‘Thank You, Goodnight’ released in June in the US/ ‘Its Happening’ EP in the UK. With an album out in the USA already, an EP in the UK ready to burn and a stack of old ‘Zep, Stone Roses and MC5 re’cuds at the ready, Sid frisks the White Light Motorcade.
05/04/2003
The debut EP by another guitar slinging new sensation hits the well stuffed racks of your local record stores this week. Nothing new there then, at the minute we are enjoying a real onslaught of fantastic bands from all corners of the globe. But if like me you love classic NY guitar bands of seemingly faultless cool with absolutely killer songs then go ask for the White Light Motorcade.
Early this year the band played a quick London blitz. After turning heads and setting chins a-wagging they then headed off to this year’s new band hot spot, the South By South West Festival followed up with an MTV2 tour alongside Mooney Suzuki and Longwave. It’s not the typical route of every ‘new fab band’ and the White Light Motorcade ain’t that band, they’re brasher, noisier and more essential than the rest. Before a ‘secret’ support slot at the Dublin Castle I had the chance to corner the band to see how it was going and hear of scaring heavy rock fans and riding the London Underground.
White Light Motorcade formed a few years ago at the legendary sleaze bar Don Hill’s in NYC. It’s a bar and club that in it’s time has spawned some of the seediest visions of rock, and been party to early gigs from Green Day, Nirvana and The Strokes. In a time before every American (and especially NYC) band was the guaranteed must-see the boys in WLM set upon a different path. Binning the assumed overly hyped sense of grandeur, they built upon their real belief and enjoyment of just, plain simple, being in a great band.
At the end of 2002 the band supported a certain Alice Cooper (yes, that one) across America and I think its fair to say they were a bit of a shock to his core audience. So why on earth do you skip the US to UK gravy train of NYC bands to play second fiddle to a rock has-been? Singer Harley DiNardo corrected me immediately, “Alice is no has-been, the man’s a legend, his influence is overlooked nowadays.” Each night was a scrap for the crowd’s attention and that was reason enough to support him. To be in that full on rock arena, fighting and screaming with all that you have. No better training ground then than to be there early on in your career and take away that knowledge you can do it. A chuffed Harley told me it didn’t take the band long to win over the crowds, “maybe three or four songs each night and then we blew them away”.
Being away from the now typical hard sell of many US bands mean that WLM come ready armed with a blistering bunch of tunes and that true word of mouth buzz. A debut LP is out soon (April In America, later for the UK) and it’s one the band loved recording. “It was a true Nashville experience!” Harley fizzed, talking up their time recording in America’s first city of Rock’n’roll, “We worked with Brad Jones in real country, rocking studios, blowing speakers, drinking Blue Ribbon beer and absorbing that town’s history”. Album producer Brad Jones brings with him a great reputation having worked with Imperial Drag and Cotton Mather amongst others, and it was him who wanted to work with WLM. “They have brilliant melodies, great guitar playing, bass and drum playing of Rock’n’roll animals and just the right amount of chaos to keep it together”, so said the man who knows his stuff.
Before they wound themselves up to take the stage I asked Harley who they counted as influences and contemporaries. “The MTV tour (with The Ravonettes and Longwave) should be a ball but I’m not that big a fan” said Harley, “I love what they do but we are different, too many bands are carving themselves a niche by sounding like everyone else.” It’s legends such as Led Zeppelin or AC/DC, The Stooges and MC5, even British bands like The Stone Roses who have given White Light Motorcade influence. “No bullshit. Just music that stands up forever and still is better than a lot of what’s around now”. It was the band’s first visit (of many more I was assured) to London and the rock history of the UK had gotten to them too. “We rode the tube all over, checking out names and places we’d heard of. London has years of the highest rock reputation, The Kinks, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, all great bands.” So we can expect to see the White Light Motorcade rolling through the UK soon, “Definitely man. We’ll be back after the EP’s out and we’ll hang around a bit longer next time.”
It looks likely that bigger things will be made of the band when they return. Sessions were recorded for both XFM and the BBC, as well as high priority playlisting too. So you have been given prior warning people, go grab yourself the EP, check back here for the gigs and look forward to the unabashedly loud, proud and must-see sound of the White Light Motorcade.
Sid for Crud Magazine 2003©