the daily afflictions

Review - "Dive on In" by Mark Donahue

Our story begins in Crested Butte, 2005, when itinerant salesman and deep thinker Timothy Ott met sound scientist/rocket man Khurrum Ansari through a mutual friend. Drinking and discussion led to the rapid realization that the two music obsessives’ very different paths must soon join. It wasn’t that they shared matching influences or similar backgrounds, far from it. The two guitarists and songwriters found rather that their disparate tastes when combined somehow created something much greater than either could muster on their own. Ott’s bread-and-butter classic rock instincts (think Neil Young, Dylan, the Doors) were galvanized by Ansari’s insatiable taste for the experimental and transgressive (Sonic Youth, Velvets, Joy Division). Of course, they did and do have a few shared touchpoints – all artists with a singular, unique, unmistakable vision. The Fab Four, it goes without saying, but also the inspirationally genre-defying Ween and the late, great Tim Buckley, to whom Dive On In pays tribute with a revival of Buckley’s own interpretation of the doo-wop standard “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses.”

Fast-forward a year and change. Now living in a dimly lit apartment in Boulder where Ansari’s arsenal of instruments, amplifiers, effects, and recording equipment threatens to leave no room for human occupants, the duo begins work on the record that will eventually become Dive On In. Most of the songs are written in intense collaboration, in some cases with the pair actually exchanging lyrics line by line. The Berklee-trained Alex Venetucci arrives and is immediately an integral part of the project with his musical, tasteful work on drumkit and congas. A three-song EP, Pre-emptive, gets circulated among friends. In the 2006 Conor O’Neil’s Spring Fox Theater Challenge, the band places second (to Gregory Alan Isakov). Recording continues.

Finally, in the spring of 2007, things start to get really interesting. Looking for a fourth member as passionate as they are about their music, Ansari and Ott place a Westword ad for a bass player. Western Homes, a local veteran sideman of bands like Subcity Six and teamAWESOME! (and an accomplished songwriter in his own right), sees the ad, listens to the few songs the incipient Afflictions have up on their MySpace page, and is completely blown away. Homes is the first and only person to audition; finally, the Daily Afflictions are complete. The band plays its first show as a four-piece at Boulder’s Lazy Dog Saloon and then debuts in Denver to an audience more than a hundred strong at Cervantes. Not wishing to lose any time or momentum, the band rushes to Immersive Studios in Boulder where they record three tracks in one day with Storytyme’s Tony Lewis manning the boards. Finally, an album three years in the making is complete.

Was it worth the wait? Listeners will have to judge for themselves, but it’s hard to think of a more auspicious debut album from a Boulder band in recent memory. From the softly swaying, jazz-tinged travelogue of “Beaches of Brasil” to the hard-rock crunch of “Trigger Happy,” Dive On In is almost impossibly musically diverse, yet all of the songs are tied together by the wit and warmth of Ott’s vocals. “Magic Potion” is a stunning tribute to Ansari’s musical vision and engineering skill, with layer upon layer of psychedelic effects enhancing rather than detracting from the straightforward acoustic base shared by many of the tunes on Dive On In. The Homes/Venetucci rhythm section shines on the miles-deep groove of “Radio Joe,” a reggae protest song (of all things). And listen closely to the whole group’s performance on “Sally Go Round,” as Ott wrings every last inch of desperation and despair from the lyrics, an unhinged Homes growls backing vocals, and Ansari and Venetucci artfully underplay the rhythm.

The Daily Afflictions are deep, man, miles deep, but the water is warm and inviting. Dive on in.






A brief summary of reviews we've received on our EPK from who knows where. We keep getting mentioned w/ a Doors vibe, which we find interesting and odd. Sheepish delight. Smiles… :

wow guys, so many differents types of music in one tune....f-ing great. A little doors, radiohead, floyd and jazz all mixed in one, real nice to hear something different.
- Toronto, Canada

"Lady behind the glass"
Very special combination of chords. Jazzy! Good recording. Good sound too.
There are some messy parts with a lot of noise in them but that’s how it’s suppose to be I guess. I liked the vox.. Good singer, nice voice and it’s sitting fine in mix.
Very good.
- Bosnia, Europe (edit: Wow, Bosnia!)


Hi
I am really liking your sound. So many different genres going on. Very cool and different.

:)
-US


Do you guys listen to a lot of the Doors? This first song, leaving the odd effects aside, reminds me of the Doors a great deal.
-LA, Cali

blind_sublime, Nice vocals and production.
-UK

very high quality stuff...keep on truckin!!!! (uhhh....recording...)
-Waterton, MA

Just bought Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits, I'm really diggin' the 2nd tune on your EPK, Stanley Volume 1. I've been trying to pick up better finger picking skills very cool stuff. Ya, your shit is kinda all over the board! I hear Pearl Jam influence??????Some people get offended by that cause of Eddie Veggers RRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrring but I dig that band a lot and the 1st and last tune kinda remind me of some of their stuff. Minus the Rrrrrrrrrrrring. Good ol rock n roll. I dig it. Maybe we can hook up a Canadian USA switch. Our summer is booked up but I'm sure we can work something if not this summer soon enough. Keep rocking!
-Toronto, CA

Thanks for listening and for the comments. I just listened to your first track and I like it too. Love the brushes on the kit and the trippy outro. I hear some Doors influence. Keep up the good work!
-San Fransisco, Cali
- World Wide Weirdos