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BOTW Vol 13: IAMDYNAMITE
What is about Detroit and rock n’ roll? Even those coastal goliaths, New York and L.A. pale in comparison to the curious generative abilities of the Motor City when it comes to breeding new and distinctive musical acts. What other city can boast such a strange collection of native chidlren? MC5, Iggy and the Stooges, Anita Baker, Diana Ross, Suzi Quatro, The White Stripes, His Name Is Alive, Insane Clown Posse, Funkadelic. Is it the urban ruins and the abandoned buildings? The Rust Belt deindustrialization that stripped the city of its might and left a vacuum for sound to fill? Or is it a mere result of lake effect?
Whatever it is that makes Detroit such fertile soil for growing the twisted, the perverted, and the insane, is not as important as the fact that this city keeps producing the best vintages of music. And we can now add IAMDYNAMTIE into that patheon of musical madness. We can also add them to the growing list of dynamic, two-member bands. But while IAMDYNAMITE is a sparsely populated act–with only Christopher Martin on guitar and lead vocals, and Chris Phillips on drums and backing vocals–they have the powerhouse sound of a full four member, classic rock stadium band.
With a sound that is both raucous and rich, IAMDYNAMITE ground their music in vocal harmonies, simple but elegant melodies, and body shaking, seizure inducing rhythms. These guys take the basic ingredients of good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll and turn it into a distinct cocktail of rock: take a shot of Pet Sounds era Beach Boys harmony, followed by an ounce of the gritty industrial riffs of the Chicago blues, and a splash of the hard rock ballad. Now make that shaken, not stirred, and you can get an idea of the infectious, drunken glory that is their first full-length album, SUPERMEGAFANTASTIC.
For all that they mention American cynicism in their own biography, it’s hard to believe that a band dedicated to breathing new life into old forms–melody, harmony, rhythm, basic instrumentation–can be as cynical as they claim to be. Oh certainly, you can hear the playful, the parodic and the gleeful coming sharply through their music. But this particular blend of Motown melodies and proto-punk grimness filtered through that strangest of musical birth places is a sound that could never be truly cynical. Even Nietzsche had to admit this much, that: “Without music, life would be a mistake.” True that, Friedrich.
8 Questions with Chris Phillips of IAMDYNAMITE
BEACON: First concert you attended?
Chris: Chicago … Toledo zooBEACON: All time favorite album?
Chris: Boys to Men – II ( classic )BEACON: Favorite musician?
Chris: Steve Smith ( Journey )BEACON: Favorite restaurant?
Chris: Old time BBQ (Raleigh NC)BEACON: All time favorite movie?
Chris: Encino man … Sean Astin, Brendan Fraiser, Pauly Shore…. How can you go wrong?!BEACON: Vinyl or MP3?
Chris: Are you kidding me? VINYL…it sounds better. But mp3s are awesomeBEACON: Dylan or The Beatles?
Chris: Neither… It’s all about The Boss… But if I had to pick. Beatles… I can actually understand their songsBEACON: Most bizarre location that you have written a song?
Chris: The echo chamber of Willie Nelson’s studio.