The punk rock pedigree of John Reis is littered with an
impeccable series of releases that date back to the late 1980s, yet his
work still triumphantly marches onward without even the slightest
indication of losing speed or relevance. This includes the jagged
bounce of his San Diegan youth (Pitchfork), the post-punk monolith by
which all other bands of the same ilk will forever be judged (Drive
Like Jehu), the party band to end all party bands (Rocket from the
Crypt), the raw garage punk icons back for one last stab at the crown
(Hot Snakes), the stripped-down vintage rock band (Sultans), plus a
collection of side projects far too extensive to dare list here. Reis
has sunk his influential claws into seemingly every element of
independent culture of the past few decades, a body of work that also
extends from the stage with his label (Swami Records), radio show
(Swami Sound System), and even his very own hip San Diego
watering hole (Bar Pink Elephant). After all that work, I’d need a
drink too.
All this leads to the Night Marchers, the latest project from Reis.
Sounding like a violent combination of every single band he’s ever been
in, the Night Marchers don’t so much as tread new ground as they stomp
new territory, torching the soil as they go. Unlike Hot Snakes and
Sultans, the Marchers aren’t afraid to leave the garage for the urban
grit (“In Dead Sleep”), dramatic flair (“And I Keep Holding On”), and
retro pop (“Whose Lady R U”) of their debut full-length, See You in
Magic. All of these things were a natural progression for the fresh
band, who recorded the album in four days, feeding off the spontaneity
of the process.
“It’s hard to expect a record to really do anything,” says Reis.
“You go in wanting the guitars to ring, the voice to be captured a
certain way, the drums to do something specific that you have in mind,
but there’s a point very early on in the process of making a record
that things stop being what you want them to be.”
What See You in Magic turned out to be was a jittering
livewire of dirty rock songs that is as frightening as its name
(Hawaiian folklore for the ghosts of deceased ancient warriors)
suggests. And it’s not all Reis. The band—a lineup rounded out by
guitarist Gar Wood (Hot Snakes, Tanner), drummer Jason Kourkounis (Hot
Snakes, Delta 72), and newcomer bassist Thomas Kitsos—has taken
advantage of their quick formation by embracing the urgency of
forming/recording/touring in such a short amount of time. Such frantic
pace leaves little time for Reis to ponder his place as one of the
premier figures in modern punk music.
“I don’t think of it as a legacy. I just keep moving forward. The
Night Marchers just feels like a new band the way Hot Snakes felt like
a new band, just like Rocket from the Crypt felt like a new band when
we first started.” He adds, “It’s no different from when I was 16 and
started a band with my friends and practiced in my bedroom. You just
have to keep moving forward.”