Monday, April 11, 2011

Torches To Rome - Torches To Rome



Label: Ebullition
Year: 1999

Can't go wrong with this record, especially now in the Spring time when it becomes necessary (Very Necessary....Salt N Pepa?) to roll down the car windows when cruising parking lots for wayward runaway chicks. The music has to be turned up just a bit louder to compensate for the wind, (and possible mask the sound of struggle) and this is one record that benefits from that increased volume.
The band was made up of personnel from: Fuel, John Henry West, Pinhead Gunpowder, Navio Forge, Portraits Of Past, Sawhorse, Bread And Circuits, Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack, The Skinflutes, Colbom...and I'm sure more. Lots more by now. The combination of late 80's Dischord styled post punk/emo mixed with late 90's post punk/emo was a winner then, and it stands the test of time. It just blazes straight out of the stereo like a Husker Du/Fugazi...sandwich? A sandwich that blazes out of the stereo? It'd be a pretty rad sandwich you have to admit, and the fact that it could transport itself from musical sound waves into an edible lunch item, I mean, that's pretty sweet.
Not to mention the lyrics are of a rare breed, evocative and powerful, but never pandering or sappy.
Super good shit. Maybe enough to make you reconsider your jail bait trolling and go get a sandwich.

DL

9 comments:

proven hollow said...

i just wrote a big long awesome story that happened to me at a horrible fest in north carolina that torches to rome played and why i think my once hero, mike kirsch, is a fucking dickhead. but god damn blogger screwed up and now it's lost forever. oh well.

Russell Emerson Hall said...

Very Rites of Spring. Digging it.

Gray said...

C'mon Phil, don't be like that, let's hear the story.

Also, are you working on your art piece? Snap to!

dotism said...

This is great, like something I didn't know I was craving... I've already listened to it a couple of times in a row. Thanks for posting the album.

proven hollow said...

haha, well this may not be as salty as what i tried typing out last night. but there was this "fest" in some hell hole in north carolina years ago. it was one of those deals where they put on simultaneous "workshops" all around. i think it was over a whole weekend as per usual. some decent bands, i think torches to rome headlined the last night. obviously everyone was very excited to see them. we had to suffer through a couple days of bands and banter, i swear every band had some kind of "discussion period" in between every song. some asenine band named racetraitor played and basically made fools out of themselves screaming and yelling at people about uhuru or something, or the blood of indigenous people on gap tshirts, who the fuck knows. all i know is that by the end of this horrible weekend, i had pretty much had enough. i was simply over the whole fucking shebang. torches to rome finally plays and as per usual, in between every song there was a 15 minute question and answer discussion. i dont even remember what the fuck anyone was talking about. something about hummus sandwhiches or how to sew a rape quilt out of gap tshirts, i dont know. anyway, i decided to speak up, which was odd for me. so during one of the discussion periods, probably atfter the 3rd song or so, i began to talk. trying to politely state my case, something along the lines of "man, it's been a really fucking long and hot weekend, i've been doing this for over 15 years and this is the first time i'm thinking i never want to come to a show again. me and i'm sure 99% of the people who came here from all over the country came here to see the bands perform their music, namely, YOUR music. we know what you are about, we know you are awesome, we want to see and hear you play, not hold a lecture to the choir." i tried to be nice about it just saying "come on guys, lets get this shit going." but instead of offering it up to discussion, the band, including mike kirsch began to berate me and basically told me to go fuck myself and go listen to nada surf. NADA SURF!!!! seriously nada surf?! haha. i basically just said "whatever dudes" and exited stage left and proceeded to leave. interestingly i had a number of notable people who i have spent time with at a number of fests throughout the years tell me how awesome it was i said that and that they agreed. and fittingly, nobody stood up for me during the NADA SURF debacle. haha. i mean in all seriousness, i don't give a fucking shit. it was funny i told it like it was and they zinged me. so basically, i dont care about him or his stupid bands anymore cuz it made me a grumpy pants. it also seems like the whole workshop fest bullshit died down soon afterward, or i just may have outgrown it, who knows.

also, kudos to the young guy at the fest who called me out for blatantly copying a designers republic emigre cover for the inkwell 7" repress. bravo, sir, bravo. are you hiring?

i think torches to rome played the driver dome and because i am awesome i decided to stay upstairs and play atari during their set. i think they broke up soon afterwards.

proven hollow said...

as a follow up, i would also like to go on record as saying any band mike kirsch is/was in is pretty fucking incredible, so as sourpuss as i am about him, this record unfortunately rawksbawls. so git em gat em.

James Joyce said...

Nada Surf, man that is priceless. Those fests were horrible, but I'm glad you called them out instead of making fun of everyone from the safety of the van, which is what we always did. I wonder if Mike Kirsch is still giving lectures in between songs.

ipecac said...

"the blood of indigenous people on gap tshirts"

"how to sew a rape quilt out of gap tshirts"


and thus was born 2 new song titles

slchamberlain said...

hey there, proven hollow. my name's steven, and i was the bass player in torches to rome. i remember this festival quite well, although i don't remember ever telling anyone to fuck off or listen to nada surf. haha. nada surf. i quite clearly remember being rather frustrated with the "debating" that was going on, as i'm all for opening up a dialogue for everyone to be part of, i don't think anyone was really saying anything of substance, and i can definitely understand wanting to hear the music (i wanted to play it)! i'm sorry if the whole thing left you sour. just thought i would throw my two cents in...

 
Designed by mln3 designs & etc.