Adrian H and The Wounds

Dear boys and girls. Let me tell you a story. It will carry you away from the present and throw you into the depth of dark and gloomy London nights, somewhere around 18th or 19th centuries. Those days were full of strange, even horrible deeds. People try to forget the bloody past, all the sorrow
and atrocity that filled the hearts of the ordinary men and woman. Even a short way back home in the night could become the worst experience ever. Turn around, always stay wide awake; be careful, because the eyes of the ambushing terror are aiming on you. You roll yourself into the long coat, trying to dispose of terrible goosebumps which freeze you into the depth of your miserable heart. Nothing can help you when the creeping death follows your steps trying to hunt you down, seeking to suck the brain out of your bones.

You start to run the slippery pavement, desperately trying to find even the smallest light in the end of the dark lightless street, but nothing is around and nobody will help you. But stop, what is that. Isn't it a crowded pub there in front of you? And yes, finally, the salvage is so close. You run your last breath down and break into that last beckoning hope. Oh dear Lord, you are safe now! All the people around, the warmth of the fireplace and a good pint of a foamy beer. You look around and recognize the scene in the corner of the hall with a band on it. And surely, that is exactly what
you need in order to dive into the atmosphere of the creepy chilling fogy night. The expressive voice of Adrian H guides your every new coming sip as it flows into your stomach. Both passion and strength are woven together in that special voice to bring the relaxation to your heart squeezed with horror. Your mind already filled with alcohol start to drift into the theatrical show casted by the total fusion of styles from the wide ballads and to the crazy cabaret driven songs. Piano and sax layers are mixed together to bring the delight into the suffering soul, erasing the borders between music and poetry. But the deeper you dive into the show, you start to realize that the faces around are nothing more than masks which hide the terror nature of surrounding zombie party, where you are nothing more than the main course and final bloody entertainment. Nowhere to run anymore, eat your "Cookies and Cocaine" and just dance to the rhythms of murder while the last thing that you will hear today and for eternity is the sound of the gentle but cruel voice of Adrian H and his devoted Wounds.
- reviewed by: Brutal Resonance Magazine

"Winner of the I Wear Kurt Weill’s Old Pants award goes to Adrian H & The Wounds and the pukily pulsating ‘Bad Man’ with sleazy brass investing the sprawl of traipsing drums and rheumatic keys, as the hoary vocal presence unleashes a magnificent burst of story-telling. Marlene Dietrich with a beard, that type of image." - mickmercer.com

There are so many weak songs on the radio that have been pasted over with throw-down beats and jigsaw synthesizers.
It's as if some slick studio wizard thought he could distract you, overload you and outright dupe you into liking those songs.
That's technology. Historically, advances in gadgetry-the introduction of electric guitars, turntables, you name it-have opened
up musical possibilities. But on the flipside, they've given grinds a means to exploit ADD-challenged attention spans and cover
up the shortcomings.
A lot of end-of-the-year critical buzz was devoted to bands that jettisoned this trend and resurrected the raw power of garage
noise past. Adrian H. has bucked the gizmo game, too, but in a different way. Adrian H. is a veteran.
He has ventured deep into the jungle. He has hacked his way through distortion and mixing sessions, and he has emerged
with a personal appreciation for the clean,
austere potential of his own piano. Not that he has snuggled up to the campfire blandness of folk.
Nor has he rejected the doomsday heaviness of his roots. He has found a niche for himself, a knack for honing in on the purity of small arrangements.
After years in the Southwest music scene, Adrian H. relocated to Portland Or. from Austin Tx. to write dark modern songs on instruments usually slapped with a classical label.
In light of what he is now doing, Adrian H. cites as influences lost lounge parlor souls like Tom Waits and Nick Cave.
On a casual listen, his work is as if Brian Eno, instead of writing soundtracks to imaginary films, set himself to producing morbid lullabies
- Caller Times

His self titled debut with the Wounds features fairytale murders (on the very first track), dirty sex ("Cookies and Cocaine"), molestation ("Smoke") and, frequently shattered love. To say the stories in these eleven tracks are dark and strange doesn't begin to cover it. They're gutter-beautiful, all the more sexy for their seaminess. These tales are filled with impilied people, "she" smells like smoke, "she" likes cookies and cocaine, "he" lived in a stump with a family of ticks, "he" has a sin to tell. Victims? or the Villians? It's clear that every one is a little of each.

Remember when parents warned kids about the evils and temptations of Rock'n'Roll?
They were talking about bands like Adrian H and the Wounds.

But these aren't just recollections of deeds themselves, there are also those post-coital late evening/very early morning moments of contemplation, need and regret. Songs like "I Only Smile to You" remind you why people start doomed relationships, why they drink even though they know the hangover is inevitable. Of couse ditties like "My House" and "She Won't Leave Me Alone" warn you of the dangers of love and loss... the dangers that often lead to the crimes chronicled in other songs. It's wicked, cyclical trap that we (you, me, the narrator) seem cursed to repeat.

Adrian's voice is perfect for conveying his twisted tales, he has that grave-digger rasp familiar to fans of Tom Waits but with more of a sleazey snarl. He's like the sketchy uncle you don't invite to family dinners anymore because he just doesn't get that somethings are *just not* discussed or DONE at the table.

He's also a hell of a piano player. He knows when to attack with it, catching you off guard or bursting forth with a rollicking barrage that pulls you along with it. He also knows when to pull back or be laid back. He can lull as well as rock. He can be a balladeer or a bally, bluesy bastard.

The rest of the band compliments him well. The bass echoes the dread of Adrian's voice, and drummer Broken Heart knows when to fill, when to accent and when to lead the way. He knows his way around a kit and also knows that the best drummers are those who draw you in, not beat you down. I love the occasional inclusion of the saxophone parts, it gives the music a broken jazz feel that somehow completes it.

The end result is like the Doors recording a new-wave album after making out with Nick Cave and Shriekback. Catchy, creepy and great.

- Sepiachord - 4/24/09

Adrian H. and The Wounds out of Portland, Oregon positively hypnotized us. Too tall for his keyboards, Adrian H. takes a wide stance and plays that thing like he riding a Harley, crouching and swaying back and forth as he takes the road playing with a nervous fury that is frightening. Backed by Broken Heart on the drum and Shiggy on bass, we were smitten from the kick-start.

Mr. H as a gravelly deep voice that whispers somewhere between Tom Waits and Lux Interior (R.I.P.) and he looks a lot like the late Goth God too. Magnetic like the North Pole. Songs were wonderful. Chanted simple lines repeated endlessly with a classically influenced cacophonous accompaniment that is part Procol Harum and part Depeche Mode.

We loved “Straight Leg With a Crooked Stick” and “She Won’t Leave Me Alone.” The highly infectious “She Smells Like Smoke” is our new favorite song. Hands down, no contest, jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch crazy. I love this band! - Sugarbuzz Magazine - Sugarbuzz Magazine

Take the sound of a man who drinks too much whiskey and smokes too many cigarettes. Make him sing/talk a little like Nick Cave, and give him a band that has a lounge lizard sound and feel like the soundtrack to Corpse Bride. Give them lyrics that are dark, a little morbid, and twistedly sexy. Have all the hallmarks of good gothic lyricism, like the aforementioned cigarettes, as well as sex, death, and love. Throw in murder, old men, and drugs, and you've got a perfect blend.

Adrian H's whiskey and cigarette voice is never loud, and really kind of stays in the same key through the whole album. If this were any other genre, it would not work at all. But this is goth rock, and for some reason only goths and Bob Dylan can have the same vocal delivery for an entire album. His piano work is wonderful, helping to give the music a sound and feel that would fit well in a dark gin joint with pool tables and drunk cougers looking for a fuck.
Broken Heart's drums are never hurried, never rushed, and always on time. A nice laid back feel with wonderful tones. The opening to "Cookies and Cocaine" is just captivating. I could just listen to that first ten seconds over and over.

This album is cohesive as a whole, and the songs can be listened to individually, too. There's no filler here, it's all thought out and well done. Not only is it something that can be listened to, actively engaging you with it, but this album is also perfect for a background sound too. I made supper to it last night, talking with the wife. Who, incidentally, also loved the CD. We actually both agree on all the points with this disc, and I can say for both myself and my wife, Adrian H and the Wounds' self-titled disc gets an eight out of ten. Super standout tracks for me are "Cookies and Cocaine", "Smoke", and "She Won't Leave Me Alone (The Bug Song)".
I'd recommend this disc to fans of Bauhaus, Joy Division, the Cure, and modern goths 13th Sky. I'd also recommend it to fans of Danny Elfman and Tim Burton's films. -Funeral Rain Zine - Funeral Rain Zine

"...finely crafted dark piano songs." - Music Director/KPSU/Portland,Or

"original songwriting, ...poignant lyrics." - PDX Magazine

"...creepy, lush music with intelligent lyrics. A thinking man's troubadour. If you see this guy live be prepared to cry in your beer!" - Northwest Music Experience

As soon as Portland’s Adrian H. strikes the first piano key on Adrian H and the Wounds’ self-titled debut, you know what you’re getting yourself into. Haunting pianos played in 3/4 time create a waltzlike sound that could very well be mistaken for the soundtrack of an old-school horror flick. Adrian’s voice sounds like Tom Waits with a Transylvanian accent and his lyrics read like horror stories. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think of Jason Segel’s Dracula rock opera in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The album is piano-driven, with the faint sounds of bass and drums humming morosely in the background. And it’s a concept album—the concept being an overwhelming sense of loneliness, confusion and eeriness that would make Bram Stoker (or Jason Segel) proud. KATRINA NATTRESS. - - The Willamette Week

For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2009

THE CRYSTAL BALLROOM TO HOST THE RELEASE OF THE NEW HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SELF-TITLED CD BY
ADRIAN H AND THE WOUNDS

(Portland,OR) Adrian H and The Wounds (www.adrianhandthewounds.com) will be releasing their new self-titled CD on February 7, 2009 with a CD release party at Lola’s Room inside The Crystal Ballroom. After spending most of 2008 on the road headlining festivals and playing support for such acts as The Sisters of Mercy and Dax Riggs, Adrian H and The Wounds recently completed recording their debut self-titled CD.

Hailing from the Texas music scene of Dallas and Austin, Adrian H moved to the Northwest and has garnered a reputation for his soulful, raspy voice and his dark inspired lyrics. Adrian H and The Wounds have a sound that is dark and hypnotic while evoking themes of love, faith and loss.

The post-goth, dark-glam style is highly influenced by acts as varied as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and Tom Waits. This band is known not as musicians who simply pay homage to the likes of these influences, they are musical innovators who push beyond just influence. “We cut to the core and make no apologies like a good Charles Bukowski story,” remarked Adrian H.

“Though Adrian H & The Wounds definitely channel the aforementioned greats, their work remains original and wholly unique.” - Hitt Music Group

Adrian H and The Wounds write dark modern songs with a strong classical and jazz background. The band has received a significant amount of press and positive reviews for a band yet to release a CD. This is due to a furious touring schedule and dedication to live performance, “Only in a live situation can a band such as ours experiment with different, arrangements and instruments. The Wounds never play a song the same twice”, said Adrian H.

“On a casual listen, his work is as if Brian Eno, instead of writing soundtracks to imaginary films, set himself to producing morbid lullabies.” - The Caller Times

“Imagine Boris Karloff singing dark lullabies in your ear as you sleep; there you have Adrian H and The Wounds” – Kevin Nettleingham/Nettleingham Audio

“Adrian H and The Wounds sound like the bastard sons of Nick Cave and Tom Waits”
- Robert Bartleson/Haywire Studios

After the release, the band plans to continue touring at a vigorous pace throughout 2009. “We will be shooting a video, releasing a remix CD with one track to be featured on an upcoming film and touring the west coast this summer with a few festival dates in between,” -Adrian H. For more information, images, interviews or other needs contact Jana Saul at (503) 887-1301 or email her at adrianhandthewounds@gmail.com.

-30-

- McMenamins The Crystal Ballroom

Led by a crisp digital piano and a growl that splits the difference between Tom Waits and Cookie Monster, Adrian H and the Wounds' hand-wringing music is claustrophobically melodramatic. There's something cartoonishly gothic about Adrian's songs, like Nick Cave playing the role of Max Schreck in a Broadway musical directed by Tim Burton. It's the ideal soundtrack for reciting Poe and agonizing over which tattoo will piss off Daddy the most. Adrian H and the Wounds celebrate the release of their self-titled CD tonight, and lyrics like, "She likes cookies and cocaine, she likes blowjobs in the rain" indicate the mixture of sweet and skeevy contained therein. NL - The Portland Mercury