DRY WEDDING, a southern gothic influenced post-punk band from Portland, Oregon, incorporates avant-garde elements, world music influences, and a heavy foundation that has inspired others to compare them to bands like Wovenhand, Swans, and The Birthday Party.
The band’s debut LP The Long Erode came out at the end of October 2020. “We recorded the album in November 2019 with Billy Anderson (Melvins, Sleep, Neurosis, Jawbreaker, Red House Painters, etc.) at The Hallowed Halls here in Portland.” – says the band.
At the end of May 2021, DRY WEDDING headed back into the studio to record their second album with Adam Pike (Red Fang, The Icarus Line, Murder By Death) at Toadhouse Recording. Inspired by their eclectic style, we asked them to give us their top 10 albums that inspired The Long Erode and their upcoming full-length Sway.
Davey Ferchow of Dry Wedding deconstructs 10 albums that inspired The Long Erode and their upcoming full-length Sway. Check out the full rundown below!
16 Horsepower – Sackcloth ‘n’ Ashes
Every element of this album has been instrumental in developing the Dry Wedding sound. From the opening drumbeat and trembling slide guitar of “I Seen What I Saw”, you have been firmly seated in the center of a sweltering sermon as David Eugene Edwards howls his way through haunting hymns of shame, violence, and redemption. With an all-encompassing atmosphere, dynamic vocal performances, complex rhythms, and a sinister twist on traditional country and folk, this gothic country/alt-country masterpiece acts as an endless source of inspiration.
The Birthday Party – Junkyard
Grotesquely beautiful in its murderous jazz meanderings, the controlled chaos of The Birthday Party serves as a commanding influence for us. Rowland S. Howard’s shrieking strings and somber serenades are always the gold standard as we write new songs and develop our guitar parts. The imprint of Tracy Pew’s vulturous bass lines and Nick Cave’s lunatic baritone croon can be traced through The Long Erode and our forthcoming album Sway.
Swans – White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity
Every era of Swans has something sonically rich to offer, but their early 90s output has had the greatest impact on our band. Their ability to be stripped bare and vulnerable while retaining their immense power is a balance we are always striving for. The music found on White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity mirrors the human experience with its delicate moments wrought with fleeting beauty and its swelling builds that conclude with a profound pounding pulse.
The Fall – The Wonderful and Frightening World Of…
Any post-punk adjacent band worth their salt has pulled influence from The Fall, whether they realize it or not. The Brix era is full of compositions that are driving, strange, playful, and memorable. The seamlessly integrated country and rockabilly twang, menacing yet melodic organ, and the sardonic wit of Mark E. Smith are always at the forefront of our minds as we sort out new material.
The Jesus Lizard – Goat
The impact of this noise rock behemoth can be felt through our rhythm section and the way we approach guitar. There are more bands than ever utilizing drum machines, but our music is built on a concrete foundation of throbbing drums and serpentine bass lines. David Yow’s staggered ramblings sound like a deranged inmate yowling in drunken tongues through the walls of a padded cell while Duane Denison’s guitar flashes its teeth like a serrated blade pulled from a distressed leather sheath. These entrancingly jagged layers meld in hellish harmony and help guide our more primal instincts.
Wovenhand – Mosaic
David Eugene Edwards has continued to astound and inspirit as the creative force behind Wovenhand. With Mosaic, his arrangements began to expand and ascend with lush washes of global folk textures, booming church organs, and medieval melodies. “Whistling Girl” and “Dirty Blue” brim with brooding beauty while “Slota Prow – Full Armour” hints at the experimentation and heavy elements that are now core components of their sound. We hope to create a body of work that evolves as gracefully as Wovenhand.
Townes Van Zandt – Townes Van Zandt
As one of the greatest songwriters to ever live, Townes Van Zandt used his intricate fingerpicking and poetic prowess to craft timeless depictions of longing, restlessness, and failed relationships. Songs like “Waiting Around To Die” and “Lungs” are heartrending portraits of a flawed man trying to reconcile all the rambling strands of his psyche. Doing so much with very little, Townes Van Zandt reminds you that when you strip a song down due its rawest form, it should be able to stand on its own.
Scott Walker – Scott 4
The singular vision and voice of Scott Walker has moved us beyond measure. The evocative lyrics, beguiling baritone vocals, and stirring string arrangements found on Scott 4 elevated his work and set the tone for the avant-garde trajectory that followed. Later albums like The Drift have inspired us with its “blocks of sound” approach, unorthodox percussion, and an orchestra of brutally tortured strings. From baroque pop icon to enigmatic experimenter, Scott Walker was able to create some of the most breathtakingly beautiful and truly horrifying music ever recorded.
Neurosis – Through Silver In Blood
The massive sound of Through Silver In Blood extends far beyond punishing sludge. The progressive arrangements, monolithic riffs, subdued passages, and unsettling synths have inspired us to develop songs that stray from traditional structures. The tom-heavy drum patterns have empowered us to formulate a sound where the percussion ties the songs together with taut rope and tight knots. Clocking in at 70 minutes, Neurosis reminds you with awe-inspiring force that patience is a virtue.
The Gun Club – Miami
If Fire Of Love pushed the boundaries of punk out into the backwoods, Miami expanded the outer reaches of country and blues by infusing it with pyretic punk energy and post-punk melancholia. With wild abandon and obsessive intent, Jeffrey Lee Pierce charted new territory through claustrophobic swamps and lost highways to find a plot where he could dig up roots rock and plant something all his own. The genre bending of The Gun Club blazed countless trails and opened a whole world of possibilities for bands like ours.
