The Detachment Kit
Detachment Kit was born of the bandmembers' desire to express their musical disassociation with everything around them. While they embrace and support the current independent sonic palette, they see themselves as an inherently conceptual band that is separate from the readymade confines of scenes, labels and genre-specific musical movements. As singer Ian Menard says, "I think we are relative to the current indie scene, but we're not card carrying members of any particular genre. Actually, my card is all maxed out. What we are looking for is debt relief."
Ian Menard (guitar and lead vox) and Charlie Davis (guitar) are the great (de)constructors of Detachment Kit. On Of This Blood (Frenchkiss Records), the highly-anticipated follow-up full-length to their much loved 2002 debut They Raging, Quiet Army (The Self-Starter Foundation), Ian handled guitars, drums and vocals while Charlie pulled double duty playing guitar and bass. The touring version of Detachment Kit is a quartet, with a rhythm section comprised of Michael Hamilton (drums) and Bryan Mayer (bass guitar.)
Of this Blood was recorded in two weeks time at Steve Albini's studio, Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL, the same creative hotbed where the band spent all of one day recording their first album, They Raging Quiet Army. The thirteen additional days wear well on Detachment Kit. Of This Blood is more than the proverbial musical leap forward for the band. The album distills themes of isolation, anxiety, triumph, loss, hope and sentiment into its own unique poetics; it is concrete with soft skin. Of This Blood travels many musical paths, surprising and challenging the listener at each turn. Guided by anthemic, angular guitars, throaty deep bass lines, bombastic drums and layers of confessional, angst-ridden, yet playful and vulnerable vocals, the album captures the dichotomy between danger and delicacy.
According to Charlie, their songs are "short stories that Ian and I make up when we drink together and sometimes when we drink alone." Ian describes their music as "developmentally challenged." Charlie’s description, "We play rock and roll. The Awesome Kind." And the critics agree with Charlie.
Ian and Charlie were both born on the 4th of July, both in Tennessee. The album title, Of This Blood is an allusion to Ian and Charlie's deep personal and creative connection and kinship, as Charlie says, "Me and Ian share the same blood." Ian agrees, "We are two cut from the same cloth." The two met in Chicago while in art school, and both remain dedicated visual artists today. Visual art continues to occupy a vital space for the band, and they have brought visual artists along on the road as opening acts. Making the transition from Tennessee to NYC - via the, birthplace-of-the-band, Chicago, environment has continually proved a substantial component of their music making. Ian comments, "Being from the south is very helpful in understanding rock and roll." Charlie finishes his sentence, "Changing environments a lot helps to understand different approaches to making music."
Detachment Kit's live shows have attained a mythical stature. Detachment Kit employs all manner of sweat, volume, theatrics and their fare share of audience participation. They've toured the US with Sparta, Thursday, My Morning Jacket, Burning Brides, The Walkmen, Hot Hot Heat, and Coheed and Cambria. The diversity in pairings is testament to their broad-base appeal and depth of their musical dimension. Lucky for America, the band will be on the road more than off this coming year.
Detachment Kit would like you and your public to know that they are irritated by the aging process, think that laptops are the greatest invention of the modern world, that they do not have any boundaries, and are not to be trusted with your valuables.
Detachment Kit was born of the bandmembers' desire to express their musical disassociation with everything around them. While they embrace and support the current independent sonic palette, they see...
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