a child believes in grandma more than god.

Bob Massey is an under-appreciated songwriting genius. The clarity-driven mastermind of The Gena Rowlands Band penned a lush, slightly skewed paradigm of a debut album with last year's La Merde et Les Etoiles, which is French for "The Shit and the Stars." Originally intriguing due to a comparison to American Music Club, Nick Cave and Red House Painters, this album took me by surprise last year. Most of this album is comprised of the calibur of songs that are classic, instantly. They deserve numerous listens and have a seductive charm that place a gentle hand on the back of the listener's neck and lead them back home. The Gena Rowlands Band make rainy days events to look forward to. "Garofalo, C'est Moi" is one of the sweetest songs you've yet to hear, and as the album's opener, the perfect introduction.
The Gena Rowlands Band is comprised of at least three members, but plays with members of Anti-Social Music (including two contributors for Ida and one for Maritime). The two entities have solidified as a whole for this year's The Nitrate Hymnal, an opera of sorts inspired by Bob Massey's grandparents' home movies of their lives; from their honeymoon, flirting on the beach just weeks away from Pearl Harbor, through the years as their carefree youth and relationship faded away. Bob Massey said this of the new opus:

"In [The Nitrate Hymnal], our aged heroine finds her fading memories sparked by the old home movies. Each act takes her back in time toward that perfect honeymoon film - and forward to her moment of death. In January 2003, four singers and a brave orchestra of classical and post-punk musicians premiered the work in a Masonic temple lit by three giant projection screens."

The Nitrate Hymnal will whisk you away, fill your heart, and leave you breathless, and as you grow closer to Bob Massey and The Gena Rowlands Band, that should become less and less of a surprise. I can't do any more than point you in the direction of the band's website. Their 'story' is written too well for me to summarize. Bob Massey cannot remain under the radar.



The Gena Rowlands Band's "Garofalo, C'est Moi"
"Kong Meets His Maker (A Parable About Dating)"
& "Seceding From Our Union"
from La Merde et Les Etoiles

Anti-Social Music + The Gena Rowlands Band's "The End"
"Pictures From Her Perfect Life"
& "The Body Wants More Than Skin"
from The Nitrate Hymnal



Another coincidence: I purchased Home Movies: Season Four today.