Indian Wars Interview & Show # 454

Indian Wars first released their If You Want Me EP in 2010 on Bachelor Records. The EP reflected a gritty Garage Rock influence drawing influences from bands such as Jacuzzi boys and Demon Claws, however there were underlying Roots Rock influences on tracks such as “Just Can’t Get Along With You” and “Carol Anne”. This Vancouver, BC band consists of brothers Dave and John McMartin, Dave on guitar and John drums, Brad Felotick on vocals/bass and Fraser With on guitar. Craig Pettman was added on keys/slide guitar during the recording process of the bands debut full length album Walk Around The Park.

Released in April 2011 Walk Around The Park brought in an interesting array of influences such as The Band, George Jones and Dead Ghosts (another Vancouver Garage Punk band). The combination proved for a an interesting blend of Garage Rock and Country with tracks such as “Old Hotel”, “20,000 Cans”, “Bullfrog”, “Won’t Do A Thing”, their influences are diverse and at times hybridic. Lyrically and musically the album conjures up images and stories that are reminiscent of songs once heard by artists such as Johnny Cash and Neil Young, with a dash of Garage Rock and Punk mentality for good measure. This album further developed Indian Wars Folk-like story telling abilities in their songs which are told vividly amongst their brand of Roots Rock and Garage musical arrangements.

Following a tour in which the band supported their 2011 release Walk Around The Park, Indian Wars convened in the late night hours in The Hive studio in Burnaby, BC to record a ten track follow up. The album was recorded in a live setting with very few overdubs to capture the band in their element, the result is the album entitled Song From The North. On this release the band once again flexes their Country, Folk, Garage/Punk sounds, you can hear the bands deep American Roots influence in the grooves of each track on Songs From The North. You can hear the influence of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR among the other sounds they bring to the table, as a whole Songs From The North has several interesting moments for even the casual listener. The album starts off with “There And Back Again” a quick countrified Garage track complete with harmonica and Brad Felotick’s rich vocal style. The song also features reflective Folk-like lyrics such as “Watch the leaves fall from the trees/Dance around to the wind/Rolling round and around/There and back again” which brings up images reminiscent of ones that made us love Indian Wars so much on Walk Around The Park, “Mississippi” is a haunting song, “Denny” attacks listeners with its Garage/Punk rhythms as we learn the cautionary tale of a burnout. Other stand out tracks include “Windshield Wiper Blues”, “Wastin’ Time” and “Who Needs A Girl Like You” which reflects a Bob Dylan circa 1965 sound.

There is a line in the second song on Songs From The North “Sweetheart of the North”, “Sweetheart these songs about the South are sung for you/They are sung from a Northerner's point of view/It's so hard to see beyond this old garage”. On this album Indian Wars show that they are more than capable of seeing beyond the old garage that dons the albums back cover. The wooden duck decoy on the albums front cover proves to be rather fitting to Indian Wars. While duck decoys are still being made, they are now made from plastic and no longer crafted and carved from wood as they were for centuries. Indian Wars music still harnesses the vintage and unique sounds of the musical influences that the band draws from, they do not align themselves with the mainstream mould of the plastic duck decoy bands of today found in the mainstream. As we move further into the digital age, Indian Wars prove that music crafted from real musicians playing together is still the best form of Rock and Roll music.

Listen to the interview I did on today's program with Dave McMartin of the band Indian Wars here:



The Play List:

1. The Migs – Fuzzy Sun
2. Allah Las – Catamaran
3. Dead Ghosts – Roky Said
4. High Drops – Street Girl
5. Generation X – Valley of the Dolls
6. The Modernettes – Confidential
7. Indian Wars - There And Back Again

DAVE McMARTIN (OF INDIAN WARS) INTERVIEW

8. Indian Wars – Mississippi
9. Indian Wars – Denny
10. Painted Ship – Little White Lies
11. The Bell Peppers – Hokey Cokey
12. The Teardrops - Meet The Teardrops
13. The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower - Saviours & Suckers
14. The Pointed Sticks - New Ways
15. Pink Mountaintops - Can You Do That Dance?
16. The Velvet Underground – Guess I’m Falling In Love (Instrumental)
17. The Velvet Underground – I’m Set Free
18. Tiki Tones – Sneaky Tiki
19. Link Wray – Hang On
20. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – Drop Dead Baby

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 30. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.