The New Year | may 2004

That rock you've been under for the past 14-plus years deserves a break if you are still out of the loop on the Brothers Kadane. As the creators and destructors of the highly influential outing Bedhead, the two have gained a much deserved following of listeners. Now, as The New Year, Matt and Bubba Kadane, and a regrouped cast of equally talented musicians are still tweaking and restructuring the "core" they created in 1990.

As The End Is Near - the follow-up to 2001's acclaimed Newness End's - approches (March 18, 2004 - Touch and Go), we bother Matt & Bubba through the marvel of modern technology - e-mail.

_ ____.:: T H E N E W Y E A R::.____ _

+ Did the Tigi line of hair Bed Head products have any influence on Bedhead's demise?

Bubba: I think that the question is did the band have any influence on the creation of Tigi Bed Head hair products, since Tigi was/is? based in Dallas and since we used teh same font of fliers that were posted all over town in the years before those products existed.

Matt: And don't forget that Trini's (bedhead drummer) wife used to work for Tigi.Tigi.

+ How do you feel about the tag of "sadcore" and "slowcore" the bands have been labeled?

Bubba: I'll put it this way - the only "core" tag I ever felt was applicable to the bands that we are attached to was "cuddlecore".. .

Matt: I've been freely using "quirkycore" lately to refer to several bands. I'm not sure if it's yet a sanctioned "core". We did get credited once by a New York paper for having started "beardcore". What the fuck? Donofrio is a lawyer, so I guess he's "legalcore". Brokaw's been playing a lot of "solocore" shows lately with just himself & a guitar. Scmidt's been playing music since the late 70's - he's definitely "old-schoolcore".

+ Have you ever been compared to a band and thought "what the hell"?

Bubba: all the time.

+ While we're on hell - How did the Hellhouse project come to involve you fellas music?

Bubba: The producer of the movie had heard our music and suggested to the director that they use us. We liked what we saw of the movie, so we agreed.

+ That's not the same church the '4-songEP19:10' was recorded in, is it?

Bubba: No it's not. The one shown in Hellhouse is outside of Dallas in a town called Cedar Hill. The one where we recorded that EP is in South Dallas.

+ What Bedhead classics, if any, are likely in the live rotation?

Bubba: Over the past few years, we have played The Rest of the Day, Haywire, The Unpredictable Landlord, Smoke and The Dark Ages.

+ The lines "Give me back my childhood and let me keep my beard, I'll be the freakish little man" ( from age of conceit, The End Is Near) brings to mind some twisted imagery - was this originally a dream?

Matt: No, for me it was a very concious way of saying let me go back in time with what I know now, which would, for several reasons make me a freak. The line was originally written from a "beardcore" perspective so there was a beard on my face waiting to be worked into the imagery.

+ If you could be 18 years young at any point in history, what time from the past would you choose to live in?

Matt: I didn't mind being 18 when I was actually 18 in the late 1980's.

+ Where is everyone currently living?

Bubba: Peter and I are in Dallas, Matt and Chris are in Boston, and Mike is in New York City..

+ Texas - any insight to the 2004 presidential vote??

Bubba: Too early to call.. .

+ What music has been keeping you interested as of late?

Matt: I've been out of touch.

+ The house is on fire - what non-living item comes to mind to save:

Matt: 4-track tapes, personal effects, certain records and books. I guess anything except wall-to-wall carpet in the hallway.

+ What scares you?

Matt: Where to begin. The world is filled with terrifying things.

The New Year
The End Is Near
(touch and go) 2004

" I don't know about God, but I'm sure there's a Devil "

The New Year are the best band in the the United States. If you choose to stop reading now, my point has been delivered. Spread the truth.

Now that this weighty fact is out of the way, I have but one small problem to address. On the agenda - the title of "sad" & "slow"-core that has long been associated with both Bedhead / The New Year for well into 10 years, I never have bought into it - and maybe you will agree with me (likely, not). With each release the brothers Kadane have released into the world, I like to pull out the entire collection and give them a day or two of festival-style listens. So, in celebration of The End is Near - I did just that. Now, listening to 'Haywire', the second track off of Bedhead's 1994 debut What Fun Life Was brings to mind the least of slowcore (by definition) comparison. That particular song, like a 4-minute fuse, explodes with every angle of loud before sending you aimlessly searching for more. If the boys in The New Year are good by the "core" tags, very well - they are, after all, the best band in the US.

To mention The New Year without Bedhead would prove void, as I thought about not spending too much time on the past equation - but they were / are very important to most of the "indie" music the kids listen to today (see death cab for cutie: one of those boys is likely hiding a copy of 1996's Beheaded somewhere). Picking up when Galaxie 500 were just exiting the stage, Bedhead carried their glorious craft through the later part of the 20th century.

If you were listening to the right things in 2001, you will rejoice in what a treasure Newness Ends is. The first of the "new" post-Bedhead era, the brothers said themselves that many of that albums songs were written and performed as the earlier bands structure. Reconstruction, one of Newness Ends ten brilliant tracks, said it best in song title and writing: " the guitars smash is bittersweet, which is the nature of reconstruction ".

Forward to May 2004 - the second of what we should all plead will be years of Newness. These boys redefine the term timeless, as the stable craftsmen of Matt & Bubba Kadane have been fueling the American musical scene for well into 10+ years - and doing so with what comes off as effortless mastery. Add to that duo the returning, fine tuned lineup of Mike Donofrio (bass), Peter Schmidt (1 of 3 guitars), Josh McKay (Macha / Seaworthy) and former Codeine drummer / soloist Chris Brokaw - and you have the multifaceted beast that has become The New Year. In today's state of tired, rehashed grease rock (New York - I'm looking at you), The New Year are one of the few saviours of the category "indie rock". The End Is Near get's off to a relaxed beginning, with the cleverly titled 'The End's Not Near' ( opening line: "the end's not near - it's here" ), before unveiling some of the most intricate songs to date, including the final track 'Stranger to Kindness' with it's hints of synth - to introduce yet another chapter of greatness. Brushes of Bedhead's "slower" 40bpm past are revealed on the builder 'Disease', but this track soon finds it's breaking point and raises the bar once again on the angular noise that we have come to love. What's not to praise here? Slow & steady may be the word on the street, but the weight of the talent & songwriting make The New Year the most meritable band on the circuit.

Don't Mess With Texas, but should you choose to, there is a ranch out yonder with the name Bush that could use a little naplam.

+ k :: (May 14, 04)