too loud to stay in the garage
by MatthewYoudan
No See Ums have been called invisible, biting, and even annoying pests of the East Coast. Vancouver's band of the same name even has some affiliation for this term. “It’s slang for a little biting gnat,” says guitarist and songwriter Mike Roche. Yet they recently recorded a catchy, bombastic seven-song EP with Otic Sound's Joshua Stevenson, highlighting a year of insanely loud amps and heartfelt rock bravado from veteran rockers Alex Angel, Mike Roche, and Keytar Middlechilds.
“This was going to be an acoustic dinner lounge project, but then Alex wanted to play drums,” Roche jokes, regarding their move from Vancouver's once infamous garage act Thee Manipulators. They immediately penned seven songs and searched for an adequate pianist to play keys, when they were put in touch with Middlechilds. Previously a bassist for the short-lived Vancouver punk act Trimesters, she found a stronger role musically as a key member in the swollen volume of No See Um's act.
This three-piece garage act plays their songs in string busting three-minute blasts, sounding like the Oblivians, the Monks, or King Khan and the Shrines. Their live performances are ridiculously loud, sonically obliterating, a justification for bringing or buying earplugs. Roche, however, regards his songs as second-hand reworkings that have yet to be discovered. “All of our songs are going to come back and haunt us, because one day someone is going to say you've done this to a tee,” he regards with all earnestness.
This project also sees Angel switching instruments, sitting behind the kit despite a reputation as guitarist and the rubber-faced centre of attention in Thee Manipulators. Their recent performances highlight his aptitude for insanely loud beatings and near trashing of house kits. “I didn't like all the attention from the girls, I wanted them to focus more on the music,” he comments. Roche chides in, “He's really looking forward to hauling around even more gear.”
A highlight of their latest project was last years' billing at the Seattle's now defunct, but infamous, Funhouse. They reunited with Stevie Kicks, a former band mate of Angel's in the pop punk group New Town Animals. “We wanted to play before they closed, and Brian Foss gave us a coveted Saturday night to throw whatever bill we wanted,” Roche recalls. “The venue itself is going to be the subject of a Kickstarter-funded documentary.”
This month they're making a brief appearance before embarking on releasing their self-titled EP. It's Alex's 40th birthday, but his girlfriend said he was just going to be at home eating soup, cites Roche about their next excursion. “I figured to throw piss in the wind and see what happened.” Thus, music biologists have reported that No-See-Ums have been discovered all over the Pacific Northwest.
However, No-See-Ums, the self-titled EP will be available for download this month here: http://noseeums.bandcamp.combandcamp
