Not only am I excited to write about today's band, but I'm also rather excited to be sharing the stage with them in just a few short hours at the notorious Club Midway here in New York City.
San Francisco's The Holy Kiss walks similar paths as Sixteen Horsepower, the Gun Club, and the Bad Seeds; a bluesy, raw, country-thick stomp with the fire and passion of a post-punk outfit in their prime. The vocals and lyrics act as shrieking gospel of heartbreak and ruminating ghosts while the bass and drums trash rhythmically- the slide guitar holding it all together with delicious ethereal tension. There's just as much Son House and Bessie Smith as there is Rowland S. Howard in this band's repertoire.
The band began with a spark in the new millennium, and though they've already been through several lineup changes since their conception, the band's progress has yet to slow. After a slew of rare compilation appearances, Shot Love on the Back Line appeared in 2007 as their first record proper. The album was released under Swedish greats Release the Bats. Meanwhile, our friends at Hungry Eye Records compiled those rare offshoot appearances and singles on to one self-titled collection for those taken with the band and anxious to get ahold of these oddities.
I've taken two of my favorite Holy Kiss tracks and tossed them up for today's consumption, and I pray you find them as captivating as I do... Both of these tracks are featured on their debut record, Shot Love on the Back Line:
download The Holy Kiss- 'A Dancehall Goodbye'
download The Holy Kiss- 'Black, Etc.'
and here's an official video for 'Black, Etc.,' directed by Dion Olivier:
For more on the Holy Kiss, visit these sites:
the official Holy Kiss site
purchase albums from Hungry Eye Records
and be sure to come see them (and us) play this evening if you're in the NYC area! 9pm, Club Midway- 25 ave. B, Manhattan.
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