Dub Trio - New Heavy

Dub Trio is one of the few bands that can open for Mike Patton (featured on this record), reggae legends The Wailers, hip-hop MC Beans, electro-pioneers Meat Beat Manifesto, firebrand Capleton, jazz-funkers Soulive, and electronica maestro Prefuse 73 (all of which they did in 2005).  And to flame that fire Dub Trio will be embarking on a 10 date tour w/ Polish punk rockers Gogol Bordello starting April 1st.  It speaks volumes about their music's versatility; one minute it's gummy dub, the next it's chest-beating, chug-a-lug metal, shredding punk, and bleeped-out electronic psychedelia.  At its best, Dub Trio's music is simultaneously all these and more.  Their sophomore album, aptly-titled NEW HEAVY, is undoubtedly a rock record that retains enough dubby elements to save the boys a name-change:

Dub is the foundation. It's in everything we do, whether it's the structure, the effects,
or the bass line.  It's what all other elements are based on.  You hear that
even on the heaviest parts of the new record. - Joe Tomino, drummer

New Heavy is indeed heavy, and hard. It references Metallica more than Marley, and features the one and only MIKE PATTON (Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas) on "Not Alone," which Billboard Magazine describes as "an old school Faith No More-style rocker." A re-mix of this track by Mike Patton as "Peeping Tom" will soon be released on Mike's own Ipecac Recordings later this year.

How did this collaboration come about?  Simple.  Mike Patton heard Dub Trio's music.  Yep, that's all it took.  No mutual friends, no money, no label pressure, just a few rough mixes from the New Heavy sessions and Patton knew they were on to something:

Dub Trio are very talented musicians that cover many different genres in each
piece they play. They are doing something that very few artists are doing today,
and doing it their own way. - Mike Patton

Their versatility and singularity have as much to do with musical acumen as with the communication between each member's unique personality:

We have our own musical language.  We communicate with each other through
our instruments, eye contact, energy.  That's why no two live shows are the same,
no two performances of a song.  That's also why it's as important to see us as it is to hear us,
because you can see that interaction on stage. - Stu Brooks, bassist

THE PLAYERS:
Joe, Stu and Dave not only bring individual talents and personalities to Dub Trio but also a unique set of professional experience, having worked with 18 Cent, Common, Mary J. Blige, Mos Def and Mobb Deep.  Joe currently drums with the recently reunited Fugees.  Stu continues to work with G-Unit & 18 Cent (he dropped the massive bass line on this summer's hit "So Seductive (feat. 18 Cent)" by Tony Yayo).  And Dave, along with his brother, started the punk/emo band Like Yesterday with Matt Rubano, the bassist for Taking Back Sunday (who Like Yesterday tours with frequently).  And perhaps all this crept into Dub Trio's sound, which is undoubtedly more aggressive and bigger than before.  They are poised for a large impact, and this album will put them there.  

In Joe Tomino's hands, the drums function as an entire section, rather than as one instrument.  You will hear this section transform over the course of a song; the pulse never wavering but morphing from drum machine-esque sounds, to a big rock assault, to spaced out dub rhythms, echoes spiraling from his kit.  In other words, Joe is a madman on drums--the Muppet's Animal in human flesh--guiding much of the band's energy and intensity.  


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