Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Land Speed Record : A Conversation With Grant Hart

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At this point Grant Hart should need no introduction, the former drummer/ vocalist and founding member of Minneapolis punk legends Husker Du, who later went on to form the criminally  under appreciated Nova Mob as well as releasing four sterling solo releases, has solidified his place as one of the American undergrounds most important artists, but you wouldn't know it when listening to his latest LP, the sprawling and flat out excellent, The Argument, Hart continues to push his song craft into new and engaging directions. In advance of his performance at The Davis Square Theatre tomorrow night, we caught up with Grant to dig into his latest work, the lost art of the concept record, and the legacy of Husker Du.

The Ash Gray Proclamation: Let's start with The Argument, it's well documented that the album was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost. What was your vision going into recording the songs that would end up on the album?

Grant Hart: Going in I wanted to secularize the material, remove any particularly Christian content and tell a story where either gods were men or all men were gods.

AGP: How were you first introduced to Milton's Paradise Lost?

Grant: The story has resonated in western thought for centuries. After seeing a version that Burroughs wrote, I was motivated.

AGP: Are there any plans for a stage production of The Argument?

Grant: Not with the type of funding I have at my disposal.

AGP: Do you think we can draw any correlation between the album's theme of the fall of man with the current state of our country?

Grant: Any era can have those correlations, be it government or the social order or anything. We are always on the way to hell.

AGP: Was it a conscious decision to record these tracks primarily on your own?

Grant: As a multi - instrumentalist it is easier for me to transmit my ideas this way. Some parts beyond my ability were played by others, particularly Davin Odegaard on bass.

AGP: With having recorded three conceptual albums, Husker Du's Zen Arcade, Nova Mob's The Last Day's of Pompeii, and now with The Argument, what draws you to the concept record?

Grant: I like to tell stories. I think ordering single songs into song cycles is attractive.

AGP: You have been out supporting the record and on Thursday you will play The Davis Square Theatre, how has the new material translated to the Live setting on what can your fans expect from your upcoming performance?

Grant: The performance will cover a lot of ground, old, new, and hyper new.

AGP: Does it get tiresome answering questions about Husker Du, when you have spent so much time away from your former band releasing high caliber records with Nova Mob and as a solo artist?

Grant: I'm proud of my early efforts, for instance my first LP with Husker will never be matched by me for sheer physicality. We were ahead of the curve. The other concepts were fine also, but Husker Du contained two excellent artists whose work is still vital.

AGP: Do you feel reuniting like so many of your contemporaries have done would tarnish the legacy of Husker Du?

Grant: If something like that were ever to happen it would be done in a way to expand the original concept, not merely exploit the enduring popularity of what was done.

AGP: After spending time in the early punk scene with some of the genres seminal bands, do you retain a connection with those early days or the music?

Grant: I have always tried to maintain the same level of revolutionary spirit. True anarchy rather than the anarchy you can buy at the mall.

Grant Hart plays The Davis Square Theatre tomorrow May 22nd at 8 PM
































Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Transmissions: Fucked Up - Sun Glass

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As we try to shake off some of the rust and dust here at The Ash Gray Proclamation and resume our normal activities which will include a facelift and regularly content updates, we are eager to point you to Sun Glass the new weed fueled video from Toronto's punk juggernaut, Fucked Up. The bands hotly anticipated new LP, Glass Boys will be released by Matador Records on June 3rd and band will be out on the road this spring and summer in support of their new long player. Check the Boston-less dates below.

Fucked Up - 2014 Tour Dates
05/18 Asbury Park, NJ Skate and Surf Festival
05/22 Cleveland, OH Now That's Class (Horrible Fest)
06/06 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
06/08 Toronto, Ontario Field Trip Festival
06/13 Lucerne, Switzerland B-Sides Festival
06/14 Brussels, Belgium VK
06/15 Manchester, England Gorilla
06/16 Newcastle, England The Cluny
06/17 Leeds, England Belgrave
06/18 London, England Koko
06/19 Paris, France Point Emphere
06/20 Scheessel, Germany Hurricane Festival
06/21 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany Southside Festival
06/22 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands Best Kept Secret Festival
07/02 Philadelphia, PA Morgan's Pier
07/03 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
07/04 Richmond, VA Strange Matter
07/05 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
07/06 Atlanta, GA Mammal Gallery
07/07 Nashville, TN Exit/In
07/08 St. Louis, MO Luminary Arts
07/10 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
07/11 Detroit, MI Loving Touch
07/20 Pemberton, British Columbia Pemberton Festival
08/10 Montreal, Quebec Heavy Montreal
08/15 Vancouver, British Columbia Fortune Sound Club
08/16 Seattle, WA Neumos
08/17 Portland, OR Music Fest NW
08/19 San Francisco, CA The Independent
08/20 Ventura, CA The Garage
08/22 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
08/23 San Diego, CA Casbah
09/06 New York, NY Irving Plaza