#Sonic's Rendezvous Band

[musickickztoo]

Scott Asheton *August 16, 1949

[undergroundrockpress]

Sonic's Rendezvous Band / Fred « Sonic » Smith in 1977.

[ag-updates-and-archives]

lsdunes Songs for your summer - by all of us, for all of you

posted july 10, 2024

Lovesick Summer Playlist How Dare You - L.S. Dunes Take a Look - Basement Tapes + Live Rarities - Sonic's Rendezvous Band DC Special Sha La La - Scream You Don't Get To - Midlake, John Grant Stiff Necked Fools - Bob Marley & The Wailers Sonic Thrill - Lysol Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer Eagle Fly Free - Helloween Weight of the World - Toke No Need To Worry - The Folk Implosion Antisocial - The Briefs Babyface - Ageist There's a Girl in the Corner - The Twilight Sad On With The Business - The Hold Steady Are You Going to See The Rose in the Vase, or the Dust on the Table - $uicideboy$ All Hours - Anthony Green, Moshtradamus, Death Barrier Spun - GROUPLOVE Lithonia - Childish Gambino Method Actor - Nilüfer Yanya Good Little Morning - Thomas Hunter Cult Leader - Dan Spencer

[guerrilla-operator]

[evilsatisfaction]

[kb-p2730]

[manuscriptsdontburn6]

Scott Asheton birthday post!

Photographed by Glen Craig, 1969

[scandinaviandenim]

Sonic's Rendezvous Band was formed by members of four Michigan rock bands:

Fred "Sonic" Smith, formerly of the MC5 – guitar, vocals

Scott Morgan, formerly of The Rationals, a soul-influenced Detroit band of the 1960s – guitar, vocals

Gary Rasmussen, formerly of The Up – bass

Scott Asheton, formerly of The Stooges, drums

Years active 1974–1980

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #299 - Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation, 1988

Il mese delle scelte con doppia voce cantante maschile e femminile termina con un disco epocale. E poche volte l'aggettivo calza a pennello come questa volta, in un disco, doppio, che accumula tutte le idee di una generazione del rock alternativo americano, per un lavoro discografico seminale da cui fioriranno artisti e idee prorompenti degli anni a venire. La storia degli artefici di questo disco inizia qualche anno prima, nel 1981, a New York. Al Noise Festival organizzato dalla galleria d'arte White Columns, quando Thurston Moore sta suonando con la sua fidanzata, Kim Gordon, e vengono notati dal comnpositore e musicista d'avanguardia Glenn Branca. Tra loro nasce subito un'intesa, e uno dei collaboratori di Branca, un chitarrista dalle idee molto originali, Lee Ranaldo, si unisce al gruppo, che una volta trovato un batterista, Richard Edson (ma ne cambieranno decine nel corso degli anni) formano un gruppo a cui danno un nome composto dal nome di Fred "Sonic" Smith, membro degli MC5 e fondatore della Sonic's Rendezvous Band e futuro marito di Patti Smith, con quello del musicista reggae Big Youth, amato da Kim Gordon: nascono così i Sonic Youth. Dopo un primi ep, titolato Sonic Youth, nel 1983 pubblicano il primo disco, Confusion Is Sex, nel 1983: portano sul vinile il selvaggio modo di esibirsi nei locali, tra feedback come se non ci fosse altro effetto musicale, rumorismo preso dalla lezione di Branca, tessiture di chitarra stranianti frutto delle accordature del tutto personali degli strumenti, riff minimali e ripetitivi, in una congestione tra punk e avanguardia che li renderà unici, aggiungendo quel tocco rock decadente tra Velvet Underground, Stooges e MC5, tanto amati da Moore. Sono anche super combattivi e non la mandano a dire a nessuno, e il primo ad accorgersene fu il famoso critico Robert Christgau, che sul Village Voice definì il loro suono e quello di altre band emergenti Pigfuck, alchè la band dedicò la sanguinosa e niente affatto edulcorata una nuova versione di Kill Yr Idols in I Killed Christgau With My Big Fucking Dick, prima che i due si riappacificassero. Il primo grande disco è del 1985, Bad Moon Rising, che in alcune canzoni, come gli otto minuti fatali di I Love Her All The Time e soprattutto Death Valley '69, epocale, fanno capire che nessuno è uguale a loro. Moore ha l'abitudine di cambiare di continuo metodi di registrazioni, anche lo stile di produzione, e di cambiare con la stessa frequenza batteristi. Evol del 1986 li lega all'etichetta SST, e dopo un altro album grandioso, Sister, del 1987, si cimentano in un progetto alternativo, chiamato Ciccone Youth, dove rifanno pezzi storici di Madonna, Robert Palmer e parodiano l'hip hop, che in quegli anni stava salendo alla ribalta. E qui hanno un incontro particolare: Nick Sansano è un produttore hip hop, che li vede suonare. Non ha mai prodotto rock, ma si innamora così tanto del loro modo vivo e potente di esibirsi che accetta di produrre il loro lavoro, registrato ai Greene St. Recording, a SoHo, New York. Moore cambia stile di "progettazione" e con la band, che alla batteria stavolta ha Steve Shelley, inizia a suonare jam session improvvisando, carpendo di volta in volta le parti più interessanti. per la prima volta, hanno mezzi economici e tecnici per registrare più tempo, e nel mese che si prendono per farlo scrivono tantissime canzoni, che vanno a finire in un doppio album che, come accennato, è uno dei grandi dischi degli ultimi decenni: Daydream Nation (1988).

È un disco densissimo di stili, significati, idee, e basta la copertina, un rifacimento con una candela reale del famoso quadro Kerze di Gerhard Richter, per capire che è un disco di fattura ideologica potentissima. È un disco che sperimenta ogni cosa, dal pop di Kissability alla potenza dei brani iniziali, le ormi leggendarie Teenage Riot (It's time to go 'round\A one man showdown teach us how to fail\We're off the streets now\And back on the road on the riot trail) e Silver Rocket. Le voci di Moore e Gordon si alternano ai brani, Kim è fantastica e intensa in Cross The Breeze, ma alterna altri registri vocali ed interpretativi, per una prova super dove si pone persino ironica in The Sprawl. Lee Ranaldo e la sua chitarra non sono mai stati così visionari come in Eric’s Trip che prende ispirazione dal monologo di Eric Emerson nel film Chelsea Girls di Andy Warhol e Hey Joni, un omaggio alla loro maniera fantasiosa di Hey Joe di hendrixiana memoria ma dedicata a Joni Mitchell e che nel testo allude al leggendario Neuromancer di William Gibson, il libro cult del cyberpunk. Un messaggio vocale con voce stentorea di Mike Watt dei Minutemen compariva quasi dal nulla in Providence con in sottofondo il piano suonato da Thurston Moore, assolo di piano registrato a casa di sua madre usando un walkman, il suono di un amplificatore Peavey Roadmaster surriscaldato e un paio dei suddetti messaggi telefonici lasciati da Mike Watt, che chiamava Moore da un telefono pubblico di Providence, Rhode Island, doppiati l'uno sull'altro. The Wonder si ispira ad una lavoro dello scrittore James Ellroy, maestro della crime fiction. Sul disco, in omaggio (o sberleffo) ai Led Zeppelin del mitico IV, ogni componente della band ha un simbolo che lo contraddistingue. Il disco è un'ovazione di critica e pubblico sin dall'uscita, e campeggia nelle prime posizioni dei dischi migliori dell'anno 1988. A distanza di anni, è unanimemente considerato il punto più alto del rock indipendente americano. Subito dopo, firmano con la Geffen, e come succede sempre, vengono accusati di altro tradimento dai fan della prima ora. Ma questa è un'altra storia, che nulla toglie alla bellezza e all'importanza storica di questo album capolavoro.

[emeraldtied]

Copy and pasted most of this from another post I did years ago, but added a few things too. Plus the lead up to their actual dating period, but here's a break down of Arrow and Mina's relationship:

Sonic and Mina met when they were eighteen, on the latter's birthday in fact. While they knew of each other, they came face to face for the first time at The Pit, a nightclub in Grand Metropolis.

While that night ended in a very typical rendezvous (yes, a one night stand) there was a genuine connection between them. They talked for hours in the club, having found a comradiere with one another that they very much needed (Sonic more so than Mina, but still). It was the first time either of them found another celebrity less than enthused with the life, one of the first times they could just be themselves without having to worry about keeping up appearances. This would become a running theme in their relationship, the backbone even.

They spent the night in question at Sonic's flat, and spent the morning after talking even more. It was then they decided to put any kind of relationship on hold, though this was mainly Sonic's suggestion given his mindset at the time. They still exchanged contact information however and before parting ways was when Mina offered her assistance fighting, which Sonic turned down in the moment.

They kept in touch over the next few years, in fact Sonic was a pretty frequent regular at Mina's concerts when she was touring on West Mobius and they often met backstage to catch up. It didn't take the mongoose’s crew, particularly her band, to notice something between them, though they kept their observations to themselves.

The bond between her and Sonic actually caused a bit of strife in some of Mina's relationships, born mostly of jealousy on whoever she was dating at the time's part, and there was a section of time where Sonic and Mina stopped talking. But it didn't last long, the two even played music together some of the times they met to chat.

Mina was the third person to join The Freedom Fighters at Sonic's request. She gladly accepted and while one of the many members shocked by the hedgehog coming clean about his past, like the others she still supported him wholly and completely.

Apart from training with the other Freedom Fighters, Mina started special practice sessions with Sonic once it became clear that she was having trouble with her own speed. Despite being a natural born speedster she never took time to practice the skill, but Sonic was all too willing to lend a hand. Using the opportunity to not only hone Mina's skills, the hedgehog had a habit of bringing them both to remote, beautiful, places that he knew of from his travels when they needed to take a break or were otherwise tired of running around.

One could say their relationship started taking a turn during one such adventure, in a particular meadow. It was there Sonic admitted that he didn't see himself getting out of the final fight alive but, if he did, he had the intention of taking Mina on a proper date, to which Mina accepted.

Sonic and Mina were paired up when The Freedom Fighters went after Robotnik and together they traveled over Westside Island and were the first to run into Robotnik and his new robots. With the help of Bolt they were able to retrieve the emerald the doctor had found and make a clean getaway. From there they joined Porker and Johnny in finding the fifth emerald before rejoining the rest of The Freedom Fighters in Green Hill, where they were soon ambushed.

Like the rest of The Freedom Fighters, Mina was present during their final altercation with Robotnik and witnessed Dark take over Sonic's body and what the entity was capable of. It was Mina who dragged Sonic out of danger once he was back in control, and back to the base.

On a similar note, she was also there with everyone in Grand Metropolis and was indeed present when Sonic died. Unsurprisingly, she was distraught by the events but still assisted in gathering the emeralds to help bring him back and helped in the immediate clean up and rescue efforts in Grand Metropolis.

Mina spent the majority of her time after on Angel Island while Sonic regained his strength, leaving only to assist the other Freedom Fighters when they asked though she was never gone for long. During this time she got to know Rosie, who had also been brought to the island after seeing what had happened in the city. They hit it off well, much to Sonic’s relief.

Once back on his feet, and in between training and organizing The Freedom Fighter efforts, Sonic made a point in spending more time with Mina and fulfilling his promise to take her on a real date, and another, and another. Their relationship progressed enough that Sonic took her offer of staying with her in Scrap Brain. While intermittent at first, it only took a few months before he ‘unofficially’ moved in. 

Another turning point in their relationship, and perhaps the one that sealed the deal, was near the first anniversary of Robotnik and Chaos’ attack, specifically the one in Grand Metropolis. Overcome with grief and guilt the night of, Sonic had a full blown panic attack that knocked out power in Scrap Brain while he was staying with Mina. It was the mongoose who consoled him after the fact, staying up with him the whole night through as he dealt with frayed emotions. 

Just a few days later, they decided to become official. A year after that, they admitted their love for one another one day, pretty much at random, and haven’t looked back.

A few years later is when Arrow joined the band, after much nagging from Mina and her bandmates, and from there they started to tour around the world together.

It was Mina who brought up the idea of marriage a couple of years after this, and while Arrow didn't shoot the idea down he did admit he never saw the appeal in the notion. This more or less ended the conversation, but he could tell his words had shifted something in the mongoose, and that got him thinking.

Arrow sought out advice from Kintobor on the matter, questioning his father figure on their relationship with their wife and matters of love in general. Later he asked the same of Rosie and her experience with her husband.

It led to him proposing to Mina just a few months later, in the meadow where they had their heart-to-heart just a few years prior. However instead of a ring, he used the guitar picks they had exchanged when they first started dating, now encased in silver and glass necklaces. She said yes.

They continued touring even after Sonic proposed although stopped a few months before the wedding to take a much-needed break.

They were married on March 20th, 3230. It was a very small wedding of only their closest friends and family, and they didn't announce it to the public until a month later. It was around this time their families revealed the house on the outskirts of Green Hill, their wedding gift where they reside today.

They continued to do smaller shows, mostly charity, but officially announced their hiatus when Arrow brought up the idea of starting a family, to which Mina jumped on happily.

After some trial and error, and nearly two years of stress, Lyra was born in 3232. From that moment on Arrow and Mina have put their lives as musicians on the backburner, only doing smaller shows here and there and living their best life with this daughter in Green Hill.

[dylanlila]

JO!!! once again flooding your ask box for music + amy pond based interactions!!!!

NEED to hear more about "All Night In Your Garden"!! PLEASE!!!!

especially what you think it would sound like + inspo for the songs (because I am SO close to making a playlist for it and I want to see how close my idea of the sound is to your original idea)!!!!!

and, because you said it's anti-genre....are the songs just completely genre free or are they all different genres (like a patchwork quilt or...a time machine console made out of lots of different stuff)

ALSO: b-sides and bonus tracks???? because I KNOW she'd have hidden tracks (either hidden in the CD or the booklet has clues how to find they tracks....????👀👀👀👀?????)

THANK YOU FOR ENABLING ME!!!! I have a whole universe in my head when it comes to this bdjdjdjekekk Ok so, about the sound, IT'S A PATCHWORK QUILT AND A TIME MACHINE CONSOLE AND GENRE-FREE!!! Conceptually it's: what if Queen's A Night At The Opera (because it HAS to be reminiscent of Queen in some way, they are the most AP band ever) & Lou Reed's Berlin made out at one party ONCE and she got that on film and then translated into an album. Like!!! This description of Berlin:

I also think she'd have that same horrifying rawness that Berlin has in some of her songs (Well Done, Coraline is like that in my head), although the actual sentiment of Berlin is reserved for a couple of tracks on Amy's divorce album.

For Queen... EVERY SONG WRITTEN BY BRIAN MAY, that's hers. He's her astrophysicist in acoustic crimes. '39 and The Prophet's Song (May's Bohemian Rhapsody in other words), but also Freddie and Roger's Seaside Rendezvous because... there's a tap dance segment... godbless. THOSE ARE SOOO HER LYRICALLY TOO:

Seaside Rendezvous

'39

The Prophet's Song

Then, Pretty. Odd. obviously  because All Night In Your Garden is a twisted fairytale above all (and Pretty. Odd. came out in 2008!!!! Amy "released" ANIYG in 2009!!!!!)

Sonically it's... everything... All of the songs sound like multiple songs stringed together, assuring that you get the illusion of an infinite track long album. [All Night In Your Garden (the song) is the best example of this)]  She keeps mixing Joni Mitchell with Paramore, you know, she's always interrupting her own songs, it's the equivalent of bursting into somebody's room uninvited or crashing a party, but... vampire!Cinderella energy. And it's vacuumed, the sound, it's like I Have Friends In Holy Spaces or this version of Perfect Day (*exclaiming with stars in my eyes* -> it's so... cursed!!!!!!!), she's always calling out from a radio, the whole album is stuck so there are sound samples of Madness and Mayhem in Cry, Trojans, Cry!, because the repetitive element is a MUST. But she makes the album art herself and she... changes things about it on purpose as a metaphorical escape door of sorts... This isn't time vortex appropriate because the song I'm about to mention came out in 2021, but 91 by Bleachers is... definitely the right vibe for this album ("I'm here but I'm not, just like you I can't leave")... Mommy Issues Cameos are all over the place (the song is very The Girl Who Tore Through The Universe) + the band does something that is soooo Amy to me and that's intentionally reinventing the sound of their songs without changing the lyrics, so every time they perform you hear a brand new song with a familiar lyrics. (this is how some of Amy's bonus tracks work)

SOME OF THE SONGS ARE POEMS!!!! House on the Moon is, there's just some The-X-Files-theme-resembling tune in the background. Ghost Song by The Doors Energy!!!!!!!⤵️

There by the Record Machine is, aside from the Joan Jett reference djdjdksksj, like Bowie's Tonight (because..duh), it's a haunted house disguised as a happy tune. Wait. It's like... picture a Patti Smith version of that song. That's how it sounds.

More conformist time/space logic betrayal (I'm so real for that), but Gerard Way's Hesitant Alien and T. Swift's folklore & evermore are the influences. (She can see the future. She is Cassandra.)

Tragic Kingdom (No Doubt)!!!! Can't let that one pass, especially the title track!!!!!

FEEL FREE TO ADD SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK ALIEN TO THE PLAYLIST YOU'RE MAKING!!!!

The bonus tracks, ahhhhh the bonus tracks. They are all nameless!!!!! (*wink*) Some of them are lyrics-free, some of them are messing with the tracklist by appearing with the standard tracks, some are peppered with RECORD MALFUNCTION ALERT!!!! noises. AND OF COURSE THERE ARE CLUES (Ghostbusting Hours 🥳🧪🧙‍♀️🛸👻🎃🔮), you have to work for it!!!! She's summoning her Raggedy Man, but she's also being passive-aggressive about it :)))))))) As. She. Should.

I don't know man it's like... it's like The Velvet Underground (The Album), people would either describe it as a work of genius or a bunch of nonsense, but you can't NOT have a strong opinion on it and to me, that's THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT!!!!

Note: thinking about what comes after debut... and there has to be a Tolkien inspired album in there, as an ode to the language she comes up with over the years because. She Would. That one would have Soldier, Poet, King energy and early Bob Dylan vibes.

ALSO, I have this headcanon about a Leadworth Music Shop run by a Good Wizard, Actually A Cat type of person who's Amy best friend (POV: it's 12. It's Dr coming back to tell her a story. It's the circular narrative I Know How This Story Ends origin.), she records her podcast and music in the Music Shop Basement (her original lair!!!!), but since Leadworth is booooooooring the shop closes and the owner leaves (AP Abandonment Issues material 😔) and nobody except for Amy remembers the shop because I love chaos. (initially, she was stealing equipment from the school band dhdjjdjdej)

Oh and Cassandra Blackwood is her Ziggy Stardust.

[musickickztoo]

 Fred "Sonic" Smith *September 14, 1948

[uneasylisteningradio]

Clocks September 24, 2022

BURN THE CLOCKS

stream on Mixcloud

Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night The Jive Five - What Time Is It

DJ speaks over Britney Spears - Soda Pop (instrumental)

Black Flag - Clocked In Kirsty MacColl - Clock Goes Round The Sonics - Cinderella No Defences - Burn the Clocks The E-Types - Put the Clock Back on the Wall

DJ speaks over Strawberry Alarm Clock - Pass the Time with SAC

The Mamas & The Papas - Twelve Thirty The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock Gas Rag - The Clock Miss Nelson and Bruce - Clocks Chór Czejanda - Rock Around the Clock

DJ speaks over Young Marble Giants - The Clock

Statuesque - Liberation Sundial Air - Twelve O'Clock Satanial Mr. Lif - Live from the Plantation Zero Zero - The Clock

DJ speaks over Bo Diddley - Clock Strikes Twelve

Thatcher On Acid - Clock Watching The Carter Family - Gold Watch and Chain Wipers - Wind the Clock Slowly The Boys Next Door - The Red Clock Boris - Ruins Nick Drake - At the Chime of a City Clock

Belle and Sebastian - Sleep the Clock Around King Uszniewicz And His Uszniewicztones - Greenback Dollar Watch & Chain (Live) Strawberry Alarm Clock - Unwind With the Clock Sparks - Beat the Clock

Sonic's Rendezvous Band - Clock with No Hands The Everly Brothers - Grandfather's Clock Blossom Toes - When The Alarm Clock Rings Appendix - The Clock Card

Devo - Clockout

[rockmusicassoc]

Born in the rock 9/14/1948: The late, great Fred “Sonic” Smith, founding member of the MC5, later of Sonic’s Rendezvous Band & he was Mr. to Patti Smith’s Mrs., gone far too soon. #FredSonicSmith #MC5 #RockHonorRoll

[guerrilla-operator]

Sonic's Rendezvous Band // Electrophonic Tonic

[musicarenagh]

Get To Know The Wise Bloods And Their Recent Single Welcome to our sonic rendezvous, where I'm thrilled to introduce The Wise Bloods. More than just musicians, they are torchbearers of an idea sparked from personal breakthroughs and urban struggles. Merging reggae vibes with spirited purpose, this group has etched a narrative that echoes through London's system of streets—a narrative conjuring unity and enlightened collectivism. Today we peek behind the grooves to unveil how The Wise Bloods have channelled adversity into their harmonious crusade for change. Each member infuses the band with unique fervour, making every beat a battle cry for peace and authenticity. So lean in as we explore the heartbeat of The Wise Bloods: their formation, their passion, and their unyielding drive to resonate beyond melody. https://open.spotify.com/album/3FNE4WxBseV3A0nAFhAiuK?si=LW47tDbQQtyXr1BulXxI7A 1. First things first – for those not yet in the know, could you share with us how The Wise Bloods came into existence? The Wise Bloods has two aspects; The concept and then the band. The Wise Bloods as an idea was a phoenix that came out of the embers of an old teenage school band in the form of an old song. Following the decision to leave my job and a toxic relationship, I came across old stems from an unfinished song. I began to write a song around it. It turned out to be the first release of The Wise Bloods called 'Smooth Runner'. That came out before the current lineup of the band existed. At the time of conceiving a new band, certain things were going on. A very strange news report came forward on the tv. It was about the Bloods and the Crips being fed up of living the poverty-stricken lives of their city life. They were sick of their infighting and came together with an idea for a truce and a desire to overcome the situations that they were all in. I thought to myself. wow, did the bloods and crips just get wise? It reminded me of Bob Marley's sentiment in his song Zimbabwe 'No more internal power struggle'. It sent me off on a romantic thought process of what if the citizenry of this world collectively became aware of the oppressive conditions and corrupt nature of global forces that people found a way to overcome the causes of our ongoing conflicts, It would bring us into a new era of human civilization, characterized by co-ordinated co-operation at a grassroots level to replace what currently seems like an inevitable and unwavering global system of conflict, domination and exploitation (both of nature and humanity). So in that respect 'The Wise Bloods' is an ideal about collective enlightenment. Our logo is a cog with blood dripping from it and a feather. the cog represents the system, the industrial complex and its hold on our lives in the modern/post-modern era. The feather represents finding freedom in this time and it also nods to a more tribal, spiritual or natural philosophy for life. I guess that's quite a romanticised interpretation of 'tribal'. really, on a personal level, I just yearn for a more simplistic life that isn't offered in modern urban living. So yeah The Wise Bloods is the idea first, the band came after. I had to bring these new songs to life with musicians, and so over time, I found the right people for the music. I was at a Reggae jam night in a place called Troy Bar in Shoreditch. Makeda Moore (one of our singers) was singing there, both performing songs and performing backing vocals. I was blown away, she is actually someone you just have to watch perform live, very captivating and full of great stage presence. I approached her about joining the project, she brought her sister Kandaka Moore on to provide harmonies. I actually found Ryan (our bassist) through Instagram. My previous bassist Rudi Creswick left to tour with Tom Misch and pointed out that Ryan was an active Reggae bassist. After that, it wasn't long until Makeda put Jason forward to play drums. That for me is the core members of The Wise Bloods.

Those members have helped shape the sound, and the vibe and have become friends whom I trust and understand on a fundamental level. Since then we've had a couple of really good key players be a part of the band and recently I brought in my old band's horn section, which is exciting. Keys are essential for reggae and Horns are always fun. I'll be honest. The current members have stuck because, not only do I vibe with them, but they came to the music I had been writing with more talent and musical capability than myself. it was slightly intimidating at first, but it has brought a new dimension and authority to the live show. [caption id="attachment_53080" align="alignnone" width="1152"] Get To Know The Wise Bloods And Their Recent Single[/caption] 2. Was there a particular moment or experience that served as the catalyst for forming this band? I'm not sure if it's a catalyst, but certainly a pivotal point, where certain events going on around me coincided with my decision to pursue music once again I mentioned before, that a small political clearing of clouds appeared to me in the news. I guess that spurred on the concept and inspired the band name. On a more personal level, things had begun to get a little dark. Out of deciding to pursue music again. A long-term relationship not only began to unravel, but the nature of its toxicity had become stark to me. The experience of sobering up from your own delusions and the effect it has on your mind and personality is an unsettling one. Not only that, my return to my home town in London as an adult was beginning to take a turn and the place was appearing to me more and more tragic and sinister. I'd had two friends in the area lose brothers. One kid was only 17 and died after a stabbing to the leg. It was so heartbreaking because he was the youngest of the family and was just a really good kid. All around that time, I wasn't making things better for my friends or myself but just carrying on with self-sabotaging behaviour and escapism. I was getting into trouble most nights I went out. However, the difference between me and my friends was in the week, I was working on a career in tree surgery. Others around me were dealing with some really serious life issues with very little prospect of improving their lives. I realised people around me were in and out of jail, losing loved ones and even dealing with homelessness, on top of that some of them were new parents. I was feeling really frustrated with one friend. I just felt like all this madness we were getting into was just escapism from our own feeling of inadequacy and shitty situations. Seeing that behaviour play out in a friend to the point they're not addressing their homelessness is a terrible moment. Out of that time, I wrote 'Smooth Runner'. I wrote it to those old recorded stems taken from my first band. That became the first song from The Wise Bloods. Back then, none of the current band members were a part of it. Now, if we play that song, they play it way better than the recording (which was made mostly at home on a laptop with no prior recording experience). The first moment I see as defining us coming together as a band was when we jammed out 'New Blood', which is a song about fresh conflicts and major disasters popping up around the world and the inherent hypocrisy of the state about judging the legitimacy of the use of violence. I was trying to point out how a government's stance on global affairs is determined by its geopolitical relation to the regions and populations involved. That then of course is conveyed to the public in mainstream media. I'm quite proud of the lyrics, label 'em a terrorist if they take a pop, but supply arms on a regular to murdering despot, a country built on war draws new blood just to stay on top, our safety just a small price for a war dog boss' When we jammed that song the first time it was like an introductory meeting of all our musical essences. the vibe was strong that day... That was Jason's first ever rehearsal with us, also his first late arrival to practice.

..not his last 3. Each group has its own dynamic; who would you say is the 'glue' in The Wise Bloods that holds it all together? Musically it's Jason's drums and Ryan's bass perfectly in sync. Like all proper reggae, they are the foundation. In terms of keeping the band together. It's me, I bring them together in this setup and do all the homework. 4. How does living and creating music in London influence your sound and lyrical themes? As you can probably tell, quite a lot. Although I tend to allocate songs to ideas that are a bit more universal. I don't want every song' to just be a 'London song'. Of course, a lot of the music is inspired by moments within London so there is always going to be an aspect of that in the music, especially on the sound. In some songs, London is perhaps ingrained in the music but in others, the song is London in every way. It might not be so obvious in previous songs, but with London Summer Loving I went all the way. So much so that the song uses London slang, and describes London scenes, the final verse is fully in a London accent. I feel like only people from London will truly understand a lot in that song. I'm hoping people from cities around the world can relate though. [caption id="attachment_53082" align="alignnone" width="1152"] Get To Know The Wise Bloods And Their Recent Single[/caption] 5. Diving into your latest single “London Summer Loving” - what's the backstory? What summer breeze brought this song to life? I feel like no matter what is going on in people's lives, that feeling of the sun on your back, or a cool breeze or sunset is just something that gives us instant relief and happiness whether you are rich, poor, healthy or unhealthy. That moment when the sun starts coming back after winter and warming up the days you just get this feeling of relief and excitement for what's to come even when you have stresses and worries, summer is a time you have an excuse to have a good time no matter what. That's the initial inspiration. Then I thought to myself, Summer is a straightforward song theme I need to jump on on a promotional level, I can release it in the summer and people get behind it as a summer reggae anthem... then everything got delayed and I released it in November FFS. So I'm gonna ramp it up with some visuals next summer I think... but then again I'm just ready to make more new better music now. That was the backdrop and starting point. From there I had a rockers riddim idea and from there I just used that backdrop to write bars just for me and to share something about London authentically from my perspective. 6. Can you talk about any memorable anecdotes from writing or recording “London Summer Loving"? I mean what is written in the verses of that song is just years of memories on memories. Smells, visual memories, historical moments, emotions and sentiments about past friendships and all the things that make up my home town, which is a borough in south London called Deptford. So in terms of anecdotes- it's a big long story balled into something digestible in song format. Recording it. I mean, I recorded the vocals in a dusty backyard shed. The backing vocals sound sort of like they were recorded in a shanty town by some old-school reggae dudes, like the Congos or something, which wasn't intentional but is cool. It's a total contrast to the lead vocals, I ran those bars over and over in the shed till I had something that sounded passable. I'd do a take that felt so good in expression but I'd look back and think naah that sounds crap. It's weird trying to fit in with things that come before you so people can pick it up and their brain goes, 'ah yeh I recognise this sound, it's such and such, it cool, legit and I like it,' but still try and innovate and be authentically yourself as opposed to formulaic and completely derivative. There's a thin line, the less you are in the process, the harder it is to get into that pocket. 7. Musically, what direction did you aim to take with "London Summer Loving," and how does it align or differ from previous projects?

We wanted to make the music just for us. Rather than approach the music with a mind for what should a reggae song sound like, it was more like, what way do I want to express this for myself. Like, What way can I deliver this in a way that satisfies my curiosity and expresses what's in my heart? LSL is also a single from a project that has brought in the band at a way earlier stage. So I had the ideas and straight away I got Jason and Ryan in to run their parts and develop them. From there each session helped the song grow. I actually had two versions. A looser live recorded skeleton and a more straight version based on a programmed idea that we played on. It was faster and less organic. I wasn't sure on which one to use. I took the two to Keys player Noa Rodriguez. She came up with this Latin/Cuban sounding piano idea and it blew me away. She brought that idea to the faster version and in one take she did something proper bwad! Listen to that plinky plonky piano theme in the background of the chorus, I think its genius. I was thinking, ok now that version has something.. like a new forceful energy, it made me want to write bars not so much sing. In other projects, I was a lot more concerned about the listeners or radio picking it up. For 'Eye Out For The Devil' I was like, I want to do what's right and authentic for me right now and if people like it then good, if not, fine. So yeah, it's maybe a more selfish exercise in music. The music sentiment is a little more F you I'm doing it like this! I think that carries through to every member's performance in the recordings. [caption id="attachment_53083" align="alignnone" width="1366"] Get To Know The Wise Bloods And Their Recent Single[/caption] 8. Regarding "London Summer Loving", was there anything outside of the music itself—like film, literature, or art—that inspired its creation? Not so much outside music, but definitely outside the reggae genre. For me, I love those songs that represent an artist's place. It's so wicked when you can tell they have really done the place justice and represented it to the max. They paint a picture and you feel like you are from their town now. Songs like Nas' 'NY State of Mind' or Nina Simone's 'Baltimore', also covered brilliantly by the Tamlins- That version with that hornline, thats one of the best reggae songs of all time. 2Pac's California Love or Alborosie's Kingston Town, a modern reggae classic. Also, it's not explicitly about a city but 'Master Blaster' by Stevie Wonder, he vividly describes a street party and I feel like I wanted to write a song in that way where the song takes you into a scene of a real place and the listener is transported there, that's the inspiration from others there. 9. A question about the process: When working on new material like “London Summer Loving,” do lyrics typically come first, or do melodies dictate where words will follow? The creative process depends on the song but almost always its melodies before the lyrics. If I write lyrics without musical clothes it ends up terrible and unmusical. Sometimes songs are created in a more contrived fashion. so for example, I'm gonna make a roots rockers track- so you build the riddim and then ideas stem from that vibe. London Summer Loving was like that. I think of that process as the Hip Hop/ rapper or artist-to-producer type creative process. There's the production and then the lead ideas on top. For me, those types of songs take the most work to get the vocals and ideas to grab something authentic. It's like you have to work it until authenticity comes, rather than come straight from a place of authenticity and make that come to life. I came up with the ideas for LSL and it just felt too lifeless and the more I worked on it the worse it sounded. I had to stop and go back to vibe. So I just sang some jibberish to find a melody and delivery. From there I was like that sounds like an Afrobeats singer, how the hell am I gonna make a London song from that?

I separated the chorus melody delivery from the verse delivery to make it work, but to be honest I still don't think I made 100% the thing how I wanted the thing, but you have to know when you've worked on something enough and put it down to experience and allow the work to be imperfect. The most natural songs come from a feeling. Something may have happened or you just might be feeling in a certain space and the Melody, the harmony and the vibe come to you. I think those are the most authentic real songs. 'Eye Out For The Devil' our previous single was like that. I felt terrible about humans, myself included, I had to get something out and the music ideas just flowed from there. I also think that's the best place for reggae to come from. If you are in a point of desperation or darkness or hardship and music is used to overcome, that is reggae at its most authentic. 10. As artists tend to be critical about their work - if each of you had to choose one thing they love most about “London Summer Loving,” what would it be? I'm not with the guys at the moment. I've got something from Ryan but the rest will take an eternity to get back to me, so other than Ryan's input I'll take the opportunity to point out some cool parts of the music that the guys pulled out of the hat, purely just improvised on the spot whilst in session. RYAN: I really liked putting down this bassline. I had some fun with it. I like to draw inspiration from a lot of people around me. I was reminded here of a song by Natty titled "Seasons Change". I've depped for him several times and have even watched how "Tallis" who is his main bassist and one of my inspirations in the bassline, plays it live. The other inspiration is one of my mentors "Don Chandler" and his style and approach to reggae bassline. I like putting those influences into the new music I play. What I enjoyed here and with The Wise Bloods in general is the freedom I have to experiment a bit, but still somehow be able to complement Jesse's style of songwriting and composition. Jesse: there's always a sign of that experimentation from Ryan. If you listen to the third verse, there's a breakdown. The bass goes into this sub-low frequency...that is Ryan just showing off. It's so deep and it hits so good. he just doing it in the pocket of what the music wants. Jason's drum machine overdubs: To be honest this drum performance is just flawless, he destroys that beat, and the fills are insane... but what you might miss is his drum machine overdubs. There's a weird whale moan in there. He just kept hitting this pad. Someone poked their head in the room and looked at Jason and said 'The black whale', we were cracking up and Jason flipped and said, 'Yeah your laughing now but you're gonna hear back and think that's fucking sick!', it does sound sick. Noas Piano: the piano theme I mentioned earlier you hear in the chorus and the breakdown. That was an improvised idea that pretty much became the glue of the song. For me, that part is the most important part of the track. With regards to vocals, I think the third verse nails exactly what I wanted. I feel it captures London in Summer for me in song format and it's ghetto AF. There's no one out here writing reggae like this, maybe hip hop but not reggae. 'Vietnamese, Jamaican, Pho and curry in a pot dealers keep it moving in a stuffed crotch sock ballers in their beamers turn to boujin' out the block Crackheads on the corner hope this day never stop...' 11. In terms of vocal performance on ‘London Summer Loving,’ how were decisions made on delivery style? Does it encapsulate specific emotions tied to London summers? The chorus I am certain is influenced by Afro beats. The whole vocal was at first delivered in that fast-paced MC delivery. but the chorus was just missing some flavour. the high end almost falsetto vocal delivery came from just feeling a melody out. Afro beats is becoming a big thing in London and it's hard not to take influence. As I mentioned before, I had to separate the chorus and verse in my mind.

The verse delivery is definitely bringing a London energy. London in summer has a hazy bliss but energetically it also has this relentless menacing drive, like everyone is out to just live life, no matter what. I admit it's a gamble, this vocal is a bit marmite. Love it or hate it, but in this song, I achieved my goal of capturing an essence and a vibe. Like London, it's not for everyone. [caption id="attachment_53081" align="alignnone" width="1152"] Get To Know The Wise Bloods And Their Recent Single[/caption] 12. Let’s get technical: could we geek out a bit over which instruments, gear, or production techniques stood out while crafting “London Summer Loving”? If we are going to talk technical we have to mention our tracking and mix engineer Jaime (pronounced hai-mey) Zugasti. The foundations of the track are recorded by an actual reggae genius at BBMC Studios. The overdubs-like vocals are recorded in my shed home studio on an SM7B on a Scarlett USB interface, which is the best budget mic you can get, but it is by no means a high-end mic and boy did Zugasti let me know about it. Also, I have ADHD, I do things so scatty that half my stems need extra work, and my mic placement is a mess... If Jaime Zugasti hadn't worked on it, the music would not be hitting your ears properly at all. The most unique thing about all of the music from the 'Eye Out For The Devil' project is that Zugasti has done the final mix using an analogue board. The Verb is an actual real spring reverb. You can really hear his hands-on work in action when you listen to the dub versions (LSL dub is out on 8th December). 13 . Your music carries an infectious energy — when performing live, particularly new singles like " London Summer Loving," how do you translate that studio magic onto stage? the newer tracks have more energy because they are closer to the live. the bass and drums were recorded together and the songs themselves were jammed live before they were recorded. so when we play these tracks the translation to the live show is less of an issue. In fact, we just add more vibes with the added performers. Before some of those tracks were just tracked and built on ideas laid out on the computer beforehand, with no live jamming or input from the players prior. I would like to bring some recorded stems into a live show at some point just to maintain some signature production sounds, but what's more important is capturing the band's dynamic in new recordings more and more so the transition to the live show is more seamless. That said, the live show is just always more energetic and brings a whole new element. People have said they got more into our songs after seeing us live. 14 . This might be tough but describe " London Summer Loving" in three words – no cheating now! You just said it, it's in the title... hmmm. Ghetto Surf Reggae 15 . And finally, looking ahead can fans expect more sunny vibes à la ”London Summer Loving” from future releases? Or are there surprises up your sleeves? We've been playing with several reggae styles. In this project, we've had two steppers, one Rocker and the next is going to be a soulful ska love song, then of course the dubs. I've been working on this fusion of hood style with the sunny reggae feel quite a bit, so I'm sure we will have some more. The idea is to bring the original London style but deliver it in a way that people are still getting that juicy harmonic and melodic reggae hit. I'm still wanting to reach that sweet spot with our sound and style. Also, we are not just a reggae band. We have funk/soul and hip hop-influenced tracks, so we are going to have more bangers coming like our previous song 'Lonely Hours' featuring the late ones. I think from here on the guys are going to be involved in the writing of the music from the get-go I'm going to write ideas from my end but won't bring forward any skeleton sketches of bass or drums. I'm also going to ask the guys to bring something to me. This way I can focus

on the songwriting and the vocals and get out of my own way of what I'm worst at production. I'll keep practising and doing production in my own time, but I want this project to become what I always planned for it to be, an actual band where all the players are equally the artist- there is not enough of that in reggae these days. Well, in the US they have that because of the heavy influence of rock, but everywhere else reggae is- artists with a band supporting them. I get why, it makes things more clear cut, but The Wise Bloods was always meant to be a band's band. - High energy in your face live music but with deep roots in our foundations. So yeah, just expect an even better iteration of The Wise Bloods. Follow The Wise Bloods on Website, Facebook, Instagram, SongKick and TikTok.