The Smokes are on a small break right now, getting ready to make our next record. So now we can catch you up on a few things. This article appeared in CityLife a few months back.
Nine acts that are saving the local music scene.
The Holy Smokes. Psychobilly, surf noir and dirty soul.
Double Down and Matteo`s Underground Lounge regulars the Holy Smokes are a bit hard to pinpoint, but they`re crouching somewhere in that dank, fever-addled, psychobilly swamp discovered by twitchy pioneers like the Cramps and Reverend Horton Heat. It`s this position alone that makes them much-needed specialists within a Vegas rock scene stepped in generalities.
Luke Metz,Jeff Koenig,Jesus Santos and Joel Reavis first jammed as The Holy Smokes in 2002.Their website makes mention of the bands intention to bridge genre gaps, and that sounds about right. Even a deliriously fun word like "psychobilly" doesn`t go far enough in describing their sound - the four-piece isn`t rooted in something so stylized as that. These guys brandish a rusty blues edge (thanks mostly to co-vocalist Koenig`s harp-work) together with something that could be deemed "surf-noir" (think lingering tremolos), then shroud the whole thing in a crunchy punk relentlessness that drives each show. In other words, they`re not ones to stay camped in any paticuler backwoodsy spot.
Neither are The Holy Smokes sellers of self-conscious eclecticism for it`s own sake. Psychobilly is by nature a grotesque sort of montage but, at least in The Holy Smokes` case, things come together organically enough. Santos alternately caresses and bashes the holy hell out of his drum set, giving Reavis plenty of foundation for his own guitar chops. The live delivery of bassist/vocalist Luke Metz can remind you of other scary throats - Tom Waits` "Don`t look at me when I`m talking to you" rasp, and of course, the primal "Don`t look at me - ever" growl of Cramps crooner Lux Interior, just to name a couple. As for the harmonica, well, the growing breed of Holy Smokes devotees love it for what it is - the ingredient that adds an irreplaceable measure of dirty soul to where it would otherwise be lacking.
The band captured its sound on a self-produced, eight-song CD of originals, although some of the songs are housed on its website. Although the bands Internet presence (theholysmokes.us) isn`t exactly expansive, it does offer a downloadable video excerpt of three numbers performed live last year at the Double Down. The movie actually looks and sounds pretty decent compared to much of the impressionistic garble we`re used to streaming online. Sadly, though, the swirling aroma of smoke , sweat and suds is not included. See you at the show.
DAVID SURRATT 6-16-05