This Ain't Dad Rock

lues Control are a two-piece New York entity who, like their music, are slowly and steadily building steam, creating mind-bending music on their own terms. Formed in January 2006 as a tongue-in-cheek side project to Watersports (an improvisational new age band operated by lovers Russ Waterhouse and Lea Cho) the Blues Control vibes have started to take over; with the sleep-inducing, kaftan-wearing, dolphin synth-rays largely taking a back seat for now. Hearing the name first brings to mind tough riffing and foot stamping dad-rock but the truth is a lot weirder. They take a completely critical and almost removed approach to the general field of psychedelic rock, with the twelve-bar only vaguely perceptible in the distance. What does that sound like when it’s at home? Uh, somewhere between Modulo 1000 and Cluster 71’, with the Dead C watching proceedings from the sidelines. They generally build upon some form of repetition, a sampled blues lick, a piano riff, play with it for a while, then destroy it till it represents the overwhelming overload of rock music culture and history replicated in aural form. This is by no means a big call. It’s amazing to witness live: Russ taking out his metal axe and shredding on top of some rhythms only he can hear in the noise, Lea’s hair in her eyes, ploughing away on the keys and coaxing some beauty out of the cacophony. For those who can’t get out to Queens, you can make the Blues Control experience your own because, performance being inseparable from the whole concept of the band, all recordings are live. You will just have to imagine the visuals. They were nice enough to spend some time explaining it all.

Vice: By what means and for what purpose do you wish to “control the blues”?

Russ: Recycled mix-tapes, cheap beats, stereo panning delay, jamming keys, fried tones, free beer, energy drinks, no cover shows, dancing, Stax vibes, hats, a block party PA.

What are the fundamental aesthetic and theoretical differences between Blues Control and Watersports?

Musically, Watersports is minimalist, whereas Blues Control is maximalist. We started Watersports with the idea of playing new age at noise shows. Blues Control started as a joke, after a lot of discussion about what was missing from the shows we were going to; namely interesting ideas and fun times. Blues Control is a ‘rock’ band insofar as we use rock signifiers—guitars, loud amps, piano, and the ideas we reference from classic psychedelic rock records. Also, as far as live performance is concerned, Blues Control has an expiration date, whereas Watersports is something we can probably do well into old age without fear of embarrassment.

Why keep them separated when they share the same personnel and often gear?

At times they overlap, but there is a much greater emphasis on songwriting in Blues Control. Blues Control also encourages the audience to participate in a spectacle and move, whereas Watersports asks that the audience be still and listen.

How do you go about producing the sounds?

We run backing tapes and all of our instruments through a mixer and into a stereo amp setup. This allows us to sound like a record even in live performance, which is also part of our aim—replicating the sounds of our favorite studio-as-an-instrument records. 

So do you guys have any time apart?

We’ve been dating for several years. It’s all very fluid, and we no longer consciously differentiate between our creative relationship and any other part of our lives. It’s awesome.

MICHAEL BRAY
Blues Controls latest LP “Puff” is out now on Woodist. Their self-titled album is out on Holy Mountain.