‘Late Nights on Washington’
by Tim McCoy

The interior album art on Tim McCoy’s new CD shows the musician seated in front of a graffiti-covered wall, tying the laces of his Converse sneakers while sporting a black pork pie hat and leather jacket. After spending years as a worthy figurehead in the Seacoast music scene—playing bass and guitar with a plethora of bands that includes Heavens to Murgatroid, Lemon Fresh Kids and Tim McCoy and the Papercuts—the photo seems to reassure everyone that McCoy is still rocking local, just like he’s always done.

The album, “Late Nights on Washington,” includes 10 original rock songs with a good-natured punk edge. With fast-paced tunes that somehow manage to simultaneously sound fierce and celebratory, “Late Nights” is a fun listen, perfect for a drive around the Seacoast.

The disc oozes with local creative talent. The recording was split between two locations—Dover’s “Barn O’ Rock” (known in some circles as Tim’s house) and Newmarket’s Milltown Recording Company. It was mixed by Newmarket guru Jon Nolan and mastered by Duncan Watt at Kanuba Digital.

The lineup on the new disc reads like a playbill of the local music scene. In addition to McCoy on vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and percussion, his three fellow Papercuts pitch in, with Jason Boyce playing lead and rhythm guitars; Billy Butler contributing piano, Wurlitzer and backup vocals; and Kevin Ure playing drums on two songs. Local guitarist and longtime collaborator Rick Twombly also helps out, along with Tim Theriault on Hammond organ. Jon McCormack, of Museum of Science fame, plays lead guitar on two tracks, while his MOS band mate, Jamie Perkins, is credited with drums and “luxurious hair.”

Fittingly, McCoy launched his new CD on Jan. 18 with a musical bash at Exeter’s Ioka Theater, where the Papercuts and Hotrod Fury joined him. The album kicks off with the fiery “Hey Johnny!,” which introduces a guitar-driven groove and McCoy’s punky vocal style. The second song, “Drank Away,” tells of a woman with some unhealthy habits. “She doesn’t care that I love her, doesn’t care about cocaine. She doesn’t love God above her, always laughing at his name,” McCoy sings, with Butler harmonizing. The third track “Fix,” comes out of the gates with a rapid kick-drum beat and a guitar riff befitting grunge-era Seattle.

McCoy brings to bear classic rock and punk influences that range from The Ramones to The Clash to Elvis to The Stones. The ’60s and ’70s influences combine to produce a modern sound that highlights the lengthy career of a local rock veteran. Diverse instrumental contributions keeps things interesting, punctuated by occasional high-decibel guitar solos. The album’s fast pace is tempered by slightly slower tunes like “Are You Lonely?” and “King of the Universe,” as well as the quirkier “Face of Heartbreak.” And, if you stay tuned long enough, you’ll catch a secret acoustic track at the end. 

‘The Year of the Dog’
by Justin Pardy

In his artist profile, Justin Pardy lists his musical genres as alternative rock, experimental, folk, metal/hardcore, punk, rock and solo. In other words, just about everything outside of hip-hop and polka applies. Artists’ egos often lead them to deny affiliation with any particular genre or category, but Pardy’s music really is difficult to pin down. “Experimental” is certainly appropriate, and it would be tough to cut other genres from the list. The songs on Pardy’s latest album, “The Year of the Dog,” range from brooding Black Sabbath-style anthems to Leonard Cohen-type poems. 

Pardy, a longtime author of experimental music in his home state of Maine, has been recording and performing in the area for years. In addition to putting out his own CDs, Pardy runs Dog Shaft Records, an independent label and musical networking base. As such, he is an authority on some of the more underground groups and musicians out there.

Some of the songs on the new disc create surreal environments of sound that sedate the mind and induce introspection. There is a haunting morbidity that calls to mind the darkest works of progressive rock, with an underground laboratory feel that echoes influences like John Cale, Morphine and Bjork.

Jumping directly into the leering mood of “Move,” which may be the best song on the album, Pardy sings with a deep and leering lilt that is barely above a whisper. He sings in such a soft trance that it is often difficult to decipher the words. But a sample of the lyrics is perfectly audible in the minute-long “Adversaries.”

“What would life be without adversaries? People in your way, keeping you down? I don’t have time to play but since you are around, give it all your best ’cause I will knock you down. Be my, be my adversary,” Pardy croons.

The next song, “Hear/Doom Beat,” by contrast, drags on excessively, with rather irritating guitar notes whining along for almost seven minutes. The fifth track, “I’m Not Crazy,” has a heavy, desperate gloom that seems to suggest that the singer is trying to convince himself, as much as anyone else, of the song title’s claim. The music throughout “The Year of the Dog” features lengthy instrumental segments, sometimes adorned with rather morose lyrics. 

Some songs are much more palatable than others, and, if you are not an open-minded listener, you will probably be tempted to switch it off. Even advocates of avant-garde might find it difficult to sit through some of the dark instrumental bits, which tend to drag on unnecessarily in places. The album seems to get increasingly bizarre as it goes on, but those who hang in there until the end will be rewarded with a remarkable wealth of musical creativity, at times grating and at others uplifting. 
For more on Pardy, visit www.myspace.com/justinpardydogshaftrecords.