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Hey there! My Name is Damien Taylor!Apollo Audio talks with Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs 
Hey there! My Name is Damien Taylor. When my friend Eric asked me to do a section for his site ApolloAudio, he said I could pretty much do whatever I wanted; my own little corner. Little did he know that, when I was in elementary school, I too then had my own corner kinda like this one. Whenever I finished my assignments, I was allowed to sit in an empty corner of the classroom (we operated on what is known as the POD system, a giant classroom divided into four sections- two of which were treated as individual classrooms and the other two for group gatherings) where I could 'do whatever I wanted'. Which generally meant that I could listen to my headphones and draw and write until lunch or until the class had changed direction in study. It was the closest thing a relatively mainstream school could offer me that resembled my Montessori and TAG schooling before I transferred. So here I am, in isolation writing and listening and sneaking listens to the teacher just in case they're fucking it up again. My first 'assignment' was two-fold; I got to see Philadelphia's Like A Fox and Jolly Ol's Holly Golightly. Not a bad way to start. I rolled into Johnny Brenda's shortly after soundchecks had finished and sat down with Jay Laughlin, a well known name in these parts from his previous involment in Philadelphia luminaries Lenola. This new band of his, Like A Fox, has just released their second full length album "Where's my Golden Arm", and so we had a chat and a beer. Apparently, the title came from an old ghost story record Laughlin and a childhood mate listened to obsessively about a man who was married to a woman with a golden arm who insisted on being buried with it. When she dies, the farm starts going broke and he thinks of selling the arm against her dying wishes to get back on his feet. He digs up the arm, puts it under his pillow, and is haunted by her ghost the entire night "Ooooh! Where's my golden arm!?" she cries. To further the manifestation of this tale's driving motivation to his writing of the album, the friend he shared this record with passed away to a heroin addiction, harkening back to Otto Preminger's "The Man with the Golden Arm", based on Nelson Algren's novel of the same name; a story of a heroin addict drummer (played by Ole Blue Eyes himself, Mr. Frank Sinatra) who tries to get clean. But it don't stop there! This album is the first one Like A Fox recorded in the studio they built for themselves. It's got a very new 'production first' sound to it, reminiscent of Fridmann's impact on later Mercury Rev and Flaming lips, but also slips big rock riffs and glitchy blips into the weave. The songs take you all over the place and by the time it's all finished it is as hauntingly confusing as any ghost you may have. And if you have ghosts, you have everything…After our chat, I shot over to the M Room to hang with Holly Golightly and Lawyer Dave in their futuristic mini van about their new album and how their tour has been going. But damn, I was just so happy to meet them and hang that we just smoked cigarettes and talked about moving, life and living in and on the road, the possibilities of full on Winnebago life, boat life (Holly lived on one for fifteen years) and life with strange neighbors. We talked about losing things that insist upon returning (Holly has a scarf, I have a hat). I resisted letting on that I had been a fan for a long time, and by the end of our chat, we shot some polaroids that led to a discussion about religions that believe photographs steal your soul. I had a teacher in High School who believed it and someone in yearbook stole a photo of him just days before he died. Murder? Who knows… the Ghosts abound! (And why not? People love ghosts, especially in religious circles; Easter anyone?) Their newest offering, "Dirt Don't Hurt", is a stripped down rocker with swamp stomp to spare. And Lawyer Dave plays most of the accompaniment himself- their stage set up was Holly on guitar and vocals, and Dave on guitar, vocals, harmonica, foot powered drums, and anything else he could make a fitting sound on. The material has all the swagger you'd expect from thee former Headcoatee, and through time-tested rock constructs, it avoids safety with a wry smile and the easy confidence that only someone who's been in the game as long as Holly can pull off so effortlessly. Both bands' sets were excellently delivered, and the bartenders at both bars that night were totally awesome in keeping me from feeling too far away from the beer I left behind at the other. And every so often I'd see El Harmso, Vitty, Weaver, Spumoni Mike and Chris Diamonds going and coming from show to show as well. We all ended up at Kung Fu Necktie, a strangely named but cozy bar around the corner. I wiggled on over and danced with a table full of pretty girls, and somehow there, my night had just begun all over again. |
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