"Can I get a Molotov Cocktail?"
Psy-Ops at The Fire and in the Studio
by A. E. Masek
If you've noticed the stickers, posters, and street art bearing the
warning; "DON'T FALL ASLEEP WITH THE TELEVISION ON," you've
already caught a glimpse of local rock band PSY-OPS. In their
fantastically energetic performance at The Fire on February 21, PSY-OPS
gave the crowd (and a video camera) a good, long look.
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| From left to right, Eric Hammer and Sean
Adamz photo, Jonathan Kolbe |
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For the last two years, PSY-OPS has been refining their powerful,
elegant sound in Philly venues. Longtime friends and writers Sean Adamz
and Eric Hammer founded the band and began writing music in 2000.
After living amongst their equipment in a tiny New Hope apartment,
the pair tried an ambitious move to Los Angeles. They returned disgusted
with L.A.
"It's pay-to-play. It's a bullshit scene", comments Adamz.
Undeterred and back in Philadelphia, Adamz and Hammer soon found a
drummer who meshed with their dedication. Dallas, a ten-year veteran of
Thorazine, completed the trio. Rife with material and spurred-on by
engineer/mentor Rich "RAAHU" Gavalis, PSY-OPS recorded their
first album, "Don't Fall Asleep with the Television On," in
late 2002.
"We are our own record company." Adamz says, and the hard,
thrilling, "Don't Fall Asleep…" is an uncompromising
artistic statement.
Like a Dadaist meat grinder fed with extremities of pop culture, PSY-OPS
churns out rock that claws the walls of classification. They simply
don't sound like anything else, and that's how Adamz likes it.
"So many bands you can say that about… that they sound like
this or that other band. PSY-OPS is a pile of everything," he says.
Leaping from controlled, almost sleepy, guitar-strumming into waves
of power chords in the tense, heavy "Mannequine," Adamz
explores identification with the artificial, culminating a
top-of-the-lungs repetition of "she got no bones, bones…"
The vocals of the lively "Static," give us a little taste of
David Byrne.
"…I was thinking about my laundry, I was thinking about that
television show…"
Inattention and apathetic angst resonate in the dancy, restless,
"Broken Crown."
"…blessed with forgetfulness, I forget your name - but while
you were gone, I died everyday…"
Even when PSY-OPS is at its most playful, the listener can still feel
the breathless, creased-brow intensity at its core.
"We don't fuck around." Adamz tells me, and I agree.
With a wide spectrum of influences, PSY-OPS paints with broad strokes
and is not afraid to push itself ever farther.
"I listen to all sorts of things… King Crimson, Brian Eno's
solo work, the Soft Boys, the Pixies, Lords of the New Church, the
Kinks, David Byrne, and I really love Robin Hitchcock… it's
unavoidable to end up discussing what we listen to. As musicians, we
create from what we've heard…" Adamz explains.
As for other local acts, Adamz lists Need New Body, 1929, Golden Ball
("You've got to check out Golden Ball," he insists), and some
of my own personal favorites such as S PRCSS, and Kurt Heasley's Lilys,
whose remarkable drummer, Daneil Mazone, Adamz mentioned he met while
living in Rhode Island.
"Kurt's a great guy and (our sets together) have a more relaxed,
on-the-couch, jamming sort of feeling," said Adamz, who mentions he
plays an occasional acoustic set with Heasley.
With the encouragement of Gavalis, PSY-OPS completed recording their
second album, "Robots Don't Feel," in winter of 2003.
"He (Gavalis) has been so important to us…" said Adamz.
"He told us, 'I want to hear one or two songs that can really
go'."
The new album's post-production has been held up slightly, due to an
accident that broke one of Gavalis' arms three months ago.
Meanwhile, PSY-OPS continues to gain momentum. By staging fewer, more
comprehensive shows, the band deepens its impact on the local scene.
"We're trying to refine this thing," says Adamz.
"We're inviting other bands that we want to play with us…we used
to play sometimes three, four times a week, (but now) we have more
focus."
Adamz also is currently filling in as the drummer for the local,
(otherwise) all-girl act Black Strip Withdrawal.
With the live filming of their recent show at The Fire and a new
album in the wings, PSY-OPS keeps reaching out to audiences - in Philly
and beyond. They will play next on Sunday, March 7 at Arlene's Grocery
in New York City.
PSY-OPS is at work on their next album, "Robots Don't Feel" due out later this year.
Editor's Note: The title, "Can I get a Molotov
Cocktail?" was suggested by the band Psy-Ops, as a title for the
above article. It is a variation of the original lyrics of the
song, "Big Machine," from the album, "Don't Fall Asleep
with the Television On." The actual lyrics are, "Can I
get a Mazeltov Cocktail? Can I get one please? Set myself right on fire,
in my big machine."
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