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'The MadHats — a quirky Spearfish-based rock band — turn music on its head. And with the band’s booming popularity, a new album in the works and a music video on the way, it looks like upside-down is the way to be.
Lead singer Justin Olson, only in his early 20s, has been part of the local music scene for some time. He formed the rock band Mystic Relish in high school and put out a CD. One song from that album — the first song Olson ever wrote, titled Everything Goes — was actually played on a local radio station.
I’m not going to say it (the song) was good or anything, but it was a start, Olson said.
Olson then collaborated with drummer Chris Tetreault in Famous Shamus until two years ago, when the two joined bassist Mike Brennan of Toadstool Jamboree and the MadHats were born.
I listened to a six-song preview copy of the upcoming album (I love my job) and found it an outrageous and totally unpredictable ride, rooted in a range of musical styles, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Pink Floyd to Modest Mouse.
The album has a live feel to it, off-the-cuff, intoxicating and fun. There’s a reason for that; the songs were recorded in one or two takes. It was very live, very impromptu. They were performed, not rehashed and rehashed and rehashed in the studio, Olson said.
I also caught a few songs at a MadHats show last weekend and was impressed. The performance was clean, tight and energetic. Tetreault’s hard-edged drumming shows he was influenced by the band Tool, and Brennan seems to channel Les Claypool. Olson, meanwhile, sings in a mature, laid-back wail and plays guitar in a David Gilmour-meets-Isaac Brock style.
The MadHats have a fresh, frequently bluesy feel and a progressive, original sound; the off-kilter rhythm never lets you relax. The topics are as original as the distracted music, with sarcastic lyrics, social commentary and schizophrenic characters aplenty.
Songs on the radio are usually on the same subjects ... . If it’s a new single by a hit band and I’ve never heard it before, I can almost sing along because the rhymes are the same, the words are the same, the phrases are the same, Olson said. It gets old, so I try and write different lyrics.
As the band name suggests, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland influenced the MadHats. Everything (in the book) is kind of backwards and different; it has that hallucinating effect to it, that kind of vibe, and it has a dark and twisted side to it, Olson said. The Mad Hatter, after whom the band is named, “stands out for being totally backwards.
Lewis Carroll meets Frank Zappa in the MadHats’ unique lyrical style. The songs do have meaning, but I’m probably the only one that knows exactly what they mean, Olson said with a laugh.
The song OSHA, with the pleading chorus Will OSHA come and save my soul? is one-of-a-kind — I’m positive nobody has ever sung about the Occupational Safety & Health Administration in quite that way.
The song has a topsy-turvy rhythm and a desperate, gritty atmosphere; I may not know exactly what the lyrics mean, but the emotion comes through loud and clear.
One of the more straightforward songs, Join the Club, welcomes listeners to the corporate machine: So you want to be a member of this team/And wear the proud colors of this company/Minimum wage is what we pay/So glad to have you on our side/Just don’t step out of line.
It verges on social commentary, but the MadHats isn’t a political band. I definitely have political beliefs and strong beliefs, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert on politics, Olson laughed. If I got into an argument with somebody on politics, I’d probably look like a fool. Music and things are where I’m more of an expert, so I stick with that.
Music seems to be a successful path to stick to. Matchbox Recordings is releasing the MadHats song Plastic Scissors on the worldwide compilation album Fantastic Day in the UK today.
The trio is recording an album, Songs for the Common MANiac, at Aberdeen Recording Studios, one of the country’s best recording facilities. They plan to return to the studio in the near future to finish the album, which will be played on XM radio, Olson said.
The band is working with Dry Creek Productions, the local company that made the MadHats’ offbeat and sophisticated Web site, to make a music video for Get On. It’s going to be part 3-D computer animation, Olson said. It’s going to look really top-notch, unlike anything that’s been done.
If that’s the case, it’ll be just like their music, and I can’t wait to see it.
At www.themadhats.com, visitors can listen to songs, get info on upcoming performances and sign up for the monthly newsletter. Bonuses for joining the MadHats mailing list include occasional freebies, such as the seven-minute single the band recently recorded that is provided at no charge to readers.
The band also has a MySpace account at www. myspace.com/themadhats, so you know they’re hip — everybody who’s anybody has one of those these days.
'~ Rapid City Journal 'As usual I like to change things up on SoundTrip. I like to play good music period. Fans of Oysterhead and Primus will dig the latest song, Plastic Scissors from the MadHats. This fits my definition of experimental or jam rock. I love the jazzy rhythms, frippish change ups and serpentine bass against the deranged vocals. The digital goddess Beth (my better half) gives Scissors a thumbs up; what more is there to say?'~ SoundTrip Podcast 'Hailing from South Dakota USA, the Madhats are definitely from the tradition of American whacked out art bands. But there is more than just arty affectation here. Think Talking Heads, maybe Violent Femmes? Hard to define rhythm patterns and crazy arrangement. This is a very mixed up sound that hangs together perfectly none the less. Perhaps a tad too sophisticated for the pop market, The MadHats are delivering believable modern music.
'~ Dave Chislett, Music Journalist |
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