A self-described “psychedelic cave punk band” based out of Hoboken, NJ.
Few bands have enjoyed the level of anticipation that surrounded the first public performance of the Hoboken, NJ-based indie quintet, Psych-O-Positive. The buzz was palpable nearing their March 2017 debut gig at Maxwell’s Tavern in Hoboken.
Celebrating convalescence with a benefit concert for beloved writer and internet radio host Jack Silbert, The Hudson Reporter, NJ.com and HMag Lifestyle magazine all reported on the appearance of Hoboken’s supergroup before they ever hit the stage.
Self-described as “psychedelic cave punk,” a term coined by drummer Karyn Kuhl, the band was formed by musician Debby Schwartz, best known as lead singer and guitarist for the band The Aquanettas and bass player for the P.G. Six Band, as well as for her solo career at both Mercury and Twin Lakes Records. Schwartz is the driving creative force behind the band, and was able to bring a powerful group of accomplished musicians together to create a new subgenera of punk, blending political and psychedelic music.
Drummer Karyn Kuhl is also the critically acclaimed guitarist, singer and songwriter of the eponymous Karyn Kuhl Band. She formerly fronted NJ bank bands Gut Bank and Sexpod. Her drumming style is powerfully primitive, owing largely to her punk roots. Journalists and music scene regulars are consistently thrilled to see Karyn behind the drums.
Guitarist Andy Gilchrist lives across the river in NYC. In his youth he was a founding member of AndyPanda, The Troals and The Milky Substance. Later, he would go on to form the legendary New York City antilock band The Sprinkle Genies, playing regularly at Sidewalk Cafe and CBGB. He provides vocals as well as lead guitar, and has often been described as part cephalopod and part 70s Nauga Monster.
Judy Ann Nock, also from New York City, plays the electric sitar, bringing a decidedly distinct psychedelic vibe to the band. Before joining Psych-O-Positive, Judy was the lead singer and guitarist for the 1990s East Village rock band tranceSenders, best known for their extended hedonistic residencies at Hilly Kristal’s art club adjacent to CBGB, CB’s Gallery 313, where they played regularly every Friday night. Judy Ann is also an author of the Modern Witchcraft series of books published by Simon & Schuster. As one of the lyricsts for the band, listeners can sometimes uncover occult references and witchy vibes in her contributions to the band.
Louie Zhelesnik began his career in the band Seven Goat Day and went on to participate in The Postman Opera. He plays guitar in Psych-O-Positive, creating layered sonic soundscapes that cement the psychedelia. Louie is also the band manager, bringing a wealth of creative acumen to the band’s gitigal presence. Best known for large-scale multimedia art events, Louie has also been the driving force behind events such as Exhibit October and has been known to produce popup speakeasies, as he is a master at making a scene.
The latest track from Smallpox’ _Covers Album_ is a cover of the Ryan Adams song “Come Pick Me Up.”
Daniel Smith explains “One day, I’m at the Garden State Plaza (NJ shopping mall) and bump into a dear friend that I had lost track of years back. We exchange numbers and get in touch later that day to make plans. That night, I go over to his place, and we sit out back with a bottle of Jameson and he asks me if I’d heard of Whiskeytown. I had heard of, but hadn’t actually heard them, which was kind of by choice. Truth was, the whole alt-country/no depression thing didn’t really interest me much. Then, he played me _Strangers Almanac_.”
“Had Bob and I taken recording these covers even a little seriously, we probably would’ve recorded ‘Avenues’ or maybe ‘Houses on a Hill.’ But since we were pretty much inebriated, you get ‘Come Pick Me Up’ instead.”
DAVID RAT was an expatriate American author and former drummer/composer for pioneering New York No Wave legends RAT AT RAT R. Rat At Rat R were the third in an unholy triumvirate (along with Swans and Sonic Youth) which was a major force in New York City noise rock in the early to mid ’80s and helped establish alternative music as we know it today. His checkered past (though a little blurry) is filled with tiny glimpses of beauty, trash, misery, hate and hope. David passed away in March of 2018 and we miss him terribly.
Hopped up on a steady diet of everything, SAVAK formed in 2015 by members of Obits, Holy Fuck, and The Cops. Their “The Point of the Point” 8″ lathe cut was SAVAK’s 3rd release in 2020, following on the heels of their 4th LP, Rotting Teeth in the Horse’s Mouth, and the “Feel What You Feel” 7″ single. These two songs were recorded as part of the Rotting Teeth sessions, but made more sense as a separate release, and Dromedary stepped in to do just that. Anthony Roman from Radio 4 played bass on “The Point of the Point.” Eli Kasan from the Gotobeds did the cover artwork.
RIYL: Minutemen, Wire, Mission of Burma, The Sound, The dB’s, Cleaners From Venus.
Press Quotes:
“A potent and pointed agitpop racket which manages to balance the dark and moody with the catchy as fuck.” –Noisey
“Superior twin-guitar slash action from members of Obits, Make-Up, Holy Fuck et al. Adding Saints-worthy brass on standout Early Western Traders boosts the prevailing Wipers-do-Joe Jackson aura. Four stars!” –MOJO
“Dread-fueled, post-punk angst tempered with catchy hooks.” -Magnet
“Committed to making a righteous punk noise… matching elements of UK post-punk… the band also nod towards the 80s US underground.” –Clash
“Queasy, claustrophobic noise-rock with endlessly astute observations on the modern world.” –Louder
“A smeared Venn diagram of garage rock, DC hardcore and the more chaotic side of jazz with a twist of psychedelia.” –Northern Transmissions
Sink Tapes formed in 2009. With 20+ releases over ten years of writing, recording and performing in the U.S. and Canada, the group now lives on in the form of primary singer/songwriter Gabe Chiarello. Originally hailing from New Brunswick, NJ, Chiarello’s multi-instrumentalist approach to indie pop anthem-crafting waxes experimental and, at time, downright psychedelic. His double A-side single entitled “Drac / Witch” was released by Dromedary Records in 2019.
When it comes time to write the “artist” page for Shirk Circus, there’s so much to write that it’s tough to know where to start.
I was first introduced to Shirk’s music in 1993 by Ray Ketchem, producer and drummer for Melting Hopefuls, who recorded with Dromedary at the time. Ray was recording what would become the band’s debut CD for Bar/None records, Words To Say, and Ray wanted me to hear them.
I fell in love. Their music had the passion and anger of Husker Du, but with uncanny songwriting ability and insane musicianship. And I followed the band’s meteoric rise from a distance, picking up their second Bar/None CD, March, a year or so later.
In 1996 I met Josh Silverman, the band’s enigmatic and brilliant songwriter and guitarist, and he gave me a track to put out on a 7″ for Dromedary. We emailed a few times, but the Dromedary story had to be put on hold as we went on our long hiatus.
Through the magic of internet search engines, Josh discovered Dromedary due to our blog, where we told the long and sordid story of the label’s history over the course of a year. Josh followed the story for a while, and when we “ended” our story by re-launching the label in January of 2010, Josh reached out with some fantastic news:
There was an unreleased Shirk Circus album.
Seems the band recorded the tracks in late 1996 without vocals, and in 2007 Josh and Dan went back into the studio with Ray and “finished” it. Josh sent it to me and asked if I’d be interested in releasing it on the new Dromedary.
I was thrilled.
Throughout the winter and spring of 2010, Josh and I emailed back and forth, reviewing ideas for the record, nailing down a track sequence (Josh had very specific plans in this area), discussing the possibility of a tour. There was excitement.
In October, Josh had assembled some early members of the band and played Shirk Circus music for the first time in a decade at our CMJ showcase at Maxwell’s. Josh’s guitar work was brilliant, his soloing masterful, and his voice in peak form.
That was the last time I saw him.
Josh passed away in February of 2011. His loss was enormous. His impact seems to have actually increased since he’s left; the bands and musicians he played with seem to miss him more every day. A great artist will have that sort of impact, I guess; you don’t realize just how great he is until he’s not there. A great person has the same impact, and although I didn’t know Josh as well as I would have liked, he was, by all accounts, a great person as well.
We spent a lot of time trying to figure out the most tasteful way to pay tribute to Josh, to the band (rounded out by Dan Smith on bass/vocals and Frank Lieberum on drums/vocals), and to this spectacular final document of Shirk Circus’ brilliance.
Josh asked Ray Ketchem to write some liner notes for the album, where he told the story of the recording itself. Unfortunately Josh was gone by the time Ray put pen to paper, but the result was an outstanding tribute. I think we all wrestled with whether they should be a part of the record, and ultimately they were left off – maybe because the record deserves to celebrate the band’s life, and not mourn Josh’s passing.
Still, the story Ray wrote was a touching tribute, and a testament to some talented guys. So I’m going to reproduce it (with some minor edits) here.
“He was uncertain about other things in his life, but when it came to his music Josh Silverman knew EXACTLY what he wanted. No time was needed to experiment. The studio was for making a document only.
I had documented Shirk Circus two times previously, for their well-received Bar/None LPs Words To Say and March, when we found ourselves back in my basement studio in Belleville, New Jersey on an autumn Saturday in 1996.
But we weren’t there to record Shirk. We had gathered to record a 4-song demo for Inger Lorre, an LA punk singer who had most famously been in The Nymphs.
The day promised to be interesting. Inger was being managed by Keith Morris, frontman of the Circle Jerks, who was coming with her to the studio. And there was talk of Jeff Buckley stopping in to add some harmonies.
Shirk and I were ready to roll when Keith called to cancel the session.
Josh suggested seizing the moment by banging through some old Shirk songs. This was surprising because Shirk Circus had been on hiatus. Their brilliant second record, March, had failed to earn the kind of attention it deserved, which had caused a lot of tension within the band. They were, for all intents and purposes, broken up. But here we were, all set to record – why not record…something?
Josh launched into the first track and I was blown away. “Did you guys rehearse that song recently?” I asked. They all replied, “No. That’s a really old song.”
And such was the whole day.
The classic lineup of Shirk Circus blazed through a collection of Josh’s earliest songs, some written while he was still a teen, in the way that only Josh, Frank and Dan could. By evening the band had 12 songs on tape.
Later that night we tried to cut the lead vocals, but Josh had a sore throat and wasn’t singing well. We agreed to come back to these unplanned recordings when we both had time.
Eleven years went by.
By summer 2007 I had moved into a new house and built a much better studio. I had toured Europe ten times as a drummer in my own band, and produced over a dozen albums for other artists. It began to bother me somehow that Josh and I had left these recordings unfinished. We agreed to get together, finally record the vocals, and do a few guitar overdubs. Dan even agreed to come in to sing the harmonies.
Josh sang over these 11-year-old recordings as if not a day had passed. Every vocal inflection and nuance was intact. As always, his musical precision was flawless.
I finished the mixes in September 2007.
Another four years later, these recordings are finally being released. It’s perfect that Dromedary, a ’90s label from New Jersey that ran in similar circles to Shirk back in the day, is bringing this to you.
Josh isn’t with us anymore. But he left us this, the final document of his songs with Shirk Circus. I hope it means half as much to you as it does to me.
