live 
guitar 
solos 
from 
other 
shows
 that 
Frank
 edited
 into
 this
 recording
 (yes, 
he 
actually 
did 
that), 
what 
you
 hear 
is 
what 
you
 get. 
AND 
THAT 
IS 
RIDICULOUS!
 It’s 
all 
totally
 fucking 
weird 
and
 totally 
Zappa.


The Police — LIVE!,
 (Disc 
1)

Ahh, 
the 
last 
of 
three
 LIVE
 discs
 to
 make
 this
 list!!!
 Not 
to
 mention
 that
 a
 trio
 is 
at 
the
 helm 
of
 this
 one…
 As
 a
 child
 of 
the ‘
80s, 
I
 was 
by 
no 
means 
immune 
to 
the 
barrage 
of 
hits 
the 
Police 
had
 over
 the
 years.
 It
 wasn’t 
until
 some
 years
 later
 (mid ’90s) 
that 
I 
really 
discovered
 their 
other 
recordings,
 and
 this
 particular 
CD 
exemplifies 
that
 youthful 
raw
 energy,
 punk 
attitude, 
and
 diverse,
 quirky, 
reggae‐tinged 
skill
 set 
possessed
 by 
the 
band.



It
 also 
seems 
to 
document 
a 
band 
teetering 
on 
the
 brink 
of 
superstardom,
 unconcerned 
with
 playing
 songs
 too
 fast
 and 
every 
other
 beautiful
 aspect 
of
 youthful 
naiveté.
 In 
addition, 
this 
show 
(recorded
 in 
1979) is 
just 
prior 
to 
what
 would 
be 
a 
transformation 
from
 quirky
 punky‐reggae
 club 
band 
to
 iconic, ‘
80s 
hit‐ writing 
arena‐anthem
 power 
trio.
 
Sting 
is 
in 
full
 form 
vocally, 
hitting 
all 
those 
high‐ass
 notes 
while
 simultaneously
 nailing
 the
 bass 
parts…
Stewart 
Copeland 
kills
 it 
the 
entire 
night
 as 
always
 (albeit
 with
 a 
little 
tempo 
rushing,
 which
 he 
was 
notorious 
for),
and
 also 
lends
 backing
 vocal 
duties…
and
 Andy 
Summer
 plays 
the 
syncopated/ethereal/rocking
 solo
 role,
 sandwiching 
himself
 between
 the
 two
 often‐colliding
 planets 
that 
are
 Sting
 and
 Stewart.


From 
the 
opening 
snare 
flams 
of 
“Next 
to 
You” 
to 
the 
reggae/punk 
sections 
of
 “So
 Lonely”
 to
 the
 blazing‐fast 
version 
of 
“Truth
 Hits
 Everybody,” 
you 
get 
the
 sense 
of
 The 
Police’s 
unique 
sound 
and 
the
 melding 
of
 aforementioned 
styles 
that 
made
 them
 so
 special.
 Throw 
in 
incredible 
versions
 of 
“Hole
 in 
My 
Life,” “Bring 
on 
the 
Night,”
 “Message
 in 
a
 Bottle,” 
and 
“The 
Bed’s 
Too 
Big 
Without 
You”
 and 
this
 might 
not 
only be 
the 
definitive
 collection 
of 
the 
band’s
 early 
songs 
but 
the
 best
 performances
 you’ll
 ever 
hear 
of 
them
 as 
well.
 When 
the
 Police
 played 
with 
all
 the 
bombast
 that
 was
 often 
missing
 from
 their 
early
 studio recordings 
it’s
 just
 too
 hard
 to 
deny
 it. 
Put
 that 
in 
your 
pipe 
and 
smoke 
it,
 bitches!!!!!!!
 
 


Stravinsky –
 The Rite 
of
 Spring
Originally 
composed 
nearly 
100 
years 
ago, 
these
 22 
minutes
 of 
extreme
 dynamics,
 thunderous
 accents,
 bizarre 
asymmetrical 
meters,
and 
bassoon‐induced 
creepiness
 has 
always
 amazed
 me.
 It 
was
 also
 originally written 
as 
the
 accompaniment 
to 
a
 ballet 
whose 
theme
 revolved
 around 
a 
pagan 
celebration
 of 
Spring,
 in 
which 
a
 sacrificial
 girl
 dances 
herself
 to
 death.
 Needless
 to
 say,
 the
 first
 performance 
caused
 a 
series
 of 
arguments 
amongst 
the
 crowd 
that 
nearly 
led 
to 
a 
riot.
 


Today, 
it 
is 
more 
often 
unaccompanied 
by 
the 
ballet
 and 
instead
 executed 
by
 huge
 orchestras. 
And 
having
 seen
 it
 in 
the
 flesh 
I
 can 
vouch 
for 
the 
amazing 
experience
 that
 it
 is.
 Over 
the 
years 
it 
has 
also 
been
 recognized 
as 
a 
seminal 
work
 of 
Igor’s, 
and
 as 
representing 
a 
turn
 in 
the
 very
 paradigm 
that 
was orchestral 
music 
in
 the 
early
 1900s. 
Boy, 
I 
wish 
I 
could’ve 
been
 there 
for 
the
 debut!
 Now 
go 
eat
 some 
mushrooms
 and 
go 
on 
a 
journey…
 
 - Gunshy Assassin

Brooklyn-based band Family — featuring MetalSucks writer Mr. Kip Wingerschmidt on the geetar — will release Portrait on October 30th via Robin Staps’ (The Ocean) Pelagic Records. But Family is a two-guitar attack, and today we’ve got a Rigged column from Steven’s partner in crime Joshua Lozano (also of Fashion Week and Man’s Gin). Josh is a real gear-hound and has plenty to say about his live setup — so, guitar nerds, strap yourselves in and prepare to dork out. Stream Family’s song “Bridge & Tunnel” as you read along. Here’s Josh:

I have a huge collection of guitars, amps, and pedals. I sometimes swap things out for variety — or when I can’t use my first choice I use whatever isn’t broken — but this is my current set-up with Family:

My main guitar is a Gibson RD Artist. It’s a rare guitar from the ’80s when Gibson was getting experimental. It came stock with active electronics and effects but the guy I bought it from (his name was eBay) gutted all that nonsense and put passive humbuckers in there. I’m proud to say I have been playing this guitar so much that the finish has begun to wear away! It’s got the two-volume, two-tone, three-way toggle set up I love so I can switch between two different sounds right on the guitar — mostly just on and off — but I can set the volume on one pickup low and the other all the way up for a fast change at the flick of my finger. The guitar itself is pretty nondescript and sounds like your average Gibson, no exceptional tone or anything like that, but with all the gain I use it makes no difference. I love it mostly for the body shape, sort of like an Explorer meets a Firebird, or even more like if you took a sander to an Explorer and rounded out those sharp edges. It is definitely my most comfortable guitar to play (except my ’64 Jazzmaster, nothing plays more like butter than that thing).

(not Josh’s actual guitar)

For a backup guitar I’ve been using my ’74 Fender Teledeluxe. It’s got that 25.5 inch scale I prefer and it’s got truly amazing tone. For years this was my main guitar but it needs a fret job badly, and the toggle switch (located above the strings as opposed to below or on the side) gets in the way of my palm when I do any right hand tapping parts, which is awkward and risks me turning off the guitar MID SOLO!!! I will probably do most of my recording on the next Family record with this guitar.

(also not Josh’s actual guitar)

I use D’addario .13 strings. After trying them all I settled on this set around 2007. To me they all mostly sound the same, but D’addario strings are consistently more reliable and they use the economical packaging which is very important to me. Why so heavy? They sound better! I like a heavy string. I don’t want guitar playing to be too easy. This is heavy music after all. I play other people’s guitars and it’s like, what is this, dental floss? I play hard and I need the heavy strings to hold up to it. In my opinion, bending a string is like making the guitar hurt, making a part scream or a note cry. I’m a fan of doing this but I don’t think it should be too easy.

On the floor, no fancy store bought pedal “bored” for me. A piece of wood and some velcro and I’m good to go. I move around too much on stage to be playing hopscotch with my pedals so I need ‘em all laid out in front of me, even if this means it’s four feet wide. I have a piece of half-inch birch I cut to fit into a gutted bass case. I made this thing way back in high school and the stickers on the case prove it.

The following is not really the signal chain in order, but more in order of importance. So first thing, THE MOST IMPORTANT PEDAL: the tuner! I use the standard Boss pedal tuner. I don’t care how good your ear is, no one wants to hear you tuning on stage. And you don’t borrow your bandmate’s tuner before the set, you have it in your pedal chain and fucking check your tuning after every song or whenever possible. I can’t get over how many “professional” musicians don’t understand this. This is especially crucial for Family as I use three different tunings in a set (standard, drop D, and DADGAD). I have mine plugged into the direct-out of my volume pedal so it’s always on and functioning. This is great because I also play upright bass in another band, and when the drummer is playing too loud for me to hear it I can make sure I’m playing the notes in key by checking the tuner.

I use the original Ernie Ball volume pedal, full-sized for my big foot. This item is crucial to my style. I have never liked the gain channel on any amp so I use the clean channel and crank it! This gives me a much more full and organic overdrive sound. I prefer a classic one channel amp, like my Green Matamp, an old Orange, a Hi-Watt (sigh), or even an old Marshall like what Hendrix used. He turned the thing up and got that saturated overdriven tone — he would pull down the volume knob on his guitar for clean sounds and then crank it back up before leading into his solos. If I played a Strat I might do this but on most of my guitars that volume knob is much further away from my hand so I use the volume pedal instead, giving me a wide variety of clean to overdrive, quiet to loud. It’s much more natural sounding to have a gradual volume swell than the sudden boost you get from changing channels.

Before the tuner pedal, I have an MXR Micro Amp. This is on at all times. It helps me drive the preamp tubes in that clean channel I like to use. No distortion, overdrive, fuzz, or anything else gain-wise on my pedal board. In line before that I used to have an Electro Harmonix micro pog. I could use it during all those full chord parts and set the higher octave to sort of glisten in with the true notes for a real rich, almost 12-string-like sound. Unfortunately that pedal was stolen with my friend’s car, so… welcome to Brooklyn! I’m looking for a used replacement. Also stolen was my friend’s real old silver burst Les Paul… maybe Mastodon took it.

In line after the volume pedal I have an EH Small Clone chorus pedal. It’s simple: one knob and a depth switch. I use it less as a chorus and more to add color. I’m not a big fan of clean guitars for the most part so when I’m playing clean I turn this on and have it set real slow so it adds a bit of flavor to the sound.

Next I have a Boss digital delay (DD-3) and a Boss digital pitchshifter/delay (PS-3). I have these right next to each other and I use ‘em together for all those crazy noisy parts you will catch me doing, or when I’m playing slow single note parts. I will use the delay by itself whenever I am doing something really dissonant or a single note tremolo picking type thing. It’s also good when I’m doing stuff like that first guitar part on the Jesus Lizard “Goat” record, or if I’m going for a washed out part like Mono or Mouth of the Architect might do.

Then I have a Dunlop Rotovibe pedal. It looks like a Crybaby wah, except it’s red. I keep it on the tremolo setting and I have the knob set almost all the way deep. The pedal itself controls the rate of the effect and I use it for noisy parts that usually have feedback going. Its great because you can let feedback ring and then make it warble faster and faster until you click it off at the top before slamming into the next riff.

I use a Morley “Bad Horsie” wah. This is Steve Vai’s signature model (who cares?), and it does the job as any wah wah pedal does. I guess it’s not as brilliant sounding as a Vox but I like that I just have to step on it to engage it, as opposed to clicking it on and off and having to start and end a part with the wah screaming. With this one it starts in the low position and doesn’t kick on until you’re in the middle, which I prefer.

Last pedal in the chain: an Akai Head Rush II. It’s a nice classic-sounding delay with a very useful tap tempo. I especially like setting a slow delay that can capture and repeat all the other effects I have going on in front of it. It also has a looping function, which I never use live, but it’s very useful when writing parts.

Coming to the end of this article… I absolutely love my Green Matamp, which I got right when they started making them again in the late ’90s. It has a great overdrive, fully saturated with lots of total harmonic distortion (whatever that means… sounds cool though). For playing slow parts, blues-based Eyehategod-type riffs, or anything with big chords ringing out, it’s perfect. When it comes to playing fast it all turns to mush, so it just won’t work for the stuff I’m playing with this band. In the live setting, I’ve had to venture outside of what I knew. I first went with a Mesa Triple Rectifier. It definitely did the job. I could hear everything I did, all my mistakes, crystal clear, and for playing by myself or with a bass player it was perfect. However, matched up against Steven’s (my Family partner in crime) Dual Rectifier, I felt like we were battling for a lot of the same sonic space. I found the answer with an old ’90s Peavey 5150! I was shocked! I always considered the 5150 a poor man’s Mesa Boogie, but I was way off. This amp is its own animal; it gives me the gain I need to rock these heavy riffs and the dynamics to sing the pretty parts. It has its own unique sound and allows mine and Steven’s guitars to be heard equally and with plenty of separation.

As far as guitar cabs I really like my old-ass Marshall 4×12 slant top. It’s from the ’60s and I found it! I took it home on the subway and painted it purple, ‘cause as J Mascis said, “purple amps just sound better”. It’s got 25 watt speakers in it so it breaks up real nice. Right now two of them are blown so I’m using my equally old Marshall bottom which I purchased for peanuts years ago from someone who was using it as a table to cut meat. I painted it green to match my Green head. The bottoms are deeper, and with its 75 watters it’s less bright and has much more low-end. Obviously they sound best together as a full stack.

- Joshua Lozano / Family - MetalSucks

Among the world’s great un-Google-able band names, Family’s near the top of the list. Fortunately, they dropped their debut album Portrait on the very Google-able Pelagic records last fall, so those of us so inclined can track them down. Family vocalist, bassist and supreme geek Kurt Applegate took some time recently to answer our Geek Music Survey.

1.) The Beatles or Elvis (or Joni Mitchell)?
Kurt Applegate: I was introduced to the music of Elvis Presley at an early age. My dad listened to a lot of Elvis when we rode around in the car. Obviously, I love the King and what he did for rock and roll. But when I grew older and discovered the later, drug-influenced music of The Beatles I fell in love. I’m constantly amazed by the musicianship and creativity of their later albums. As far as the classic rock artists that I admire the most, Led Zeppelin has always been at the top of my list. Over the last few years, Thin Lizzy has become one of my all time favorite classic rock bands. Their catalog is incredible beyond their most popular single “The Boys Are Back In Town.” With incredible songwriting, solid riffs and “guitarmonies” for days, Thin Lizzy is where it’s at. I can identify most with their front man, Philip Lynott. He was a bass player and a vocalist with a penchant for the finer things in life like whiskey and women. Check out the album Fighting or the live version of “Still In Love With You.”

2.) James Brown or Al Green (or Mos Def)?
I have a particular love for old school funk, soul and hip hop. Even though I’m a metalhead through and through, I enjoy the music from The Godfather of Soul, the Rev. Al Green and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def). Sam Cooke is one of my favorite soul artists. It would be interesting to see a biopic about the controversy surrounding his unfortunate death. As a musician, I grew to appreciate many different genres of music. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Gang Starr. Their beats and lyricism are so true and fresh. It’s a shame that Guru passed away in 2010. Definitely a tragic loss for the hip hop community. ‘90s hip hop has become the soundtrack for most of my work shifts.

3.) Radiohead or Pavement (or Bikini Kill)?
Radiohead. The Bends and OK Computer are some of my favorite alternative rock albums. Both records came out while I was in high school, and every time I listen to them, I am automatically transported back to a particular time in my life. This is one of the beautiful things about music that I certainly cherish. I have always had a deep respect for Radiohead because they do what they want and keep reinventing themselves with each release. And they continually sell records because of it.

4.) Star Wars or Star Trek?
Definitely Star Wars. Empire Strikes Back is one of my favorite movies of all time. As far as a sequel goes, this has to be the best one ever made. No other movie leaves you wanting more, while destroying all hope for the “good guy.” The original Star Wars trilogy was a huge part of my youth. My friends and I used to play a lot with Star Wars figures. Unfortunately, the more recent installments of Star Wars have been disappointing as I’m sure most of you know. But, the newest Star Trek movie was incredible, even with all of the lens flares. And I just recently saw the trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness and it looks amazing. The trailer was so long that my date and I thought we were in the wrong movie.

5.) Kurasawa or Hitchcock?
I was always a big fan of Hitchcock. His movies are inundated with such dark suspense and imagery. I particularly like the movie Vertigo with James Stewart. Hitchcock’s use of the dolly zoom to create a sense of disorientation was truly amazing. Speaking of Jimmy Stewart, I love Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life. Not only is it a great holiday movie, but it really examines the strength of the human spirit and the value of the individual life. My mom and I used to watch it every year while decorating the Christmas tree. I truly enjoy films that instill a sense of nostalgia.

6.) David Lynch or Quentin Tarantino?
This might be one of the hardest questions of this Q&A, because these are two of my favorite directors. I can’t get enough of Tarantino’s unabashed brutality, both with his dialogue and his gore. He’s one of the more groundbreaking directors of the modern film age. With his sense of humor and incredible soundtrack selections, Tarantino satisfies everything that I look for when I watch a movie. I discovered David Lynch with his interpretation of Frank Herberts Dune. In the last 10 years, I have tried to watch all of his movies. It would be hard to find a director that has a stranger approach to filmmaking. From the incredible characters in Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Wild At Heart to the bizarre mind-fucks of Lost Highway, Eraserhead and Inland Empire, Lynch has never ceased to amaze me with his imagination and ability to truly confuse the moviegoer.

7.) Sci-Fi or Lo-Fi?
Science Fiction was huge to me growing up. I love a sci-fi creator’s ability to make up an entire world of names, places, creatures and weapons. I’m always blown away by the power of imagination. And everything from The Matrix to Flash Gordon really satisfies my entertainment thirst.

8.) The Walking Dead (the comic) or The Walking Dead (the TV show)?
I haven’t gotten aboard The Walking Dead train yet. However, I really dig movies or shows about zombies. 28 Days Later was probably one of my favorite zombie flicks that has come out in the last 10 years. As far as comic books go, Batman is the one for me. I loved coming home after school back in the early ‘90s so I could watch Batman: The Animated Series. I still enjoy watching those episodes to this day. The characters and story lines are absolutely amazing. And the fact that Mark Hamill does the voice of the Joker is just an added bonus.

9.) Beer, Wine or Spirits?
All three. Certain times call for certain libations. There’s nothing like pairing up a gourmet meal with a stellar glass of wine or having an ice cold beer with a slice of hot pizza. I enjoy trying new wines, beer and liquor but, for the most part, I’m a man who likes his whiskey. Neat.

10.) Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace (or Shakespeare)?
I’ve never been one to read a lot of novels. I guess I just don’t have the time or the attention span. In school I read a lot of classics that I enjoyed like One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, To Kill A Mockingbird and Of Mice And Men. Most recently, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It was an excellent post-apocalyptic story that was great to read while listening to the Deftones on my way to work. I’d really like to get into Blood Meridian, but I’ll probably just stick to reading Decibel Magazine and the articles in Hustler. - Geek Exchange

I dig rhythm. It doesn’t dig me back in my own attempts at making music, but I dig it more when an outfit like Family makes rhythm their bitch.

The opening track “Bridge & Tunnel” off of Family’s new release, Portrait, does more than rattle your cage with an onslaught of thrash-style riffage. The song segues perfectly into “Daddy Wronglegs,” which opens with a laid-back-but-powering, odd-metered vamp. The rest of the song (and album) proceeds to take the masses to school on how to make the predictable unpredictable.

Portrait is truly an album you play start to finish. Songs like “Illegal Woman” and “Othermother” show that these guys display a level of musicianship on par with bands like Meshuggah with vintage guitar tones and tasteful interludes similar to Mastodon. Mind you, the Brooklyn boys of Family punch you in the balls with brutality on this release. Phil Sangiacomo (drums) plays with massive power and precision, while guitarists Steven Gordon and Owen Burley intricately weave a blend of riffs and lead. The band is rounded out by Kurtis Lee Applegate on bass and vocals.

In this day and age of vomit-inducing American Idols and neo-country, a band like Family restores your faith in heavy music. There are still guys out there that can write and play songs with a purpose.

Rating: 4/5 Stars - Sam Roon