PRETTY POLLUTION

10.08 Up & Comers

Bands, clubs, artists, and businesses that you may not have heard of yet…but that we think are going to make a name for themselves really soon ~ and you get to hear about them here, right before they make it big!

BAND

Pretty Pollution

By Matthew Erhartic

In their campaign to prove that “Phony rock-n-roll is a crime,” Worcester based outfit Pretty Pollution are taking everyday tales of misadventures and setting them to their no B.S. brand of hard rock. With topics as heavy as their riffs, people around town may not be able to avoid listening.

“Crazy psycho stalker exes, habitual drug use and kinky S&M lesbian love,” rattles off singer Alicia Fuchs. “… and anything else that pisses us off.”

Drummer Dave Kaz’s goal of assembling a female fronted rock band were finally realized when he caught Alicia belting out some tunes at a party in Allston. Hell-bent on moving forward with the project, the duo began the painstaking auditioning process. “We went through a handful of dysfunctional musicians ‘til we found our little rotten Johnny,” Kaz muses. With the final addition of bassist Scott Hanson, the band pulled enough material out of their collective hat to begin getting their feet wet on the club circuit.

Pretty Pollution cites various influences ranging from progressive pop stalwarts Rush and Primus to Danzig and critical darling Nick Cave. Although none of these acts immediately jumps out as an influence, Alicia Fuchs’ passionate performance often comes across as a young Ann Wilson wailing her heart out on a roller coaster ride through hell.

On the highlight track “Hate N’ Fire,” Fuchs delivers a fantastic estrogen-induced Axl Rose vocal slithering. The song plows about like a bat crap crazy mammoth, letting loose riffs and rhythms that bring to mind White Zombie in their prime.

Recorded at Wolfeboro, NH’s own Home Cooked Recordings with producer Chris Xanthopoulos, the band cut a six song demo that is available at their shows and on MySpace. “Popular music is watered down and we’re tired of the cookie-cutter rock that permeates on the airwaves,” Dave says. “Our fans are constantly calling the local stations requesting us,” and Dave is quite eager to get the band back in the studio to record newer tracks that will help them launch an ambitious full frontal radio assault. “We hope to have our songs on the radio in the future.”
With songs as raw as a freshly skinned knee, there ain’t nothing too pretty about this pollution.

Pretty Pollution’s vision is quite clear. Says Dave, “To quote one of our influences [The Doors], ‘We want the world and we want it, NOW!’”

Check out Pretty Pollution at the Blackstone in Pawtucket, RI, Oct. 16th. For more info, check out myspace.com/prettypollutionband.

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- The Pulse Magazine