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T h e

A s h e v i l l e C u r r e n t

v o l u m e 1i s s u e 1

staff

2 the Asheville Current issue 1, volume 1mArCh 8, 2015

CORYTHOMPSON

Cory’s two biggest fans are his mother and his roomate’s cat. One

of them looks at his articles every day, and the other is his mom.

Editor-in-Chief • 21 • Apex, NC

KATELYNNWATKINS

Katelynn punctuates professionalism with high-fives. She is the

youngest married staffer and the only one to work at a drug store.

Features Editor • 21 • Asheville, NC

KAREENAGARDNER

Kareena is a pirate lass with a heart of expensive steak cuts.

note: Does not have a cat, but does have a pet rock.

Design Editor • 20 • Durham, NC

BRIANVU

Brian breaks the stereotype every day. His cat is named after an

alcoholic beverage. His only weakness is pizza.

Photo Editor • 20 • Boone, NC

TED KENDRICK

Ted likes rafting and drinking beer with his cat. But that’s every-

body on the staff. Except the people without cats.

Music Editor • 23 • Birmingham, AL

BRANDON BOUCHILLON

Brandon claims to be a professor but he’s young enough to be a

student. His greatest joys are cheesecake and his daughter.

Magazine Adviser • 29 • Lubbock, TX

aboutThank you so much for supporting The Asheville Current.

We’re trying something different. The Current is for the community, by students. We want to bring well-written, topical stories to the greater Asheville

whole. We want to highlight the hard work and community service that holds the fabric of this community together. We

want to be that fabric. We want to be a sweater.

The Ashevillage Idiot

3the Asheville Current issue 1, volume 1

mArCh 8, 2015

By Ted KendricK, Music [email protected]

With coke-bottle glasses and the girth of a strip club

bouncer, Alex Perry, 22, looks like he could be the nerd or the

bully, depending on the day. He’s big enough to be the type

of man who might order two steaks at a restaurant. Today, he’s

scarfing down a Caesar salad.

He smiles at a waitress. He frequents the Five Points

Restaurant, a greasy neighborhood diner near UNC Asheville.

Since he moved to the city over 10 years ago, the women work-

ing at the diner helped raise Perry.

At that time, Perry lived with his mother on Lee Street

- about five minutes walking distance from the university. The

house was the last stop on a long series of moves, and the last

place Perry lived with his mother.

“My mom had a mental break when I was 6,” Perry says.

“She kind of checked out and started playing spades in her of-

fice. When she came out, she would yell and scream at dad and

me.”

Perry’s family fell apart as his mother became increas-

ingly paranoid and addicted to drugs. She began using cocaine

and methamphetamine. By the time the struggling family moved

to Asheville, Perry’s father had completely stopped associating

with the family.

When Perry was 12, his mother hit him for the first time.

Then she walked out of the front door, and said she would never

return.

“It was normal for her to just walk out and say she was

done with me,” Perry says. “She’d be crashing off of meth or

coke or whatever and would leave until she could find some

more. She would normally bring back ice cream to make it all

okay. It worked. I was 12.”

This time, Perry called a friend. He says he was young,

and he was scared. Someone told the authorities. The Depart-

ment of Social Service picked Perry up the next day on his way

to school.

In the space of one day, Perry says he joined the legion of

children in America’s foster care system. As of 2012, 400,000

American kids live in foster or group homes, according to sta-

tistics kept by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Perry stayed with the Buncombe County DSS from age 12

to age 21, when he aged out of the program. He bounced from

foster family to group home and back. Some of his time he spent

on the run, living with his mom’s friends. He missed several

Raised by the village: foster care in Asheville, NCBy cory Thompson

[email protected]

Photo by Brian Vu - Photography Editor

College graduate and former foster child Alex Perry stands next to his roommate’s van.


features


mArCh 8, 2015

featuresyears of school. The DSS placed him with all manner of people.

“I tried to shoot for families without biological kids my age,”

Perry says. “I remember learning not to ask for toys when the

biological kids do. You would never get the toy and you would

label yourself as ‘one of those kids who asked.’ You would label

yourself as a burden.”

All the while, Perry says the DSS built a case against Perry’s

mother in court. He was too young to understand the process -

but the procedure is standard across all DSS cases.

A defense attorney advocated for the mother, and the pros-

ecutor worked to prove her incompetency. In Perry’s case, the

final ruling revoked her right to raise children. One person, the

guardian ad litem, spoke directly to Perry and fought for his

needs.

“The GAL program’s whole purpose is to provide advocacy

to abused and neglected children in court that will get them

into safe permanent homes as quickly as possible,” says Jennifer

Nehlsen, district administrator of the Guardian ad Litem pro-

gram of Buncombe county.

Nehlsen administered the GAL program for the last 12

years. She is also a foster parent.

“We advocate for what we believe is in the kids’ best in-

terest,” Nehlsen says. “We also represent to the court what the

child wants as they state their needs.”

North Carolina instituted its GAL program in 1983. Each

state has its own program. In Buncombe county, 175 volunteers

cover the district. Nehlsen says most are retired mothers and

grandmothers.

Nehlsen says in a typical DSS case, which lasts anywhere

from 12 to 15 months, the GAL meets with the child once a

month to hear the child’s requests. The child’s wishes are passed

to a lawyer unaffiliated with DSS or the parents and expressed

directly to the judge.

Nehlsen says children represented by GALS tend to have

better outcomes in court, move through the system more quick-

ly, and do better in school. These youth prove less likely to end

up in the juvenile justice system. Sometimes, she says, it’s the

advocacy in the courtroom helping the children. Other times,

it’s the one-on-one interactions with the guardians.

“Our unoffical role is to be a positive adult in these chil-

dren’s lives. An adult that is there when they say they’re going

to be there, and does what we say we’re going to do,” Nehlsen

says. “A lot of these children haven’t had trustworthy adults in

“Cinderella has her fairy godmother and Snow White

has the seven dwarfs and everybody’s got somebody. I

figured I should have had somebody but

it never really coalesced.”


their lives up to that point. The most important thing is to give

these kids attention.”

According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

Study, there’s a strong relationship between a person exposed to

abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and the risk

factors associated with the leading causes of death in adults.

Guardian ad Litems serve as a role model and mentor. Nehlsen

says the volunteers remind foster kids that there are good peo-

ple in this world.

“My guardian ad litem was great,” Perry says. “He treated

me like his grandson. Once a month he would take me out and

we’d have lunch and he told me I could change the world. He

made me feel great.”

Perry’s GAL, Rubin Feldstein, retired. There’s a new guard

of GAL volunteers now. Richard Hyman, a 21-year-old GAL

from Wilmington N.C., approached the work through UNCA’s

psychology department.

“I’m a counterbalance for the negative effects of the sys-

tem,” Hyman says. “There’s a lot of legal protection for the par-

ents but my position is the only one that looks out for the kids.”

Still, this protection exists only for kids who make it into

the system. An uncountable number fall through the cracks. Al-

ana McLaughlin, a 31-year-old ex-Special Forces operator and

blacksmith, says she can’t imagine foster care being any worse

than her childhood.

“I had terrible parents,” McLaughlin says. “They abused

and neglected me. They didn’t believe me when I told them I

was being violated by the youth pastor. They were the type of

people to go to church five times a week, and I was stuck in

their house.”

McLaughlin went to school with bruises. She says she

picked up the lessons through osmosis, and was identified as

intelligent by one of the teachers. DSS came, and quickly left.

She says she became an atheist at age 8.

She lost God, her parents favorite pastime, and she lost

hope.

“When I was young, I wanted to be all manner of things,”

McLaughlin says. “I wanted to be an artist, an archaeologist, a

dancer. Nobody encouraged my dreams. I never thought I had

a future. Nobody told me I had one.”

McLaughlin says she felt she deserved a mentor.

“It was like that hero of your own Disney story thing,”

McLaughlin says. “Cinderella has her fairy godmother and

Snow White has the seven dwarfs and everybody’s got some-

body. I figured I should have had somebody but it never really

coalesced.”

Tammy Shook, a social work program administrator in

Buncombe county, understands there’s not enough people in

the system to meet the needs of every child.

“Not everyone can foster or adopt children but everyone

can do something,” Shook says. “We all have to be positive

adults. We need to take care of the kids flitting at the edges.

Adults need to check in more often. As adults, we have a re-

sponsibility to the kids in the community.”

Shook heads a program called “Yes - I Can Do That for a

Child!” which allows community members to pay for children’s

expenses. Soccer leagues, piano lessons, and other extracurric-

ular activities appear on a website which allows for community

members without the time to adopt to still benefit a child.

“Take this salad for instance,” Perry says. “I wouldn’t eat

salad as a kid. I was extremely picky. But during one of the

better times, when my parents were trying to work things out, it

was such a good time that I wanted to eat my vegetables.”

Want to make a difference? Call (828) 250-5868 to buy a

kid a soccer league membership.

Contributed by Alana McLaughlin

McLaughlin works at Northern Cressent Iron.

features


mArCh 8, 2015

features

My phone alarm goes off at 8 p.m.

to tell me tonight is the night. My entire

body shakes. My teeth chatter like casta-

nets. It is time to go up on stage and per-

form a few songs I had written for open

mic night.

I was walking downtown with my

Seagull Entourage guitar, thinking about

everything that could go wrong. I could

forget my own lyrics. I could hit a wrong

note. But the worst thing that could hap-

pen? I finish a song perfectly, and I hear

nothing but silence followed by polite

applause.

I soon arrive at the place hosting

the open mic. It is one of those “cool

bars” whose name is also the address -

Four College. It has been hosting open

mics since 2009. I got there at 8:30 p.m.

Open mic started at 7 p.m. The place

was practically empty.

Thank God.

The emcee approaches me asking if

I’m going to perform. I say, “Yes. Where

do I sign up?” The emcee smiles and ex-

plains to me that he doesn’t do sign-up

sheets.

“I got rid of those quite a few years

ago,” he said. “It is all about the flow of

the evening. We play it by ear.”

What?

“So when will I perform?” I ask.

“Oh you’ll be on after these guys.”

He points to three men who were sitting

with their wives and kids.

I thank him and took a seat at the

bar. Now my insecurities are taking over

my nervousness. I start hoping the band

before me isn’t too good. No one wants

to follow someone who got a standing

ovation. There’s a reason why more pop-

ular bands close the show.

The band before me turns to go

up on stage. They introduce themselves

and start playing. Their music is comfort-

Lessons in love and life on Four College Ave.By drew heinz

Contributor [email protected]

Photo by Leslie Frempong

Drew Heinz plays guitar and sings in local open mics.

features


able-sounding poppy music.

I think I can follow that, but I don’t

want the audience to think my lonely

acoustic guitar sounds empty, especially

compared to a full band.

As they’re playing, the emcee comes

up to me again. He leans over and says,

“Do you mind if we do an interlude be-

fore you get on?”

Cool! The audience can have a little

break. Now, it won’t feel like I’m follow-

ing a full band.

“I don’t mind at all,” I say.

“Cool,” he says. “Thanks.”

The band finishes playing. The em-

cee comes up on stage and tells a young

woman in the audience to join him. She

looks as confused as I do. The emcee

calls out to the dishwasher to “do his

thing.” The dishwasher guy approaches

the woman and goes down on one knee.

“You’re the love of my life,” he

mumbles. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

Oh crap.

The woman kisses her new fiancé.

They walk offstage to be congratulated

by friends, family and strangers.

Now, I’m on stage with my inse-

curities kicking in full-force. The dimly

lit bar suddenly turns into a bright and

bold Disney fairy tale, where everyone

lives happily ever after. Meanwhile, I’m

the mood-killer, playing a song about a

person strung-out on coke.

I would love to play happy love

songs, but I don’t have any happy love

songs. Any songwriter knows that a neg-

ative song is easier to write than a posi-

tive one.

Here goes nothing.

“Hi, I’m Drew and I write … songs,”

I said looking down.

I hit the first note on my guitar and

away we went.

The maximum number of songs one

can play is three. After I played my third,

I was asked to play two more.

After my set, I hop offstage with my

insecurities feeling flushed out. I order

myself a victory beer from the bar and

take a victory sip.

The band I judged so harshly ap-

proaches me to tell me how much they

liked my set.

“Thanks,” I say. “I liked your set

too!”

I see a girl eyeing me from across

the room.

Maybe I should propose.

EIGHTH PAGE AD

Photo illustration by Brian Vu - Photography Editor

EIGHTH PAGE AD

features


mArCh 8, 2015

What doesn’t kill you makes you

weaker.

That was the case for Rob Tison.

Kelly Tison sits at a table in her seem-

ingly ordinary suburban home, gently

thumbing her ring finger. A band of pale

skin is distinguishable where, shielded

from the effects of the sun, a wedding

band once rested for 17 years.

“We met in August of 1994 and got

married in February of 1995,” Kelly says.

“Then we were together ever since.”

But Kelly never imagined the love of

her life would suddenly fall victim to a

life-ending disease, leaving her and their

two children to pick up the pieces.

Her worst nightmares became a re-

ality.

“It happens so fast you hardly have

time to process any of it while it’s hap-

pening,” Kelly says. “One day every-

thing is okay, and the next day your life

is changed forever.”

Seventeen years after exchanging

their vows, Rob was diagnosed with

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often re-

ferred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is

an illness for which there is no cure, ac-

cording to the ALS Association website.

“You know it exists, but you think

‘it’s never going to happen to me,’ or

‘why should I help people who have

that?’ or ‘why should I donate to that?’”

Kelly says, ticking off the assumptions on

her fingers.

She recalls the moment when she

realized something was seriously wrong

with her husband’s health. He was on

medication for an overactive thyroid, but

started encountering complications. He

drove to the emergency room after expe-

riencing what he thought was a stroke.

Soon after, his speech and muscle

abilities deteriorated significantly. Kelly

remembers Rob struggling to perform a

pull-up at the playground, a previously

unchallenging feat.

Kate Bell, Kelly’s confidante and a

longtime family friend, remembers when

their husbands would sit on the porch

drinking beers.

Rob always appeared healthy to the

outside world, Kate says. He was a com-

petitive athlete who enjoyed participat-

ing in bicycle races and marathons, with

no need to train beforehand.

“To see somebody going from so

strong to so weak,” Kate says, trailing off.

According to the ALS Association

website, ALS is a neurodegenerative dis-

ease, and when motor neurons degener-

ate it results in muscle weakness. When

muscles no longer receive the messages

Disease deteriorates muscles, familyBy Avery riggs

[email protected]

Photo by Kelly Tison

Kelly, Sydney, Rob and Tyler Tison capture a moment on one of Rob’s last family vacations.

required to function, they begin to atro-

phy and the patient eventually dies.

“It’s such a traumatic disease to

watch,” Kelly says. “Muscles just die, and

all the sudden someone can’t use their

hands or walk or eat. To watch somebody

just waste away like that while knowing

exactly what is going on.”

Above all else, Rob was a devoted

husband and father who loved his family

more than anything, Kate says. He made

sure this was felt even after he was un-

able to speak due to the disease.

When he was first diagnosed, Rob

would take the family on special trips to

ensure they had positive and uplifting

memories to cherish later.

“You know that song that goes

‘Rocky Mountain climbin’, and skydiv-

in’? We did all of that,” Kelly says. “He

says it was kind of a gift because it made

him realize how much he appreciated

his family and he wanted to spend as

much time with us as possible.”

After nearly 14 months of painful

MRIs, nerve conduction studies, and spi-

nal taps, doctors ruled out all other pos-

sibilities leaving ALS as the final culprit,

Kelly says.

The only thing left to do was fight.

“We did a lot of research on trying

to find ways that could keep him healthy

for as long as possible,” she says.

Kelly drove Rob to Duke University

once a month for him to receive infusion

therapy. His body was injected with rilu-

zole. It’s the only drug approved for ALS

patients by the Food and Drug Adminis-

tration, according to the ALS Association

website, and its delivery is an all-day

process. While it’s not a treatment that

stops or reverses ALS, it slows its pro-

gression.

After the trial period ended, Rob’s

doctor tried to grant him compassionate

use, but the drug company denied the

request, Kelly says.

“So there is something that you

know is helping and you stay stronger

for longer, but you can’t have it.”

When the trial ended, Rob’s health


features

... She looks at her hands, rubbing

the place her wedding ring used

to reside.

HALF PAGE AD


mArCh 8, 2015

featuresseemed to spiral downwards faster than

ever.

Between doctor visits and trips to

Duke, Kelly witnessed other ALS pa-

tients’ distress. Patients would experi-

ment with homemade concoctions of

bleach and other toxic substances.

“People with ALS get so desperate,”

she says. “They will try any drug no mat-

ter what. If it’s going to burn their insides

out when they drink it, they will still try

it because there’s nothing else left any-

ways. You will try anything.”

Some patients are participating in

clinical trials of drugs that hold promise,

but there has yet to be a breakthrough.

In addition, these drugs have not yet

been approved by the FDA and are only

approved for experimental tests in clini-

cal studies.

“You are giving up the last few good

years of your life to participate in some-

thing experimental,” Kelly says. “And

what’s scary is that, what if that’s going

to make you feel worse? And a lot of

them do.”

Kelly also wrestled with her own

desperation to prolong her husband’s

life. She says it seems like it’s always the

good people who are affected, not mass

murderers or prisoners.

Although Kelly and Rob tried to stay

positive, the tension created by the dis-

ease affected their relationship.

Kelly remembers an instance when

her husband lashed out.

“I remember Rob saying ‘I wish you

had it,’” she says. “But at the same time,

I know that he thinks that I didn’t under-

stand what he was going through. And

I didn’t. There’s no way I could under-

stand completely.”

Two years, six months, and two

days after Rob’s diagnosis, Kelly’s world

changed forever.

“This week will be two years since

he died,” Kelly says.

Kelly’s gaze is steady as she looks

over her shoulder at her 15-year-old

daughter watching TV in the next room.

“You just have to show them that it’s

okay and we’ll get through it,” she says,

quietly now. “And it sucks, but you still

need to go on living your life, and be

happy, and do the things that you want

to do. And not feel bad that your dad

isn’t getting to do them with you. But

think of him while you’re doing it.”

Since her husband’s passing, Kelly’s

outlook on life has changed.

She appreciates every day, and is

finally able to discuss her experiences

without pining over them, she says.

“It’s not easy every day. But I cer-

tainly try to appreciate people more,”

Kelly says.

She looks at her hands, rubbing the

place her wedding ring used to reside.

Photo illustration by Brian Vu

QUARTER PAGE AD


reviews

The Hermit Kings are the next big sensation in Asheville

thanks to their weekly performances at the Isis Music Hall’s “Free

for All Fridays.” A four person band composed of three Zacks-- all

of varied spelling-- the Hermit Kings display a variety of indie

rock motifs with firm psychedelic undertones.

Their first track “Walkdown” begins with precisely that-- a

musical walkdown-- in a slow, sneaky and bluesy sort of way

with vocals reminiscent of The Antlers, Dr. Dog, and Glen Han-

sard of The Frames, not “so awkward and absurd” as the lyrics

would suggest. “Cutting the Stairs in Half” is carried by an upbeat

bass in a song that feels similar to The Strokes. “Aberdeen”-- track

three-- plays up the band’s whistling talents while “Broke” breaks

out the xylophone, both techniques that are somewhat a cliche

in indie music. The fifth track “Prisoner” displays a rich bass

groove accompanied by my favorite lyrics of the album, “Black

and White, the groom stands at the altered state of mind” before

breaking down into a Ted Leo and the Pharmacists-inspired rift

that transforms into a nod to Irving Berlin’s classic “Puttin’ On the

Ritz” (1930).

Does the album fizzle out in the end? Perhaps, since the sixth

and penultimate track-- “The Fight”-- begins slow and dreamy

with traditional blues chords that might have served the album

better if slotted a bit sooner. The seventh and final track has a slow

start too, but ultimately breaks down heavily in the chorus, and

like everything else that must end, we are left with the appropri-

ately titled “Skeletons.”

The Hermit Kings: Loose Tooth (2013)By Ted KendricK

Music [email protected]

Asheville’s Doomster has been serv-

ing up a steady dose of Indie Powerpop

since 2011. The upcoming release of Fu-

ture Athletes will be the groups third re-

lease following their Riders EP (2012) and

nine song LP “D” (2014). The band is

fronted by songwriter Robin wood, joined

on the mic from time to from spasmodic

drummer Corey Walker.

The Doomster sound is an indie-surf/

punk-rock hybrid. Clean melodic guitar

leads alongside grinding chords operate

Doomster like a punk band. The music

is high energy, and maintains a solid pop

sensibility.

Doomsters most recent LP “D”, cranks

out a relentless stream of grinding up-tem-

po pop songs coupled with Wood’s throaty

vocals, which sounds to be comprised of

equal parts David Byrne of the Talking

Heads and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kenne-

dys. The album is packed with straightfor-

ward power pop songs, which feature spot

on pacing, dynamics, and structure.

On the whole, however, the Doom-

ster doesn’t seem to be striving for new

territory. 70% of the songs off “D” feature

the identical upbeat tempo, and similar

approach to vocal and instrumentation.

The flaw in “D”’s delivery lies in Doom-

ster’s tied and true songwriting formula.

The songs blend together, offering little to

set Doomster apart from its sound-alike’s.

Only two songs defy Doomster’s

characteristic formula; “Forced” and “Sav-

ings”, a pair of instrumental tracks, which

open and close the album. These tracks,

wich feature accordion and bizarre per-

cussion and are the most interesting tracks

on the album.

Doomster is scheduled to release

their second LP in March of this year.

By Tyrell lucus

[email protected]

Doomster: “D”(2014)

reviews

Last year, Gene Simmons from KISS

falsely declared that “rock is finally dead,”

but that’s probably because he never heard

Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats, a

band that has transformed from its debut

in 2011 as a guitar and harmonica busk-

ing duo to a full-fledged rock, funk, and

southern soul band. “Soul and Sarcasm”--

the Rats’ first and only studio produced

album-- hits hard with “Set My Soul Free,”

displaying their tight musicianship made

obvious by its complementary rhythm

and sharp brass sections, declaring that

rock and roll itself-- not dead at all!-- will

do the soul freeing. Scotchie’s vocals are

slightly reminiscent of Jack White, but

venture into more funky territory in the

second track’s “Brokenhearted” where

the band makes some real stanky sounds,

both poignant and pungent in the twangy

harp and muted trumpet solos. “Neigh-

bors”-- the fourth track-- is about noise

complaints from next door (a frequent

obstacle faced by garage bands), but the

album never slows down, ending with “I

Don’t Worry” which is a straight-up party.

These are tunes that would make Grand-

ma take out her hearing aids for a sec and

send her back in time to the music of her

youth. The River Rats honor the heritage

of Asheville and the Appalachians in this

way-- probably why Scotchie has since

become one of Asheville’s favorite sons.

The River Rats: Soul and Sarcasm (2012)By Ted KendricK

Music [email protected]

In 2012, Here Come the Morbids

gave us our first taste of the Morbids

sound; Angry white boy jams with sar-

castic song names like “Complicated

Dance Moves” and “It’s Funny ‘cause its

Poisonous.” The EP was brimming with

raw guitars and chaotic vigor and word-

play, but was sadistically short. A good

EP leaves you wanting more.

Morbids follow up release comes

two years later with their LP, Relentless

Ceiling. The album offers eight tracks;

two of which are newer and tighter ver-

sions tracks off Here come the Morbids.

It’s clear; Morbids went for quality over

quantity. The album’s run time is just over

a half hour, but Relentless Ceiling deliv-

ers quite an earful. Each song is expertly

choreographed, and leads the listener on

so many unpredictable swings in rhythm

and mood. Thirty minutes of Morbids is

borderline overwhelming.

The Morbids sound defies immedi-

ate categorization. The band certainly

has its roots in 90s post punk, but con-

tains elements of psychedelic and pro-

gressive rock. Morbids has incorporated

these elements, and modernized them.

Relentless Ceiling songs are ripe with

an intense aggressive momentum that

carries through the length of the album.

Songs like “No Anatomy” and “Poison-

ous” are rollercoasters of complex gui-

tar riffage, harsh vocals, and abrupt shifts

in tempo. This energy builds until, with-

out warning, the band slips into smooth

melodic breakdowns. No two members

ever play the exact same melody, and the

drummer follows the guitars with remark-

able energy and precision. The album

has its sweet spots too with tracks like

“Strange Synesthesia” and “Halloween

Penance”(has a groove in ¾ waltz tim-

ing, and the band pulls it off). The songs

begin in beautiful dark surreal melodies,

building in volume and intensity to an

uproarious climax.

A glance at the liner notes indicates

the song’s lyrics got as much attention as

musical compositions. Lyrics are respect-

ably articulate, delving into psychologi-

cal, political themes. On the most part the

group’s songs are co-written by Edward

Madill (guitar) and Matt Kotarba(bass).

Though each member’s creative style has

their own definitive qualities, the combi-

nation of all four members makes for a

unique and cohesive end result.

Morbids is very much a band’s band,

the music is not the most accessible. The

songs are strange and too experimen-

tal for radio, but that could be a com-

pliment. The songs are chaotic, but not

messy. The album is ground to a healthy

amount of experimentation. Despite its

inherent chaos, the result is cohesive.

By Tyrell lucus

[email protected]

Morbids: Relentless Ceiling (2014)

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