Seven Mary Three is known for experimenting with sounds and moods
while maintaining a consistently exceptional lyrical and melodic
strength. Dis/location, the fifth venture of the eclectic yet somehow
quite consistent band is no exception in those arenas but is very
different in that this time, they're in it to blow the doors out.
A
definitive kick in the junk to the position that Seven Mary Three has
only gone downhill since Cumbersome, the new album rocks from track
one. It's nothing like the anthem of self-doubt in the face of an
ending relationship made so famous ten years ago, but if you haven't
bothered since then, do yourself a favor and check out the new album.
Guitar-laden, crunching licks and catchy hooks somewhat reminiscent of
some of the best sounds to come out of the '70s and '80s blend fiercely
with the always-brilliant and ever-personal lyrics of Jason Ross to
create an incredibly infectious offering. Chock-full of tunes that will
stick with you long after you turn it off; Dis/location's well worth
the 15 bucks. Right from the first hammering licks of the first track,
Settle Up, you get a hint that you may be in for a slightly different
ride than what you expect from this band; Cumbersome it ain't.
Dis/location on Sale Now
Guitarist
Thomas Juliano's influence is clearly drawn in this release, to great
effect. His musical talent has helped infuse a new energy and vibe that
really highlights the talents of each member and provides an
interesting counterpoint to Jason Ross's introspective lyrical style.
Typical of his unique and incredible style, lyricist Ross cants the
mirror just right so that you feel like you might somehow be peeking
into a window on the sly, only to discover that, often as not, it's
your very own.
For all its lyrical introspection, there's
nothing particularly soft and squidgy-sounding about Dis/location.
Neither slow and whiney nor light and frothy, guitars rail and drums
hammer to a lyrical focus strong on the appeal of real human substance.
Yes, it deals in part with the great mystery that is love. There's an
undercurrent throughout the album -- not right in-your-face, remember
the mirror now -- of just how cool strong, unique women are. Even if
one woman in particular is the subject of most of the lyrics, the
universal appeal of music assures that any woman who knows how to be
both soft and strong; who is never too shy to use her mind; who's
finally grown comfortable in her skin, will appreciate this album. Fear
not men; the themes are universally applied and represent you well.
Chances are if you've ever cared for anyone who's really challenged you
to stretch your perspective, you'll get tracks Bark No Bite, Oceans of
Envy, and By Your Side dead-to-rights, regardless of gender. I only
interpret them the way I do because...well, because I'm a woman, so I
find Ross's ideal of a strong, intelligent, witty and quirky woman
incredibly inspirational. Oh yeah, and there's that one song about
death.
Jason Ross, Thomas Juliano
Dis/located, the
adjectival-diminutive assigned title track could be as easily
considered a posthumous retrospective, pre-mortis as a Godfather's kiss
to a pop-music-industry-turned-puppy-mill industry mindset. It's a
cumulative thumb-to-the-nose for what's important vs. what's not with
regard to personal integrity. That's cool, right? Trust me, it is
I've
thought on more than one occasion that the very thing about this band I
find so appealing might well be what oddly alienates a standard fanbase
-- even if it simultaneously garners another sort of fierce, though
smaller, contingent. Sound-wise, they're very experimental: the
popularity of American Standard barely began to wane before they were
off to New Orleans recording the ephemerally beautiful, moody Rock
Crown. Rife with distinctly jazzy influences, piano-bar stylings and
blues-inspired acoustics -- sounds the grunge set of the middle-late
nineties were not eager to embrace -- this incredible album greeted
modest sales and confounded critics. Number three, Orange Ave. barely
reached the radar and was followed three years later by The Economy of
Sound, introducing a still-different, revitalized sound with new
guitarist Thomas Juliano, which some questionable critics oddly panned
as a lame attempt to revisit the long-gone glory days of Cumbersome."
The disillusion of the band's record label, Atlantic Records'
subsidiary Mammoth Records, found the band among a number searching for
a new home. Never ones to be guided by any force greater than their own
internal compass, band members
Casey Daniel Jason Ross, Thomas
Juliano, Casey Daniel and Giti Khalsa continued playing smaller venues,
expanding their base and exploring their options before finally signing
with independent label DRT Entertainment. Final tracks for Dis/location
were laid in twenty breakneck days in Chase Park Studios in Athens, GA;
were co-produced, engineered and mixed by Brian Paulson (Beck, Wilco)
and were reported to have been among the most fun and creative of any
recording process they've had to date. Aided by the ambience of the
creepy (and purportedly 'haunted') motel they called home for twenty
days and a local watering hole to which they retired nightly just in
time for last call, they may have expanded their own personal
perceptions, as well.
Currently touring in support of
Dis/location, they're doing the requisite interview circuit as well. I
seized an opportunity to sit down with lyricist/lead singer Jason Ross
and bassist Casey Daniel to talk about the industry at large and how
they've managed to fit into it ten years later. They're a brilliant,
dynamic band consisting of very intelligent men with sometimes
profound, insightful things to say; so in preparing for this interview
I suddenly found myself scrapping my characteristic confidence in
relating to people and bringing out their best (or at least, most
colorful).
Despite my trepidation, I wound up with an
enlightening, surprisingly relaxed interview where I learned more than
I expected to learn about their perspectives on everything from the
state of the music industry today to literature to how adeptly lyricist
Ross captures and the band as a whole interprets the things that drive
us all in the most elemental -- and seldom-admitted -- ways. More than
I could fit into a single article, look for Part Deux, covering a more
in-depth look behind the music, next week.
The Northwest Indiana
Times previewed major preparations for what must've seemed to the small
city of Kouts to be a major onslaught in the arrival of 7M3 prior to
one of its earliest dates. City administration held a town council
meeting to devise and implement extensive plans for reinforcement from
the county and city reserve officers to assist in security and parking
issues the night of the show. Amused and a little inspired by the
article, I wondered what it felt like to have such a fuss made again,
after so many years of wildly mixed reception. I saw the article, too,
Ross muses with a smile, Yeah, smaller towns tend to fear we might
'take over' or the fans might get a little out of control -- they get
shows like this so seldom, which is another reason we like shows like
this so much -- but we're all about the music and our fans usually are,
too. It went well, though.
In contrast to the sold-out Kouts
reception, though consistent with overall industry numbers so far this
season for acts across the board, there have been a couple of shows
cancelled by hosting venues -- much to the disappointment of consistent
and eager devotees -- but band members seem to keep it well in
perspective.
It's not going to work out perfectly every time
from a commercial standpoint, there's no delusion of that. I think
we've been playing together long enough that even if it bothered us
enough at other times -- or maybe still sometimes does -- it's not as
important as just enjoying the fact that we're still able to put out
records and go play music for people, says Casey Daniel, There'll be
setbacks and of course, initially, you take your time to think about
what it might mean. But we've always been a touring band, we work hard
and we go out and do what it takes to play shows and still have a good
time. Daniel states that they only carry seven people on their bus.
Quick math leads that the remaining three outside of the band itself
are probably the driver, tour manager Sam Mitcham and a single tech.
Daniel continues, We're just a band, y'know: we don't need all of the
extra 'frills', we let the music speak for itself, I think.
The
overall ambience and identifiability of this band seems custom-made for
smaller, more intimate venues as opposed to large, production-driven
arena shows; their music does indeed speak for itself quite eloquently
and dramatic production of any sort would almost seem an awkward
afterthought to a Seven Mary Three show. But even shows lacking in
dramatic overture cost money to produce, which still presents issues.
Giti Khalsa, Casey Daniel, Jason Ross, Thomas Juliano
Ross
explains, The money is an issue because it's hard to make a living,
playing smaller venues all of the time. But yeah, the smaller venues
are more about the music where the arena shows are all about 'the show'
y'know; what goes with it: the lights, the pyrotechnics, the
groupies...all that rigamarole. So if we could do arenas and still let
it be about the music, that'd be great; but we are what we are.
"What
they are" turning out to be is a fiercely prolific contender for
longevity in a field rife with the husks of a number of their former
musical contemporaries, likely due in no small part to their complete
lack of affectation both on- and off-stage and their determination to
just 'dig in and do' what they so clearly love. I wonder, with record
companies sporting more creative and marketing control than at any time
in over a generation, if the industry seems more like a business
machine and less like art than ever before.
It's definitely been
headed that way, Daniel surmises, all of the laws that have been
changed in radio in the last ten years...there's definitely more of a
controlled system. But there's also more downloading on computers, so
for each side of it, the opposite reacts just as hard. I think there
are more people now than ever who are actively searching for ways to
not have to listen to the stuff that's being shoved down their throats.
reflecting further, Daniel states, In its way, it's advantageous for
us. It's what's allowed us to continue putting out records. Some people
found us when we were on the radio...we were in a position where you
almost hear too much of it. And then, as it's backed off over the
years, people have found us on their own or continued to listen to us
and they're not worried if it's on the radio; to them it's not
important as long as they've found something they can attach themselves
to, something they genuinely enjoy and feel like they're part of.
You're not part of something because you're one of ten million people
who bought one of Brand X's records, y'know.
Don't get me wrong,
we love to sell records. Obviously, from the commercial standpoint,
that's what keeps us able to continue doing this: having enough money
just to put more into it, so we can go back out and do it all over
again with a new record every time," Daniel closes, "I think our goal
is just to continue to be able to do that every time and still enjoy
it. There's definitely easier things, in terms of the travel and lack
of sleep and all that...but I think it's all worth it when you get to
do what we do.
______________________________________________________
Highly recommended! Don't miss your chance to see this show: check out the Seven Mary Three website -- www.7M3.com
-- for where the tour will land near you and for special deals on
getting the new CD and seeing the live show in selected areas.
while maintaining a consistently exceptional lyrical and melodic
strength. Dis/location, the fifth venture of the eclectic yet somehow
quite consistent band is no exception in those arenas but is very
different in that this time, they're in it to blow the doors out.
A
definitive kick in the junk to the position that Seven Mary Three has
only gone downhill since Cumbersome, the new album rocks from track
one. It's nothing like the anthem of self-doubt in the face of an
ending relationship made so famous ten years ago, but if you haven't
bothered since then, do yourself a favor and check out the new album.
Guitar-laden, crunching licks and catchy hooks somewhat reminiscent of
some of the best sounds to come out of the '70s and '80s blend fiercely
with the always-brilliant and ever-personal lyrics of Jason Ross to
create an incredibly infectious offering. Chock-full of tunes that will
stick with you long after you turn it off; Dis/location's well worth
the 15 bucks. Right from the first hammering licks of the first track,
Settle Up, you get a hint that you may be in for a slightly different
ride than what you expect from this band; Cumbersome it ain't.
Dis/location on Sale Now
Guitarist
Thomas Juliano's influence is clearly drawn in this release, to great
effect. His musical talent has helped infuse a new energy and vibe that
really highlights the talents of each member and provides an
interesting counterpoint to Jason Ross's introspective lyrical style.
Typical of his unique and incredible style, lyricist Ross cants the
mirror just right so that you feel like you might somehow be peeking
into a window on the sly, only to discover that, often as not, it's
your very own.
For all its lyrical introspection, there's
nothing particularly soft and squidgy-sounding about Dis/location.
Neither slow and whiney nor light and frothy, guitars rail and drums
hammer to a lyrical focus strong on the appeal of real human substance.
Yes, it deals in part with the great mystery that is love. There's an
undercurrent throughout the album -- not right in-your-face, remember
the mirror now -- of just how cool strong, unique women are. Even if
one woman in particular is the subject of most of the lyrics, the
universal appeal of music assures that any woman who knows how to be
both soft and strong; who is never too shy to use her mind; who's
finally grown comfortable in her skin, will appreciate this album. Fear
not men; the themes are universally applied and represent you well.
Chances are if you've ever cared for anyone who's really challenged you
to stretch your perspective, you'll get tracks Bark No Bite, Oceans of
Envy, and By Your Side dead-to-rights, regardless of gender. I only
interpret them the way I do because...well, because I'm a woman, so I
find Ross's ideal of a strong, intelligent, witty and quirky woman
incredibly inspirational. Oh yeah, and there's that one song about
death.
Jason Ross, Thomas Juliano
Dis/located, the
adjectival-diminutive assigned title track could be as easily
considered a posthumous retrospective, pre-mortis as a Godfather's kiss
to a pop-music-industry-turned-puppy-mill industry mindset. It's a
cumulative thumb-to-the-nose for what's important vs. what's not with
regard to personal integrity. That's cool, right? Trust me, it is
I've
thought on more than one occasion that the very thing about this band I
find so appealing might well be what oddly alienates a standard fanbase
-- even if it simultaneously garners another sort of fierce, though
smaller, contingent. Sound-wise, they're very experimental: the
popularity of American Standard barely began to wane before they were
off to New Orleans recording the ephemerally beautiful, moody Rock
Crown. Rife with distinctly jazzy influences, piano-bar stylings and
blues-inspired acoustics -- sounds the grunge set of the middle-late
nineties were not eager to embrace -- this incredible album greeted
modest sales and confounded critics. Number three, Orange Ave. barely
reached the radar and was followed three years later by The Economy of
Sound, introducing a still-different, revitalized sound with new
guitarist Thomas Juliano, which some questionable critics oddly panned
as a lame attempt to revisit the long-gone glory days of Cumbersome."
The disillusion of the band's record label, Atlantic Records'
subsidiary Mammoth Records, found the band among a number searching for
a new home. Never ones to be guided by any force greater than their own
internal compass, band members
Casey Daniel Jason Ross, Thomas
Juliano, Casey Daniel and Giti Khalsa continued playing smaller venues,
expanding their base and exploring their options before finally signing
with independent label DRT Entertainment. Final tracks for Dis/location
were laid in twenty breakneck days in Chase Park Studios in Athens, GA;
were co-produced, engineered and mixed by Brian Paulson (Beck, Wilco)
and were reported to have been among the most fun and creative of any
recording process they've had to date. Aided by the ambience of the
creepy (and purportedly 'haunted') motel they called home for twenty
days and a local watering hole to which they retired nightly just in
time for last call, they may have expanded their own personal
perceptions, as well.
Currently touring in support of
Dis/location, they're doing the requisite interview circuit as well. I
seized an opportunity to sit down with lyricist/lead singer Jason Ross
and bassist Casey Daniel to talk about the industry at large and how
they've managed to fit into it ten years later. They're a brilliant,
dynamic band consisting of very intelligent men with sometimes
profound, insightful things to say; so in preparing for this interview
I suddenly found myself scrapping my characteristic confidence in
relating to people and bringing out their best (or at least, most
colorful).
Despite my trepidation, I wound up with an
enlightening, surprisingly relaxed interview where I learned more than
I expected to learn about their perspectives on everything from the
state of the music industry today to literature to how adeptly lyricist
Ross captures and the band as a whole interprets the things that drive
us all in the most elemental -- and seldom-admitted -- ways. More than
I could fit into a single article, look for Part Deux, covering a more
in-depth look behind the music, next week.
The Northwest Indiana
Times previewed major preparations for what must've seemed to the small
city of Kouts to be a major onslaught in the arrival of 7M3 prior to
one of its earliest dates. City administration held a town council
meeting to devise and implement extensive plans for reinforcement from
the county and city reserve officers to assist in security and parking
issues the night of the show. Amused and a little inspired by the
article, I wondered what it felt like to have such a fuss made again,
after so many years of wildly mixed reception. I saw the article, too,
Ross muses with a smile, Yeah, smaller towns tend to fear we might
'take over' or the fans might get a little out of control -- they get
shows like this so seldom, which is another reason we like shows like
this so much -- but we're all about the music and our fans usually are,
too. It went well, though.
In contrast to the sold-out Kouts
reception, though consistent with overall industry numbers so far this
season for acts across the board, there have been a couple of shows
cancelled by hosting venues -- much to the disappointment of consistent
and eager devotees -- but band members seem to keep it well in
perspective.
It's not going to work out perfectly every time
from a commercial standpoint, there's no delusion of that. I think
we've been playing together long enough that even if it bothered us
enough at other times -- or maybe still sometimes does -- it's not as
important as just enjoying the fact that we're still able to put out
records and go play music for people, says Casey Daniel, There'll be
setbacks and of course, initially, you take your time to think about
what it might mean. But we've always been a touring band, we work hard
and we go out and do what it takes to play shows and still have a good
time. Daniel states that they only carry seven people on their bus.
Quick math leads that the remaining three outside of the band itself
are probably the driver, tour manager Sam Mitcham and a single tech.
Daniel continues, We're just a band, y'know: we don't need all of the
extra 'frills', we let the music speak for itself, I think.
The
overall ambience and identifiability of this band seems custom-made for
smaller, more intimate venues as opposed to large, production-driven
arena shows; their music does indeed speak for itself quite eloquently
and dramatic production of any sort would almost seem an awkward
afterthought to a Seven Mary Three show. But even shows lacking in
dramatic overture cost money to produce, which still presents issues.
Giti Khalsa, Casey Daniel, Jason Ross, Thomas Juliano
Ross
explains, The money is an issue because it's hard to make a living,
playing smaller venues all of the time. But yeah, the smaller venues
are more about the music where the arena shows are all about 'the show'
y'know; what goes with it: the lights, the pyrotechnics, the
groupies...all that rigamarole. So if we could do arenas and still let
it be about the music, that'd be great; but we are what we are.
"What
they are" turning out to be is a fiercely prolific contender for
longevity in a field rife with the husks of a number of their former
musical contemporaries, likely due in no small part to their complete
lack of affectation both on- and off-stage and their determination to
just 'dig in and do' what they so clearly love. I wonder, with record
companies sporting more creative and marketing control than at any time
in over a generation, if the industry seems more like a business
machine and less like art than ever before.
It's definitely been
headed that way, Daniel surmises, all of the laws that have been
changed in radio in the last ten years...there's definitely more of a
controlled system. But there's also more downloading on computers, so
for each side of it, the opposite reacts just as hard. I think there
are more people now than ever who are actively searching for ways to
not have to listen to the stuff that's being shoved down their throats.
reflecting further, Daniel states, In its way, it's advantageous for
us. It's what's allowed us to continue putting out records. Some people
found us when we were on the radio...we were in a position where you
almost hear too much of it. And then, as it's backed off over the
years, people have found us on their own or continued to listen to us
and they're not worried if it's on the radio; to them it's not
important as long as they've found something they can attach themselves
to, something they genuinely enjoy and feel like they're part of.
You're not part of something because you're one of ten million people
who bought one of Brand X's records, y'know.
Don't get me wrong,
we love to sell records. Obviously, from the commercial standpoint,
that's what keeps us able to continue doing this: having enough money
just to put more into it, so we can go back out and do it all over
again with a new record every time," Daniel closes, "I think our goal
is just to continue to be able to do that every time and still enjoy
it. There's definitely easier things, in terms of the travel and lack
of sleep and all that...but I think it's all worth it when you get to
do what we do.
______________________________________________________
Highly recommended! Don't miss your chance to see this show: check out the Seven Mary Three website -- www.7M3.com
-- for where the tour will land near you and for special deals on
getting the new CD and seeing the live show in selected areas.
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