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WEBSITE: www.uschristmas.net
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God and devils, piss and venom.
The band US Christmas has never strayed far from its roots. Its members were born and raised in or near the mountains of rural North Carolina, a place that will always be their home. Its culture, geography, history, and spiritual presence have a great influence on the band's sound. Originally formed in the summer of 2002, USC has steadily evolved into a full-blown psychedelic assault. The music cannot be ignored. It hurts people - physically and mentally. It stirs intense feelings of pain, frustration, loss, fear, and occasionally - euphoria.
In a lot of ways, the band has always gone about is business preceded by a big, outstretched middle finger. Comments from the stage are few and far between, and the band rarely introduces itself, preferring to communicate solely through its music. This is in part a reaction to the realization that no one outside the band really gives a shit.
One of the best USC gigs ever lasted about 20 minutes. The band came into a local bar, sort of uninvited, set up quick, then let loose right in the middle of NCAA basketball finals. A lot of the bar patrons were pissed, and the owner was furious - kept coming up the the stage and pointing at the ground for some reason. A couple of little girls pogo danced the whole time, and the local drunks were happy. But the best thing about it was, nobody did shit about it. They flipped the light on and off, but after a certain point they were pretty much helpless, and they just had to grit their teeth and take it.
The band always plays at deafening volumes, and Hall often uses multiple amp setups for a layered, thick sound. Tim and John hit the low-end, and Matt often mans guitar and theremin simultaneously. Chad is able to handle any musical duties at any time. Shows are always chaotic and unpredictable, riddled with sythesizer and theremin spasms. Images are projected onto the stage, the ceiling, or performers themselves. Many a drunken bystander has been drawn to the theremin's magic antennae. US Christmas has shared bills with some of the world's best heavy bands, including High on Fire, Weedeater, DOVE, Place of Skulls, Orange Goblin, ATP, Graves at Sea, Scissorfight, Red Sparowes, Atomic Bitchwax, and Kylesa.
• Early days
John Presnell was playing bass in a Marion metal band called The Black Hand, and met guitarist Nate Hall around that time. Nate was tired of chasing musical dead ends, and had never even been part of a real band. John was living with veteran metal drummer Tim Greene, who kept his old Tama kit sprawled across his entire bedroom so he could play along with ZZ Top records. These three got together and started practicing weekly. Matt was already gathering Marion friends and musicians for regular theremin and guitar feakout sessions, and soon joined the band. When the band started performing in nearby Hickory, NC, they met Chad Davis, a prolific musician who had already played in many bands, including Seven Foot Spleen, Hanging Rotten, Demoncy, Subklinik, Anu, and was then leading the psychedelic doom band Mountain of Judgment. Davis was eager to record the band, and joined as a full-time member during the recording of USC's second cd, Bad Heart Bull. Davis also recorded Salt The Wound in 2005, which was later released by Russian label R.A.I.G. Teeter joined during the recording of "Eat The Low Dogs", basically by hanging around all the time and contributing valuable "ideas". He also provides a positive energy that balances the negativity inherent in some of the other members of the band.
• Recordings
The first recording, Prayer Meeting, authentically captured the sound of the band at the time of the recording, and the same can be said for Bad Heart Bull, Salt The Wound, and Eat The Low Dogs. All four albums were recorded live, by the band, either in stifling heat or nut-shriveling cold. Snare drums rattle, amps hum and pop, dog bark in the background. But that's the way it always sounds, and the band doesn't see any point in changing a method that works.
• Technology helps
US Christmas was one of the first unsigned bands to send a CD to Scott Kelly's internet music show Combat Music Radio. It wasn't long before the band heard from Scott, who began frequently playing US Christmas songs on KMBT. This lead to a release agreement with Neurot Recordings. A 4 song vinyl EP was released in December 2007, and the band's full length "Eat The Low Dogs" is set for a May 2008 release.
• Collaborations/contributions
US Christmas has frequently collaborated with artist Ed Cooper/Projexorcism, and Scott Isenhour/Sky City. These artists have contributed visual images, and have filled in for USC members on several crucial gigs. Tom Devlin III has skillfully recorded the band live on many occasions, and does so without interfering with the shows. They all have a special place in the band.
(Quelle: a href="http://neurotrecordings.com/" target="_blanc">Neurot Recordings)
FORMAT: CD
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