Joy On Fire perform “Hey, Hey!” live at
The Crown,
Baltimore, January 14, 2018.
Hard Rockin’ Trio
I had my bones blown backward by Joy On Fire when they
shared the stage with the improvisational group I belong to, Heterodyne, at
Baltimore’s famed music palace, An Die Musik, on January 11th of this annum.
Three scant evenings later, they played their scorching piece, “Hey, Hey!”, a
second time, as we shared the stage at The Crown. Let’s get a few things
straight, straightaway: Joy On Fire swings HARD. It’s rather immediate, what
they do, onstage. Try to categorize them, if you dare, but they are producing outstanding
music that defies classification.
Call ‘em What?
Joy On Fire describe their sound as “punk-jazz / fuzz-rock.”
Just imagine the baritone sax of Pepper Adams grinding away throughout the
Mingus album Blues and Roots, and the
implacable cascade of The Stooges as they crush “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and the
inventor of fuzz, one Grady Martin, and his guitar, playing “The Fuzz,” with
chorus and orchestra, on Decca, 1961—all of this compressed into a present-day trio.
“Hey, Hey!” builds, circles, honks, hammers, rings, and crunches something
fierce. A magical moment transpires when Anna Meadors (bari sax) shouts “Hey,
Hey!” after John Paul Carillo (guitar) and Chris Olsen (drums) return from a rest.
Get it?
Fire with Fire
Their new album, Fire
with Fire, is available from Procrastination Records. It unfolds as one
cohesive document even as individual numbers distinguish themselves. Joy On
Fire enmesh their considerable threads of influence. They demonstrate copious
ensemble. We have always wanted to experience this music, but couldn’t demand
it be played, because we couldn’t articulate it in advance. We must worship
this band by driving up and down a sleepy street, windows unrolled, stereo
full-throttle, scotching the complacent dreams of many good people.
More:
Joy On Fire web site
Procrastination Records web site
this post is part of a triple issue.
Also see: Sarah Hughes
Also see: Heterodyne
