Fresh off the release of their striking new EP “Contemporary Sickness“, chaotic, grind twisted hardcore punks DEAF CLUB [Justin Pearson (The Locust, Dead Cross, Planet B), Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC) Scott Osment (Weak Flesh), Jason Klein (Run With The Hunted), and Leo Ulfelder (Fissure)] team up with us to give you some hints about their drummer’s unobvious inspirations and notable drummers worth acknowledgement and appreciation. Learn more about DEAF CLUB below and scroll down to see the main feature!
Deaf Club is a savage sound bath dripping with sardonicism: a blastbeat-centric hardcore punk assault channeling crust, thrash, and grind (un)sensibilities. Succinct pauses, surreal frequencies and effects, breakneck pace and sharply hurled vocals characterize the band’s aesthetic, which seems as though it is rooted in a sort of nasty-sound-meets-highbrow-message ethos. Fueled by the onslaught of society’s insanity and driven mad by tinnitus, Justin Pearson (The Locust, Dead Cross, Planet B), Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC), Scott Osment (Weak Flesh), Jason Klein (Run With The Hunted), and Leo Ulfelder (Fissure) approach music as an opportunity to confront our collective sicknesses. We’ve got to try to listen, lest we all frolic headfirst towards the bright side of death, dragging this pillaged planet down with us. So whether you think the music is a radical disruption to the airwaves or just headache-inducing noise, you can feel free to tell them the brutal truth– they can’t hear you anyway.
“…relentless, furious grindy hardcore.”- BrooklynVegan
“…[Deaf Club] mixes d-beat, grind and hardcore with atonal guitars and a general sense of anxiety. It’s gnarly, fits well with Pearson’s previous work, and is totally essential for all you Stans out there, and new fans, too.” – Revolver Magazine
“Deaf Club have assembled a blistering all-star cast set to full scale decibel peak.” – Cvlt Nation
The Contemporary Sickness EP was released on October 4th digitally as well as on limited edition, specially printed vinyl through Three One G Records. Mixed and mastered by Brent Asbury (who has worked on albums by bands like Retox, Panicker, Dead Cross, Planet B). Vinyl/cover art by Jesse Draxler (who has done artwork for Nine Inch Nails, Daughters, The New York Times, Dita Eyewear, and MCQ Alexander McQueen, among others). Layout and design by Bran Black Moon.
Scroll down to see the Top 5 Influentail Drummers list by DEAF CLUB drummer Scott Osment:
Jon Syverson
The first record I heard from Daughters was the Self-Titled Album in 2010, but when I think of Jon’s drumming I think of Canada Songs. On Canada Songs, there are beats that I heard and made me question drumming and extreme music. It unbelievable and bizarre for grind music. To see that evolution to YWGWYW, it’s a lot cleaner, still bizarre, but in a new way. That’s how I’ve always felt about his drumming. No one does what he does. There’s a 7 minute song (Satan in the Wait) with no snare hits, which is wild. He has evolved as a drummer and went from the chaotic intensity of “old” Daughters to the precision of the new album, YWGWYW. It’s interesting to see all these different styles come from the same creative place.
Jon came to the first Weak Flesh show, and after our set he came up and introduced himself to me and started giving me advice on how I could improve. It was awesome to hear criticism from a such an influential musician.
Jon has taught me a lot and one of the simplest things was changing my drum seat – aka The Throne – investing in a high quality seat allowed me to sit taller, with hydraulic lift to save the back, correcting posture changed my ability to play drums. He’s also just the sweetest human, maybe it’s a music connection, but I think he’s just legitimately one of the nicest people.
Brian Chippendale
When I heard St. Jacques on Ride the Sky, it didn’t sound like music at first, I was 15 and I never heard anything like it before. I saw Lightning Bolt at the Mohawk in Austin, TX in July 2010 and I crowd surfed for the first time. I also saw them play at Logan Square in Chicago, probably one of the craziest shows I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t matter if you’re a drummer or not, he is mind blowing to watch. Brian is an artist first and I like that – his thought process and approach to drumming is the way you approach a painting. He has pioneered his own method of drumming – like Salvador Dali pioneered Surrealism.
Brian’s style is so influential for me because it shows that drumming can be different every time and doesn’t have to be so straightforward. When LB played Emo’s East in ATX, I held his snare stand that kept breaking on the makeshift stage. I got to talk to him a little after the show. He’s a weirdo, I like him.
Gabe Serbian
Gabe is probably the most direct influence in terms of style. I was in a band in Austin – Weak Flesh – Mike (vocals) and Ryan (guitar) had both played with Gabe in previous bands. I’d be testing out a beat or fill and the guys would say “dude, Gabe would do this, change it up.” Their comments influenced me to step it up and push myself further. I’ve only met Gabe twice in my life but his influence is crucial to the way I play.
The first time I saw Gabe play drums I was 20 years old and got to see Wet Lungs at SXSW. I was psyched to see a drummer I look up to in a band I didn’t know.
Plague Soundscapes by The Locust was my first introduction to his creative and crushing approach to drumming. It was the first record that sounded like how I felt, it really clicked with me – I was totally alone, and my life felt chaotic. His drumming got me inspired to start using double kick again. He doubles up his feet with his hands to make the beat more impactful and at the time, I had never heard anyone do that. Also, his performative use of vomiting on stage is still inspirational.
Jason Camacho
I love this man more than anything. He has the coolest drum kit, and is truly a performer. Jason is an Austin drummer who I connected with immediately. He writes parts that nobody in the world would even consider. We have drum jammed and our styles are totally opposite but they work together so well. Watching him play is pure fun – he is so cool and he pulls out these moves, these ways of playing that make drumming entertaining. We wanted to write a song where we would both be drumming and put out a 7”; it was in this process that he showed me Mice Parade.
My two-piece skronk band Femoral played a show at Trailer Space (RIP) with Lechuguillas, Jason’s noise rock band. Jason had a bottle of Jack Daniels and was taking shots as he was playing. He was totally feeling it and wanted everyone to have a good time – he’s got this infectious nature where he just makes everyone smile. Lechuguillas had LORE – urban legends about how insane their shows were – I was in disbelief when I found out they wanted to play with us. Fast forward a few years and then comes GLASSING. This band shows that Jason hasn’t lost any of that chaotic energy but has found a way to control it. He loops fills over the course of a phrase that seem random, but each fill changes the mood for that bar. He has so much flow – it’s like every time he’s performing for the first time, right in front of you, it has this magic effect that is never lost. Their latest album Spotted Horse is so cinematic and untouchable, Jason’s found a way to manipulate that energy and release it exponentially.
Thomas Rabon
I first saw Thomas play in my living room with Weakness, he shotgunned a beer – didn’t make a mess – I stood right next to him while he played. He was the first local drummer I saw that made me think “Oh fuck, I need to step up my game.” We were fast friends and we connect on music stuff that other people don’t get. Like Adam Pierce from Mice Parade. Jazzy, technical, creative music outside of the typical realms (punk, metal, screamo) . He’s got insane flair and technical fills that I could never think of in a million years. He hits hard but can change it up and play super quiet stuff in the same song. He’s someone I can reach out to any time, I can always text him and share my ideas.
Exhalants is his newest project and they blew me away the first time I saw them. They didn’t even have a demo out but I immediately wanted to hear more. They play loud noise rock and it’s sick.
