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The debut EP by another guitar slinging new sensation
hits the well stuffed racks of your local record stores
this week. Nothing new there then, at the minute we
are enjoying a real onslaught of fantastic bands from
all corners of the globe. But if like me you love classic
NY guitar bands of seemingly faultless cool with absolutely
killer songs then go ask for the White Light Motorcade.
Early this year the band played a quick London blitz.
After turning heads and setting chins a-wagging they
then headed off to this year’s new band hot spot, the
South By South West Festival followed up with
an MTV2 tour alongside Mooney Suzuki and
Longwave. It’s not the typical route of every ‘new
fab band’ and the White Light Motorcade ain’t that band,
they’re brasher, noisier and more essential than the
rest. Before a ‘secret’ support slot at the Dublin
Castle I had the chance to corner the band to see
how it was going and hear of scaring heavy rock fans
and riding the London Underground.
White Light Motorcade formed a few years ago at the
legendary sleaze bar Don Hill’s in NYC. It’s
a bar and club that in it’s time has spawned some of
the seediest visions of rock, and been party to early
gigs from Green Day, Nirvana and The Strokes.
In a time before every American (and especially NYC)
band was the guaranteed must-see the boys in WLM set
upon a different path. Binning the assumed overly hyped
sense of grandeur, they built upon their real belief
and enjoyment of just, plain simple, being in a great
band.
At the end of 2002 the band supported a certain Alice
Cooper (yes, that one) across America and I think
its fair to say they were a bit of a shock to his core
audience. So why on earth do you skip the US to UK gravy
train of NYC bands to play second fiddle to a rock has-been?
Singer Harley DiNardo corrected me immediately, “Alice
is no has-been, the man’s a legend, his influence is
overlooked nowadays.” Each night was a scrap for the
crowd’s attention and that was reason enough to support
him. To be in that full on rock arena, fighting and
screaming with all that you have. No better training
ground then than to be there early on in your career
and take away that knowledge you can do it. A chuffed
Harley told me it didn’t take the band long to win over
the crowds, “maybe three or four songs each night and
then we blew them away”.
Being away from the now typical hard sell of many US
bands mean that WLM come ready armed with a blistering
bunch of tunes and that true word of mouth buzz. A debut
LP is out soon (April In America, later for the UK)
and it’s one the band loved recording. “It was a true
Nashville experience!” Harley fizzed, talking up their
time recording in America’s first city of Rock’n’roll,
“We worked with Brad Jones in real country, rocking
studios, blowing speakers, drinking Blue Ribbon beer
and absorbing that town’s history”. Album producer Brad
Jones brings with him a great reputation having worked
with Imperial Drag and Cotton Mather amongst others,
and it was him who wanted to work with WLM. “They have
brilliant melodies, great guitar playing, bass and drum
playing of Rock’n’roll animals and just the right amount
of chaos to keep it together”, so said the man who knows
his stuff.
Before they wound themselves up to take the stage I
asked Harley who they counted as influences and contemporaries.
“The MTV tour (with The Ravonettes and Longwave)
should be a ball but I’m not that big a fan” said Harley,
“I love what they do but we are different, too many
bands are carving themselves a niche by sounding like
everyone else.” It’s legends such as Led Zeppelin
or AC/DC, The Stooges and MC5,
even British bands like The Stone Roses who have
given White Light Motorcade influence. “No bullshit.
Just music that stands up forever and still is better
than a lot of what’s around now”. It was the band’s
first visit (of many more I was assured) to London and
the rock history of the UK had gotten to them too. “We
rode the tube all over, checking out names and places
we’d heard of. London has years of the highest rock
reputation, The Kinks, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones,
all great bands.” So we can expect to see the White
Light Motorcade rolling through the UK soon, “Definitely
man. We’ll be back after the EP’s out and we’ll hang
around a bit longer next time.”
It looks likely that bigger things will be made of the
band when they return. Sessions were recorded for both
XFM and the BBC, as well as high priority playlisting
too. So you have been given prior warning people, go
grab yourself the EP, check back here for the gigs and
look forward to the unabashedly loud, proud and must-see
sound of the White Light Motorcade.
Sid for Crud Magazine 2003©
Relevant sites:
White
Light Motorcade
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