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Hampton rockers Uglyography share tales of recent East Coast tour
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Most creative rockers know the adage, as articulated by singer and writer Henry Rollins: Get in the ...Most creative rockers know the adage, as articulated by singer and writer Henry Rollins: Get in the van. If you want to build an audience, make connections and share your music with the world, you've got to hit the road, Jack.
It's easier said than done. Touring the nation as an independent, largely unknown rock band can be expensive, frustrating, even dangerous. So, maybe it's no wonder that so few groups take that giant leap.
Uglyography, a quirky, punky rock band from Hampton took the plunge earlier this month. On March 4, the band packed up the van and set off to do shows in Richmond, Brooklyn, Columbus, Ohio; Charleston, W.Va; Johnson City, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Charleston, S.C. With seven shows in as many days, it was an ambitious schedule.
Here are a few thoughts from Uglyography founder, singer and bassist Matt Thomas about experience. Below, you'll find video shot at one of the band's gigs.
I understand this was the first regional tour for Uglyography as a full band. Why take that step now?
I’ve got three other guys who are excellent players and all around friendly and hilarious. Everyone seems grounded and serious about the band so it seemed like the right time to do this. During planning I realized how many ways this would benefit us. We met a lot of other bands and made great connections and fans regionally. We realized we wouldn’t kill each other after a week and we’re all still friends, better ones. And perhaps best of all, it made us very tight as a band to perform seven nights in a row. It was like clockwork by the end, never felt better. We have stepped up our game. We were very close before and maybe the tour is what we needed to get us there.
What was the major obstacle to touring?
I think the continuous killer has been the sheer amount of planning and frustration involved in so many aspects. There were literally hundreds of emails and phone calls and voice messages involved and that was just for the booking. Unreturned calls and messages, detail conflicts, routing, finding local support, it all becomes frustrating and you find clumps of hair in your fist. Then there’s the transportation, pre-promotion (an attempt to make it worthwhile), and many other logistics. The tour itself costs money despite the money that comes at the end of some nights. I have actually booked one other tour for myself solo as Uglyography back in 2009, but lessons I learned from that still didn’t make it much easier this time around. Since 2009 I have attempted to book a couple of other tours but quickly lost steam over of the volume of work. I felt confident enough with these guys to take it all on this time around.
Where did you get the best response?
I believe our best response was in Raleigh NC at Deep South The Bar. We were lucky enough to be squeezed into the beginning of a 4 band local show for a quick 30 minute slot. So we kept it high energy, the crowd was decent sized enough for a first act, and their response and attention was most warm. We also sold a decent amount of merch that night. So we wanna go back to Deep South and Raleigh in general soon, it is only 3 hours away.
Any painful misfortune strike the band during the trip?
Actually the opposite! We were very lucky on our entire trip. A mistake in our van rental reservation got us upgraded for free to a brand-new 12 seater so we had none of that van-breakdown stuff you hear about all the time and plenty of room. There was little to no traffic, no troubles whatsoever with any venue or band, and everyone at every location was very accommodating. If there was a painful misfortune … The Trash Bar in Brooklyn had an 8–9 p.m. open bar before our performance to an audience of three. Not our most shining moment but a memorable one (to some of us).
Describe the smell of the van after a week on the road.
Hmmm, well that depends on how accustomed we may or may not have become to it! It didn’t seem to smell so bad actually. That being said there was one point where none of us had showered for three days. Did the van smell? Not to us! And, Jack had the mind to spray febreeze every now and then (which he was constantly scorned for).
What do you think you learned from the experience?
Well, one word everyone can agree on is “exhausting.” Touring is extremely taxing in many ways, at least without high dollar management and big busses involved. That being said, I think everyone can also agree it was a lot of fun. We learned how welcoming so many people can be and that it isn’t always the size that matters … the crowd that is. We had great crowds even if there were only 10 – 15 people watching us.
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Q&/A w/Matt Thomas of Uglyography
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When WVRockscene was in its infancy, an important discussion was had between the H.M.I.C. here, and ...When WVRockscene was in its infancy, an important discussion was had between the H.M.I.C. here, and another nice dude who ran an alternate, West Virginia-based site dedicated to covering local (and beyond) music. Haha it’s crazy to think that you can’t find my name hardly at all on this site, the first thing you see on this site when you revisit it now, is the true identity of your host, narrator blogging, guy.
But as far as West Virginia-based sites dedicated to covering local music went, it was an important philosophical chat. Should WVRockscene focus more on covering local bands, or expose readers to bands we like who might not ever even play here?
Well, for what it’s worth, the first approach kind of won out. But since “the dark ages” of mid-2007 or so, not really blogging or doing stuff for newspapers, up to now, we’ve kind of just naturally fell into the habit of being in touch with bands who might pass through periodically. Exposing these bands, and more importantly developing kindly acquaintanceships, to our fellow Mountain State residents is something we take seriously, and really like.
So, speaking of time periods, the “quirkadelic,” Hampton, Virginia-based act Uglyography came across our radar. Time travelers they may (or may not, hilariously) be, we caught up with front man and bassist Matt Thomas in advance of their stop at the Glass Wednesday. Seriously check out the tunes and their site, you will laff…
WVRockscene: You guys set to hit the road for a week or so? Got everything packed? Is this your first big out-of-state run of shows?
Matt Thomas: Yes, I believe we are all set and ready. Booking and preparing for this tour has been one of the most challenging tasks I’ve taken on for a long time, being a relatively unknown band at most of our stops. Now that all the booking and logistics are worked out, we just gotta pack our bags (and not forget Tums, Band-aids, vitamins and all that other necessary rock star stuff) and we will be rolling!
This will be the first time that Uglyography’s current lineup has played outside of Hampton Roads. In 2009 I toured Uglyography as a solo act and went out of state but nowhere near as far and wide as we are going this time. We hope to do as many out of town shows as in-town from here on out.
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WVRockscene: What is up with you guys not being from this century? New Uglyography fans will literally rofl when they even dare to begin to read DJ Blake’s hilarious bio. Does that make it tougher for you guys to fit in, not being from this time period?
Thomas: DJ’s time traveling beard has gotten him into a lot of trouble. Jack was the only one who actually wanted to time travel, and the rest of us got here by chance happenings in the universe that have a one in a billion chance of occurring. Since we were all spit out into this overpopulated and overbuilt time together, we figure if we bond together we could give audiences a taste of when we came from and hopefully find our way back there.
We’re not sure what to make of the current state of the music industry but we do hope that audiences will lend a sympathetic ear to a bunch of outcasts who are trying to figure out what it is that people want to hear in this time. This overwhelming dependency on electricity that society has adopted is making it easier for us to play to larger audiences than back in the 1870’s so I do feel we can use that discovery to our advantage. All we really wanna do is find the magic frequency to send us back to our various home times, and so the more audiences we play for, the better chance that magical frequency will be hit. And, we hope the frequency will ring strong with our audiences as well.
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WVRockscene: Seriously though “Undercover New Machine” seems to have been warmly received since its release in early 2011. How cool has the warm reception and the favorable coverage been to you guys?
Thomas: We could not ask for a better local reception. Most of the Hampton Roads publications that mention music at all have featured something about “Undercover New Machine.” Our CD release was extremely well attended, reviews have been stellar, and the CD was nominated for Best CD in the Veer Local Music awards. The support from the local industry is very flattering and encouraging. Our fan base is growing slowly but steadily and all this promotion and support is adding hot fuel to the fire.
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WVRockscene: You operated as a solo performer until recently, between the whole time traveler angle and theme, how if at all has your vision of what Uglyography is and will sound like changed as you’ve moved it into a band?
Thomas: The songwriting process was very much the same for both albums (2005’s “Love Boat” and “Undercover New Machine”). Both albums were recorded on my own before I met my bandmates. But these guys are much, much better guitarists and drummer than I am, so the songs now have a whole new dimension to them, while keeping the same quirky songwriting style that I have settled into.
As far as the time-traveling thing, that has evolved as time has gone on. I suppose the seed for the idea came when I commissioned the UK lowbrow artist Doktor A. to draw up the album cover artwork for “Undercover New Machine.” I had a very specific idea of what I wanted, and had been a big fan of Dok’s steampunk style and his line of toy characters called the Mechtorians. He provided me with a fresh new aesthetic including the parchment paper background, a slick logo, and a general 18th century feeling that has been present on the website and CD case since early 2011. Not until earlier this year did we take it a step further and build ourselves a steampunk banner stand and start wearing 18th century attire to add to the theme. I think we have found our niche and will be keeping it in mind as we move forward. It is impossible to say where this is going, we don’t know ourselves.
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WVRockscene: The lineup, time travelers you guys may be, has just recently changed. How have DJ Blake and Jack Morgan fit into the band since joining late last year?
Thomas: We had the need to replace a former guitarist, and DJ stepped right in and sounded fabulous on his own. About three weeks later, DJ’s friend Jack said he still wanted to try out. My first reaction was that DJ was already set as the guitarist and we would be fine as a three piece since that’s what we had been before the switch. But after hearing Jack play “More than a Miracle” at an unofficial audition, I was sold! The “dueling guitarists” as I like to call them, complement one another perfectly and the sound is really big and full now. And all of my band mates are great guys. And, we all get along and have a great time together, which is probably the most important thing when it comes to making a band successful.
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WVRockscene: Anything cool in 2012 you guys are looking forward to? Shows or recording new stuff?
Thomas: We have a project slated to begin in April. We will be collaborating on a couple of songs with a local hip-hop artist called Shakespeare’s Ghozt. He has performed with us one time so far, rapping his rhymes over top of a couple songs from “Undercover New Machine.” We want to perform with him as much as possible and will be producing new recordings of those songs along with him. We will probably record a few others while we are at it and hopefully release an EP later in 2012. So yeah, good things are on the horizon!
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WVRockscene: You guys are playing seven states in as many days on this tour, is this your first trip to play in these places? Obviously you’ve never played the Glass, hoping to turn some people onto your band in the current time period?
Thomas: This will be our first time at six out of seven of the venues. I played at The Hideaway in Johnson City back in 2009 and really liked the people and atmosphere there. We are looking forward to meeting all you fine modern folks this time around and hopefully return again to see you before too long! That is, if we haven’t hit the magic frequency and traveled back to when we came from.
--- Uglyography plays The Empty Glass Wednesday with Bad Employees and The Belt Notches…
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Local Band Q + A: Uglyography
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By Patty Jenkins
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 24, 2011
Backstage with ... Uglyography
Matt T...By Patty Jenkins
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 24, 2011
Backstage with ... Uglyography
Matt Thomas blames his horrible handwriting and his tendency to look up odd words on the Internet for the name Uglyography. "I came across the word and thought to myself, ‘For anyone that has ever tried to read my handwriting, this would make a good band name,’ " he said.
Uglyography started as a solo project in 2005. Last June, Thomas added guitarist Nate Kofron and drummer Al DiMaggio to the lineup. He plans to add a keyboard player to the mix.
The band recently released "Undercover New Machine" on Steamy Attic Records, its independent label. A song sampling from the 13-track disc can be heard by visiting the band’s website at www.uglyography.com. Thomas, a Web developer for Newport News Public Schools, tags the genre as "quirkadelic rock."
"My Brain" offers up lyrics that encourage listeners to think for themselves. The song got some radio airplay before the CD was completed.
Earlier this month, Uglyography performed a live podcast for the local, Web-based Your Music Show, and has other gigs scheduled through April. "We hope to do a few shows a month locally, then get out of town once a month to branch out," Thomas said.
FROM
Hampton
THEY PLAY
"There’s strong elements of quirkiness in the melody and lyrics. Then there’s also some ’70s psychedelic British rock in the guitar and keyboard work with some pop/punk thrown in as well," said singer/songwriter and bassist Matt Thomas.
SEE THEM
8:30 p.m. Saturday at Goody’s Deli and Pub, 11 Queens Way, Hampton. Free.
WEBSITE
www.uglyography.com
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Groove Advisory: The Latest in Local Music
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Uglyography (who are playing the Muckrakes CD release party next week at Hampton Taphouse) also sent...Uglyography (who are playing the Muckrakes CD release party next week at Hampton Taphouse) also sent me some fresh, new tunes. The album has a DIY ska-meets-the-jambands-I-grew-up-with sound. I don’t know if “Virginia Rock” is a real term, but I use it from time to time. DMB, obviously, but also Carbon Leaf, OAR, VACO, et al. These bands incorporate a laid back, feel good ethos into something more interesting than pop, but not fully jam. Judging by their new album Undercover New Machine, Uglyography are poised to take over the reigns as the next up and coming “Virginia” band in this way. The first song’s a pretty simple ballad. The second and third tracks, “My Brain” and “On the Ground” reminded me of 1990s Phish or Moe. Think sing/talk delivery a la “Guyute” with sweet mid-tempo guitar riffs.
I’m most impressed with the work these Hampton dudes have put into their band. They dub themselves “quirkadelic rock” and judging by the below DIY video for “My Brain,” I totally agree.
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Hampton's Uglyography celebrates CD release with show at American Theatre
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On Saturday, Feb. 19, at Hampton's American Theatre, the local indie-rock band Uglyography will cele...On Saturday, Feb. 19, at Hampton's American Theatre, the local indie-rock band Uglyography will celebrate the release of its second CD, titled "Undercover New Machine."
The free, all-ages show will also include sets by The Asthmatics and Popular Vultures. Showtime is 8 p.m. Listen to a track from "Undercover New Machine" here.
With the concert fast approaching, I asked Uglyography mastermind Matt Thomas a few questions about the evolution of his music.
How do you think your songwriting has changed since your days with The Outer Loop?
The vast majority of time spent with The Outer Loop was geared towards an acousic folk-punk sound. Knowing the established sound and spirit of the band, I would usually try to keep them in mind during the songwriting process and lean towards riffs, chord progressions, and lyrics that would suit the rest of our collection of songs. I tried to keep it fresh but suitable. Since the beginning of Uglyography, all the songwriting and arrangements have been done without any outside influence or input, and there hasn't really been an "established" band sound of Uglyography so to speak. The songwriting canvas has been unlimited as far as instrumentation and textures. That will most likely change now that we are playing as a three-piece and I am recognizing Nate's style of playing and Al's style of drumming.
You used to perform solo. What's it been like re-arranging the "Undercover New Machine" songs for a trio?
I have to give the credit to Nate and Al on the trio arrangements. The album mixing was completed in mid-2010, so I was able to give them a completed copy of the album burned to disc. From there they took the music home and worked very hard to learn the songs like champs. Nate even went so far as to transcribe his guitar parts, and many times he would pick up keyboard solos or riffs from the recording and translate them to guitar. He and Al have both added their own style and flourishes to their parts and they really enhance the live experience to make it their own.
What's your goal for this album? Are you hoping for radio play? Do you hope to tour outside Hampton Roads?
My hope for this album as well as all future and past recordings is that the music will be spread as far and wide as it possibly can be, and that someone somewhere will find that the music helps them in some way in their life (as many albums have helped me get through tough times). If someone puts in my CD (or plays it on iTunes etc) while thinking "man, this would make me feel good right now" then my goal is met.
I am not delusional about "making it" in the music business, especially in its current state. I don't have hopes of quitting my day job. I do want to play the music out with a band as much as I can - what better time than now?
Radio play would be fantastic! I know that Paul Shugrue has played it on Out Of The Box at least once, and the weekly podcast YourMusicShow has really been supportive and plays the disc regularly. I'm targeting college stations because I know there is a great amount of politics involved in commercial airplay and I'd rather not complicate things at this point, so I'm not pursuing it, but I wouldn't turn it down either!
As a band, we are currently working on booking out of town and have all agreed to do a regional two week tour this summer.
Is Hampton Roads getting any more friendly for bands that play original music?
This is a tough one for me. It has been about two years since I played out solo with Uglyography, and at that time the Hampton Roads scene stunk. Badly. There have always been a handful of venues that cater to original music, but only a couple that are long-standing (Props to the Taphouse in Ghent!) It seems that most times a venue here really starts kicking it with original bands, they roll for a little while and then collapse or stop having music.
I have no ill-feelings towards cover bands, and I can understand that business owners have to make money. Cover bands have been the vehicle for that in this area and it is about as certain as death and taxes. That being said it is always great to see a venue trying out local original music. I believe there is some amount of extra buzz going for the scene in the past year with so many great bands playing regularly. The challenge is not so much with the venue owners as much as it is to keep the buzz going and growing with the audience and listeners. There are many plans from many people in the works to try and kickstart our scene, but to do that we will need for listeners, audiences, and fans to come out and prove to venues that money can be made just as well from original music as from cover bands.
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Review of Undercover New Machine from "The Biggest Letdown"
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Uglyography pops with the enthusiasm that one would expect when listening to a good CD. UNDERCOVER N...Uglyography pops with the enthusiasm that one would expect when listening to a good CD. UNDERCOVER NEW MACHINE is a damn good album. It's enjoyable from beginning to end - there's no doubt about it.
Whenever a new and completely unknown artist's album shows up on my desk, I immediately have two thoughts run through my head:
1.) What is a Compact Disc?
2.) If I listen to this album, am I going to like it, or just lie to everyone?
Well, I'm happy to announce that I've learned what a compact disc is (thank you, DICTIONARY.COM), and I really do like this album.
Some songs of interest to mention here are The Sound I Need, The Chipsters, I Wanna be the One, and Undercover New Machine. Uglyography has a lot of potential. This is the type of band that will gather a lot of fans with their live performances (they're touring this year). If you get a chance, please make sure you go and see them. I think you'll like what you hear.
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New rock from Hampton's Uglyography
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Uglyography is a rock band that springs from the unusual brain of Matt Thomas. The Hampton resident,...Uglyography is a rock band that springs from the unusual brain of Matt Thomas. The Hampton resident, formerly bassist and singer with the acoustic trio The Outer Loop, writes rock tunes that are full of lyrical smarts and left-of-center hooks.
Uglyography released its second album, "Undercover New Machine," this week and it's an impressive collection of tunes, many of which feature Thomas' quirky melodic sense.
This song from the new album ups the quirk factor to 11. Thomas told me that working in I.T. for Newport News City Schools got him to thinking about the connection between the world of technology, where a computer or gadget can become obsolete almost instantly, with the world of indie rock.
"I wanted to compare the two ideas and it came out in a very silly way," Thomas said. The name "Chipsters" is a play on hipsters. "I see a pattern with indie bands that come out with a first record and they're really hot, but then they put out a second or third and nobody cares, they're yesterday's news."
So here's a free sample of the work of Uglyography. Enjoy.
("The Chipsters" by Uglyography)
Uglyography will be celebrating the album's release with a free show 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at The American Theatre in Hampton. Fellow Hampton bands Popular Vultures and The Asthmatics will open the show.
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New local rock albums from Uglyography, Muckrakes now in circulation
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Two rock bands with close ties to the Peninsula have released albums in early 2011, even though the ...Two rock bands with close ties to the Peninsula have released albums in early 2011, even though the full, official hoopla surrounding the albums won't come until later.
First off, Uglyography releases its second album "Undercover New Machine" on Tuesday, Jan. 11. It's a smart, tuneful -- and occasionally experimental -- collection from Hampton resident Matt Thomas (not to be confused with local finger-style, acoustic guitarist Matt Thomas).
On the record, Uglyography is a one-man show, with Thomas writing the songs, playing all the instruments and doing the bulk of the singing. Those who remember Thomas' acoustic rock trio The Outer Loop from years ago will be surprised at how much the musician's writing and recording have grown. His sense of melody remains strong but his sonic scope has widened to include more keyboards and influences far beyond his roots in punk.
While the recordings features Thomas essentially solo, Uglyography live includes Thomas backed by guitarist Nate Kofron and drummer Al DiMaggio.
("My Brain" Video)
Secondly, The Muckrakes, one of the area's top alt-country bands, returns with an album that shows a group starting to stretch beyond its roots. "Grandiphonia" mostly documents a sound that the band has pushed beyond. That's because of personnel changes and natural creative evolution have taken place since many of the tracks were recorded.
Regardless, "Grandiphonia" is a satisfying listening. It is full of fiddles, banjos and is beautifully laden with a glowing rock 'n' roll heart.
The Muckrakes' bandcamp page reports the disc's release date as Jan. 22, but it's available as an $8 download right now.
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Official Press Release for Undercover New Machine
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Uglyography brings Quirkadelic sophomore album to the Mid-Atlantic.
Ham...FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Uglyography brings Quirkadelic sophomore album to the Mid-Atlantic.
Hampton, Virginia, USA - January 11, 2011 - After several years of performing solo and touring the region with a CD-R serving as a backup band, Uglyography is now being reborn in Hampton, VA with a full band outfit and a sophomore album. The new disc, Underover New Machine was released on January 11, 2011 on the band's own Steamy Attic Records. The group began making appearances in September 2010 in Hampton Roads and will be celebrating with a CD release show on February 19, 2011 at The American Theatre in Hampton.
Undercover New Machine is a collection of 13 compositions from frontman and bassist Matt Thomas (formerly of The Outer Loop and Lord Bowler). The album blends early punk rock energy and ideas (Descendents, Minutemen) with quirky catchy melodies (ala They Might Be Giants, Ween). The diverse musical blend mixed with rock-opera style lyrics define the essense of the Quirkadelic genre that Uglyography creates.
Guitarist Nate Kofron and drummer Al DiMaggio round out Uglyography's energy driven live ensemble. They are planning extensive regional touring for 2011. Keep abreast of the band's latest ventures at www.uglyography.com and www.steamyatticrecords.com.
Contact:
Matthew Thomas
matt@steamyatticrecords.com
3203 Matoaka Rd.
Hampton, VA 23661
United States
Ph: 757-723-6080
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