The Most Nurturing Band in Rock 2008-2009
Mount Vicious is the band that I played in after Replicator with Chris Bolig, the Replicator drummer. Chris decided for reasons really known only to himself, but probably because it was funny, to go by the name Richard “Dick” Necklace for his time in the band. If I had to say why, I’d say it’s probably because I rejected it as a band name. I stand by that decision, as well as Castle Dickhead. Sorry Chris! Anyway, Mount Vicious was a much different beast than either of us had done before. We wanted to take the intensity of our previous band and do a ROCK band. Which strangely, we had never done before. It would be informed of noise rock, but it wouldn’t be noise rock.
It was approached like putting together the damn A-Team or something. Everybody chosen based upon their personality as much as playing ability and anything else. People would approach me at shows and ask what I was working on, and I’d demur, dodge and change the subject when all I wanted to do was shout it from the rooftops. In the internet age, where everything is old before it’s new I just wanted to surprise people with something fantastic. That happened.
People were surprised. And pleasantly so.
We all brought out elements of each other’s playing that made a unique entity, there were balances and counter balances, push, pull, give and take. It really worked.
Mount Vicious was sexier than Replicator (not difficult!), it was sleazier, it was brighter and more colorful, it was just flat out fun, personified. To me it seemed the best parts of rock ‘n roll excess, with the excess EXCISED from the music. I even rebooted my own image, making the switch from singing guitar player to rock frontman/lightning rod of absurdity.
We went to work, touring, writing and recording.
Not everybody loved it, some people not so much. Some people also just don’t like change, but many did that liked or loved it were not into our other bands, and that was kind of the point.
It caught on in different ways and caught momentum too.
I pushed the band forward like a crazed chariot driver. Amassing all kinds of crazy resources on the back end that nobody saw and plunging ourselves forward like human cannonballs. We came in like conquering warriors and laid waste to our path (most of the time), and all the time I kept pushing us ever onward.
Then, we imploded. Breaking up the night of our record release, the culmination of the year or so of hard work that we put into the band.
What happened?
In short, I messed up. I pushed too hard, I trusted the wrong people and made a few bad calls. That second part is important, but the 1st and 3rd are more so.
They say money is the root of all evil, but hubris is not far behind. It blew up in my face completely and hurt some people that did not deserve it. Mistakes were made, I made a lot of them. I’m sorry that people got hurt, but sorry doesn’t take that away.
However, what is past is prologue and what’s done can’t be undone.
In the end, we played just shy of 40 shows… most of which were remarkably kick ass, and put out a HELL of an album…
If you haven’t heard it, you really should, in fact you can do it on that player up there. Anyway, you can hear the album at bandcamp https://mountvicious.bandcamp.com/ and you can hear it on Spotify and stuff.
If you are ever wondering what happened to Mount Vicious, it was me. I happened to it. My bad, y’all.
Let’s be clear, alive or dead, Mount Vicious WILL rock you.
Hailing from San Francisco and Oakland, with gigantic riffs, cutting bass, powerful drumming, intense vocals, and an unrelenting and urgent stage show Mount Vicious had what you needed, and still need.
Informed by classic rock as much as post-punk and noise rock, the bombastic intensity and power in Mount Vicious is palpable. Sit too close to your speakers and you might end up bruised or pregnant. Mount Vicious didn’t just play rock, they WERE rock.
Imagine Queens of the Stone Age covering Bon Scott-era AC/DC and The Minutemen, or the Eagles of Death Metal playing the Misfits and The Birthday Party you’re on the right track, but still only getting part of the story.
You do not, however, need a fancy record collection to enjoy Mount Vicious. The immediacy shines through.
Their album, Don’t Be a Baby, Come and Get It, was recorded at San Francisco’s famed Tiny Telephone studio by producer John Congleton (the paperchase, Explosions in the Sky, Modest Mouse) and mastered by Bob Weston (Nirvana, Mission of Burma, Polvo) at Chicago Recording Company. Every element of the swaggering Mount Vicious rock and roll monster was been captured on this recording: block rocking anthems like “Princess of the Brodeo”; stadium-ready guitar heroics of songs like “Skin Flautist”; moody pieces like “The Long Walk”.Give it a listen & you will be howling along to “Wherewolf?” and preparing to get the horn from the”Steroid Unicorn” in no time at all.
Don’t Be a Baby is a perfect reminder of the vital live show they provided in their all too brief run, leaving it all on the stage in a brash set of soloing, shredding, sweat, and singing that left you completely entertained and hungering for more. Fist pumping, sing alongs, and rock and roll majesty are the orders of the day, and the fun they had is as contagious as any pandemic.
Mount Vicious will rock you, and they are also very good at sex.
So, Don’t Be a Baby, Come and Get It.
Here is some video:
Steroid Unicorn – live at Gilman
Action (Sweet cover) – live at Cake Shop
