On the 20th day of the 4th month, patrons of the local Bull and Bier Haus were treated to a show featuring Nostalgic Distortion. I ,of course, was journalistically obligated to go and review their music.
I arrived around 9:40, got the pep talk about no booze, and introduced myself to the band. They were very friendly, and offered me a free dinner. I could not accept their generous offer for some crappy ethical reason though. According to my superiors, it would give me a jaded perspective on the evening, and therefore be unfair. Regardless, I had not eaten dinner yet…so I went upstairs to find nourishment on my own dollar.
I was pleasantly surprised— as they say— to find a fairly decent selection of vegetarian dishes, and decided on the Eggplant Casserole (a whopping $10.95! but delicious and very worth it). Stomach full and blood sugar now at a jovial level, I got the check, tipped the waitress $3.70, and went back downstairs to listen to some live music.
The opening act was October Sons, a group out of Concord, NH. They had an easy going sound; solid rhythm, feel good riffs, and emotional vocal delivery. After their set, I was able to talk to the members of October Sons as Nostalgic Distortion set up their gear. Chris Peters (vocals, guitar) described the music of OS as “Original Alternative Rock.” Peters is an alumni of PSC, and interestingly enough used to be a member of Nostalgic Distortion a few years back. When asked what he wants to accomplish with his music, he stated “I just want to make people feel good.” Kurt Ekstrom (percussionist) told me a little about himself, disclosing that he is an avid collector of vintage drums. OS features two other members, Jason Lane (Lead Guitar) and Dave Whalleu (Bass, Vocals), who could not attend that evening. I was surprised to find out that band members were missing from the performance, to me the music seemed complete enough.
Nostalgic Distortion was now warming up, tweaking their guitars and banging drums. The members of OS left to find beverages, and I sat alone as the show began. They opened with “Found a Girl,” a slightly humorous song about his girlfriend leaving him for another women. Immediately I liked their energy. Rat-a-tat rapid-fire drums that crash and ting-ta-ting when appropriate; clean seamless guitar riffs, with sweet melodic bass licks to compliment; accompanied by dueling vocalists, this three-man band was undeniably talented.
As the night went on, ND’s influences were reflected in the music they preformed. Sometimes they were heavy hard rockers. Sometimes they were ska punks. Every once in a while, you would hear a little bluegrass rhythm or a twanging guitar complimenting the Ska/Punk/Hard Rock. The blending of genres was very subtle but the effect was really great.
I must take time aside from Nostalgic Distortions show for a second. Throughout the evening, as the band played, I had some… interesting experiences with a few locals. There was this certain drunk—mouth agape—slipping in and out of consciousness. His friends saw me writing in my journal, and asked me for a couple pieces of paper. They then used my paper to make spit balls. The poor drunken fool was so obliterated that he didn’t even notice that his “friends” were trying to get spitballs in his mouth.
Later, a tall guy in a white baseball hat stood next to me and declared “I’m the biggest whore,” and proceeded to dance around. I couldn’t help but laugh because this guy seriously suffered from a horrible case of white man’s rhythm.
Towards the end of the night, a guy in a wheel chair wheeled up to me and asked “You writing a novel?” I explained to him that I was writing a review for PSC’s student newspaper. He continued bluntly, “Well I got something to print in your paper.” His name is Dan Hamel. On his 19th birthday he dove into shallow water and broke his neck. Now he must live the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Recently, he had gone to a concert at the UNH’s Whittemore Center and according to him it was completely inaccessible. All he wants say is “The Bier Haus is handicapped accessible.”
Back to the music. Nostalgic Distortion played a bunch of covers, including: “Miserlou” (the theme song fromPulp Fiction), John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jetplane,” The Ramones’ “Sedated,” the theme song from Dukes of Hazard (you know, Larry the Cable Guy’s intro: “Jus’ sum good ol’ boys, neva meanin’ no harm”), and finally KISS’s “Rock n’ Roll All Night.” ND either incorporated creative twists with the covers, or they sounded amazingly enough exactly like the originals.
When ND played a song off their old album, the crowd sometimes sang along, the band being alumni of PSC. ND already has somewhat of a fan base here in Plymouth. The bar cheered when they played a song off their first album written about Plymouth State, called “The Unofficial But Really Accurate Anthem of a Small Hick College Located Somewhere in Northern New Hampshire.” One verse states, “I learned how to drink and I learned how to smoke, homework is a sin and studyin’s a joke.” Towards the end of the song, the tempo slows and the singer starts to sound down-in-the-dumps. “I knew my four years were coming to an end, and I started to get sad. I thought of each and every friend. But then a thought came over me and vanquished all my fears. I could go to grad school and party two more years!”
Woohoo! Sounds like a plan. Honestly these guys are pretty funny. They had a great stage presence, talking and joking with the audience, and saying things like “I’m a f@#$ing moron.” Between songs, the bass player pointed at the poor cocked bastard (mentioned above somewhere) and demanded “Get that man another drink!” Everyone laughed at the drunken guy, throwing their mugs at him and bludgeoning him over the head with thick boots. Actually…they only laughed. I made up the other stuff. Sorry.
ND announced the last song. When they finished, they were pressured fiercely by the bar-goers chanting “One more song!” over and over again. ND naturally obliged, playing “I Love Rock n’ Roll.” The whole bar rocked out; ladies shook their goods and clapped to the beat while guys jumped up and down, headbanging and relishing unrestrained belligerence. Then there was that tall guy in the white hat, doing a waltz on what seemed to be legs shot up with morphine. I’m gonna miss that guy. He was the biggest whore and I’ll never forget him.
*sniff
The show was officially over around 1:10 in the morning. After the bar cleared out, and the band had packed up all their gear, I sat down with the members of Nostalgic Distortion. Right off I told them they rocked. Humbly, they thanked me, and we began talking. ND is composed of Ryan Byrne (bass, vocals), Tim Hazelton (guitar, vocals), and John Viar (drums). I asked each member to name three big musical influences. John’s are The Samples, Slayer, and Motor Head. Ryan’s are Drop Kick Murphys, Soul Asylum (lyrically), and Duran Duran. Tim’s are Social Distortion, Johnny Cash, and Kiss.
Tim turned out to be a connoisseur of snack food. He shares his wisdom. “If you eat a Humpty Dumpty brand Dill Pickle chip with a Ketchup Flavored chip of the same brand, it will taste like a McDonald’s Hamburger!” So all you vegetarians out there who are dying to experience the pinnacle of American cuisine, but don’t feel like making your body a graveyard…just follow Tim’s recipe.
Nostalgic Distortion has been a band for eight years, putting out two albums during that time. Their first album Bad Little Monkey came out five years ago. Recently they’ve put out another album The Spaghetti Accident? I asked them why there was so much time between albums. They explained: “We have careers to focus on, so the band was placed on hiatus.” John is a Fisheries Researcher for New Hampshire Fish and Game, while Ryan and Tim are both elementary school music teachers. “Only a year ago we decided to go for it and be on a regular playing routine around N.E. More specifically Boston, Portland, and Burlington. Our goal with the ND is to have moderately successful CD sales.”
I speak for myself when I say: I’ve seen them live, I don’t see why they won’t.