*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Washington!
Not looking for the normal fare this week. I was looking for something different, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what specifically I was looking for. When I heard it, I would know, right? Washington has, so far, provided a bevy of super music, so I figured it couldn’t be too difficult. Two hours later I found EXACTLY what I was looking for. Heart of 70’s Rock with elements of Funk and fuzzy Psych they have termed as “Head Banging, Ass Shaking, Molten–Hot–Sludgefunk”. I’ll buy that. Saves me the trouble of trying to categorize them and sounds much cooler than anything I would have come up with anyway. So, without further ado, let’s check out what makes Mind Vice such a kick ass band.
Mind Vice was founded on June 27th, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Current members include vocalist Walter O’Toole, guitarist Michael Knapp, bassist Ian “Liquid Fingers” Sides and drummer Miles Hubbard. Their influences are said to be Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Audioslave, Pantera, P–Funk, The Heavy, Black Keys, Kyuss, Alice in Chains; the influence of each easily heard across their pretty extensive list of music created over the course of the last four years. To say that they are unique is an understatement though; their signature being the unusual interaction of the bass and the guitar. Both are used as lead and rhythm instruments almost constantly throughout. If the killer guitar work of Knapp is leading, the bass provides an often fuzzy and heavy rhythm or in tandem, letting the drums provide all of the rhythm. If the bass is leading, the guitar creates an ethereal background from which to play through or is soloing just under the surface. Normally, I don’t zero in on any specific player in a band, but have to make an exception here (definitely not a slight to the rest of the band). Bass player Ian Sides did not get the nickname “Liquid Fingers” lightly or without reason. This man rips! His versatile, extremely clever and over-the-top style points toward Primus’ Les Claypool and RHCP’s Flea but with his own hotted up spice that I have not heard done quite like he does it. He kind of has this slap, chord-melody thing going that is funky and an absolute blast to listen to. Call it what you want because it is righteously sick! Hit the stream and videos below for a taste. Again, this is no ding on the rest of the band because no player is an island when playing with others. These guys get along wonderfully playing as a single unit. It takes a drummer with an impeccable sense of tempo to keep track with these axe-men and create a balanced sound. Check! Miles nails it! His is the glue that holds everything together and allows Mind Vice to stand out among their contemporaries. The final piece of this puzzle is the vocals of Walter O’Toole. Another cool anomaly here, with the vocal range of 70’s Scorpions to Bono, Layne Staley and Anthony Kiedis while still remaining unique, emotional and fresh. Certainly couldn’t have made a better choice for the sound they were after.
Mind Vice has had a number of singles and EP releases that include Pale Males (2013): “Lockjaw”, “Save It”, “Movin”, “Jazzy Hell”, “Weary Blues”, “Sweet Bitch”, “Nein Four”, Thunder (2013): single, Set This Thing in Motion (2013): “Sunrise”, “Wild Ride”, “Like This!”, “Sunset”, Consumer Nation (2014): “Consumer Nation”, “The Profit” and this year’s Humanimality (2016): “Bluesmotorwolf”, “Congress of the Crow”, “Kitty”, “Break the Cage (Little Monkey)” which is explained, in their own words (taken from their online media resources):
Recorded completely to 2″ tape by the same guy and in the same basement as the Presidents‘ original version of Kitty, Mind Vice’s Humanimality continues their signature “sludgefunk” sound.
“Bluesmotorwolf” was heavily inspired by the iconic energy of the late Lemmy Kilmister (as the name implies) with just enough harmonica and slap bass to make it Mind Vice. Walter O’Toole’s soulful vocals complete this energetic homage-turned-tribute.
“Congress of the Crow” combines Michael Knapp’s tasty stoner-rock riffage with the signature bass talkbox sound of Ian “Liquid Fingers” Sides. Miles Hubbard’s heavy hitting drums contrast with Walter O’Toole’s vocals that range from brother’s Gibb style falsetto to powerful rock melodies. A bass-talkbox-slide solo rounds out this groovy number.
“Kitty” is a Vice-ified version of the Presidents of the United States‘ classic tune, complete with funkification and of course, copious meows.
“Break the Cage (Little Monkey)” taps into the bands primal energy for a fast but thought provoking exploration into the relationship between humanity, nature, and technology.
Recorded & produced by Conrad Uno at Egg Studios.
Well. There you have it. If that’s not enough motivation to check out Mind Vice, I don’t know what will. All of the cool kids are checking them out, so hop to it! You don’t wanna be left out, do you? I am cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye digging their rockin’, funky freshness!
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