Press
9/16/2005
The gravel driveway of 23 Highgate Street was a fucking mess. Throngs of sweaty kids were tearing into each other in a frenzied bacchanal of drunken moshing, spewing PBR everywhere, banging their heads like their necks were about to snap, all of them swinging and thrashing together like a wild beast with a million arms and legs at quite possibly the most riotous house party Allston had seen in a while. And what was the cause of this insanity on the humid evening of August 20? It could only be the glorious monster born of Boston's metal music scene, the fierce fivesome known as Motherboar.
All trussed up in zombie face paint, loincloths, and capes for their evening performance at "Hellgate," as the gated, rambling house is called, the members of Motherboar combine the pomp of Alice Cooper glitter rock and the cocky swagger of 80s hair bands, just with serious musical talent. Their sound is dark and thick, with growly vocals backed up by heavy hitting guitars and drums, yet somehow playful with wicked lyrics about terrifying dinosaurs thrown in.
At the show, Brian Connor (guitar), brothers Benny (drums) and Joe (bass) Grotto, Kenny Irwin (voix), and Ryan Gilbert (guitar) were menacing, Irwin was pacing around, lighting up fireworks and spraying them into the sloppy vortex of bodies, snarling into the microphone like someone who would suck the brains out of a supple victim's skull and then laugh about it. He was backed by a furious wall of sound that was only interrupted by the inevitable technical difficulties that go along with playing in front of someone's garage for beer-chucking fans. Despite this, Motherboar, along with the rest of the lineup—including local groups We're All Gonna Die, Cocked 'N' Loaded, and Shanghai Valentine—was proof that metal music is rearing its beastly head in Boston. For every shirtless, tattooed guy with a beer belly at the party, there were chic-sters with faux pearls, BU frat boys in visors, and ultra-fashionable mods in vintage suits, all swept up, willing or not, into the crush of music.
Off stage, minus the outlandish costumes and homemade pyrotechnics, the members of Motherboar are charismatic, dedicated musicians. At a recent practice before the Hellgate debacle, they went through their lineup of original songs, including "Terrordactyl," "Fright Train" (which features a cowbell), and "Death Toll," along with cover songs from Alice In Chains' "Them Bones" and Soundgarden's "Slaves and Bulldozers," all with a feverish perfectionism that can only come from a genuine skill and determination.
Not that the band doesn't know how to have a good time. The ceiling of their practice space was spiked with broken drumsticks adorned with empty beer cans, and Irwin was combating the steamy lack of ventilation with raspberry iced tea and gin. To cool off after a set, the band retreated to the parking lot to pass a joint around and test their fireworks. Once outside, everyone insisted that they are definitely not about death, darkness, or anger. Instead they incorporate those typical metal themes into their own satirical sludge.
"A lot of it is very tongue in cheek," said Joe Grotto, "but only to a degree though, not so much like we're just a joke band. But one of the biggest things to me that is missing from most hard rock bands is a sense of humor."
Irwin agreed.
"That's how all those bands are, like Iron Maiden and shit," he said. "They have songs that are so epic, they're singing about running through the hills and all this stuff, it's like all very imaginary shit, but when they're rocking, they want you to fucking rock. You have to be as serious as you are epic and comedic."
"Yeah, we're really serious when we're playing, we're serious about rockin'," added Connor.
Perhaps that is what drew them together in 2004, in addition to a mix of fate and a love for Mastodon. Gilbert, a native of Connecticut, and Chicago transplant Benny Grotto were roommates at the Berklee College of Music, where Grotto said Gilbert convinced him to start a band after "writing about 30 songs in about 12 minutes because he is nerd and has nothing better to do than play the guitar." After Grotto got his brother to play drums, they bumped into Connor at a Mastodon concert in Philadelphia, convincing him not to sell his guitar on eBay and join the band instead. Then they heard about a musical genius named Kenny Irwin who wanted to attach a bungee cord to his microphone so he could toss it out for crowd solos. After meeting Irwin at a Hot Snakes concert, Motherboar was complete.
A mutual love for all things metal has fueled their sound, with Grotto boys steeped in suburban cock rock, Conner coming off of hero worship for Guns 'N' Roses' Slash, Gilbert lusting to inspire Ozzy Osbourne's next album, and Irwin forging his metal roots in the fiery furnace of the North Shore. Now with the Motherdemo circulating around, the band plans to diversify with beer cozies, embroidered sweaters, and their all-female fan club, The Motherhoars. They also want to tour as much as possible and of course, do some label shopping.
"This band has to happen," said Connor. "We're doing some important shit."
After surviving Hellgate, I tell you it's true. Their mix of Slayer, Motorhead, and AC/DC works, filling the void left by the recent post-new wave influx of weenie indie rock boy bands like Click Five. Motherboar knows that, deep down, people want to rock, and they are more than prepared to shake things up.
Arna Wilkinson is a writer in Boston.