The Chickadee Mountain Martyrs are five-piece ranty noise rock for stadiums played in dive bars. The members herald from all corners of Minneapolis underground music, formerly playing with bands like The Blackthorns, Your Loving Tiger, Morris, Eatin' Hog Eye, and Carpscale Orchester.
The Martyrs have a CD now. It's called "Commeupance."
The back cover is a dancing cigarette box (done by Alex Kuno, who once showed at The Belfry if I remember correctly, which is where this picture comes from. If anyone has seen that banner, I want it back).
The band came out of the husk of Luc the Drifter's ranty guitar rock, but it's spread out to include some angular fiddle playing, shared vocals and some not-irritating alto and baritone sax. And the drums hit every fucking weird change with the appropriate response, whether with a naked snare or cymbals rung for the right length during a lead-guitar breakdown. Good good good.
Frantic stops, repeatedly screamed vocals, burping horns: rock and roll. It's planned and raw and spectacularly, somehow, off -- like a psychedelic MC5. Or a nauseous stripped-down band of carnies.
There's flavors of lots of local music, a little Black Sabbath (am I right?), but I hear mostly that Rotten Living-style angular noise. I could even take it back to Dogfight (MPLS) because of the horns and shouted vocals.
I tried to decipher the words, but here's the only one that stood out for me.
Question: "Who cares about your Princess Snacks?"
Answer: "I care about your Princess Snacks."
I think it's about a trip on the bus.
With their energy and weirdness, I think they're fundamentally a live band, but the CD manages to capture their maniacal live show. But go see them, then fork over a couple beers-worth of dollars to get the digital replication. Come home beer-sodden and be happy you live in a city where a riotous band routinely covers German electro-pop SNAP!'s "I've got the power."
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