Wall of Sound

My own previous knowledge of music has been confined to Chicago, so I’d like to recognize other states with up-and-coming bands featuring one of the female musicians helping to reform music scenes across the world into something other than exclusively male. 

One of those states is North Carolina, so if you ever visit, be sure to attend an Earth Mover show. 

The band, as described by a fan at one of their shows, is a “sludgier version of Jesus and Mary Chain.” So far this has been the members’ favorite description. Influences on their Facebook page include shoegaze bands My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and of course Jesus and Mary Chain. 

Members include vocalist/guitarist John Russell and bassist Morgan Brown.

I had the pleasure of asking Brown a few questions about her past and current experiences with music, as well as future plans for the band itself. 

Brown has always looked up to bassists Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Debbie Googe of My Bloody Valentine and Kira Roessler of Black Flag fame as sources of inspiration.

As a result of learning to play bass and overcoming the struggles facing new musicians, Brown has so far had a positive experience within her local scene. She is no longer as quiet, shy and reserved.

Brown even plans on learning new instruments in the upcoming future, adding to her bass guitar abilities.  She hopes for vocalist and guitarist John Russell’s skills, in addition to his knowledge of drums, to rub off on her.

Earth Mover, Russell and Brown’s labor of love, is currently working on a week-long run of shows in the Northeast region, including the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Brunswick, New York, Bethlehem, located in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Richmond. 

Not only is the band working on a tour, their future plans also include releasing splits with local bands as well as a do-it-yourself (DIY) compilation through The Root Press that will benefit autism research. 

Brown is more than proud of what her band has accomplished. 

“I went into this project thinking ‘if I can play a few shows and maybe record a few songs to put on tape, I’ll be happy,’ and we’re already doing more than what I ever imagined we’d be able to,” said Brown.

Earth Mover has 2 upcoming shows in North Carolina: May 22 at Area 15 and  June 1 at Static Age Records. Try to catch them before they tour or wait until they hit up your state with some heavy fuzz tunes in the future! 

From left to right: John Russell, Amanda Bartee, Morgan Brown and Keith Bendt Jr., of band Earth Mover play at Black Cat Burrito in Boone, NC on Friday Feb. 7, 2014. Photo credit: Karl Kuehn.

Link to Root Press Compilation: DIY w/ Love

[UPDATE: Made on 5/8/14 at 4:00 p.m.]