Issue 22.03 :: 01/21/2009 - 01/27/2009
The Unawares
The Whig: Saturday, Jan. 24
BY PATRICK WALL
“If there’s a concept to The Unawares,” guitarist John Watkins says, “it’s that we travel light.”
And while it’s odd to hear Watkins talk about a concept to The Unawares — seemingly the least conceptual band in Columbia — he has a distinct point. The Unawares are as minimalist as possible, streamlining rock ‘n’ roll to its basic instrumentation — guitar, bass and drums — and eschewing modern rock trappings to achieve maximum precision and effectiveness. For instance, Watkins shuns the use of effects pedals, simply cranking his amplifier into natural overdrive and varying the strength of his picking attack to increase or reduce the level of volume and distortion put out. Nor do The Unawares’ tunes get bogged down in individual wankery: Watkins’ careening guitar lines sabre-dance with bassist James Wallace’s Minutemen-esque melodic bass leads, all while drummer Rhett Berger keeps the band motoring ahead with steamroller force and surgical precision. As a result, The Unawares’ songs are all-killer-no-filter, in-and-out excursions into confident punk-rock bliss.
It’s all a matter, Berger says, of keeping it simple. And while The Unawares admit that their keep-it-simple ethos was a conscious choice, it shouldn’t be construed as a vapid choice to obtain cool points.
“Simple keeps it easier for us, and if it ends up being unique, then all the better,” Berger says. “Plus, when you keep it simple, there’s less to f!k up,” he adds with a laugh.
Indeed, The Unawares’ insistence on bare-bones simplicity extends to its approach to making records; Pinkie Greene — a reference to Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock — is the band’s second record done with local minimalist-recording guru Chris Wenner, who says Pinkie was recorded live onto an eight-track reel-to-reel recorder using only five microphones. (Trust us, that’s like, crazy impressive.)The result is a direct, honest recording of exactly what The Unawares are: a confident, wiry garage-punk band with some killer smart-rock songs.
“We came into [Pinkie Greene] ready to rock,” Berger says.
“I hate to say it, but keeping it as simple as we can is to our benefit,” Watkins adds. “We have to keep it tight in order to rip it off live.”
It’s a purist approach, to be sure, but the results speak for themselves; unlike most trios, The Unawares churn our music that’s much, much greater than the sum of its parts. Pinkie Greene even finds The Unawares taking down the tempo in places, and the slower cuts — particularly “Be Here” and “The Try’s Tryin’” — mesh evenly with more raucous numbers such as the gripping opener “Soul Momma” and the lithe “Ghostwalkin’.” Indeed, Pinkie Greene, as a record, flows very much like an Unawares song, with each song specifically ordered for maximum contrast.
“I think the traditional rock ‘n’ roll type of writing really has no more than an A and a B part,” Watkins says. “So there’s a very conscious decision to make the B part be a very good contrast to the A part. That gives it some life.”
And the purist approach with which The Unawares write songs leads to some prolific output; since forming in 2006, The Unawares have released two full-length records and one EP, with nearly 40 songs spread throughout.
“We could have released Pinkie in October,” Watkins says. “But the timing wasn’t right.”
Indeed, 2008 was a rough year for The Unawares: Watkins battled cancer (he’s in remission); Berger had surgery to repair damage done by cubital tunnel sydrome (he’s now fine); and the band lost a dear friend in J Armstrong, to whom the record is dedicated.
“It’s been a f!ked up year,” Berger says. “We’re starting fresh in ’09.”
And what better way than by releasing a fantastic record?
The Whig is located at 1200 Main St. The show begins at 11:30 p.m.; admission is $5, which includes a copy of Pinkie Greene. Athens psych-punk trio Bambara opens; Chris Wenner spins records following the show. Call 931-8852 or visit thewhig.org for more information.
Patrick Wall - Free Times (Jan 21, 2009)
"The Unawares make it impossible to get bored with two-minute songs that are blasts of raucous, quirky alt-rock."
- Splattered Inc.
"The Unawares make music that is short and catchy enough to hook any listener, but is complexly crafted enough to win over even the most jaded indie rock fan."
- Splattered Inc.
" The band's bare-bones approach, which mixes Minutemen-style bursts of free-form melody and a decidedly retro ethos, makes inventive use of its limited three-piece set-up. It's experimental garage-rock for the ADHD-afflicted. "
- Eric Greenwood, Free Times
" There’s a reason people still play punk rock (or indie rock, pick your own vernacular), and The Unawares pretty much sum that up in their every three-minute bout. Sometimes simplicity just feels right, and it always feels right now"
- B. Reed, Free Times
"Mission:Party."
- Flagpole
"If ever a band seemed to be hanging precariously on the precipice of spontaneous combustion, this is it."
- B. Reed, Free Times
"The Unawares are, essentially, the kings of Columbia, South Carolina. They are the band that most NYC bands dream of being. Believe it. This is their first NYC performance. It's their third bill with Goes Cube. We can tell you in all certainty, these guys are fucking great."
- David Obuchowsky, David Obuchowsky of Goes Cube (Aug 01, 2009)
Thanks guys! We listened to your CD on the way to Atlanta on Friday and we really liked it a lot! The vocals reminded us of a band from Oxford, MS called The Neckbones. Great stuff!
