Pitchfork

You think New Jersey is famous for the Boss, Bon Jovi, "The Sopranos", the disdain of New Yorkers, and ripe industrial smells? Well, you're right. But it's also kinda sorta famous for Jersey City's own Rye Coalition, the beloved punk rock instigators who aren't afraid to let their AC/DC hard-ons show.

It's been four looong years since the release of their last record, On Top, and now Rye is back in action and ready to rock your face. They've returned to their original record label, Gern Blandsten, with a brand new EP, Chariots on Fire, due out tomorrow, and a full-length, Curses, due in April--both produced by Mr. Dave Foo Fightin' Grohl. The EP will only be available on CD in Europe, but Yanks, Canadians, Africans, Asians, South Americans, and Antarcticans will be able to download a digital version from online music stores.

Pitchfork had the pleasure of speaking via e-mail with Coalition member Jon Gonnelli, windmill guitarist extraordinaire, about the new album and the recording process. "Working with Dave Grohl was a great experience," said Gonnelli. "There was a good chemistry and we shared a similar sense of humor and work ethic which eventually turned into a genuine friendship."

But it wasn't all warm and fuzzy, as Grohl cracked the whip and taught the band "how to tighten a song's structure" while they rehearsed and recorded in Los Angeles. "Some people think minimal means easier or less. But as a musician, most times the hardest thing is learning how to lay back and actually focus on what you're playing. Grohl spent time individually with every member of the group discussing what their rhythmic or melodic role on a certain song should be before we set foot inside the studio to track the album." Gonnelli said that the experience with the taskmastering Foo Fighter actually served to make the band better musicians, as he shared his ample production knowledge with them.

Now that's all well and good, but why did it take so long for their labors to bear fruit? As some readers may be aware, Rye signed with the now-defunct record label arm of DreamWorks back in June of 2003. "It seemed that the label was truly an artist-friendly major in that they allowed us to make our record entirely unfettered by their suggestions," recalled Gonnelli.

But when DreamWorks was sold to Vivendi/Universal, the band was left out in the cold. "All the people who were enthusiastic about Rye Coalition were no longer with the company and basically the band no longer had any link or connection to what became of DreamWorks. We were surprised that we even got to finish making the record."

The same old story of the suits wanting hit singles commenced, and Rye didn't quite fit into that formula. "We, of course, thought every song was a goddamn hit," enthused Gonnelli. But the label's president didn't agree. After Rye Coalition made a lateral move to Interscope, also part of the Universal fold, nothing seemed to change in terms of support for the band.

The label heads then suggested licensing the record to an indie, getting a buzz going, and then reaping the rewards. The Coalition wasn't having it. Said Gonnelli, "This sounded absurd to us since we came from an indie label. We would rather cut out the middleman and just be on an indie on our own."

Fortunately, when Rye Coalition asked to leave Interscope, the label gave the band full ownership of the record, and they didn't have to pay a damn cent back. Eventually, the "Hard Luck 5" found their way back to their old friends, Gern Blandsten.

Gonnelli had much to say about the sound of Curses. "Rye Coalition is an amalgamation of different sounds and styles," he said. "Even On Top had its raw deviations from the classic rock genre. Being different is always what has set Rye apart from other bands that merely mimic one specific style or genre of music."

He described the sound of the new record as "polished." The band spent three months recording this album, more than they had ever spent on a record before, and their recording style reflected a larger budget and more time spent on individual components of the band.

"It's always tough to comment on your own music. I think Curses is a crushing rock record. I think it will appeal to a broader range of people than previous Rye Coalition records because it was made with the intention of making sure that any listener would have the ability to play air drums to it."

The celebration will continue as the band hits the road this month for a European tour, part of which will be spent opening for new BFFs Foo Fighters.

Hee Saw Dhuh Dates:

01-18 Nuremberg, Germany - K4
01-19 Saarbrücken, Germany - Kleiner Club Garage
01-20 Yverdon, Switzerland - Club Amalgame
01-21 Geneva, Switzerland - Usine
01-22 Milan, Italy - Transilvania
01-23 Milan, Italy - Mazdapalace *
01-24 Bologna, Italy - Estragon
01-25 Winterthur, Switzerland - Eishalle Deutweg *
01-26 Munich, Germany - Zenith *
01-27 Darmstadt, Germany - 603 + #
01-28 Paris, France - Le Zénith *
01-29 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National *
01-30 Cologne, Germany - Blue Shell $
01-31 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall *
02-01 Tilburg, Holland - 013
02-02 Hamburg, Germany - Alsterdorfer Sporthalle *
02-04 Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet *
02-05 Copenhagen, Denmark - Huset
02-06 Berlin, Germany - NBI
02-07 Munster, Germany - Gleis 22 %

* with Foo Fighters
# with the Data Break, AM Thawn
$ with Neighbour Rosicky
% with Maplewood

Three of Rye Coalition's five members--Gonnelli, bassist Justin Angelo Morey, and guitarist Herbert Joseph Wiley V--also play together in the garage rock band the Black Hollies. They have a new single, "Tell Me What You Want" b/w "Tired of Being Lonely", out now on Ernest Jenning, with a full-length album, Crimson Reflections, out on that same label in March.

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