Nixon
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| Record Labels: | |||
| Started By: | Tony Ash, Doug Walker | ||
| Based In: | Louisville | ||
| First show: | August 2004 | ||
| Largest show: | 100 people | ||
| Last show: | N/A | ||
| Reunion show: | N/A | ||
| Number of Members: | 6 | ||
The roots of NIXON were established in April of 2004 when Tony Ash, Doug Walker, and Brian Foor began sporadically getting together to play improvised rock and blues in the practice space shared by their then current bands, The Royalty and Tyrone. After several such occasions, it started to become clear that this new project was more fun and more satisfying than the other bands. The Royalty fell by the wayside and dissolved soon after, while Brian decided to quit Tyrone. It wasn't long before Matt Haas was approached to fill the vocal slot (he had never sung in a band at this point). Around the same time, Matt Jaha, Tony's Coliseum bandmate, expressed interest in playing guitar. And NIXON was conceived.
The band practiced intensely for the next couple of months, during Coliseum tour breaks. In August 2004, NIXON played its first show at Calvary Lutheran Church on Bardstown Road with Lords, Moirai, and Pocket Bomb. Despite sound issues, the show was deemed a success. NIXON had played only two more local shows when Brian opted to leave the band to focus on another musical endeavor, leaving NIXON in a state of limbo. The timing seemed terrible, as Coliseum were about to embark on another month long tour with Breather Resist and their friends from Philadelphia, Lickgoldensky. It was decided that Doug and Haas would try out any prospective drummers while Tony and Jaha were on the road, and upon their return, things would somehow sort themselves out.
While on tour, Lickgoldensky unexpectedly broke up at a show in Philadelphia. Their drummer, Eric McManus, and guitarist Jamie Getz made the decision to finish out the tour as a duo called Gods and Queens. At some point near the end of tour, Tony passed the NIXON eight-track demo along to Eric, who immediately connected with it. He offered to practice with the band upon their return to Louisville and play a show with them. Over the course of the next several days, this eventually evolved into the possibility of Eric relocating to Louisville permanently to drum for NIXON. After playing the show, plans were set into place for Eric to visit Louisville over the week leading up to Halloween, re-record all of the material, and play a Halloween night show. The recording, engineered by Chris Owens, was a total success, with the band managing to record seven of the eight original songs, plus covers of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" and the Ramones' "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" in just three hours. The Halloween show was also a huge success, sealing Eric's decision to move to the River City.
With some obvious nods to Touch and Go-esque noise rock and Seventies hard rock, as well as British punk and heavy metal, with more than a hint of sarcasm and cynicism, NIXON are decidedly the sonic mindfuck that "the kids" deserve.
NIXON pledge no allegiance to you, your god, your leaders, or your movement.
(some excerpts from the eight-track demos are currently online at http://www.hxcmp3.com/bands/6031 )
Turn it the fuck up.
Lineup 1:
- Tony Ash - Jazz Bass, V-4B
- Brian Foor - Drums
- Matt Haas - Golden Throat
- Matt Jaha - L-6S, Midget 50
- Doug Walker - Les Paul, JMP
Lineup 2:
- Tony Ash - Jazz Bass, V-4B
- Matt Haas - Golden Throat
- Matt Jaha - L-6S, JCM 800
- Eric McManus - Slingerland kit
- Doug Walker - Les Paul, JMP
Releases:
- The eight-track demos AKA "Watergate Tapes" - recorded August 2004 at NIXON HQ by Ryan Patterson.
Compilations:
- Upcoming Level Plane two-disc compilation. Track TBA.
- Halloween 2004: "I'd Tell You, But Then I'd Have Tequila."
Shirts/Merch:
- "Cassette" t-shirts: White cassette with unspooled orange tape, and "NIXON" in white.
- "Cassette" hooded sweatshirts: Very limited run, available in black, red, gray, and maroon.