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Preview Sun Apr 03 2011
Preview: The Builders And The Butchers @ Schubas 4/5
If the point of an album is to leave the listener with an image, then The Builders and the Butchers' 3rd album, Dead Reckoning, wants you to see this: mustachioed men grimacing over dirty, whiskey-filled cups while darkly clothed women carry dusty Bibles to frenetic Sunday services. The Builder's Gothic, backwoods folk/bluegrass sound lends itself perfectly to the period-crafted lyrics etched out by lead singer Ryan Solle. The songs are full of power struggles between God and the Devil above feverish devotes bordering on the occult. And Solle's twangy vocals evince Kentucky back porch revivals, especially during the chants of "There's a big white hand in the sky" over what sounds like a found-in-the garage-drum-set in "Blood for You."
Overall, The Builders And The Butchers sound a lot like The Decemberists. Which of course makes sense since not only are both bands from Portland, Oregon, but also because the band paired with The Decemberists' Chris Funk (for their 2nd album Salvation is a Deep Dark Well) and Adam Selzer (engineer for both The Builders' 2nd and 3rd albums). The Builders, however, manage to do their thing without ripping off The Decemberists. There's urgency in their tempos. They're raucous and passionate where The Decemberists often linger — they have a lot more rock. The Builders get there in part by splitting their drum set up between drummers Brandon Hafer and Ray Rude, with one on the kick drum and the other the snare. They also make it a point to impart on the audience the same sort of urgency.
In terms of what to expect from their Tuesday night Schubas show, the band goes to great pains to make records with the same intensity of a live show. Using Dead Reckoning as an indicator of that intensity, it may be safe to expect a lot of body shaking and foot stomping. Someone may be saved. A guitar may be broken. They've also been known to throw tambourines and noise makers to the audience.
Photo by Peter Blanchard
[mp3] The Builders And The Butchers - "Lullaby" from Dead Reckoning
The Builders and the Butchers have toured with Heartless Bastards, Portugal. The Man, Murder By Death, and Amanda Palmer, among many others. They perform at Schubas on Tuesday, April 5th. Tickets are $10. 21+. Showtime is 9pm. Schubas is located at 3159 N. Southport Ave. (773) 525-2508
