when david james popped by an art opening/ party i was throwing a while back, i promptly offered-up a smoke and asked how he was enjoying himself. "plenty", he puffed. "a loose mood trip i'm having."

riiiiight, my boy! go have some cheese and crackers.

upon catching the exciting new outfit david's been going around town with these days, i found myself on the dance floor shaking loose crying "what a fantastically, loose mood trip i'm having!"

they're called the soft explosions and that they are - a spaced-out, easy ridin rock n roll explosion of narcotic noise. blending primal rhythms, heavy drone reverb and gospel-street chatter, there's weary blues and lost, soul psychedelia here.

formed in boston 2002 when brothers david james kulund (vox/guitar) and nicky kulund (drums) got together with guitarist irina yalkowsky . . .

"she was playing these little joints with crazy old bluesmen and queens", david explains, "and nicky and i would go hang out, get drunk, maybe shake moraccas, and my brother would always get dragged into some dance contest while i'd go hide in the kitchen. shed also play a blues set each year at the boston freedom rally (or "potfest") in front of 70,000 or so stoned patriots and everyone just loved her."

after working up a set of loose jams with even looser bass players, the band started playing boston, experimenting with sounds (some brilliant, some fuckin horrible I tell ya), sharing the stage with such favorites as the brian jonestown massacre, the warlocks, adam green and firewater. the explosions released the ep "a loose mood trip" to rave reviews receiving substantial college radio airplay in the area. by years end my pretties were on the cover of the northeast performer and voted bostons best new band in the noise magazine's annual reader's poll.

then they left me and boston for new york city. god i miss their mood swings (sigh)

"moving to new york was not a band decision", nicky insists, "but a personal one. we had a lot of momentum in boston, a good following, we could put our own bills together on good nights at good clubs, but we all wanted to be in new york city, even knowing we'd have to start all over again. but thats the kind of people we are. we're free, we're stupid, we're romantics!"

so, the soft explosions arrived in nyc at the bottom of bad bills on the baddest nights. . . i said come home . . . they stayed and turned up. they got heard. and now, less than a year later, i'm happy to say the explosions, with the addition of bassman david stahl, are playing packed weekend nights at all the coolest downtown spots like the mercury lounge, don hills, the luna lounge and pianos to name a few.

the soft explosions appeared at irving plaza as the new york winners of little steven's underground garage battle of the bands and recently appeared at cmj. they have also been spotlighted on nyc's fm104.3's best of 2004 program and club djs have begun spinning cuts from their new paul q. kolderie (radiohead, pixies) produced 7" out on Canarsie Records.

when recently visiting New York, i asked irina what the future holds for the soft explosions?

"The night is young, billy", she offered. "we're just getting started."

go! go! go! honeybunches!

billy m'lady

music fan and rider of said night