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Most people don’t remember Gainesville, Florida’s Hot Water Music as an Emo band, but that is due to their career’s later move towards mainstream-sounding pop punk. The Hot Water Music of the late 90s, however, was steeped in the 90s post-harcore/emo tradition. The group formed in the early 90s by two frontmen, Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, and their raspy dual-vocal approach immediately reminded listeners of Fugazi-style post-hardcore. HWM were poppier than the angular, dissonant-sounding bands of the DC scene, however, but their sound fit perfectly with the line ups of Doghouse & Jade Tree records. In fact, what I think to be their best album, Forever and Counting, was originally released on Doghouse Records in 1997 as their 2nd full length. I remember the day I put the new cassette on while in my car.... I was blown away to say the least. The first 3 tracks are some of the best emo/post-hardcore songs I have ever heard, and it has everything to do with George Rebelo’s drumming. Check out the opening track, “Translocation”:
So that song was the first sounds of HWM to rip though my tattered car-stereo speakers. I was immediately hooked, for I was a sucker (and still am) for the dramatic drumming breakdowns... I wanted more, and the 2nd track of the album, “Better Sense,” was no disappointment; check it out:
Another great track with drumming perfection and heartfelt, vocal emotion. At this point, I wanted to push rewind and relive the 1st two songs all over again, but the track, “Just Don’t Say You Lose It,” began sounding through the speakers. It was at this point that I realized that Forever and Counting was one of the best, freshest Emo Rock albums I had ever heard:
I would love to play drums to that song; talk about a great, climactic drumming breakdown!! That’s too much fun... But seriously, what an amazingly intense beginning to a nearly perfect Emo album! Hot Water Music released other great albums such as their debut, Finding the Rhythms (1995 Toybox/No Idea Records),
and the 3rd & 4th releases, Fuel for the Hate Game (1997 Toybox/No Idea Records) and No Division (1999 No Idea Records). After their 4th album, the band moved to the mainstream punk label, Epitaph, and not surprisingly, the band’s sound became less and less interesting. They disbanded around 2006, and the members (minus C. Ragan) formed the Draft, an attempt at mainstream pop punk much like the later efforts of HWM.
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| The Blacktop Cadence live |
The band formed other side projects as well, the most “emo” being Chris Wollard’s and George Rebelo’s “after hours” group, The Blacktop Cadence. The group were more subdued, playing slower tempos and less over-driven guitars. They released in 1 full length, Chemistry for Changing Times, on Keystone-Ember & No Idea Records in 1997. One of my favorite Blacktop Cadence numbers is not found on the full length; it appeared on one of the original Emo Diaries compilations of Deep Elm Records, “Cold Night in Virginia”:
That song is so Emo, but in a good way... If you like the slower, quieter, more contemplative side of Hot Water Music’s emotional music, check out Blacktop Cadence’s full length; it’s a great late 90s Emo record. HWM members also formed an acoustic side project Rumbleseat during the years 1998-1999, and they released one full length collection of their songs, entitled Rumbleseat is Dead (2005 No Idea Records). The music itself fails to keep my interest, but it serves as an obvious precursor both to Chuck Ragan’s & Chris Wollard’s later folk-related solo projects. Chuck Ragan released his first studio solo album, Feast or Famine, in 2007 on Side One Dummy Records. Ragan’s solo music signals a radical departure from the post-hardcore styles of his early rock career. The music of Feast or Famine is extremely stripped down and contains country/folk-like undertones. Here’s the track “Geraldine”:
You either love it or think it’s unbearably cheesy and cliche. I lean towards the former perspective; sometimes predictable simplicity is the best formula for musical expression, and Chuck Ragan demonstrates that well. He has released 3 other full lengths in the last 4 years, and each release continues to explore Ragan’s softer, more low-key compositional tastes. Chris Wollard has pursued a recent solo career as well, most notably as Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves. The project released a single studio album that was self-titled in 2009 on No Idea Records. I really love this album; it incorporates elements of indie rock, folk, country, and the emo-influenced roots of Wollard’s earlier career. Check out the track, “Same to You”:
That’s a great album; it vaguely reminds me of the later solo work of Bob Nanna as City on Film. Both are seasoned post-hardcore rockers playing softer, more mature indie rock in the later parts of their career. Wollard, however, employs more elements of folk and country much like his former bandmate, Chuck Ragan. Check out the track, “Reason in My Rhyme”:
That’s good stuff. So this post is another entry on the “real” bands of Emo Rock, but like the other entries, the posting has ended with music far removed from the tradition of poppy, 90s post-hardcore. That is a further testament of the quality of these showcased musicians. They developed the sounds of Emo but did not rely on its conventions to sustain their musical success. Instead, these musicians moved forward to explore new sounds. If you like the material of Ragan & Wollard, definitely check their eclectic discographies; they were many other projects as well (especially Chris Wollard...).
Feel free to comment and please enjoy!
Claw Hammer was a Noise Rock band from California that recorded records and played shows from the late 80s until the year 2000. In good noise rock fashion, their name was taken from a Captain Beefheart tune. They released six albums and some Eps and cassettes, mostly on Sympathy for the Record Industry but later on major labels such as Epitaph and Interscope. Their 2nd album covered entirely Devo’s 1978 classic, Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!; Claw Hammer’s album was cleverly titled Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Not Devo! (1991 Sympathy for the Record Industry). A year before, the group released an Ep, Double Pac Whack Attack (1990 Sympathy for the Record Industry), which featured covers by Devo, Patti Smith, Pere Ubu, and Brian Eno. One quickly gets a sense of the band’s formative influences when reading this list and considering their name. Here’s the band playing Devo’s famous track, “Mongoloid”:
