There was a time when Motherboar’s greatest dilemma was how to get another shot at playing a house show in the guise of their French pool-boy metal alter-egos, “Speedeaux.” Their initial attempt had been thwarted when local authorities, on edge after a rash of nightclub stabbings in Mattapan that summer, broke up a shindig at Hellgate just as the boys were about to kick out the jams.
“We decided we’d all rock Speedos, swimming caps and goggles for the show,” recalls bassist Joe Grotto. “Our friend Deanna made a huge canvas Speedo-shaped backdrop. [Guitarist Brian Connor]’s Speedo was red and had ‘PARTY’ written in sharpie across his ass. Needless to say, we were all bummed to not get to rock out as Speedeaux.”
If you find it distasteful for a big, scary metal band to engage in that type of frivolity, Motherboar welcome your hatred (along with whatever beer cans and snack wrappers you wish to chuck at them).
“Too many bands take themselves way too seriously, especially in metal,” says frontman Kenny Irwin, whose claim to fame prior to joining the band was the time he toilet-papered Mitt Romney’s Belmont home as a teenager. “You’ve got the tough metal guys, the extreme dragon guys, and I like all that stuff, but we’re more about partying and having a good time.”
Shortly after Andrew Doherty replaced Pete Knipfing on guitars, the ‘Boars decided to go for an afternoon tour on a restored Colonial-era tall ship, where the idea of a sea beast attacking them transformed into the dream that they become part of the beast.
Set to drop this month as the inaugural release on the Born of Fire label, The Beast Becomes the Servant, the band’s sophomore effort, comes on the heels of Motherboar being named the city’s Best Metal/Hardcore Band at the 2010 Boston Music Awards. In comparison to the group’s earlier output, The Beast favors more complex rhythms, harmonies and song structures.
“Originally, we were on that line between contemporary metal stuff and rock & roll boogie,” says drummer Benny Grotto, whose work behind the scenes on the new Motherboar album (and many others) netted him a BMA for Best Producer. “We’ve gotten slightly more technical and more melodic, but there are still sing-a-longs and simpler parts that everyone in the audience can bang their heads to, even if it’s in a bizarre time signature.”
With a more customized sonic arsenal along with some grisly album art depicting deep-sea misadventures, these hogs look bloodthirsty enough to pound the entire metal nation into filth for them to wallow in. And yet, they are still the same dudes they were before they became entangled in the numerous, craggy teats of that goliath from below.
“We have no delusion about becoming millionaires,” says Joe. “We’d like to tour. We’ve done it. It was a financial disaster, but it was a shitload of fun. Even well known bands don’t make a lot of money on tour. It’s a vacation. [Rehearsal] is Thursday night out for us.”
And as far as Thursday nights out go, you could find worse ways to spend yours than with Motherboar. Kenny Irwin keeps his microphone inside a PBR tallboy can. Benny Grotto will explain his theory on why Manowar are the Bruce Springsteen of heavy metal. Guitarist Andrew Doherty will tell you why he’s the least metal dude in Boston. Joe Grotto loves Twilight and insists that his romantic conquests address him as “Rob Zombie.” Brian Connor is from Delaware.
All in all, not a very serious metal band. They just bring some serious metal.
MOTHERBOAR
WITH RAZORS IN THE NIGHT, ACARO AND LIVVER
SATURDAY 1.22.11
GREAT SCOTT
1222 COMM. AVE.
ALLSTON
617.566.9014
9PM/21+/$10
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