The Chocolate Watchband Photo: Greg Gutbezahl
Breaking out of the West Coast counter culture scene of the
1960s, The Chocolate Watchband ,
influenced by the British Invasion sounds, shook with an intensity and drive
that saw them drench themselves in psychedelia while at the same time foraging
an early proto-punk trough. Their influence has proved more potent than their
sales were at the time, overshadowed by other groups and ripped off by music
fat cats, theirs is a tale of returning to the stage to find that their fanbase
has grown in the intervening half a century. So, sit back and take a ride with
one of the original voices of the psych garage-rock scene.
Sometimes it’s pretty cool to see the old timers getting
their due. Over the years, a lot of the legends of ’60s garage rock who didn’t
quite get the same level of recognition back in the day as some of their more
famous peers have made a comeback after a lengthy hiatus. Bands like The Sonics
and The Sloths come to mind as just a couple of the acts who’ve shown in recent
years just how good a bunch of old guys playing garage rock can be. And now California
garage/psych/proto-punk legends The Chocolate Watchband are back again with a
new album,This Is My Voice .
While the Chocolate Watchband reunited in 1999 after a
29-year hiatus, they've not released much new material since then. So that
makes the strength of This Is My Voice all the more impressive. For this
incarnation of the group, key early members such as vocalist/percussionist
David Aguilar, guitarist Tim Abbott, and drummer Gary Andrijasevich have been
joined by bassist Alec Palao and guitarist Derek See (both of the excellent
psych-rock unit Rain Parade).
Together they've created a record that deviates from the
Watchband's first phase of raunchy groovers and tender space-outs, opting for a
more modern rock sound, yet without sacrificing their keen ear for anthemic
songwriting and memorable melodies. These seasoned musicians didn't take the
easy route with their original, politically engaged compositions, but did
acknowledge their roots with four well-chosen covers of songs by the Mothers of
Invention, the Seeds, Bob Dylan, and the Music Machine.
The song that blew the proverbial top of everyone's head (Especially Little Steven's Underground Garage) off is “Secret Rendezvous,” the opening track of This is My Voice, the forthcoming album from psych-rock legends The Chocolate Watchband. It’s an exhilarating monster of a cut, equipped with a hook that doesn’t quit, snarling fuzztone guitar notes, a stomping backbeat, and lead singer David Aguilar’s ragged, swaggering growl of a voice.
The band has made a deliberate decision to avoid the
nostalgia band tag that many of their contemporaries have been tagged with.
They have new ideas and things that they want to say that are contemporary.
It’s a delicate balance to remain true to themselves and their long term fans.
On This Is My Voice, The Chocolate Watchband have returned
strongly, with firm proof that there is still a fire of indignation in them
that they need to let out. It’s great to have them back and on form and the
record neatly rounds their circle. But here’s hoping there’s more to come in
the future. What’s certain is that it looks like there will be material for
them to write about for a long while to come.
This Is My Voice is out this Friday, February 22nd on Dirty Water Records.
