comadre are kenny, wes, jack, juan and steven from san carlos, california. comadre was formed in march 2004 after the break up of the members former bands. they have released two wonderful full-lengths with their version of hardcore music influenced by bands like orchid and portraits of past and also rites of spring. this mixture together with the passion these guys playing their instruments makes comadre sound very unique. the band is touring a lot, in march and april 2007 they have toured europe together with graf orlock. teaming up with the mighty trainwreck this split release will blast you away! |
DISCOGRAPHY
coffin EP cd-r (self-released)
the youth 12" (dood records)
songs about the man 7" & cd (coldbringer records)
burn your bones 12" (adagio830 records)
Split 12" with Trainwreck (rwp029)
SOUNDS
camel bucks(mp3) from Split 12" with trainwreck
VIDEOS
REVIEWS
"Comadre is a local band from San Carlos, CA, which is on the Peninsula of the Bay Area, about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. Like the diverse area they come from, Comadre's music is scattered around the world of emo, post-hardcore, and indie. When I articulate this mixture, I don't mean the generic Thrice copies from Southern California. Comadre sounds like Saetia if they didn't take themselves so seriously, with the dancey, sassy stylings of The Blood Brothers. Am I digging the scene points hole bigger and bigger by drawing these comparisons? It'd seem so from this apparent name dropping but Comadre is definitely above that. Their sound, which is still gawky and goofy like an immature 14-year old, holds great promise. The Youth, as an album title sort of describes the eager and awkward sound Comadre holds onto. Saetia was a band that was really into making a huge artistic statement. Pretentious lyrics, dramatic dynamic shifts, and insane emo screaming helped Saetia leave their legacy as a respected band. This description fits Comadre but for different reasons; they are young and make fun music, as opposed to the tortured-artist pieces Saetia put out. Their song titles are pretentious because they are funny, not poetic and dramatic. One, "Are You Guys Telling Jokes? I Like Jokes," is a quote from the Family Guy episode where Peter becomes a feminist, and "City Slickers Part 6" is an apparent ode and mockery to Billy Crystal's "City Slickers" movies. Sure, these are done by other bands, usually in the grind category, but Comadre adds a little more flair to the style by having music that is incredibly upbeat and dancey for being emotional hardcore at the endgame. The band jumps all over the map with dynamic shifts, but instead of going from the repressed arpeggiated melodic sections to the chaotic, frenetic screamo sections, Comadre will go balls out for half a song, and then finish the song with chanting and drumming only. The most notable chant, "It wasn't gravity / It was the witches" is ridiculous, but ends up being one of the most memorable and lovable parts of the album. They've turned the melodrama and hyperextension of typical emo and screamo dynamic shifts on their head by doing it their own way. And the screaming. The screaming is the exact same as Saetia's. Juan, the singer lets it loose like there's something gnawing on his grundel. My only gripe with the vocals is the recording quality. The vocals were mixed awkwardly or recorded with a bad microphone or something, leaving the vocals limp compared to the other tracks. I understand the intention of using the strategy of mixing the vocals to a lower volume, but I think it's done poorly here. They just don't cut. Good thing Juan makes up for the lack of production value with some balls out screaming. Aside from presentation and construction, the instruments are pretty cool. They are varied enough from song to song to keep the CD flowing and even stand out at a few moments. It's not overtly technical or anything like that but the guitars have tasteful flares and prominence. The bass is pretty cool. It spends a lot of time adding density to the sound. Other than filling in harmonies, the bassist does a lot of minor and major 2nd hammers and pulls, leaving a sort of undulating rhythm underneath it all. Good choice. The drumming is decent. The drums do a good job of pacing the songs and I like the straight forward beats in the chant sections but like I said, there's no freak out factor. Comadre doesn't try to be technical. In fact they don't "try" to do anything (other than rock?). That's where their appeal lies. They're fun. They manage to pull off emo with a sense of humor. Few bands can do that well. Comadre does, excepting the poorly chosen cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." I just don't dig covers. I'll admit, it translates well into a live show. Comadre brings the rock and doesn't stop live. They mostly play in Community Centers and the like, so it's a really personal show, and there's a lot of group chanting and fun for all if you catch them anywhere near the Peninsula. Comadre has a chance. Their style has promise, but is still incredibly youthful. With maturity though comes, better mixing, better musicianship, and better choice for covers. How about some K-Ci and JoJo style slow jams? I wouldn't mind hearing these guys cover "All My Life." I wonder if they take requests."
about the the youth 12" by nick greer from sputnik music
MEMBERS
Steven, Kenny, Juan, Jack and Wes
CONTACT
WEB APPEARANCES