Let me begin this article by saying that I've had the privilege to be a part of the Southeast Texas music scene for over 10 years now. I've personally witnessed the rise and fall of many a local band as fans tend to fade alongside the initial hype, often the mere product of a sense of newness rather than legitimate buzz. I've also watched many of the prominent local acts, over the years, pack and leave the area in search of greener pastures. I can remember growing up in this area attending local shows hosted by Rock City, Ten Shades of Grey, Bennington, My Lucky Cardigan, Fung Shui, Fast Lassie, Deconai, and Dwelling Stellar. That era was a keen time to be a teenager in Southeast Texas and a pivotal part of the development of this area's local music culture. Looking back now, I acknowledge that our current state and present musical playground was paved by those pioneers of Southeast Texas music and art, and this community wouldn't be what it is today had it not been for the aforementioned and the like. The local scene has since been transformed by an ever growing niche of progressively minded and talented individuals.After leaving Beaumont in 2005 in pursuit of a college degree, I knew I was leaving behind what then seemed like a dying era. Southeast Texas music seemed to have lost some of it's drive, and I was apprehensive about leaving it behind rather than working to rebuild what seemed to have been lost. I was also starry-eyed and young with hopes of becoming one of the salient scremo/emo acts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex with my own just-out-of-high-school 5-piece. Go ahead and laugh.
Four years later, after having made periodical trips to and from the area to play a few local shows here and there with my own band, I returned to Beaumont for a semester of online schooling. I had lost touch with the region, and I wasn't quite sure where the local scene stood. Had it finally died off? Was the dwindling Crocket Street entertainment district the only dim beacon of possibility and potential growth. Or was it a memorial to all that was and may never be again? One slow Monday night, I decided to see for myself, and headed out to a local show, probably put on by Joe or Molina, at Star Bar. The bands were The Amorist and We Were Wolves. I had given each a quick listen on myspace which wasn't enough for one to form a decent opinion of who these bands were or what they were all about. Admittedly I was already somewhat acquainted with The Amorist after having played a show or two with them at The Barking Dog that same year, and who I thought were a Beaumont phenomenon; one of the few acts making real headway in the seemingly stagnate Southeast Texas music scene. It was my first time seeing Jake Hooker on stage again since The Molly Maguires had called it quits, and I had really no idea who We Were Wolves were.
I ordered a couple Lone Stars and sat down at a table as the Wolves did a quick sound check on the empty dance floor that was backed by a smallish corner stage. Amidst trying to hold a conversation with a few friends I had come along with, the Wolves exploded into their set. It was far too loud to continue my conversation, so I turned to watch and take in We Were Wolves. The first thing I noticed was that, in the course of just a few minutes or so, the dance floor had been flooded by bar patrons, glasses raised high above their heads in a debaucherous salute to the Beaumont quartet. It's hard to describe the energy of a Wolves set, and harder still to do so twice, so I'll quote myself from a previous review in saying:
"There is nothing modest about a We Were Wolves set; raucous vocals, overtly rude guitars, and a truly dynamic rhythm section. (The) Wolves seem to draw inspiration from 80s punk and sometimes bare a musical similarity to the likes of modern progressive acts such as Wolfmother, Queens of the Stone Age, and Them Crooked Vultures. There is a glorious mixture of grunge, punk, and hard hitting bluesy soloing that emanates from all We Were Wolves compositions. It's no secret that We Were Wolves (Jake Hooker - Bass and Vocals, Zach Elizondo - Drums, Vinc Prihoda - Guitar and Vocals, and Drew Haught - Guitar and Vocals) put on a raw and highly engaging live show characterized by strong tonal distortion and crude three part vocal arrangements that seem more full of energy than angst"
After moving back permanently to the Southeast Texas area in early 2010 I had the opportunity to attend multiple Wolves shows. The air was always full of energy and enthusiasm, and the venue was always near capacity. Notable shows include The Wolves/Cousin Phelpy vinyl release, CtheDs Fest 2 at The Gig in which The Wolves headlined, and SXSETX where the Wolves shook the walls of The Back Room. I've personally had copies of "Yeah, Mammoth", We Were Wolves' first physical release, and their aforementioned split vinyl on my playlist since I was able to get my hands on each.
We Were Wolves were the first band to remind me upon my return that the SETX music scene is far from dead or dwindling. New and exciting bands are making themselves known, and setting a new bar for the area in regards to just how effective and brawny the local art culture can be. The pioneers would be proud, and the scene lives on - pulsating with the promise of growth and transformation.
It's about time I shut the hell up and get to the actual review.
It has all the satire and sarcasm fans have come to expect from the likes of a grungy garage rock quartet like We Were Wolves, but "Lost at Sea", yet another rambunctious Wolves release, is likewise embedded with raillery and jocularity establishing their latest effort as a derivative of backchat rather than temperamental gall. This hair-raising 80s punk laden EP is quickly bullying it's way to the top of every local concert goer's playlist, and stands alone as a tough contender for best album of the year, that is if we had our own local music awards show. "Lost at Sea" is 5 song yobbo of a release featuring all the new fan favorites, and recorded and engineered by Beaumont's own James (Baby J) Faust of The Polarity Studio.
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"Lovetits" is a particularly ravenous track that doesn't just merely stand out on this record. It reaches aggressively from it's number three spot with a rusty spiked gavel and pounds it's way to the top of the play count with a sinister snarl. It's no surprise that the band recently chose "Lovetits" as the album single, and crowned it with it's very own music video shot here in Beaumont at the Beach House that's already reached over 1700 views after being released in late September. The track begins with an edgy high pitched guitar solo backed by heavy full band stabs ultimately building up into the first groovy verse that transitions seamlessly into the first chorus complete with those deep rich/rude Wolf "yeahs" SETX concert goers love to chant along to. Around 1:45 the tune breaks into a wolfy trademark in-your-face guitar solo that ties everything together quite nicely, and provides a nice break for live attendees to partake in a little drunken swaying or throw another shot back before the track concludes at 2:32 to applause.The wait is over for an in-your-hands recording of the fan favorite "Lost at Sea" - title track of this 5 song EP. "Lost at Sea", made even more popular by Beaumont's own Ramblin' Boys, has been the foremost and darling drinking song of 2010-11. This track is by far one of the Wolves more moody broodish tunes that almost feels incomplete in it's recording without the presence of fan voices singing along to the well known chorus. A doleful emotional guitar solo around the three minute mark is one of my favorite moments in any Wolves set that is almost always sure to be accompanied by the clinking of glasses, drunken laughter, and a few "Woooos" and "Yeahs" emanating from a crowd in good spirits egged on by the actual spirits in their glasses. I think I speak for more than a few when I say that Nati Light would be proud to have this tune in the foreground of one of their radio ads.
This EP is everything fans have come to expect from a Wolves release. Canty, make-merry compositions reflective of and influenced by the local music community. This record and Wolves records past have always born the uncanny ability to make listeners feel included rather than mere patrons. Rude, energetic, unabashed, and dynamic are words that describe this new release, and fans everywhere can now rest a little easier knowing that songs like "Lost at Sea" are now available for purchase at a Wolves show or on iTunes.
Album's like "Lost at Sea" are proof that the Southeast Texas music scene is very much alive and thriving. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend a We Were Wolves show, Greenhouse Music highly recommends you do so, and alter what might be a very dreary weekend to a rip roarin' good time complete with screaming guitar solos and maybe even a wolfy rendition of "Bird is the Word". Most notably for fans of bands like: Wolfmother, Queens of the Stone Age, Motorhead, Eagles of Death Metal, Nirvana, and Them Crooked Vultures.
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Cheers,
Bo Michael King
