Tim Deaux doesn’t have much time to talk. The Whigs’ bass player just stepped out of the studio where the band has been putting the finishing touches on “In the Dark,” its third full-length and follow-up to 2008’s “Mission Control.”
If all goes well, “In the Dark” will be out by January or February of next year. This time, The Whigs are marrying the raw energy of their live shows with studio noise somewhat new to them.
“‘Mission Control’ recording was more about capturing the band’s live sound, so we were excited to play with tones, play with sounds and overdubs and maybe stray away from what the band sounds like live,” Deaux says. “It’s still retaining the live energy but adding a few textures here and there and some colors here and there.”
The new album even pushes politics on the track “I Am For Real.” The band usually steers clear of weighty and controversial subject matter, but Deaux swears The Whigs “don’t want to be Kanye West.”
“In the Dark” is pampered by the studio, but if the title track is representative of the rest of the album, it loses none of the rough charisma of The Whigs’ previous endeavors.
Half of The Whigs’ charm derives from unadorned, unclean vocals and instrumentation, but the title track, which can be downloaded for free, diminishes concern.
The band is using what the studio has to offer, but the anthem-like chorus is catching, and the incessant drum clashes and guitar spasms are still there.
Another Nashville gig approaches, less than a year since The Whigs played a packed and sweaty Exit/In show in April, which was a riot of unharnessed energy from the pre-show tension with the Atlanta Braves theme blasting over the speakers to the last song.
Nov. 5 will bring The Whigs to Cannery Ballroom with The Dead Trees and local darlings
The Features.
Their more Brit-pop melodies might appeal to ears less partial to The Whigs’ southern roots and grungy grit.
No, The Whigs aren’t local – they’re from Athens – but they have such a familiar stage presence while they party down that it is difficult not to welcome them back like family.
To hear Parker Gispert’s scratchy yowl, Julian Dorio ferociously reprimanding his drum set, or Deaux’s angry bass lines is hearing a slightly southernized version of The Hives meshed with the mellow vocal ramble of Nirvana.
The music revs with frantic energy, then goes slack with Gispert’s drawl.
The sound romanticizes defiance and lackadaisical love; the only question is how The Whigs can pluck from an array of already-visited sounds from the past 20 years and serve them up like new.
Deaux is all modesty, however, and marvels at the fans The Whigs have accumulated from four tours with Kings of Leon.
“The enormity of their fanbase compared to our fanbase is just ridiculous,” Deaux says. “You’re exposed to a whole new group of people who’ve probably never heard of The Whigs.”
The band has done its time, cutting its teeth in dark rock bars so filled with smoke one would think there was a fog machine. However, tours with bigger names pulled The Whigs from safe-haven crowds of 200 and put the band before 15,000, which took some getting used to.
“After playing a few shows you get used to the enormity, and you get used to the power of the sound system behind you, then it falls into place,” Deaux says.
The band may be on track for large-scale recognition, but the heart of The Whigs kind of belongs to the small sweaty rock venue. Deaux even refers to the smaller clubs booked for the upcoming tour dates as a return “back to our normal environment.
“We dig the party vibe, we dig the down-home atmosphere,” he says. “We haven’t been able to do that in a while, so we’re pretty stoked.”
Whether the band plays an arena or a hole-in-the-wall venue that feels more like home, The Whigs push nonstop energy and volume, and for Deaux, a good rock show is as simple as that.
“We all like loud music, something you can get down to and maybe a cold beer or two.”
The Whigs bring grungy stage presence, prep new album
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2009
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1 comments
June
Can't wait to see the show. Love the Dead Trees.
