Motorama

In the spirit of the New Year I have attempted to branch out a little and try new things. Judging by the lukewarm reception, SkyTrain passengers are not quite ready for my one-woman dance theatre, so on Friday, January 10th I decided to give up on that dream and try two other things I had never done. I went to a Canucks game and a Motorama show. They were both really loud and full of drunks, but other than that there were few similarities.

For one thing, at the Motorama show the majority of the noise wasn’t actually coming from the drunks. Sadly, this was not the case at the Canucks game. I do believe, however, that given the opportunity (say, in an old-fashioned noise-off), Motorama could shut down even the loudest of hockey hooligans. Decibel levels at the Pic may not have reached clichéd “bone-crushing” status, but they certainly carried enough brute force to separate a shoulder or two. Motorama, the Todd Bertuzzis of Vancouver rock and roll.

Taking the stage first, followed by Aging Youth Gang and The Walker Band, Motorama assaulted the crowd with their tightly executed noise rock. I can only assume that the comparisons I had heard to Shellac (the indie rock version of Dreamworks, featuring heavy hitters Albini, Weston, and Trainer) and veterans the Jesus Lizard were appropriate, as I foolishly positioned myself in the well-endowed speakers’ direct line of fire. These boys definitely have it turned up to 11. Possibly 12, I didn’t get close enough to check. I believe there were vocals of some sort, based on the fact that Marcus Lander’s lips appeared to be moving, but even if I could have heard them I don’t think that the lyrics were really the point. This is great music to experience live. Heavy, fast, and loud, it bursts at the seams with energy and intensity. I may never catch myself humming it in the shower, but after a hockey game and a few drinks it was right on schedule for a Friday night.

If there are factors that prevent you from attending your own Motorama show (work, laziness, agoraphobia), you mustn’t fret. The good people at <www.motorama.net> have got you covered. For a few measly dollars you can order a copy of the Motorama CD Rocket Powder, and whamo! you’ve got all you need to inject a little fuel into your Friday nights at home. I recommend that you start slowly, gradually increasing the volume over time. It is also a good idea to have an accredited rock star on hand; there is a reason these things are usually handled by professionals.

- By Amanda Aikman

"Rock Fight With Dracula", "Bottom Feeder Brawl", "Strange Nausea"--the song titles give accurate hints of what to expect from Motorama's debut, Rocket Powder. Delivering buckets of noise with the subtlety of a road-repair crew is this quartet's goal, and to that end the bass rumbles like a train and squats like an unwanted houseguest while the drums clatter and bang and metalic guitars hammer out riffs with the single minded intensity of Fugazi and the Jesus Lizard.
That's not to say there are no quiet moments; "Trip a Lot" pauses a couple of times for a naked guitar riff, for instance. But for the most part tracks have been edited down to their heaviest, densest form. And the vocals, when there are any, are guttural and buried. Trying to figure out the words to "Just a Little Dose" or "Surdel" is pointless; rather, listeners will want to crank this up when they're at their most antisocial. I listened to Rocket Powder soon after attending the Britney Spears concert, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

- Shawn Conner, The Georgia Straight

A multi-faceted 3-piece, meshing powerful guitar/bass and unique rolling drums. Dynamic vocal changes go from laid back Texan-influenced drawls to emotive screams of frustration. Their recording, despite its lofty melodic moments, is consistently as abrasive as the West Hastings alley jamspace they call home.
- the Music Waste Show Guide

Every now and then something cool, something special happens in Vancouver. Something like Motorama. Close your eyes, picture Fugazi, toss in some Trans Am and sprinkle a little Girls Against Boys and you're getting close.
- Chart Magazine

With more edges than a pentagram, Vancouver's pent-up trio Motorama was cerainly not easy music to listen to, but it was great nonetheless. Kicking off the show jamming instrumentally to the squeak and squawk of radio noise, the group showed their colours early on. Bursting into their first vocal cut, the sound was definitely Pixies-laden and the action onstage was total focus - their live show is dead-on.
- Exclaim Magazine

I met Motorama while I was on holiday recently. They're based in Vancouver, and have their eyes on much bigger places--which is why I was somewhat surprised when they pressed a demo tape into my sweaty palms, thinking I might be able to do something for them.
On this evidence, I don't think they'll need my aid at all; they've got enough hooks that they could certainly do some serious business. The music is a churning, grinding brand of noise/industrial, a slowed-down fuzzed-up, feedback-drenched lo-fi recording of a sound-proofed torture chamber. With a band outside...and the singer inside. The vocals are mixed so low as to be almost indecipherable, only the emotion filters through the layers of guitar while the bass and drums drive everything along in a surprisingly melodic way.
One of those bands that you'd really want to see live, I suspect they would be bone-crushingly heavy. Like putting your head in a car-compacter.
- online source