Manly Music featuring Titus Andronicus

I swear this is not a joke. Nor is it intended to be ironic. I honestly REALLY like these guys. I know, I know.. theres no fluff, no lilting voices and no purty mouthes. But I LIKE it.

Pandora found em for me while I was doin data entry last night at work and it completely ruined my night. I was supposed to be slogging away but after they came on I couldnt concentrate and spent the last 30 minutes of work scouring the interwebs for everything I could find on them. And then I found their blog.. and I knew I was done working for a while. The lyricist/vocalist, Patrick Stickles wrote this about a show they performed on Halloween. Its long, but worth it. Go ahead and click the link and then come back. Go ahead, I'll wait here...

http://titusandronicustheband.blogspot.com/2009/11/vice-halloween-party-is-decadent-and.html

Tell me that was not freakin. He. Larry. Ass. What struck me the most was the juxtaposition of his obvious intellect exhibited in the telling of his all hallows eve and the raw, primal, simple energy in his music and lyrics. I think Patrick himself described this himself when he was asked by "www.Exclaim.ca" about the origin of their name.

As far as the name is concerned, it started out just as a cool-sounding name. I have found that when a person wants to be in a band, he or she spends a lot of time accumulating a mental file of words or phrases that would be cool band names. Titus Andronicus was, to my mind, the best one that I’d come across. As we came to cultivate our aesthetic a little more, and understand more about the play, it became more and more appropriate. Shakespeare obviously is a very classy entity, more or less the pinnacle of human achievement and excellence. At the same time, The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedy of Titus Andronicus is not really all that far removed from, say, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so it was an odd contradiction in the literary world – basically a generic slasher flick that happens to be the work of the greatest mind that ever walked the planet. That seemed like the kind of line that I wanted our band to straddle; that line between the more cerebral, thoughtful elements of the human condition and the part of us that just wants to see blood and brutality. If Titus Andronicus the play could have both those, I wanted Titus Andronicus the band to have them too.

Doesnt that just rock!?! I mean, come on! The rest of the interview is just as interesting and can be found here..

http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=122&csid2=946&fid1=31628

I know what you ladies are going to say...

"But Chops, their hair is unkempt, their faces are quite dirty and their clothing is in dire need of repair. We thought these were qualities you found deeply offensive?"

You are correct in theory. However, I forgive them for the same reason I overlooked these flaws in such gentlemen as Gordon Gano and Douglas Colvin. Because they kick ass. And as I have stated before, asskickness trumps just about everything else.

I leave you with an excerpt from their Myspace page.

Titus Andronicus sometimes disagree on what is the right thing to do. Titus Andronicus like to scream and carry on at excessive volume. Titus Andronicus like songs which are fast more than songs which are slow. Titus Andronicus think slow songs are okay sometimes. Titus Andronicus never sing about love, only hate. Titus Andronicus have no hope for the future. Titus Andronicus believe only in nothingness. Everyone in Titus Andronicus was born to die. Titus Andronicus crave your approval but will settle for your utter disdain. Above all else, Titus Andronicus want to sleep on your floor.

Gentleman, if you are out there, and if you can hear this, I have abundant floor space and you are welcome to it. Just give me enough notice to hide the small children.