Wizard Smoke: Abandoning the Rules of Metal and Their Own
Weed makes music better, even the shittiest, vomit-inducing minutia that employs guitars will seem interesting and timeless (i.e. 311). But if a band is already top notch, big hits of THC will take the sound to a new level. In the case of Wizard Smoke, the riffs gain girth, and images of the band kicking Jesus in the tender bag while high-fiving the devil should be expected to careen into one’s consciousness. “To my ears, when you’re high [music] is something huge and crushing,” says guitarist Dan Nadolny. “I don’t know if our stuff is repetitive, but you’re not going to hear a bridge or chorus for a minute and half. If you happen to be in the state of mind that is a little more open to letting the clock tick, then Wizard Smoke will work for you.”
But though weed truly plays its role in the slow gloom of the metal outfit — the band’s moniker itself is named after the legal bud that gets smoked up in films — the quintet’s ethos is more about having a good time than focusing on drugs. “It’s not like we are massive potheads inspired by weed,” screamer James Halcrow laughs, pointing out that the majority of the band are merely casual smokers. “It’s a tongue and cheek sort of thing; not really a joke, but we don’t take it too seriously.”
It’s this lax attitude that separates Wizard Smoke from their peers and is one of the reasons that the band plays more shows with rock bands than with fellow brothers of the down tune and somber. The constant smiles marking each member’s face when they play defiantly goes against the snarling look most come to expect from a band of such maniacal sounds.
“It’s fun for us, that goes with out saying,” Nadolny explains of their on-stage joy. “At practice we come up with something, and we are just pumping our fists about it. It feels good, but we’re not tough guys. We’re not trying to look the part. It’s easy to get caught up in the imagery of the genre, but we’re not interested.”
“There’s a lot of metal bands around town I enjoy playing with,” Says Halcrow, “but I prefer to book a show with a non-metal band I like. It seems more special when we do it that way because it gives people a chance to hear something they normally might not hear.” He admits his favorite show was playing with the garage rock band Obits.
One thing that has helped push Wizard Smoke onto non-metal crowds has been the sheer fact that this is most of the guy’s first foray into metal. Nadolny details the band’s early roots that took shape when he was in the Cassavetes. He says that during one practice the amps got turned up, bailing on the Springsteen style rock to play with some noise, or as he put it, “write some riff shit”. But the old elements still surface in some of Wizard Smoke’s newer tracks. Listen to the full rock jam near the end of “Witches Brew” for proof.
Now with the band’s second album Speed of Smoke readied for your hard drive for free (Yes, they love you that much) and your analog player for a small cost (If you can touch it, it needs money), many will find the band has not only tightened up and matured since their first release Live Rock In Hell, but also that synths have crept their way into the music. “It seems like we were just getting the base of our sound down before, but now we’re more comfortable with it and more comfortable experimenting,” says Halcrow. Bassist Matt Cherry (also of Maserati) was able work his synthesizers and electronic magic into the ominous textures that surround Speed of Smoke.
One track (“Weakling”) has Halcrow’s scream sounding like a demon that was lost from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. During our long interview he admitted his sole intention on using a Vocoder was to nab from Thrones, a one-man band designed by former Melvins bassist Joe Preston.
“We played that song once or twice at shows before we went into the studio, and I had been doing it with straight vocals. The night before we went into the studio I was listening to Thrones, and I was like, ‘I’m stealing that and puttin’ it on that.’ I don’t care. I’m being shameless. I was actually pissed off it didn’t sound exactly like [Thrones].”
Right now, Wizard Smoke has a slew of shows coming up (including their album release show at the Drunken Unicorn on April 30th), which is a very different state from the one the band was in a year ago. The previous rule was only play every so often and make it memorable each time — a damned event for people to brag about. “It was easier to say that back then,” Halcrow says. “Matt was adamant that we were gonna be a seasonal band and only play four shows a year. Fuck that. I don’t want to do that.”
“That was the plan,” Nadolny reasoned, “but we had to find a medium. We can play a little bit more often than that and people will still show up. We inexplicably get show offers to open for great bands — even though we only played four or five shows. We fucking had Torche and other bands wanting us to play. There’s a general rule: if you’re good and you limit the appearances you make, it’s better for you, but you don’t want to fucking cut your nuts off.”
All of this bears a big question, as there is now quite the national hype staring down at the band. Does the band plan to hit the road, leaving our city behind for a bit? No, even though they’ve had offers. The chance to open for the legendary, hook-drunk band Floor is the latest trek to be turned down. “I’d personally love to tour for a short couple of weeks,” says Nadolny.
Halcrow quickly adds, “I don’t feel the need for it. Where we are it is totally fine.”
“If we can just continue making great records and playing as often as we do, that’s cool with me for now. I’d love to play in front of ten people in Iowa someday,” Nadolny laughs, embracing the truthful sarcasm of tour life. “It doesn’t look like it’s in the forecast for now.”
Speed of Smoke came out digitally for free today and pre-orders for the luscious vinyl version are now being taken.
Photo Credit: Tim Song