You know that propulsion, that steady just-get-in-your-car-and-drive groove of Tom Waits’ “St. Christopher”? Well imagine your car has a bottomless tank. That’s a car under the influence of Old Time Relijun. These guys and gal are burning and choogling gas like it’s going out of style–I think there’s a good chance they’re drinking it too.
Legend has it that Old Time Relijun trio (Arrington de Dionyso, Aaron Hartman, Bryce Panic) was originally intended as a one-off performance to unload a backlog of eccentric material which had cluttered-up the tapes and brain of de Dionyso. However, Old Time Relijun found that their tunes had a strange effect on the audience: they liked it.
With de Dionyso’s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink songwriting approach, getting hipsters and riot grrrls to dance together (according to the band’s K Records bio), was the last thing Old Time Relijun had in mind. De Dionyso and Co. employed all the normal impliments of rock music making (your guitars, basses, and drums), then the eccentric frontman introduced his bass clarinet which humps and squeells intermintently throughout records, as well as assorted pots, pans, and trinkets for that loose, jangly, yeah-I-know-how-to-play-my-instrument sound.
Not only does Old Time Relijun cycle through various “instruments,” the band has seen a considerable number of line-up changes, including The Microphones and Mt. Eerie stalwart Phil Elvrum on drums, who tightened up the scattered rythym section. But with all the shuffling, one other original member remains: Hartman on bass.
Now based out of Portland, OR (via Olympia, WA) the current quartet (fleshed out by a second Hartman, Benjamin on Sax and Germaine Baca on the skins) recently completed an ambitious four year project which de Dionyso dubbed “The Lost Light Trilogy,” with the culminating album 2007’s Catharsis in Crisis. No definitive word on the follow-up, but just look at the prior release dates, dudes (and dudette), look like they should have one ready by ’bout 2009…finger’s crossed.
We here at the freak would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the fine folks at Slanty Shanty Records for co-producing this rust-bucket full of tunes. (For those of you with short-term memory lapses, Slanty Shanty hosted a shindig at the Hall Mall just last weekend, refesh yo self here.) This particular productorial collaboration will be taking place this Friday at the Mill.
Strap yourselves in for this one, we’ve got a veritable cornicopia of music for you. First there’s yesterday’s Freak Focused Paleo, today’s Freak Focused Old Time Relijun, local favs Dead Larry, Zebras, and Adam “Lars” Havlin playing some new songs on guitar(!) Check the mp3 below.
Download: Old Time Relijun - Daemon Meeting
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