On Saturday night I said to a friend who shall herein remain un-named, “I don’t like dubstep, but I love dub,” and they looked at me like I was crazy. “You know… dub… the reggae kind.” Completely blank stare. So it must be for thousands of dubstep bandwagon hoppers who believe the sub-genre just appeared out of thin air without, you know, like 30 some-odd years of reggae and dub preceding it. It’s the same old story of white suburban teens co-opting black music while ignoring the past, and yeah, now I’m officially old.

On the other-hand, if the current dubstep explosion gains Brooklyn-based Dub Trio even just a little more exposure that is most certainly a good thing. Dub Trio have been cranking out proggy versions of Helmet/Quicksand/Unsane-inspired riffs with vintage dub breaks for seven years already and are about to release their fourth album, the appropriately titled IV, tomorrow via Mike Patton’s Ipecac label ROIR. When I say “vintage dub,” I mean it — in place of today’s computer-generated WOMP WOMP WOMPs Dub Trio drummer / groove machine Joe Tomino just uses a delay-soaked microphone that he holds up to the kit while he plays live for that echo’ed-out dub goodness. Tomino and his two Dub Trio companions are stupidly tight live; their records are great, too, but you’ve gotta see it to believe it.

Tune into the Village Voice to hear “Control Issues Controlling Your Mind” from the new album, or stream it below. Dub pedal activate at approximately 2:10!

Dub Trio – “Control Issues Controlling Your Mind”

-VN

There is something both inspiring and kitschy about the melding of unexpected musical genres.  Rockabilly, surfpunk, jazzcore, deathpolka…..it’s rather hard to smush two (or more) wildly different sounds together and have it flow seamlessly (unless if you’re Fishbone).

But Brooklyn’s own Dub Trio have been succeeding at such a feat since 2004.  The group has taken instrumental heavy progressive riffage and the almighty dub, and is able to flip on a dime between the two genres without it seeming abrupt in the least.  How do they do it, you ask?  Well obviously exceptional musicianship, for starters.  And the most interesting factor comes from the rhythmic shifts, which in and of themselves could be called unusual or daring, but the drastic style-flip always feels original, even when one might be expecting it.

And fear not, my br00tals…..over the years, the sound has evolved into something quite aggressive.  At least until the dub pedal activates.

Click to read more…

I’m still smacking myself for taking this long to discover Dub Trio, a band that combines two of my musical loves by striking a perfect blend between heavy, progged out Helmet-style metal and deep, delicious dub grooves. It might seem like an odd pairing, but somehow it just works. Given the fact that the band hail from my backyard of Brooklyn and are on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings… how the fuck did I miss them until now?

Apparently I’m not the only one, as their Wednesday night show at the small downstairs lounge at Santo’s Party House was just half full, but boy did they play hard and impress the fuck out of all those attendance. I’m still in shock by how heavy, tight and just good they were; it’s one of those of shows where I spent the whole time being transfixed by one band member or another (usually uber-slick drummer Joe Tomino) and before I knew it the whole thing was over. If someone told me Dub Trio were playing again tonight, I’d cancel my plans to watch the Mets sweep the Philthies and be there, front row center.

-VN

If yesterday was whiskey (n weed), and tomorrow be weed (n weed — 4/20, brah), then what’s on the menu for today?

I just got a new shipment of fooferon, so I will personally be snargling the hell outta that — what’s your pleasure?!?

If you’re dry (or wet), please enjoy this sampling of Dub Trio from their second album New Heavy. One of the tracks features some singer by the name of Mike Patton, who apparently scores action films and I believe used to play in a band or two back in the gay 90s…

DUB TRIO — “Screaming At The Sea”

DUB TRIO — “Cool Out And Coexist”

DUB TRIO (featuring MIKE PATTON) — “Not Alone”

(all from New Heavy; “Not Alone” also on Patton’s Peeping Tom album — both from 2006)

-KW