#Also Tyler Bass...please learn how to kick

[ginnyrules27]

23-20 win against the Jets!

Was it a pretty win? Not in the slightest (looking at you BS Roughing the Passer call that turned a potential Jets' 3 and out into a first down because apparently you can't land on the QB when you're sacking him!). But enough good happened to counteract the bad calls from the refs, including two missed Field Goals by the Jets' kicker where he hit the upright and an interception by Taron Johnson at the two minute warning of the 4th quarter that got Buffalo the win!

And so, Buffalo's streak of never losing 3 consecutive games remains alive, and the Bills are much more firmly at the top of the AFC East with two divisional wins (Jets and the Dolphins). Miami Dolphins have second place in the division with one divisional win against the Patriots and one loss against the Bills. Jets are now in third place with one divisional win against the Patriots and one loss against the Bills, and the Patriots are in fourth place with two divisional losses against the Dolphins and the Jets.

Thankfully, MetLife's field did not take out any of our players who we'll need as we have a short week before we play the Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park (yes I know the Bills' stadium has a new name but it'll always be Ralph Wilson Stadium). If this was a normal team, I wouldn't be worried about facing off against a team who's QB injured their equipment person so badly he had to be carted off with an air cast around his leg...but this is the Bills. If there is a way...*shudders in memory of the Broncos' game last season*

But anyway, Bills are 4-2 and the Jets are 2-4 and I can sleep easy knowing I don't have to talk the Bills' fanbase off the ledge this week.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Nick Jonah Davis

Photo Credit: Andy Joskowski

Nick Jonah Davis lives in Derbyshire, England, which is a place where evidence of older editions of England is always easy to find. Successive eras likewise coincide in his music. Davis plays acoustic and electric guitars, drawing on both American and English folk and instrumental traditions. He has worked with like-minded folk, such as C. Joynes and Sharron Kraus, and is also an established guitar teacher and provider of therapeutic musical interventions. He’s been recording the occasional solo record since 2009, and in 2016, Dusted’s Bill Meyer had this to say about House of Dragons: “the Nottingham-based guitarist isn’t living in bifurcations of the past, and he isn’t asking us to either. Rather, he invites the listener into a world bounded by the resonance of his tunings and the vividness of his evolving melodies.” Thread Recordings is about to release a swell new LP, When the Sun Came, and Davis has compiled a list of sounds made by some of his favorite associates.

Even for solo guitarists, music is a collaborative, social thing. For this list I’ve picked some music by artists that I’ve collaborated, recorded or gigged with over the last decade or so. Members of the NJD home team.

Kogumaza — “Ursids”

WAAT048 Split 7" w/Hookworms by Kogumaza

When I lived in Nottingham, Kogumaza were my favorite band in town. They play deep, droning riff-based cosmic guitar music which draws on their backgrounds playing with local heroes like Lords, Rattle and Bob Tilton. They’ve also done their homework, having sat in with heavy hitters like Glenn Branca, Damo Suzuki and Boredoms. This tune was recorded in Nottingham, with Nathan Bell of Lungfish sitting in on bass. I was the assistant engineer on this session, and remember getting a pleasing headful of Katy Brown’s kick drum as we set up the mics. Mind-manifesting stuff.

Ex-Easter Island Head — “Large Electric Ensemble Third Movement”

Large Electric Ensemble by Ex-Easter Island Head

Liverpool’s Ex-Easter Island Head are a revelation. They repurpose electric guitars through a variety of extended techniques, with unprecedented, nourishing results. I was lucky enough to play a couple of shows as a member of their Large Electric Ensemble, a 12-guitar band powered by 1 drummer and multiple Arts Council pizzas. I learned a lot from them in terms of playing guitar with craftily-deployed allen keys and bolts. Living proof that people can and do make genuinely beautiful, ground-breaking music without being all precious and up themselves about it. Good lads.

C Joynes and the Furlong Bray — “Sang Kancil”

The Borametz Tree by C Joynes & The Furlong Bray

Joynes and I have been fellow travelers in the solo guitar realm for many years now. We’ve probably seen more of each other’s gigs than anyone else alive. I was really pleased to be invited into the making of the Borametz Tree album. Not exactly sure how you’d describe my role on that project, but it involved some bass playing, some refereeing and, in the case of this piece, heading into my cellar with Nathan Mann to process some sounds through my echo units. I really love this bizarre, swirling piece of music. It defies description and I really can’t see how it could have happened under any circumstances. Power to the Furlong Bray.

Jim Ghedi — “Bramley Moor”

A Hymn For Ancient Land by Jim Ghedi

Jim popped up a few years ago, around the same time as Toby Hay, and has been a sure source of decent sounds ever since. Jim’s initial, masterful solo guitar work has bloomed out into an exploration of both traditional folk and his own songwriting. Having sat right next to him when we played together in my village a couple of years ago, I can confirm that he has a huge, resonant chest voice. Luckily, he always commits to his guitar just as fully, as you can hear on this jaunty instrumental on which I played some weissenborn. Nathan Mann pops up again playing percussion on this one, small world…

Cath and Phil Tyler — “King Henry”

The Ox and the Ax by Cath and Phil Tyler

I first met Cath and Phil at the legendary Sin Eater festival, a 3-day weekend of fine underground music and excellent ale at an isolated pub in Shropshire. Almost everyone on this list played there actually. This is folk music as it should be played, plain and flinty with a complete focus on the song. Understatement goes a long way in this music and, I suspect because of this, Phil is one of the most criminally under-rated guitarists around. There’s a little part of me that lives for Cath’s jaw harp break at the end of this one.

Toby Hay — “Now in a Minute”

New Music For The 12 String Guitar by Toby Hay

Toby has a special place in my heart for lining me up an annual show in a cafe at the wonderful Green Man festival for the past several years, meaning my family could go for free. Here’s a near-perfect example of a miniature acoustic study from his album New Music for the 12 String Guitar. The guitar in question was custom-built for Toby by Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars. Fylde put out the word that a label was looking for a young guitarist to make a record on a custom-built Fylde that they would commission, and I immediately suggested Toby. He rose to the occasion. Reckon he owes me a handmade guitar though; I’ll give him a nudge one of these days.

The Horse Loom — “Silver Ribbon”

The Horse Loom by The Horse Loom

Steve Malley played in post-punk bands back in the day, gigging alongside the likes of Fugazi. He later picked up a Fylde guitar and went down an acoustic rabbit hole where his love of British folk and flamenco come to the fore. The DIY-or-die roots of his playing flash an occasional fin. After we met I persuaded him to come down to Nottingham and let me record his first album in First Love studio. He did the whole thing in a day and it’s awesome. This is my favorite instrumental from that collection.

Sharron Kraus — “Sorrow’s Arrow”

Joy's Reflection is Sorrow by Sharron Kraus

I started playing shows with Sharron as we were both UK artists on the Tompkins Square label at the time, so it kind of made sense. She’s a bit of an institution in psych-folk circles and eventually I began playing on her records and at live shows, which has been a real joy. This tune features some heavy drones and an occasional splish of my lap steel. It’s classic Kraus — mournful, insightful, immersive. If you want to hear someone with a bigger brain than yours talking about the weirder side of life, check out her Preternatural Investigations podcast.

Haress — “Wind the Bobbin”

Haress by HARESS

Haress is centered around the twin electric guitar work of Liz Still and David Hand. Located in downright gorgeous rural Shropshire, they ran the Sin Eater Festival and still put out essential music on Lancashire and Somerset Records. I reckon they’ve helped me out more than anyone over the years, releasing House of Dragons on vinyl and always setting me up a show when I need one. This gorgeous piece features Nathan Bell again, this time on trumpet. Those Nathans do get around.

Burd Ellen — “Chi-Mi-Bhuam”

Chi Mi Bhuam by Burd Ellen

I first saw Debbie Armour singing with Alasdair Roberts, a good start. When I went up to play in Glasgow in 2018, I asked if she’d like to open up my show at the Glad Café, which she did, alone except for a borrowed harmonium. I was mesmerized, I think everyone was. Too good for a support slot. Here’s a Gaelic vocal piece which demonstrates exactly who we’re dealing with here, a profoundly talented and committed artist with a lifelong immersion in traditional music, using it as a springboard into something entirely her own.

[riffrelevant]

(By Brendan Burns of Wasted Theory, Guest Columnist, RiffRelevant.com)

For as long as I can remember, it’s always been about the guitar player or the lead singer.  That lethal concoction of singers and axe-swingers like Page and Plant. Mick and Keith, Tyler and Perry, Daltry and Townsend, the list goes on and on…  

But what about the drummer?  You know, that blurry guy that you sorta see in the photos behind the singer or bass player… yea, that guy.  Well, as a longtime drummer, I decided I wanted to start shedding some more light on some of the drummers in the “Stoner Rock Realm” that I look up to, or just flat-out love watching perform.

My name is Brendan Burns, and for those of you that I have not met yet, I am the drummer of the stoner rock band Wasted Theory, and I would like to present to you my segment here on Riff Relevant…

“FOUR ON THE FLOOR – THE DRUMMER’S SPOTLIGHT” #4:  JON BARRYSMITH

Jon Barrysmith is quite the force to be reckoned with.

In the two short years since the inception of Year of the Cobra, the two-piece Seattle band have covered a substantial amount of ground.  Several US tours and even a visit overseas.

Jon exemplifies what I absolutely love about the drums… sometimes you literally just need to beat the shit out of them.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I have a sweet spot for hard-hitting drummers.

Sometimes it’s not about the technicality or the finesse of how a drummer plays, but just the sheer force of the playing itself.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Jon and pick his brain on Year of the Cobra stuff, as well as talking some shop with him about gear.

Here is installment number four of my Riff Relevant “Four on the Floor” Drummer Spotlight, with Jon Barrysmith of Year of the Cobra!  —Brendan

BRENDAN:  First things first, please give us a quick rundown of your current live gear set-up.

JON:  My live gear set-up has been very consistent for quite a few years now:

Pork Pie Percussion: 24” kick drum 13” rack tom 16” floor

7”x14” Yamaha brass snare (main) 6.5”x15 Pearl Steve Ferrone brass snare (back-up)

Zildjian cymbals: 15” A Custom Mastersound hi-hats 20” A Custom Medium ride (as a crash) 21” Sweet Ride (as a crash) 23” Sweet Ride (as a ride/crash)

Drum heads: Aquarian Hi-Energy for my snares Aquarian Super-Kick II for my kick drum Evans G2 batter heads for toms.

BRENDAN:  When was the exact the moment you realized you wanted to play the drums? Who was your primary influence at that moment? What life lessons did you take away from those influences?

JON:  I grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, which was this crazy hybrid of a surfer, skater, punk rock, hippie, college town.  I obviously gravitated and latched onto the surf / skate / punk rock side of things when I was super young.

There was this incredible punk rock / hardcore scene we all immersed ourselves into.  I vividly remember the first punk rock show I went to, I stood there, wide-eyed, and said “That’s what I want to fucking do!”  It was all local musicians and drummers that were my early influences – people I got to meet, become friends with and eventually play shows with.

Main life lessons I learned from that time was the punk rock ethos.  Which is still a huge part of me and YOTC – Do it yourself, pave your own path, and bring other people you love and respect with you.

BRENDAN:  Which Year of the Cobra songs best exemplifies you as a drummer?

JON:   Man… I guess I would say “Persephone” from “…In the Shadows Below” or “Cold” off our brand new EP, “Burn Your Dead”. ‘Persephone‘ has that punk rock / metal growl that’s just embedded in me and the “Cold” song has this cool vibe and a lot of dynamics I’m really proud of.

BRENDAN:  Is there specific gear you prefer to use in the studio that would be different from your live set up?

JON:   Not really.  My live gear is also my studio gear.  I have a few different snare drums, but we always end up using the snare I use on a daily basis as the main snare for recording.

BRENDAN:  Any type of pre-show warm up rituals?

JON:    My practice pad, usually a cold beer, and tape for my fingers – constantly busting my hands up!  I always like finding a quiet place about hour before a show to do this.

BRENDAN:  Do you find that being in a two-piece band makes it more challenging to musically fill out the songs percussively?  Or just the opposite, does it allow you more creative freedom?

JON:    I’d say both.  Amy and I have the same vision when writing songs and we let that dictate what needs to happen – there’s parts that need to be filled up, and then there’s parts where we feel it needs to be simple and laid back.

That being said, I do think about things a lot differently in this band, since there’s a lot of space to fill.  It does get tricky at times to balance how that gets filled – do I use pure volume and power, or do I get more technical to fill it out?  That’s the fun part… messing around with both.  Then we’ll usually demo some ideas and choose what feels right.

BRENDAN:  How do you keep things interesting every night while playing the same set night after night on tour?

JON:   Depends on where we are, haha!  Touring Europe is rad because typically, you have longer sets, so you can really mix it up every night and take people on a journey.  The U.S is different, because you usually have 30-45 minutes most nights on tour.  When that’s the case, you focus in on trying to perfect that set, and maybe throw in a new song here or there to change it up and to keep you on your toes.

BRENDAN:  What do you think gives your playing its signature sound?

JON:    I’m not reinventing the wheel by any means, but I think I play drums from a songwriter’s approach – know when to push, know when to pull, know when to be flashy, know when to lay it back.

I also think I play with a lot of power – you feel it in your chest.  One of my favorite compliments was from Matt (drummer for Elder) at Psycho Las Vegas, he said that “every one of my fills sounded like cannons going off”.  I thought that was pretty rad…

(Editor’s Note: The photos/gallery included this article were all taken during that same Year Of The Cobra live set at Psycho Las Vegas in August 2017.)

BRENDAN:  Any brand loyalty? Are you partial to one drum company over another? Any current sponsorships or your own signature gear?

JON:    I feel very honored to be endorsed by Pork Pie Percussion. They make the best sounding drums I have ever played and they have been so supportive.

Other than that, I religiously play Vic Firth Metal Wood Tip Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals, Aquarian and Evans drum heads (specifics listed above).

BRENDAN:    What’s the most important piece of equipment currently in your live set up?

JON:    The snare drum, for me, is always the cornerstone of a drummer’s sound. That, and big cymbals. 🙂

BRENDAN:    What’s that one song that you just refuse to take out of your live set?

JON:    That evolves as we write and put out records, but “White Wizard” has definitely been a staple since our first show in 2015.  It was actually the first song we ever wrote together – I came up with the main riff for the song, showed it to Amy, and we bashed it out in like an hour.  That’s when we knew the band was born.

BRENDAN:    What do you basically love about the drums?  Is it just the simplicity of the sound, or do you find that it’s more than just a percussive instrument for you?  Is it the only instrument you play?

JON:    Playing drums keeps me sane.  I love the power you can create playing drums, I love the feel it invokes and how the drums can really dictate where the songs goes and how it feels.

It’s a very therapeutic instrument – it’s a great stress reliever and an awesome work out… when played appropriately. 🙂

I also play guitar and write lyrics – riffs and lyrics have been used in every Year Of The Cobra release.

BRENDAN:   What do you enjoy doing outside of music, that you feel ultimately contributes to your musicality?  For example, a hobby that you turn to in order to stimulate your creativity.

JON:   Snowboarding, hiking in the woods, and hanging with my family – they motivate me to work as hard as I can on anything I do.

BRENDAN:   Are there any newly emerging artists that are currently influencing you?

JON:   We tour quite a bit, so we are always motivated by killer bands we see and/or play with.  Do they influence our sound?  Not really.  They definitely make us want to work harder and be a better band… so I guess that can be considered being an influence.

BRENDAN:  If you could give one piece of advice to an up and coming drummer what would it be?

JON:    Play everyday and be nice.  No one likes an asshole.

Oh, and never break down or assemble your drum kit on stage… EVER.

BRENDAN:   What’s the most fun you’ve had out on the road with YOTC?

JON:    Oh man.  Every tour has been a blast.  Our first European tour early this year was probably a highlight, for sure.  The shows blew us away and all the promoters and people who came out were so awesome and treated us so well.

We also drove the van ourselves, just Amy and I, so that was pretty crazy and super rad at the same time.  It was a great way to experience Europe.

BRENDAN:   In your opinion, what band created the blueprint for the sound YOTC most closely models its sound after?

JON:    Black Flag, Black Sabbath

BRENDAN:  Is “Burn Your Dead” the best YOTC record, in your opinion?  Do you notice any major transitions in your sound, or does it simply just compliment your existing catalog?

JON:    It’s our best “to date” for sure, and we are really proud of it.  Since it was an EP, we definitely took few more chances and tried to expand a bit and I think we opened a few more doors for the next full length, in terms of direction.  We’ll always be heavy, but it’s fun to mix things up.

BRENDAN:   I’m sure there are tons of others like myself who are very curious to know, what’s it like writing, recording, and performing music in a band with your spouse? (Bassist/vocalist – Amy Tung Barrysmith)

JON:    Honestly, it’s the best.  This has been the easiest band I ever have been in, and by far the most fun… and I have been in a lot of bands in the past.  We are able to write music together at home, show each other lyrics and talk about touring plans – all in real time, we don’t have to send emails or make phone calls.  Decisions get made very quickly in the YOTC camp.  And she’s a fucking badass 🙂

That being said, early on, we had to learn how to be productive at band practice – if one of us had a bad day at work or whatever, we’d drag that into our practice space and it would cast a dark cloud.  Naturally, you’d want to talk about it, or not check it at the door since it’s your spouse.  That never happens when you’re in bands with you friends – it’s an escape and instantly fun.  Once we applied the rule of checking the outside world at the door, like every other band, we were off and running.

BRENDAN:   Anything on the horizon for the band that you can tell us?

JON:    We have two songs on Magnetic Eye’s Pink Floyd Redux of “The Wall” coming out early next year – Melvins, ASG, Mark Lanegan, Pallbearer, Mos Generator, plus many other rad bands have also contributed a song.

We’ll hit the road again in February / March for an extended West Coast and Southwest tour, and then we are going back to Europe in May / June for some festivals that will be announced soon.  We also have some exciting stuff lining up for later in 2018, that we’ll announce when we can.

BRENDAN:  One last question… Bonham or Moon?

JON:   John Fucking Bonham.

Thanks a bunch, Brendan!

YEAR OF THE COBRA at Psycho Las Vegas 2017 –

Photos by Leanne Ridgeway (click any photo to open gallery)

Here’s Year Of The Cobra’s official video for ‘Burn Your Dead’:

Stay sharp… more Drummers are throwing Four On The Floor with Brendan soon…

Want to learn more about Brendan Burns and Wasted Theory?  Check our previous Riff Relevant articles about them to read up!

Brendan Burns of Wasted Theory

FOUR ON THE FLOOR #4: JON BARRYSMITH of YEAR OF THE COBRA – Brendan Burns’ Drummer Spotlight; Live Photos From Psycho Las Vegas (By Brendan Burns of Wasted Theory, Guest Columnist, RiffRelevant.com) For as long as I can remember, it’s always been about the guitar player or the lead singer.