Heston Rifle

Those who fruitlessly stood in line outside the Horseshoe on Saturday missed what may have been the best of the fest
a few doors down. New York's Heston Rifle may fit squarely in the post-rock pigeonhole, but condense all the tactics
and drama of godspeed and Mogwai into combustible five-minute segments. Disquieting passages powered by tense
percussion and eerie violin served as prologues to titanic noise eruptions, growing increasingly psychopathic as the
set continued. Later, math-rock complexities were leveled by an avalanche of sound and then incorporated into the
cacophony as the poor violin player was careful to avoid the spasming bodies onstage. The blood splattered on the
bassist's pickups from raking the strings so hard was ample if unnecessary evidence that these guys fucking rocked.


- *****EYE Magazine, Ryan Watson

When a friend told me that there were some good bands coming out of Queens, I was a bit skeptical. For as much as
she’d deride me for my Jersey heritage–Bon Jovi, Bruce, et fucking al.–what could Queens offer? I imagined a stage
full of hotpants and haircuts and goofy guitars shaped like half of the Van Halen logo. Turns out Queens does have
some decent musicians playing around, everything from good, solid sons of Westerberg to several lively grind-core
bands, even a Lou Barlow type popping up every once in a while.

Earlier this year, at Brownies. Heston Rifle followed John Vanderslice and blew the Seattle wonderkids off the
stage. Hopefully some of the people who had come to see the pretty-boy and his guitar stuck around to enjoy some
music with more guts. Heston Rifle is a five-piece: two guitars, bass, drums, violin–Bill Oxios, Brian Gallagher,
Jerry Chierchio, Erik D. and Vicki Pilato, respectively. They’re a noisy band, but their noise is not accidental.
It’s not discord to disguise lack of talent. They’re not avant-garde just because they’re really musical fuckwits.
They’re not avant-garde at all, actually, though they’ve inherited plenty from that tradition. They don’t plod along
like an academic noise band. Heston Rifle is a grinding and scraping power, more juggernaut than monolith. They are
not the children of math rock, but rather cousins seeded from the same grandfather’s sac and taken to an entirely
different level. Everyone can and does recite the Slint mantra, but Heston Rifle is more Bastro than Slint, and then
more Bitch Magnet than Bastro, and somewhere in there, more Missing Foundation than Bitch Magnet. Maybe all of those
guys, but with a little bit more rhythm, a little more step in their stride. They zip along at a nice pace while the
thunder crashes down around them.

That violin gets me, suggests a soundtrack to a movie made by a psychotic unaware of his own psychosis. Pilato
creates an audio motif, sometimes from just a few simple notes, and stitches everything together in a somber manner
that’s often in contrast to the surrounding whirlwind. She provides a solidity, a concreteness to the noise. And
then the scraping bass, blown out, hypnotizing and jarring. Chierchio plays as if he’s in a hardcore band–not so
much for the pace, but in that his bass is not subservient to the guitars. The drums pound away, Erik D. somehow
pulling a unique sound from the same old drum kit. But it’s the contradiction between the two guitars that
constitutes the core of the band’s sound. Gallagher stands tall, generally in place, concentrating on controlling
the strings, while Oxios, crouched a bit, bops wild, his hands ultimately a blur. That’s not to discount the
contributions of the other three pieces. Without the full ensemble, you’d be watching two men playing with their
amps and pedals.

Heston Rifle’s greatest strength is the ability to build tension. They’ve got some jazz tucked away in that noise:
the music isn’t as linear as one first assumes. Many of the songs are cast out slowly, methodically, and then
eventually loop back around to catch you like baitfish in a seine. Your guard was down, and when you least expected
it, the power’s been switched on and your nerves take a beating.The band has a 30-minute, four-song EP entitled
20Strings, released on their own record label. They have a split coming with the Feud, and they’re currently working
on a full-length album. The difference between the recorded band and the live band is significant, but not so much
that familiarity with one jeopardizes enjoyment of the other. Both have the same energy and the same powerful
presence, but the EP features more vocals and more samples.Live, they don’t employ vocals very much, which is fine,
as they’re plenty strong to hold the room without them, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard them use a single sample
onstage. With the power and precision of the live show, one imagines that vocals and samples would be a distraction.
On the EP, they’re fine: a bit distorted, fuzzboxed, fine.

- nypress, Jeff Koyen

While in the middle of listening to/reviewing this disc, I crossed paths with a quickie blurb review of 20 Strings
in a decently well-known print publication, and I heartily disagreed with the reviewer's assessment of Heston Rifle
as "moody and jangly math rock with violin." Obviously, the moody violin part is dead on, but with the exception of
a few short segments in the 9 ½ minute "Quad," I can't find a whole lot here that would classify this entire
30-minute EP as 'math-y'.

Still, I'd imagine that 20 Strings is a pretty decent equivalent to what early Don Caballero garage practices would
have sounded like with a violin player, and I mean that in a very, very good way. Heston Rifle does a nice job of
mixing up the song pieces here, which is cool.The music does have an 'emo' tendency to go from throbbing to
beautiful and back again, but the way the band does it keeps it from seeming formulaic, I guess. The quiet, more
lulling song fragments seem to be 'led' by the violin, as if the other noises only exist to support its sound.
However, quick as a finger snap, songs turn around into bass-and-guitar driven pieces, with the violin easily
shifting from centerpiece to being a quiet flourish (or in some cases, being completely non-existent). Take "Black
Box," for example: the song trolls along on a sad violin piece lifted by an 'active' bassline before switching to a
guitar bent worthy of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" in seconds flat. Best of all is the fact that this 'switching'
doesn't create nearly as jarring an effect as I would have expected it to.

"Burning Copper" is a much more 'standard' indie composition, complete with a violin drone that pushes the driving
bass and fuzzed urgency of the guitars more than the angsty vocals alone would have. In the context of the other
material, this track stands out as an almost frenzied listen, creating a nice segue into the brief-math/lotsa-emo/
violin-and-seaweed-chanty "Quad," which is about the most schizophrenic track on the album (just trust me on the
seaweed chanty part). Still, the most outstanding track on the release is the live version of "Mike Found God,"
which manages to successfully mash the elements of the three previous tracks into one very intense listening
experience. I guess it's fitting that I reviewed 20 Strings this week, as the vocals to "Mike" alternately scream,
"FOURTEEN! TWELVE!" over and over again. Little League World Series, anyone?

'Instrumental' isn't quite the term for Heston Rifle. There are vocals - some are recorded tape loops (i.e. Godspeed
You Black Emperor!), while most of the others are so intentionally low in the mix that they really only matter when
someone is screaming. Still, the effect here is pretty breathtaking. Heston Rifle has put together a damned
impressive half-hour package in 20 Strings. If this band ever does a full-length disc, it should be mind-blowing.
Extraordinarily recommended.
- Delusions Of Adequacy

This new five piece noise rock band from New York is about to create a scene. Not the scene you would see at a party
where a boy is confronted by his ex-girlfriend but the kind of scene you see where other indie labels will be trying
to scoop up this band. There are some down moments on 20Strings but for the most part Heston Rifle is a band that
has lived and learned from other bands such as Shellac and Paul Newman. Having done this, the band is in good shape
for its full length album, which is to be expected later this year. Heston Rifle is the kind of band that likes to
sneak up on you and tear your head off. Take the third track entitled simply “Quad” where it has some old Irish guy
ranting in the background and the band slowly comes in and then they kick it hard. This is the point you have lost
your head. They occasionally have vocals but rarely do they actually need them. They are a powerful band and the
thing that makes them unique is the fact that they have a violinist in the band. I see a
bright future for Heston Rifle.
- Muscicemmisions.com, Dennis Scanland

As precursors to indie "stardom" go, 20Strings is extremely promising. Utilizing ethereal violin workings, wild drum
thrashings and feedback galore, Heston Rifle brings art noise to a strange and pleasantly unique level. There are
occasional vocals scattered through the four tracks, but they're almost unnoticeable, as you'll be far more fascinate
d with the avant garde instrumental oddities flooding your ears. "Mike Found God", a live track, is perhaps
the most impressive; the fact that their live performances achieve the same "large" sound as their studio work is
quite a feat, and a definite incentive to catch a Heston Rifle show if they meander into your area. A full-length is
scheduled for the fall, but until then you can prepare yourself by picking up 20Strings.

- Splendidezine:al

Three dogs are wandering the backyard unchained at Heston Rifle’s Annual White Trash Memorial Day Barbecue. Food is
being thrown around, and there is dancing and drunken debauchery at every turn. "The neighbors have signed a petition
to try and get us out of here," says the band’s bassist, Jerry Chierchio. One look around at the dismantled yard and
it’s easy to see why: There is broken glass, strewn lawn furniture, and burnt ears of corn on the ground. The party
lives up to its title in every way.

The chaos present here at the Wantagh house where three of the band’s members reside is representative of their
instrumental, experimental post-rock. While Heston’s members claim tobe influenced by everything from old Genesis to
Godspeed You Black Emperor!, their music resembles their influences only fleetingly. What they have produced instead
is a unique sound,a new branch on the evolving rock ‘n’ roll tree.

Heston Rifle was formed six years ago when Erick D., Jerry Chierchio and Bill Oxios first started playing together.
These three provided a constant axis around which an ever-changing roster would rotate during the band’s early years.
While they were trying to locate the right supporting cast, they were also trying to find their sound: The band felt
their instrumental music was too choppy and hollow. They needed a voice.

It was two years later, when Vicki Pilato joined the band, that the sound of Heston Rifle really began to materialize.
Her violin formed a concrete structure in the midst of the band’s intermittent thunder, a steady foundation from which
other melodies could leave or return.In effect, her violin became the voice of the band. "When you play shit like
this, you don’t need a singer," concludes Chierchio. When Brian Gallagher added his guitar and sound-effects skills
to the mix, the modern day Heston Rifle was formed.Since then, the band has taken their rough, haunting music all over
the northeastern seaboard, playing with great success in both the United States and Canada. Their live show has met
with favorable reviews, and their debut CD, 20 Strings (released through their own Inner-Flight label), has a
professional level of spit and polish.

Heston Rifle has been very active in the independent music community, working with a group of bands that have offered
support for one another. In the band’s infancy, such groups as Helen of Troy and Desperosity helped them find gigs.
Now, the band aids other fledgling groups in the same way, joining in cooperative ventures that benefit all involved.
Their most recent collaborative effort is a joint CD with The Feud, which is tentatively expected to come out on July
9th.With such talented people onboard, Heston Rifle has continued to prosper. But while their music evolves into
something unique and otherworldly, their ambitions remain rooted close to the ground. "All we want," says Gallagher,
"is to have our own place and record what we want." They seem to be there already … even though the neighbors might
not be too happy about it.



- The New Island Ear