Wedlock Wedlock Band News Information

HELL HOUND MUSIC INTERVIEW-DECEMBER 2012

January 8, 2013 | Uncategorized | Permalink

                            

                                                                 

                                                                 

                                HHM – First off, what is Wedlock, I mean, to you?

 

                                                        Wedlock – With me, it was just a matter of finding the one word that flew in the face of Bush’s really bad idea for a Constitutional amendment. My way of saying any two human beings should be able to demonstrate what “Wedlock” is. I think we (w/ Dave from Praxis designs) really nailed down the whole concept.The logo exemplifies the meaning pretty well. The band name could have been “This Is Wedlock” and it might have been better; but I’m a big fan of one word titles.

 

HHM – When asked, how to best explain to other potential fans the overall message of Wedlock?

 

Wedlock – To my ears it’s electro, indie synth pop, with some left-leaning ideas mixed in. I have heard some people put us into an R&B/Soul/Funk category too, but only by a little bit. I honestly think there’s an ulterior motive when certain people do that, though.

HHM – Since 2006, you have been ridiculously busy cranking out recordings. How do you find that kind of time to record?


Wedlock – Being involved in something creative is what I love doing most of all. It doesn’t matter in what way,really, but my proclivity just leans toward words in general. If it’s not a song, it’s a novel or a script.

 

HHM – Do you find it difficult to get inspired to write different and unique material?


Wedlock – Sometimes I will get a mild case of writer’s block, but only in the one area where I am trying too hard. Somebody told me a long time ago as long as you’re alive there’s always something to write about, and that’s proving to be true.

 

HHM – In the formation of a track, what’s the process like for you? Where does it get its beginning?

 

Wedlock – Something as simple as a sound triggers it. An entire synth line or whatever doesn’t even have to be worked out to make something out of it.

 

HHM – Once you have an idea, does it tend to change a lot from the original inception?


Wedlock – Listening to some of the demos versus what gets released, yes, as you’re changing things up to better suit what you’re doing. Even after it’s released sometimes you’re still writing it.
     
 HHM – I do have to ask, because I’ve never heard it before…”bisexually themed”.    Would you care to elaborate on that a bit?

Wedlock – That phrase came in part from another music critic when they reviewed one of our tracks “Cuts Both Ways.” I got inspired to write that song from being in sexually mixed clubs overseas.

 

HHM – There have been several members changes over the years, do you feel like that has helped the project or held it back?

 

Wedlock – Your continuity gets interrupted when people leave for whatever reason, but if you’re the one constant, the only person holding things back is you, and unless you just don’t want to continue, what else is really stopping you? I look at former band mates as something I’ve experienced to be at this point now.They are doing whatever they are doing, and so am I. Outside of our contract, there’s nothing forcing Wade or Kay to stay, and I’ve zero interest in trying to make music with somebody who doesn’t want to make music with me.

 

HHM – Anything new and exciting you’d like to share? tracks, new mixes etc

 


Wedlock – There’s another Celadon Candy coming out w/ some remixes and extra tracks.I’m working w/ Jorge Rangel on that.

 

HHM – Can you explain why you are also known as 105 Deckowls as well?


Wedlock – There’s another artist based in The Netherlands that used to go under “Wedlock” as one of his numerous aliases. Wedlock is trademarked here in North America, but out of respect and to avoid confusion, we just go by 105 Deckowls outside of that.It’s basically an anagram of the name, and Kay put that 105 there because once she saw a bunch of owls congregated together. I’ve never seen more than one at a time.

 

HHM – You took a hiatus in 2010, what happened to make you take a break?


 

Wedlock – Well, I took a small break from Wedlock, and formed Celadon Candy. That first incarnation lasted for 2 Eps, and really before it was finished I was back recording Wedlock material again.

 

             HHM – What are the future plans for Wedlock?


                       
   Wedlock – Another studio release, and playing out more frequently.
 
                 
                                                                         http://www.wedlockmusic.com 


WEDLOCK, “EXOGAMY”

October 19, 2012 | Uncategorized | Permalink

Chuck Taylor Review:

WEDLOCK, “EXOGAMY”

Singer & songwriter Paul Allgood founded electronic-pop ensemble Wedlock in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2008 that the group found its real rhythm with the release of “Exogamy,” which follows EPs “Matrimony” and “Cuts Both Ways.” By this point, the group’s founder had relocated from Richmond, Va., to Chapel Hill, N.C., and reconfigured his outfit—more suited to live performance—with keyboardist Jonathan Kidder, bassist Kirk Bryson and a series of drummers. Sounding like a cross between ‘90s freestyle/dance singer Stevie B. and Soft Cell’s Marc Almond, Allgood leads vocals across the collection’s seven tracks. Piano-driven single “Black Sundress”—which reached the top 10 among Amazon’s MP3 downloads—is a soulful midtempo invocation to could-be seduction, as he sings, “Don’t misunderstand me, I know it’s not for free, I don’t mean to be demanding/I’m aching for a piece of your psycho-candy.” Up-tempo “Reverend Charisma” flips the cards, with an invitation to the dark side (“Do you believe every word, from my lying lips/Have a taste of my famous Kool Aid”), an obvious allusion to Jim Jones’ dastardly People’s Temple. Social issues again surface in the funky “Allegiance… WTF?” in which Allgood offers anything but a complimentary shout-out to President Bush, a la “Allegiance to the stupidest man on Earth, he’s never had a master plan and you know he never will,” complete with a breakdown that samples a few choice quotes from George W. himself. Another highlight of “Exogamy” is “Still Unsatisfied,” in which Allgood offers his most unbridled vocal performance on “Exogamy” via an up-tempo lyrical anthem about searching for purpose, alongside a rollicking pop/rock track that percolates and gurgles like early ‘80s Kim Wilde. Wedlock brings a contemporary edge to a beloved decades-old musical stencil throughout “Exogamy” in which synths continue to rule the day, while the messages reach not only toward universality, but topical issues that never wear out with time.—CT

 

WEDLOCK “CONTINUITY”

October 19, 2012 | Uncategorized | Permalink

Chuck Taylor Review:

WEDLOCK “CONTINUITY”

 

Electro-pop ensemble Wedlock issued two previous EPs and the full-length “Exogamy” before the 2009 release of 10-track “Continuity” on indie Kounterfeit Records. Helmed by singer & songwriter Paul Allgood, with Baxter Smith on keyboards and Lee Whitsel commandeering bass, the album meshes steel-plated industrial instrumentals with the dreamy, ethereal vocals of Allgood. Album opener “Blameless” sets the tone for the collection, with a nervous, discordant drip of blips & tones, and a whirl of kaleidoscopic synths, as he seethes with the ultimate kiss off: “I’m gasoline, and it’s your time to burn.” Hints of Erasure’s timeless uptempo synth-driven melodies are present in several of the compositions here, including “Witnesses” and “Addition By Subtraction.” The latter masks the steaming, bittersweet resolution of a relationship gone wrong behind a giddy instrumental palette, as Allgood merrily sings amid the thump of a rabid stomping bass, “I’ve washed my hands of your misery, Life with you was comi-tragedy.” Darkness also prevails on “Queen for A Day,” which slows the pace to a creepy, dark corkscrew of keyboards and percussion, conjuring Taco’s ‘80s hit “Puttin’ On the Ritz,” as Allgood waves a finger and sings, “Young turns to old, blood into stone, golden fades to grey/You don’t blink as you sip champagne, impervious to a world of pain.” Perhaps the best track on “Continuity” is “Emotional Ghost,” a peppy dance ditty about the temptation of a could-be lover (“I can’t decide if I should run or swallow my pride”), accented at the midsection with a swirl of electronic raindrops. In all, Wedlock pays homage to the heroes and innovators of British synthesizer pop across “Continuity,” alongside all the fury and fervor of that era’s Siouxsie and the Banshees, albeit with a winking androgynous mystique leading the charge.—CT

MARK MORTON REVIEW OF THE WITNESSES EP

September 24, 2010 | Mark Morton Review Of Wedlock's Witnesses EP | Permalink

Witnesses EP Wedlock

Witnesses EP Wedlock

In many respects, North Carolina’s Wedlock is a band displaced in time and genre. The band’s latest release, Witnesses, evokes sounds akin to Nine Inch Nails sans the brooding thralldom or Ministry before they discovered metal guitars. On one hand, Wedlock embraces electronic pop-rock rooted in the late 1980s without the sterility or goth-affected industrial languish.
However, it also bears the good-natured danceability associated with the 1990s era of electronica. You could call Wedlock a throwback band, to a time when Moby, Orbital and La Bouche ruled the earth. Pop-friendly vocals. Yet grinding beneath it all, Wedlock wields an ambient, mischievous air of experimentalism that really hasn’t existed in electronic music since Art of Noise.
The vocals complement the songwriting style classically, as the singer bears a resonating tone that blends the heartfelt sincerity of Simon Le Bon with the calculated emotion of Peter Gabriel. “ST,” which features Bryanna Rain, plunges further into Gabriel’s realm, bearing a spatial narrative construction that would not have been out of place on his 2002 Up album.
Whether or not there is room in the 21st Century for this kind of music is completely up for debate. But I can say this about Wedlock – the band performs with an earnest belief in its craft. And it is that authenticity that pulls the band away from the cookie cutter, crank ‘em out, pop rubbish that has plagued the air waves for years. So if you are a fan of electronic music with a fun, kinetic energy, then Wedlock definitely has something to offer.

Paul Allgood

March 10, 2010 | Paul Allgood | Permalink

Me looking pensive for some reason or another.I am still working on the book, and Bryanna Rain’s Ep is doing fairly well. I’m starting to write new material for my new band project.
Photo: Randy Ada