Interview with guitarist Josh Bottomley
By hutch
Cover photo by Lisa Gourley
Before the soccer moms of the afternoon could hit a big box store and reap myriad plastic hangers of pink Red Sox shirts and shamrock riddled slogan tees, Cheech was a band. Compiled of hardcore, punk and metal warriors from the Boston scene from the 1990’s, Cheech has progressed through a few line-up changes, three full lengths, three ep’s, and an evolution of sound. The heart of that sound stems from fast, heavy hardcore but appends a mesh of swift thrash, rock and roll grit, punk rebellion, d-beat determination, and hardcore stomp.
The attitude, well, that’s just an innate quality of most Boston dudes. These guys just happen to play their instruments with vigor and talent. The band’s members bust their ass like most working class peers in the 617 during the long day. Then they get home, crack a beer and sweat out the day on their instruments. Unlike a generic sports fan, buying some corporate amalgam off of the current bandwagon or touting townie pride as a commodity, Cheech reflects the dismissive, down to earth, sarcastic attitude that I grew up loving and absorbing from the Northeast.
2013 unleashes the fierce, Beast from the East. Cheech’s new full length which integrates each member’s growing influences, captivating personality and illustrates what happens when music fans focus and labor on something they truly love. Harnessed with the best written songs on their career and Brad Caney’s vocals sounding bolder and tougher than ever, Cheech also went to an outsider to mix their album for the first time. All of which culminates in a beast of an album that should draw in fans of many disciplines and genres within the aggressive music community.
Josh Bottomley, lead guitarist, can’t deny the obvious fruition of other influences supplementing the hardcore base of this album.
“It’s not that we intended to be unique or have a bunch of different styles; it’s that we decided to use what we came up with and finally experiment. Cheech is always going to have that hardcore punk edge. We started to think, ‘what can we do to add to that?’ Before we would have come up with something slow and said ‘we can’t do that because it’s not Cheech’s style.’ This time we decided to throw it in and try it. We built upon those elements and headed in that direction.”
It certainly paid off. Beast from the East is the strongest, beefiest, hardest material to date. Although, we can certainly hear the flirtations with some varied styles in their prior EP, PAGAN.
“When we did PAGAN we had already started putting in rock and roll influences and thrash in the songs. And then a big part of it is when Kevin (Whitman) joined the band. He joined after we recorded PAGAN. Kevin had different influences because he is a couple years younger than we are. We started trading music, hanging out, becoming better friends. He was listening to stuff that we never got into; and we were listening to bands that he may have missed because they were before his time. That cross-pollination of late 90’s underground hardcore which Kevin listened to and the 80’s thrash that Harry (Blazer) and I listen to, all came into play. and that’s when we wrote these tunes.
Ante Up came out in 2008, but those songs are from 2006. We played those songs for a long time. So when we did PAGAN, Harry and I wanted to start trying new things with new influences. We did “No Love” which has a horn section in it. We had such a good time writing a song like PAGAN, which is upbeat and rock and roll-y, with a big breakdown ending. We realized we were hitting on some cool stuff. We were open to throwing new things in. Experimenting was working for us. We kept heading in that direction. PAGAN was recorded, but Kevin joined 4 months before it came out. So, we were already in the writing mode. Throw Kevin in and it helped the creative process. The combination of the different parts helped us sound unique. We wear our influences on our sleeve.”
Cheech’s albums are filled with ferocious tunes pulled together by samples that bring the whole album together. But can that keep the attention of a listener at 18 tracks? It seems a lot. But I truly would not omit even one song. And at an average of 2 minutes per song, I am still wanting more.
“Eighteen really is a lot. When we had the concept of the album, we had thought to do a double album. We had that mindset until we tracked it. We had 26 songs. We tracked 26 songs. I think after we realized how long that was, and weighed some of the songs against the better songs, we tried to whittle it down. I wanted 16 songs, but when we got them done with vocals, we couldn’t let any go.
A specific song that extols a new approach is “The Charles is in Charge”, a tune about Boston’s notorious Charles River quieting the story of cadavers thrown into it. I would not call it quiet or soft, but it is something. A subdued intro is partnered with a vicious, drudging riff; this approach is echoed uin the ending as well, capped with a stomping breakdown.
“A song like that, I had the intro part, a harmonic lead. I was playing up really high, so I thought, I might as well go really low. We did not do it intentionally, but that is what comes from our practices. We will jam the ideas we have. We had two riffs back to back, what comes next? We take a couple minutes, think on it and there will be a spark. And then we are taking to a new direction which we never anticipated, it just kind of happened. I had the intro and the beginning verse. The rest was written at practice. It just happened. But it works. “Charles…” is a good example of that.”
This process, and an unfettered approach, helps harvest the premier sounds of this organic gestation. This is echoed in “Death of the middle Class” with its modern catchiness in the bridge/chorus. But Josh explains this is a natural consequence of just trying to be a better guitarist.
“That clean part was something I messing around with because, I had started playing acoustic guitar and taught myself finger picking. I had the intro riff. I came to practice and Harry was playing around with a riff that worked on the back of that. When the rest of the guys showed up, we said, ‘we have these two riffs’. We wrote the rest of the song at practice. The stuff we come out with is a type of kismet.”
Challenging themselves to molt their comfort zone, and their strict DIY ethic and practice of recording all their own records, Cheech went to Jay Maas of Bridge Nine’s Defeater to mix the lp. Regardless of who they passed on their hard work to, trepidation is an understandable feeling. “When the first song came in, I wouldn’t open my email. I was at home on my couch one night. I had to wait until I was ready”.
That anxiety is understandable after over a decade of self-reliance. But it was an instinct on which the band had agreed.
“Early on, we knew we wanted to get some outside input. Dave (Giangarra), our drummer, has recorded and mixed all of our releases, and are very happy with them. We have been doing this for a long time. We have been extremely inclusive when approaching the recording process. So, we tried to get a different opinion, almost like an audience perspective. Frankie Chairs suggested Jay Maas who has Get Away Recording Studios in Haverhill (Mass). He test mixed “Living Proof” which has a little bit of everything from the record; fast, but heavy with some rock and roll.
Revisting the opening of the first email, Josh notes, “I was really nervous until I hit play. Once you heard it, you knew. I had complete faith in Jay after that. He won us over in one song.”
Patience and diligence, and a little professional help, adds to the depth of Beast as well, Josh explains, that Cheech handed over the mixes to “New Alliance East Mastering in Cambridge – Nick Zampiello and Rob Gonnella. Also, instead of doing it all in one day, as we usually do, we went back and forth and tweaked it. That brought the best out of the mixes and performances. It took a long time but I wouldn’t do it any other way.”
That is not the only reason this record had a long cultivation period. Cheech began in December of 2011. Josh continues. “We began tracking drums in 2011. Dave had a torn rotator cuff. That was a little challenging. All the drums on 26 tracks were recorded with a torn rotator cuff. He also is our engineer; so, we didn’t track guitars until May 2012.” When Cheech also had to work around work schedules and holidays and families, it was not in CD form until May 2013. Josh takes that with a grain of salt. “When you do it bit by bit, when you schedule around everyone, even though it sounds like a long time, it went by quickly.”
The other elements that will differentiate Cheech from the barrage of heavy bands out there are the lyrics and the approach to recording them.
“You go to hardcore shows and you see friends of the band doing guest vocals, former members come up to do a guitar part. We like to have fun with friends and influences.”
This becomes clear with past albums having spots by Brian DBD, Jimmy G of Murphy’s Law, Paul Bearer (Sheer Terror, and the criminally under appreciated Joe Coffee), Shane Williams of Bulldog Courage, Dave Tree, Ed Grimm, Drunk Rob, and Al Fish. “Hardcore, by nature, doesn’t have a lot of variation in vocal tonality. Guest spots give it a little different attitude. Gang vocals spark things up and solidify the party aspect of Cheech.”
Cheech’s lyrics stand out above most hardcore bands. Shedding any poetic aspirations by avoiding the abstract, yet never sated by one dimensional lyrics. Cheech’s songs are vividly relayed with idiosyncratic lyrics and attitude. The Boston gets to shine through here. Josh acknowledges that with a chuckle. “The process is getting harder with the more songs we write. We are definitely coming up with music faster than ideas for lyrics. Once you get the idea, it’s on, though. We like being sarcastic, witty, tongue in cheek. The story telling aspect is inspired by film. You have to have a beginning middle and end.”
SO a Cheech album can bring you through homelessness, drug abuse and political correction. But in between those you get nods to video games, booze, samurais, assassins, and horror movies such as Hellraiser, Poltergeist, and Dragnet.
I can’t help but notice that Beast from the East is darker than prior albums. It has to do with the mastering, Jay Maas’ mixing; but it also hinges on the focus and sheer relentless sweat these five guys put into this album. It is a taut collection of fierce tunes, invigorated by concentration and increased ardor.
“We take it seriously but we don’t take it that seriously. We have a lot of fun. But instead of outward slapstick we come from dark humor. Having that comedic tone, we have to take the criticism of being a joke band. We are not a joke band. Of course, we have a humorous thread that runs through it, but we make it a little meaner. We want to maintain that wise ass vibe.”
And that’s no joke.
