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After a year of intermittent recording between hard drive crashes and rewrites, alt-country five-piece the Western Set is saddling up to release their debut LP, Country Music, tomorrow night (Saturday, March 3) at the Tin Can Ale House.
Vox/guitarist Patrick Conway calls the album, a self-released run of 100 CDs, “very much homemade.”
The ten-song release was recorded at the Hillcrest home studio Conway shares with guitar/vocalist Emily Schrader and branded with their 39/44 Records imprint.
“Punk music has really shaped our band ethics,” says Schrader. “It’s very DIY.”
“Almost all of us come from punk and hardcore, but we’ve all gravitated toward country, and I really can’t say why,” says Conway, who previously wrote political hardcore songs with Tamora and played grindcore with Schrader in Puppy Time.
Similarly, vox/bassist Justin Rodriguez has math-emo roots with Counterfit while drummer Joey Nelson comes from cabaret rock quintet The Silent Comedy.
Conway says the album’s title track is an examination of modern pop/country’s “disposable songs.”
“I was watching CMT and I think Carrie Underwood came on and it was just this dog shit music and I was thinking, you can’t tell me this is what country music is all about. There is very little difference between country and pop these days.”
“Pop country belongs to another class of music,” says Aaron Brownwood (lead guitar, pedal steel).
“But,” Conway continues, “I realize the humor in a bunch of San Diego kids talking like an authority on country. That’s not lost on me.”
Conway says the album’s dark streak “isn’t by invention, but I don’t draw inspiration from great days,” a statement made evident by tracks such as “Blue, so Blue,” “You’re Dead to Me,” and “We’ll Never Bloom Again.”
Down the line, The Western Set plans to wrangle a two-song 7” to be titled The Road to Redemption.
“Honesty has been a huge influence on this band,” Conway says. “Meaning it has always been more important than being good at it. There’s an emotional vulnerability as a songwriter, and sincerity is very important.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggLmladlB0Q
The Western Set CD Release Party
Tin Can Ale House - 1863 Fifth Avenue - Bankers Hill
Saturday, March 3
Five bucks
After a year of intermittent recording between hard drive crashes and rewrites, alt-country five-piece the Western Set is saddling up to release their debut LP, Country Music, tomorrow night (Saturday, March 3) at the Tin Can Ale House.
Vox/guitarist Patrick Conway calls the album, a self-released run of 100 CDs, “very much homemade.”
The ten-song release was recorded at the Hillcrest home studio Conway shares with guitar/vocalist Emily Schrader and branded with their 39/44 Records imprint.
“Punk music has really shaped our band ethics,” says Schrader. “It’s very DIY.”
“Almost all of us come from punk and hardcore, but we’ve all gravitated toward country, and I really can’t say why,” says Conway, who previously wrote political hardcore songs with Tamora and played grindcore with Schrader in Puppy Time.
Similarly, vox/bassist Justin Rodriguez has math-emo roots with Counterfit while drummer Joey Nelson comes from cabaret rock quintet The Silent Comedy.
Conway says the album’s title track is an examination of modern pop/country’s “disposable songs.”
“I was watching CMT and I think Carrie Underwood came on and it was just this dog shit music and I was thinking, you can’t tell me this is what country music is all about. There is very little difference between country and pop these days.”
“Pop country belongs to another class of music,” says Aaron Brownwood (lead guitar, pedal steel).
“But,” Conway continues, “I realize the humor in a bunch of San Diego kids talking like an authority on country. That’s not lost on me.”
Conway says the album’s dark streak “isn’t by invention, but I don’t draw inspiration from great days,” a statement made evident by tracks such as “Blue, so Blue,” “You’re Dead to Me,” and “We’ll Never Bloom Again.”
Down the line, The Western Set plans to wrangle a two-song 7” to be titled The Road to Redemption.
“Honesty has been a huge influence on this band,” Conway says. “Meaning it has always been more important than being good at it. There’s an emotional vulnerability as a songwriter, and sincerity is very important.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggLmladlB0Q
The Western Set CD Release Party
Tin Can Ale House - 1863 Fifth Avenue - Bankers Hill
Saturday, March 3
Five bucks