In rock 'n' roll, the idea of the "supergroup," incorporating several big players into one team sort of like an all-star game does in baseball, probably began with The Yardbirds or Blind Faith. The concept is not by any means new, and in the Pioneer Valley supergroups pop in and out of existence as fast as the transparent aluminum that some European scientists just created for 40 femtoseconds (that's 40 quadrillionths of a second), just for kicks. The rationale is simple: Why not play with good musicians that you haven't really played with before?
Enter Goldwater. Not Goldfinger, or even Goldmember, but Goldwater, which, knowing the quasi-political anarchist poetry that founding member Thane Thomsen seems to call a thought process, is probably a reference to old school Western conservative Barry Goldwater. Though it could just as easily be a detailed study of ritual psychoactive Eskimo urine or a paean to Miller High Life.
Goldwater is a supergroup of sorts, featuring a ninja rhythm section comprising serial bassist/vocalist Henning Ohlenbusch (School for the Dead, The Fawns, Aloha Steamtrain) and the equally ubiquitous drummer Brian Marchese (who played with every band listed above, as well as his own venture, Sitting Next to Brian), with Scott Hall (Drunk Stuntmen, Bad Backs) on keys and the illustrious Matt Cullen (The Sighs, Ware River Club, The Humming Field) embellishing with his signature guitar accents. The Advocate recently caught up with Thomsen:
Valley Advocate: Okay, why Goldwater?
Thane Thomsen: I was driving across upstate New York after having decided to pull a new band together and figured I should think about a band name. Goldwater popped into my head within a minute or two. In the wake of Obama's electoral victory, I'm sure it has to do with taking things back from the right. It has such a rock and roll ring to it that I don't care that it is associated with a conservative senator.
How did this supergroup come about?
Once I realized that the guitar player for [my former band] The Figments, Matthew Zapruder, had settled in San Francisco I started to think about finding another outlet for my songs. Fortunately, I've got some very talented friends.
Is this gig sort of a one-off, or do you plan to keep the band alive for a while?
I hope it's not a one-off, but I've never been much of a long-term planner.
What's been the primary inspiration for the new tunes?
Inspiration and desperation have always been inextricably linked for me as a song writer.
Looking at the history of your band's members, all having played with some of the others before in various incarnations, were you guys just like, "Fuck it, I might as well just go on and marry my sister?"
Exactly. I've played with Brian Marchese in The Figments, Lofine, and Haunt. Brian, Henning Ohlenbusch, and I currently play together in Sitting Next to Brian; Scott Hall and I played together in Rehab Massachusetts; and Matt Cullen and I play together in Storm the Ohio. Long live musical incest.
Are there any new styles, clothing lines or 40-ounce soft drink products you'd like Goldwater to be associated with?
Beer is Goldwater.
Is there a recording you're going to put out with this unit, and if so, where are you tracking it?
There is certainly an album worth of songs ready to be recorded, though I'm not sure how the recording will take shape. I would like to have a record done by the end of the winter.
Goldwater debuts on Saturday, Aug. 22 with Mike Flood, New Radiant Storm King and Shawn Fogel (aka Golden Bloom), The Elevens, 140 Pleasant St., Northampton, (413) 586-9155, www.myspace.com/theelevensnorthampton.
