Category: Bands/Comps/Splits
Radio Carbon CD Release Show at AS220
with Six Star General, Empty Vessels, and Worst Days
AS220
Empire St
Providence, RI
9pm
$6
Motif Magazine reviews the new Gavage Self Titled album
Gavage – Self-Titled (75orLess Records and Port of Providence Records)
A couple of years ago, my friend Mike Kelly recommended checking out Gavage. I took notice mostly because in the 20-plus years of our friendship I only recall him turning on to one other band. It evolved into Kilgore and went on to become local legends that played all over the world on things like OzzFest. My friend might have missed his calling in life as a record label A&R scout because my first impressions of Gavage was, “FINALLY a punk band doing something different!” They had a saxophone going off like a lead guitar reminiscent of X-Ray Specs. I could hear influences varying from Stooges pre-punk to ’80s post-punk and everything in between, but it all comes across as natural.
The oft-delayed self-titled full-length from Gavage does a good job harnessing the energy of the band’s live show. It even has a tie in to the aforementioned Kilgore as it was produced by singer Jay Berndt. The twisting roads that Gavage drive down can be seen in tunes like “The Platonic Verse,” which starts with a jazz-like swing before winding up with an outro closer to the Dead Boys. “Five: Sixteen” takes its title and “inside outside, nowhere is home, inside outside, leave me alone” bridge from The Who song “5:15” while sounding the Raw Power era of The Stooges. “(Downtown) Where The Killers Are” is the total package as far as a jam for getting fired up on a Saturday Night. “Diamonds In The Mind” has a late ’60s Kinks-like sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-lungs chorus while “Terribly Sane” channels the Ramones. On their debut release, Gavage manage to capture the harmony of chaos that is a staple of their live shows and preserve it like a photograph. I threw some questions at Kevin Toth, David Simione, Chris Fragale and John Hoder from Gavage to find out about how the band came together, creating their debut release and what is next.
Marc Clarkin (Motif): How did Gavage come to be?
Kevin Toth: Well, Chris and I knew each other from college. When he moved to Providence, I used to visit from Brooklyn on some weekends. He eventually met David (at what would soon become our regular haunt, the E&O Tap) and it was there one night where we all decided that we wanted to start a punk band called Gavage. This is especially funny when you consider that neither Chris nor I had played in a band in over a decade, and David had once dabbled in drums but hadn’t so much as touched a drumstick in just as long.
David Simione: One night after a particularly long session at E&O, I bought a drum set off Craigslist, then immediately made Chris buy an amp and we initially set up camp at my friend’s practice space. Kevin moved to Providence from Brooklyn soon after, and Gavage became a real-life band. After a few months, a friend introduced us to John, who’d recently moved to Providence from Michigan. We thought he was cool because I’d seen a photo of him on Facebook playing a Rickenbacker bass. The first night we met John, the four of us ended up a few too deep, hopelessly trying to cover “Hybrid Moments” by The Misfits even though none of us could remember how it went; to this day, we still haven’t figured it out. We played our first show at Muldowney’s a few weeks after, and I guess people liked us.
MC: What were some of the influences that bonded the band?
KT: The greatest thing is the fact that we all came from very diverse musical backgrounds that you wouldn’t necessarily think could “add up” to anything. There is some overlap, for sure, but musically speaking we all come from different places. For me, I’d have to say The Adverts, Buzzcocks, Dead Kennedy’s and early The Damned are my biggest influences.
John Hoder: Hubble Bubble. I love this band in general, but definitely in relation to Gavage. This is what I draw from.
DS: In terms of playing drums, I would definitely have to say Jawbreaker, The Libertines, and The Menzingers; although Saves the Day and Beck are shamelessly my quintessential soundtrack to life.
Chris Fragle: Yeah, one of the greatest things about Gavage, at least to me, is that we’ve managed to pull together a coherent style that is reminiscent of other things, but we don’t sound like a copy of any one genre. If it’s not obvious from my guitar playing, my two biggest influences are The Jesus & Mary Chain and Sonic Youth.
MC: You recently finished your oft-delayed debut album – what were some of this issues you ran into?
CF: First off, Jay Berndt did a fantastic job with us on this. He really saw through the few rough edges we had and helped us make the record how we’d imagined. The toughest part was capturing the raw energy over anything else. As far as issues we faced, it took a lot of time to find the right mixes. The first pass was too huge and we came off sounding like a Butch Vig record … this was totally awesome, but not for Gavage. Then the next pass came back anemic and weak. We finally landed somewhere around Steve Albini, which did the trick.
MC: What makes for a great Gavage show?
JH: A hip-hop crew breakdancing in the audience.
MC: Now that the record is finally out – what is next for Gavage?
JH: We are looking to add another element to our sound with a keyboard player and another guitarist, which will most definitely change things up. Our next moves will really start to show once we meet the newest members of Gavage.
KT: You’ll just have to wait and see.
Gavage’s self-titled debut is available on online streaming services and in local record stores. After a raucous release party at AS220 as part of the Providence Garage Party, Gavage will be hosting a special listening party at E&O Tap in Providence on December 12 at 9pm. Copies of Gavage’s debut release will be available on CD and limited edition pink vinyl.
Mark Cutler at The Met
with Robert Earle Keen
The Met
Main Street
Pawtucket, RI
8pm
Gavage – Self Titled CD
75OL-205/POP002 Gavage – Self Titled Compact Disc
$8.00 S&H Included
Digital download is available here
——-> Vinyl is available here <——–
Track Listing:
1. Clowns Only
2. The Platonic Verses
3. Five : Sixteen
4. Small Actors
5. The Suggestibles
6. (Downtown) Where the Killers Are
7. Wheelwell
8. Diamonds in the Mine
9. And I Don’t Wanna Be Alone
10. Terribly Sane
Contact Gavage on Twitter or Instagram: @gavagetheband
Gavage – Self-Titled Vinyl
75OL-205/POP002 Gavage – Self Titled Magenta Vinyl 12″
Vinyl includes digital download coupon
$12.00 S&H Included
To purchase the digital download only
—–> To purchase the compact disc <—–
Track Listing
1. Clowns Only
2. The Platonic Verses
3. Five : Sixteen
4. Small Actors
5. The Suggestibles
6. (Downtown) Where the Killers Are
7. Wheelwell
8. Diamonds in the Mine
9. And I Don’t Wanna Be Alone
10. Terribly Sane
Contact Gavage on Twitter or Instagram: @gavagetheband
Gavage at AS220
shybluespaceman takes over the AS220 complex with 10 bands from Providence, New Bedford, Boston, and Philly. Record Show & Vintage Flea Market. Weird & Strange Movies from the 60s & 70s
Sponsored by Narragansett Beer
Rhode Island Antiques Mall
The Time Capsule
Line-up:
Eric & the Nothing (RI)
The Nebulas (MA)
Future Spa (MA)
NEUTRINOS (MA)
Gavage (RI) Album Release Show!!!!
THE WORRIED (RI)
Black Beach (MA)
Party Pigs (RI)
Midriffs (MA)
Malyssa and the Sugar Cones (RI)
ST JAMES AND THE APOSTLES. (PA)
Advance tickets are only $12 and are available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2432116
Tickets at the door (if still available)l are $15.
Movies:
Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!
Foxy Brown
She Devils on Wheels
Werewolves on Wheels
AS220
95 Empire St
Providence, RI
STARTS AT 5PM!
Mark Cutler and the Men of Great Courage at 133 Club
133 Club
Warren Ave
East Providence, RI
8pm
Mike Mountain and Baylies Band at Funky Jungle
with Soaps and Fable Grazer
Funky Jungle
Location Unknown
Providence, RI
9pm
VanyaLand covers the Self Titled Album by Gavage
Album Premiere & Preview: Gavage unleash debut LP ahead of Providence Garage Fest
With their first show being at a house party on New Year’s Eve back in 2012, Providence punk band Gavage have come a long way in a short time. Their talents exude a vibe that’s reminiscent of vintage B-52’s and Gang Of Four, guaranteeing to start a party wherever they play. The fourpiece will be officially unveiling their long-awaited debut album, released dually via POP Records and 75orLess Records, on sexy hot pink vinyl during the first-annual Providence Garage Fest at AS220, which lands this Saturday. Taking their name from the French term to administer food or drugs by force, when you blast this bad boy through your record player, you’ll keep on wanting more.
Frontman Kevin Toth’s crazed style of storytelling on the mic sets the mood for each track. Christopher Fragale on guitar absolutely rips everything to pieces with his electrifying riffs and raw tones. Drummer David Simeone keeps everything at a feverish pace while John Hoder gives a jazzy vibe on bass. What makes the album something special has to be Downtown Boys’ saxophonist Adrienne Berry guesting on the entire record. Her immense skills on sax make the whole album seem as if it’s a soundtrack for a ’50s crime noir flick filled with endless action and intense car chase scenes.
The legendary Jay Berndt (who you might know from ’90s metal band Kilgore) produced the album at his studio Moto Destructo in Providence. You can tell that he wanted to capture Gavage’s rawness during the recording process. A fan favorite, “(Downtown) Where The Killers Are” is an ode to the danger that goes with being out at night. The song is bound to stick in your head for days once you give it a listen. Hoder starts the groove on bass in “Small Actors” and then the intensity gets raised when Berry joins in with her sax and Toth takes hold on vocals. The most energetic track is “Wheelwell”, from start to finish lyrically and musically it’s a perfect examination of the famous lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
The Providence Garage Fest is going to be one of the most insane times of the year in the Creative Capital, props to the “Shybluespaceman” John White for organizing such an extravaganza. Along with Gavage you also have Attleboro surf-punk dynamos Neutrinos, Middleboro fuzzheads Black Beach, Providence riff masters Party Pigs, Philadelphia psychedelic soul act St. James & The Apostles and many more. Also worth noting is that Friday night’s Providence Garage Fest Kick-off And Pizza Party at Dusk is sponsored by Caserta Pizzeria (which means: FREE PIZZA!!).
Allysen Callery at Milton Art Center
with Antje Duvekot
Milton Art Center
Milton, MA
7pm