Frustrations
by Jeff MiloArticle Tools
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Scott Dunkerley says "surf" and "psychedelic" and "off sounding music," but never straight out "punk."
(The) Frustrations, with Dunkerley on drums, Colin Simon on guitar/vocals and Sean Dufty on bass, are much more than punk -— though they collide with the typical vigor connected to it, transcending and twisting those perceived "punk" styles (machine gun percussion, blurred-blade riffage and structures that sound like they’re purposely flying off the rails into seas of abrasive sounds) into a more cerebral sound that drifts freely and confidently into slower, subdued compositions, highlighting guitar and drum solos, and mixing in pedal-fucked tones or left-field influences and improvisation.
Dunkerley manages local label X! Records (founded in '03), and with a digital 8-track he recorded a CD-R for his friends Fontana, a local punk band whose drummer, Colin, would eventually join Dunkerley and Dufty to form Frustrations in late ‘04.
The goal was to, “get a record out as soon as we could,” said Dunkerley, as the Nerves Are Fried 7" came out in '05. “Other bands I was in (Skinny Fists, Yarbles), we recorded so much and just sat on it so long.” Frustrations’ Exploding Mind 7” came in '07 (on Die Stasi records) and last year, X! put out Frustrations' striking and propulsive debut LP, Glowing Red Pill, which will be getting a proper vinyl-release treatment this August. They toured with label mates Terrible Twos throughout the summer of ‘07, facilitating an emphasized emergence for both bands.
When recording, “we don’t have any grandiose expectations,” said Dunkerly. “Get [songs] down, get 'em sounding good and then get 'em out. I try to keep it pretty basic sounding, where you can hear everything. I want it to jump out at you but not where you have all these effects that make it sound dated.
“Once we have a song written we usually don’t need to practice, so that might add … the rawness,” of the live performances. Dunkerley emphasizes their improvisation within song structures. “That’s what a live show should be — one of a kind.” | RDW
The Frustrations • 5/3 • Curare III Festival at The Bohemian National Home
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