And And And performs “Blast pt. 2”
“Hey, whoever just walked in – you’re stepping in goat shit.”
I’m in the entryway of And And And drummer Bim Ditson’s house, slowly coming to the realization that maybe I should stand somewhere else.
The culprit is Tatonka, a pygmy goat who spends his days clearing blackberry thorns when he’s not partying with rock bands. And And And rented him out for a couple of hours. After decorating the floor and eating some hay, Tatonka’s owner stops by to bring him back to the farm.
Goat or no goat, the scene is pure chaos. Bim is dressed as KISS drummer Peter Criss, decked out in full makeup and spandex. Every available flat surface is covered with cans of 4-Loko and Rainier. The flames in the fireplace are almost out, but guitarist Berg Radin feeds them healthy doses of lighter fluid, and they burn on.
Bim’s left arm is wrapped in a green and yellow cast, and I ask him how he broke it. “Skateboarding,” he replies. Berg overhears our conversation and interrupts- “come on man, tell him the real story.”
“Alright,” Bim continues, “I was high-fiving Berg while we were driving past each other.” Berg confirms the story - “his hand hit my sideview mirror.” Brutal.
But And And And are known for more than high-fiving each other out of car windows and wearing crazy outfits when they perform. Their artistic output has been downright prolific. In less than a year, they’ve pumped out 37 songs spread across four releases. This is about the longest they’ve gone without putting out new music (their latest EP was in November), and vocalist/guitarist Tyler Keene tells me that they’ve just recorded a batch of 15 new songs. It’s simply a matter of figuring out the details of the next album.
In “Blast pt. 2,” And And And takes full advantage of being an indie-rock band of six multi-instrumentalists. Co-songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Nathan Baumgartner is playing percussion for this one, chugging along on a horizontal bass drum propped up on a picket fence. Ryan Wiggans is on clarinet, dropping epic trills over the tasteful discord, and Jonathan Sallas is holding down the bass line, switching to a shaker when the bottom drops out, leaving Tyler’s vocals to drift over Berg’s guitar effects.
Despite all the shenanigans and playful attitudes, the guys in And And And are growing up. Tyler’s 30th birthday was a few days before the shoot, and when he sings, “Let’s go back to strangers again, like the old times,” it’s hard not to detect some serious nostalgia coming through. Carefully-constructed thoughts that have been marinating in the back of his mind for years. Thousands of youthful memories, waiting patiently to find their way into the next song. One at a time.
And And And plays tonight at Holocene with Guantanamo Baywatch, Skeletron, and Tu Fawning for the Into the Woods 1 Year Anniversary Party in support of our Kickstarter.
And And And would like to thank Georgina Stiner at Goat Rental NW.
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