Resistant Culture: All One Struggle
It’s raining outside but I’m dressed and riding, and I’m out here bumpin’ to the Resistant Culture CD All One Struggle. Their promo says “Resistant Culture is. . .tribal music that has weaved the indigenous flute, rattle, tribal drum and chant into an organic and flowing tapestry with extreme contemporary punk and metal.” In their own words RC refers to their self-created sub genre as “tribal grind crust.” It is reminiscent of Henry Rollins and Black Flag at the height of their first national road tour.
The band line-up consists of the founding member and vocalist Anthony Rezhawk who growls more than sings the culturally referenced lyrics that are backed by hard and fast rhythms played with precision.
Interestingly, the guitarist, Katina is a classically trained musician
who rocks as good as she wants and can hang with the best of her male
counter parts. This style of music relies on the dynamics of a bass
player and drummer who can keep up the driving energy like disgruntled
machines over-running people and their mundane lives.
Rafa on bass thunders like he means it, while Ben Axiom is solid on
drums. I am impressed at the creativity required of musicians moving
into a style that brings the politics of survival to an audience that
probably doesn’t come in contact with these kinds of
sentiments.
You will need to work at it if you’re going to get it. Otherwise go
home and listen to your ABBA eight tracks. Cross-generational,
multi-genre virtuosic versatility is the demand of the times. If you
work it, you will be rewarded with the lyrical gems that lie in the
debris and chaos of RC’s post-modern, anti-commercial, jet liner
decibel level. Just like our parents probably objected to the grease
and hips of Elvis, or the hair and boots of the Beatles, some will not
get this sound.
The first trac Beneath The Concrete is an apocalyptic message about how
mother earth cannot be destroyed and will once again rise to cover the
earth in green that includes a traditional tribal chant. It uses a rain
stick rattle segue to the next trac Life Givers which is a song of
respecting women and certainly not the type of sentiment that is so
prevalent these days.
The title trac All One Struggle states “an injury to one is an injury
to all no more separatism all one struggle” which recognizes that
regardless of one’s place in the universe we are all connected in our
struggle for survival.
The song Animal Nations pays homage to our four legged, two legged,
winged and finned relations. A couple of songs on this CD could be
considered a call for a vegan/vegetarian life style or more humane
treatment in our food gathering procedures. It seems unusual, if not
unique, given the overall thrashing sound of the music.
A wolf howl sound byte segues to the following trac Community, a song
that speaks about how we can all survive with dignity if we come
together in community and learn to respect the sanctity of each
individual. These guys are not fascist hate mongers dressed up in rock
and roll. Quite the contrary they are very pro-living, cultural
identity and individual autonomy.
The trac Warning Civilization Ahead provides us with some dark humor
that asks us to question the concept of something that is assumed by
the dominant culture. You call it civilization when we can over run a
foreign country under false pretenses? Hell, that’s as ancient, brutal
and savage as anything we’ve seen in recent history.
I particularly enjoy the lyric of the song Stagnation, “lessons learned
the hard way, never forget your failure is your success if you grow
from it.” This is important and potent advice. Stagnation is followed
by Rise Above Despair, a lyric that tells us to “sever yourself from
hatred, rise above despair.”
One of these days I’m gonna load my trailer with my tent, sleeping bag
and fishing pole, start rolling and get myself free, discard the laws
of man and learn to live according to the laws of the land.
Until I get there, I will resist with every ounce of my breath the
domination and injustice of this society, cloaked snuggly in the beauty
of my culture and rise above the despair. Let’s Rock!
For more info see: www.myspace/resistantculture.
Jamison Mahto, Spirit Bear Productions
Rezz Dogg Reviews, bluapache@yahoo.com.
