Ditchliquor

By Craig Regala

Ditchliquor‘s from Portland, OR, a group whose StonerRock XL t-shirt fits snugly. Using the heavy/space-doom-epic side of rock language as home sweet home and cutting it with quick metal jabs, a bit of rumblecore bass, some post-punk drilling (both in guitar and drums: flashes of Live Skull, honest ta gawd!), and the occasional speedy roundhouse works well. The change-ups in the mic jugular position give the drummer and guitarist one apiece. I dunno why, you ask ’em. I say the SR thing fits ’em cuz they use the parameters of the genre and not the specifics of a certain sound. I mean, SR’s a big tent, right? Folks don’t need to crowd into one corner: I don’t, Ditchliquor don’t, and you shouldn’t. I agree with Kevin* that “The Universal Veil” may be the strongest song, but “What Time” may be the least indicative of what people think of SR without losing the tag, and is certainly welcome for extending the language.
(www.ditchliquor.com)

* I’m apparently Kevin’s imaginary quasi-literate friend from another dimension. He seems to understand me while none of his actual friends think I exist. It’s an odd role, but I’m up for it.