Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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By: Steve Venegas |
L.A.’s No Age has been enjoying a meteoric rise to critic fame in the last few years. With their do-it-yourself ethos and dedicated stance to promote the all-ages scene while playing in unusual venues, No Age is bringing back the raw intensity of underground music that hasn’t been seen since the ‘80s. Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt, both of the now defunct band Wives, have recently returned from a triumphant trek through Europe, playing to fans from England to Spain.
“Paris was amazing, and Barcelona was awesome. Every place had it’s own different vibe,” said drummer Dean Allen Spunt. “North American and European fans don’t really compare. We try to bring the same feelings to different shows and get the crowds all riled up, but some cities are just more reserved than others. DC is notoriously mellow, and so are Dublin and Belfast. I think they’re both good in their own ways.”
The shoe-gazey noise-rockers have been championing their latest LP, Nouns, and their incandescent work-ethic has been making enough waves to land Nouns top marks from critics around the world. Now that they’re back from across the pond, the dynamite duo isn’t showing any sign of slowing down. Already performing two new songs, No Age plan to hit the studio this spring to lay down new tracks for a potential 2009 album.
“It’s still too early to say,” said Randy Randall. “We’d like to spend some time at home, live some life back at home so that we’re not just writing songs about the road. If we did, the next no age record would be all truck stop ballads.”
With so much praise piled on their previous effort, the pressure to follow-up is palatable, but Spunt and Randall are keeping their cool.
“Randy and I don’t really think of it like that, that’s not really what we do. We sort of just make the music for us. We’re just going to do the next thing we’re going to make anyway,” said Spunt.
Like all underground bands with punk rock roots, there are naysayers lined up to toss the first stones as soon as any modicum of success has been achieved.
“We can’t really help that some people like our music and bought the record, and if people didn’t like us I don’t think it would really keep us truer to our original spirit. To us, our music and what we do hasn’t really changed, but I think the perception of us has. It like people are saying that because there’s more attention, the music is not as good,” said Randall.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but we work really hard and tour is much as we can. Music is what we love and what we believe in and we just want to play. I don’t see at what point it’s selling out. If at some point we were to change and make music that’s drastically different to sell more records, then I’d agree.”
But not selling out doesn’t mean that their music will never change, Randall says. Art evolves and changes through the experience and growth of the artist.
“It’s hard to keep making the same old record,” said Randall. “I keep thinking about all of the old rock and roll clichés, where we have to go through our Beatles stage and people will ask when our Sgt. Pepper’s record will come out.”
