Freak Scene #49: Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism Live It Up
Plus, Kris Delmhorst and her band cut loose on the new song "Won't Be Long."
A Guide to Music in Western Mass. (and sometimes Connecticut)
This week in Freak Scene, we go the river, figuratively speaking, with Springfield’s Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism, and check out a great new song from Kris Delmhorst that plays against type.
For early colonial settlers in New England, carving a death’s head, or memento mori, on tombstones served as a reminder that judgment awaited, so you filthy sinners had better watch out. Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism don’t seem too worked up about eternal aftereffects on their latest, Memento Mori, but the Springfield group definitely has mortality on its mind.
The Reverend Dan is Dan Richards, a veteran of Valley groups the Howards, Dicey Riley and the Sandy Assassins. The extent of Richards’ ministerial credentials is murky, but it’s clear that he and his bandmates have baptized themselves in rock ’n’ roll. On Memento Mori, their third full-length release, the Dirty Catechism explore ideas of permanence, remembrance and, on “Roll Away That Stone,” resurrection. Rooted in the sound of old-school garage rock, the foursome branches out with revved-up rockabilly drums on “Don’t Forget Me,” twinkling piano on “Just Be Glad” and bold horns on “Rose in Hell,” a sort of indie-rock take on a Latin big-band sound as a sinuous bassline winds its way through layers of guitar and a busy beat.
Though the Dirty Catechism have a fondness for blustery tunes, starting with the guitar riffage and galloping drums on album opener “Long Way from Home,” the good reverend and his acolytes — including bassist Michael Cooper (an alumnus of Shoot the Dancing Bear) and keyboardist Charles Simonich (Art Kritics, Gumhead, Bamboo Steamers) — have a sensitive side, too. Simonich’s minor-key piano part opens “Didn’t Know We Could Die,” framing Richards’ voice as he sings a tribute to someone with whom he shared “the best of times.” It’s not clear whether death here is literal or figurative, but Richards seems confounded by the idea that the good times always come to an end, in one way or another.
Serving as a reminder of that fact is, of course, the whole point of a memento mori, though it’s not the operating principle on Memento Mori. Rather than making sure they’re ship-shape for the afterlife, Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism seem intent on living it up in the here-and-now.
Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism perform Saturday, Jan. 18, at Hutghi’s at the Nook in Westfield, with Terrible and Eyrie House Ruins (tickets).
Kris Delmhorst Gets Loud on ‘Won’t Be Long’
Kris Delmhorst comes out swinging on “Won’t Be Long,” the first single from her forthcoming album Ghosts in the Garden. The Shelburne Falls singer plays against type on the song, which opens with the sound of a big, crackling electric guitar — a different approach for a songwriter known for her quieter musical sensibility on songs more often rooted in acoustic arrangements.
Though “Won’t Be Long” is an outlier on Ghosts in the Garden, the bold sound works for Delmhorst. She wrote the song in the depths of the pandemic, and it practically bubbles over with the restless feeling of being stuck at home. “Are you the match or the kerosene?” she sings. “Are you the head, or the guillotine?” She projects her voice with more power than usual, her vocals buoyed by close harmonies from the Rachel Baiman, who Delmhorst contacted after hearing Baiman’s excellent 2023 album Common Nation of Sorrow.
“I kept hearing her voice on this song as clear as day in my imagination, so I took the leap of asking” if Baiman would sing on it, Delmhorst says in the press release for “Won’t Be Long.” “Her voice amplifies the energy of the track in the perfect way.”
Ghosts in the Garden is due March 7.
Upcoming Concerts
Connecticut band the Screwdrivers reunite for one show only April 18 at the Main Pub in Manchester, with Sparkle & Fade. The Screwdrivers released a pair of albums in the early 2000s, but bandleader Nate Harris says there may be a couple of new songs in the set. (Instead of a cover charge, the Main Pub has started charging an 18 percent “entertainment fee” on checks in the “designated music area” of the bar, so the more you eat/drink, the more the band makes.)
With a new EP coming next month, Outro perform Jan. 24 at the Marigold Theater in Easthampton, with Catamount and Mutineer (tickets). Dawn Landes is there Feb. 19 with Greenfield’s Sandy Bailey and the Pinkerton Raid (tickets).
Electric blues guitarist Tab Benoit plays May 29 at the Academy of Music in Northampton (tickets).
Red Baraat play April 4 at the Iron Horse in Northampton (tickets).
Bag Lady and the Prozacs share a bill Jan. 31 at the Drake in Amherst (tickets). Pianist Holly Bowling plays March 1 (tickets). Peter Case is there with Sid Griffin March 13 (tickets). Tank & the Bangas perform April 11 (tickets). Moon Hooch play with Future Joy April 26 (tickets). The Steel Wheels, who I always think are a Rolling Stones cover band but are in fact a roots-rock act from Virginia, play May 3 (tickets). They’re also at StageOne at FTC in Fairfield, Conn., May 4 (tickets).
Premier Concerts/Manic Presents have a bunch of new stuff this week, but the big one is Godspeed You! Black Emperor, playing June 27 at District Music Hall in Norwalk (tickets). Reverend Horton Heat are there June 21 (tickets).
JoJo performs with Emmy Meli April 1 at College Street Music Hall in New Haven (tickets). Mayday Parade are there May 23 (tickets).
The Hayley Jane Band plays March 13 at the Space Ballroom in Hamden (tickets). Burn the Jukebox are there March 15 (tickets). Your Neighbors, the musical project of Walker Robinson, performs March 19 (tickets). Sarah & the Sundays are there March 23 (tickets). The Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads share the bill May 21 (tickets).
The Green River Festival has posted the full lineup, which now includes area acts such as bobbie, Lost Film, Winterpills, Matt Hebert & the Lonesome Brothers and, for the kids, Mister G. Check it out here.
Freak Scene is always seeking submissions. You can send music for coverage consideration to erdanton at gmail or reply to this email. Check out these guidelines first.
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