Witch's Hat

If the Dungeons & Dragons obsessed Final Fantasy can become famous in Canada, surely Witch's Hat can find a few fans in its home state of Missouri. What saves this medievally goofy quartet, which sounds like Warren Zevon fronting Spinal Tap, is its self-aware humor and honest commitment to moving hobbit rock forward - Magnet

Get out your swords ... seriously. Missouri's own Witch's Hat comes to the east coast for an April battle, including a New York residency. The eclectic band combines their love for all things medieval with epic rock songs for their latest album, Mastery Of Steel, out now on Emergency Umbrella Records. From what we've heard on their recordings, we're out to bet that their live show is pretty fantastical! - CMJ.com

Imagine if Rush loosened up and aspired to be KISS. Picture Judas Priest kids in a Ween world. Think Tolkien and Freddie Mercury collaborating on the next AC/DC record. Favorite lyric from new CD “Mastery of the Steel�: “Are you male, are you female? Are you maybe an alien from a spaceship sent to teach me how to love?� - Boston Herald

If four dudes who grew up on vintage metal like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest resided in NYC during the dance-punk explosion, they'd either throw full beers at the Rapture every time they took the stage, or they'd start a band that sounds like Witch's Hat. That's right — somehow a band has found a way to combine big guitars, a crafty rhythm section, half-shouted vocals and lyrics about octopuses, dragon slayers, vampires and aliens into a great record. So how do they combine the fist-pumping machismo of metal with the too-cool-for-school hip of dance punk? Well, they don't. Witch's Hat casts off both those genres' prerequisites, instead creating a vibe that is both irony- and posturing-free. Sure, the fantasy lyrics can't be serious, but they seem to come more from the realm of goofy good times than from masculine assertion or tongue-in-cheek pretentiousness, and the music seems to work the same way. The funky bass lines aren't a demonstration of virtuosity, just a push onto the dance floor, while the bravado behind lyrics about robots aren't a display of testosterone, just a way to keep rocking — the only goal that Witch's Hat seems to have. - Cleveland Free Times

When "Mastery Of The Steel" is the title of your debut record, some fist pumping rock is not only expected it is damn near required and the four dudes that make up Witch's Hat deliver. Don't dismiss the band as yet another entry in the stoner rock band of the year sweepstakes. Witch's Hat might have big guitars and all the trappings but their music is about movement, fun and sense of humor - not posturing, headbanging and pretentiousness." - Vintage Vinyl - Vintage Vinyl (St. Louis MO)

"I posted on Witch’s Hat the other day when I first heard them and last night I got the full-length. Man - talk about equal parts Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, Andrew WK and maybe a smidgen of Talking Heads… definitely fodder for happy listening. The PR tagline pretty much sums it up: “…intimate visions of ancient and future worlds and boldly slays the line between darkly menacing and delightfully playful - with only the slightest hint of irony.� Why not?! I hear that their live show is the shizz-nizzle, and the album conjures up images of dudes with tennis rackets and iron helmets dancing around the stage while maidens sing backup and play pan flute. My office mates are currently freaking out on the track called “Huzzah!� - www.QCLA.net

Are you indie, but sometimes feel a bit goth? Do you love Spinal Tap, Goblin Cock, Tenacious D, Steeleye Span, early Brian Johnson era AC/DC or Talking Heads? Do you really, really, really miss Freddie Mercury? Do you own a copy of Dracula or The Hobbit, but never actually read it? Do you crave the majesty of rock, the pageantry of roll? Witch's Hat are here to rescue you from your boring, dragonless existence.

Made by nerds for nerds, Witch's Hat walk a very fine line between pisstake and sincerity. It's like cheese, but really high quality cheese. Not all of their lyrics are ripped straight from Dungeons and Dragons, but the ones that are are delivered with a booming conviction that makes you want to pick up your crazy bastard sword and swing it about wildly and ineptly. Singer Greg is teh living David St. Hubbins (and I seriously want to hear these guys cover "Stonehenge"), despite an unnerving resemblance to Jack Black. (That's him on the cover of the magnificently titled Mastery Of The Steel, but as we can see in the video for "Huzzah!", he is a homely dude with moobs. But what moobs!)

It's kinda frustrating being around the other side of the world when you find bands like this, because you just know they're probably about a billion times better live. Check out the video for "Huzzah Huzzah" - that audience is having way more fun than you are right now.
http://jovialfellow.blogspot.com/2007/04/witch-hat-huzzah.html - www.jovialfellow.blogspot.com

It is a difficult if not impossible task to describe the phenomenon that is Witch's Hat, but the band makes a noble attempt on their myspace page. In response to the "sounds like" query, the Columbia, Mo. four-piece answers with "Fantastical stories told through rock music that you can dance to."

Though the description is true, it does not begin to reveal the intricacies of the universes created in each Witch's Hat song. Singer/lyricist Greg Linde conjures up well-crafted, often hilarious narratives that (depending on the song) transport the listener to gothic, western, pirate, or science fiction worlds. Nor does the short summation illustrate the variety of musical styles the band employs to soundtrack these tales. Witch's Hat use musical elements appropriate to their stories (a metallic attack is used for the futuristic war story "WWVI," a watery guitar effect permeates "Octopus") while still maintaining a distinct sound. Finally, the description fails to convey the excitement of a Witch's Hat show or Linde's ridiculous dancing.

Unfulfilled by this statement, we sat down with Linde and bassist/keyboardist Steve Doerhoff to discuss the processes used to create these songs, the decision to overhaul and re-release their album Mastery of Steel, their latest band member, and the challenge of balancing their jobs with their band.

http://www.playbackstl.com/content/view/6219/157/ - www.PlaybackStl.com

Sometimes it's hard for local musicians to be taken seriously. As they work to win fans and establish identities, Columbia�s bands might seem like mere novelties of local culture.

But more than just superficial theatrics, Witch�s Hat is poised to become the real deal. And as band members celebrate the release of their debut album on Columbia�s Emergency Umbrella Records, they�re out to make it happen. Still, there are challenges.

"It�s hard getting people to take us seriously; we�re a little silly," singer Greg Linde said. "But there�s not much we can do. We just play music that�s interesting and shows that rock, and most people get it eventually."

Packed Witch�s Hat performances at Eastside Tavern and other local venues suggest people are already getting it. The band seems to play locally at least every two weeks, which is too often for most bands to sustain interest. But Witch�s Hat always brings a party and strives to make each show a little different by incorporating guest musicians, themed performances and hilarious cover songs.

"What we're doing is entertainment," Linde said. "We just make it entertaining and make it a fun show. Even if people get to have a few giggles at our expense."

For Linde, music wasn�t always about entertainment. Before Witch�s Hat, he was just one among the ranks of singer-songwriters playing acoustic guitars and singing about clich�d revelations at open mic nights.

"I was doing boring stuff before," Linde said. "Now what I�m doing is really cool. You get to have fun and be weird."

Now Linde looks beyond himself for lyrical ideas, preferring to find inspiration in the realms of science fiction and fantasy.

"Those are things I know a lot about," he said, "so it�s easy subject matter for me to get to. Not whiny personal stuff."

While Linde writes most of the band�s lyrics, Steve Doerhoff generates most of the musical ideas and plays bass and keyboard. Michael Wilson, on guitar, and Bert Clark, on drums, complete the picture.

Drawing on a host of inspiration from metal to funk to progressive rock to video game music, the band�s compositions offer something for almost everyone, even if you�re not sure what to make of the music at first.

"I think there�s something in our music that you don�t get right away, and it takes awhile to figure it out," Doerhoff said. "Like a rusty treasure chest. No, a dusty treasure chest. You have to clean it off."

Indeed, it takes a few listens to fully comprehend what the band has set out to do with its new album. But "Mastery of the Steel," recorded at Columbia�s Red Boots Recording Studio, is a solid first effort. The production is a little thin, which is a bit unexpected for these epic works, and there are a few rough spots, but the point of this record is to document the band members as they are, without a lot of fancy embellishments or in-the-studio layering.

The record�s strength lies in its clever lyrics and detailed compositions, which are expertly arranged and demand a serious listen despite their superficial silliness. Standouts include "Popsicles," with its majestic horns; "Glodyany, 1972," the album�s closer; and "Space Baby," its first single.

The future looks bright for the Hat; it plans to start a radio promotional campaign and tour in the spring with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Sh�ffer the Darklord, who it befriended this year at a pair of Eastside Tavern shows.

For now, Witch�s Hat will keep on entertaining its legions of local fans as it prepares to entice those beyond the state line with explosive antics that are both silly and serious.

"There shouldn�t be any reason why it gets boring," Linde said.

Reach Seth Ashley at (573) 815-1704 or sashley@tribmail.com. - Columbia Tribune

There's something undeniably epic about a band whose music creates mythical visions from ancient and future worlds, boldy walking the line between darkly menacing and delightfully playful, and with only the slightest hint of irony. In Mastery of the Steel, the Columbia quartet Witch's Hat has made a debut album that aims to defy time and space.
Lead singer Greg Linde introduces time itself as the antagonist in "Bomb Squad," when he singsthe album's first lyric, "Its's ticking away/ It's ticking away/Our time it slips away." He later declares triumph in the song "Octopus," which builds intensity around the repitition of the simple lyric, "Everywhere forever!"
The band formed in June 2004 with Linde as frontman, Steve Doerhoff as bassist and primary songwriter, Mike Wilson as lead guitarist and Daniel "Bert" Clark as drummer. At a battle of the bands competition hosted by Eastside Tavern this summer, Witch's Hat blew away its competition and emerged victorious. Through live shows at local venues, Witch's Hat as gained a loyal following. To introduce its debut album, the band headlined a sold-out release show party at Mojo's on Dec. 3, three days before the official release. The CD will be available at local record stores Slackers, Apop Records and Maude Vintage.
The band's heavy bass riffs and sentimental angst capture an unmistakable range of 80s influences. It resonates with the inspiration of Depeche Mode and David Bowie, but it seems to draw a spiritual guidance from The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania. Many of the songs carry Nintendo-esque melodies and easily could be theme songs for fantasy games.
"Huzzah" is an invigorating story of a dragon slayer determined to save the virgin princess against all odds, and "Glodyany, 1972", is a haunting narrative of a vampire hunted down by townspeople. Shamed by his thirst for blood but terrified of death, the vampire lives in hiding and awaits his fate. "Come take me if you can," he begs. "I'm ready/Im waiting."
But the tales don't stop spinning there. "Space Baby" is a tender story about a desert encounter with an androgynous extraterrestrial. "Dance Machine" is a swaggering vision of a top-secret dance robot and "WWVI" is a militant plan to overturn a powerful tyrant.
Such tales are absurd, but Witch's Hat revels in absurdity. The characters are built with a narrator's expertise so that one can't help but feel the emotion in each story.
Mastery of the Steel takes an original approach to rock music, and it gives new meaning to the concept of a timeless album. - Vox magazine