Maserati

I saw this Athens, Georgia band at the Supernaut Booking Pagan Christmas Party at Soundlab in Buffalo back in December of 2006. They were opening for Zombi. I don't remember any other bands at the party and I think they just had some of their friends spinning records. I went to the show on a whim since I didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday night. I was armed with only a minimal knowledge of Maserati based on two songs off a Hello Sir Records compilation that also featured Cinemechanica and We Versus The Shark. I knew they were instrumental and fit nicely in the realm of post-rock stuff that I like, so I figured why not check it out.

As usual this is one of those "I'm glad I went" types of stories because Maserati were absolutely amazing live. They played the bulk of songs off their then unreleased album Inventions for the New Season. The stage was bathed in blue light from white lights placed under Jerry Fuch's clear, blue drum set. Not liking the standard crappy red stage lights and being a fan of the color blue, it looked awesome. The show started with guitarists Coley Dennis and Matt Cherry taking the stage first and playing the intro to "Inventions". Eventually Fuchs and bass player Chris McNeal joined them to fill out and finish the song. From that point it was on and Maserati delivered an impressive batch of Krautrock influenced instrumentals. They ended with "Show Me The Season." Dennis and Cherry left the stage to let Fuchs and McNeal wrap it up in a reversal of how the show began.

Unfortunately, there is a major element of tragedy to the Maserati story. In November of 2009, Jerry Fuchs accidentally fell to his death trying to get out of a stuck elevator in Brooklyn. Fuchs also played drums with Turing Machine, !!!, LCD Soundsystem and the Juan Maclean. He wasn't always the drummer for Maserati and after listening to their older albums, it was clear to hear what he brought to the band. He upped the driving rock content considerably. At the same time, the delay heavy guitars remained intact to provide texture, atmosphere and melody. It was a perfect fit.



Maserati's new album is called Pyramid of the Sun and will be available from Temporary Residence on 11/09. There is also a limited edition 12" called Pyramid of the Moon that is available now. The band will be on tour in November:

Nov 11 - IOTA, Arlington, VA w/ Psychic Paramount, Steve Moore
Nov 12 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA w/ Psychic Paramount, Steve Moore
Nov 13 - Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY w/ Psychic Paramount, Steve Moore
Nov 14 - Lily's, New Haven, CT w/ Psychic Paramount, Steve Moore
Nov 15 - The Middle East, Cambridge, MA w/ Psychic Paramount
Nov 16 - Garfield Artwork, Pittsburgh, PA w/ Parlour
Nov 17 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL w/ Parlour
Nov 18 - Zanzabar, Louisville, KY w/ Parlour
Nov 19 - The Earl, Atlanta, GA
Nov 20 - The 40watt, Athens, GA

Notes:

1. A.E. Paterra of Zombi is drumming with Maserati for the tour.
2. Turing Machine's Zwei is one of my favorite albums ever for listening to while driving.
3. Incidentally, Cinemechanica's song "The Professor Burns Vegas" from that Hello Sir comp is one of the best tunes ever for those that are into the good old version of emo and not the mall vampire version that haunts us today.

For more info:
www.ihaveadagger.net
temporaryresidence.com
www.hellosirrecords.com