Ashland band Slow Corpse on the rise | Daily Tidings

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2018-10-08

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When Brickroom hosted rock band Slow Corpse a couple of weeks ago, eager music fans lined the Ashland Plaza to gain entrance to the at-capacity club to see the band's impressive debut appearance. Slow Corpse is an airy alternative rock group with more than enough progressive elements to draw in audiences. The band has managed to put out two EPs in a short period of time, "Hound" and, more recently, "Moons." The recordings are products of tireless effort on the part of vocalist Mitchell Winters and guitarist Brenton Clarke. “Most things are me just sitting there and listening to the song over and over again," Winters says about studio time. "After the skeleton is there, I start to say what needs to leave, what needs to stay, what needs to be added." Recording is an integral part of Slow Corpse’s writing process. Songs come together out of a single riff, then are expanded upon during the recording. "Usually our first idea is the best idea," Winters says. "When we think too hard about it, things gets a little convoluted.” Slow Corpse’s sound is immersive and difficult to tie to a single genre. Each track is buried under multiple layers of reverb-drenched guitar and effected vocals, often pushing Slow Corpse to the edge of psychedelia. “I guess I’m just trying to go for that trancy, you’re-lost-in-the-sound kind of thing," Winters says. "Obviously, the beat is still there and you can bob your head, but there are all these swirly sounds.” While its recordings may err on the side of ambient chillwave, Slow Corpse's live incarnation is a different beast entirely. Live, Slow Corpse looks to drummer Cesar Perez, bassist Cole Zollinger and Dash Curtis on the keys to help elevate the band's more danceable elements. This bolstered lineup allows Slow Corpse to draw from a larger pool of influences, adding diversity and energy to its sound. “If we had listened to the recordings, then just tried to recreate them live, I don’t think it would be as good of a show,” Zollinger says, reflecting on his own musical contribution. “I think it’s cool that we have this opportunity to put our own flavor on the tracks that are already there.” Winters is well aware of the difference in energy the band is able to achieve in live shows. “It’s definitely a cool aspect when you hear the EPs then listen to us live. It becomes a very augmented version of something you might have heard on the recording," he says. Although Slow Corpse has yet to record as a five-piece, the band is in the process of producing a full album that will capture some of the energy from its live sets — "but will be darker, with more elements of electronica,” guitarist Clarke says. Judging from the turnout at Brickroom, the new full-length album will be met with much anticipation. Despite its short career, Slow Corpse has managed to accumulate a sizable following. The band attributes this initial success to the effort of its devoted manager Kyle Simpson, and the support of a tightly knit community of artists. Whether it be videography or album art contributions by Anouk Aumont, multimedia collaboration is a big part of Slow Corpse. “Slow Corpse isn’t just the people who play in the band,” Winters says. “There are so many people that if they didn’t exist, Slow Corpse probably wouldn’t exist.” So far the Ashland-based group has lived up to, if not exceeded, its initial hype. Regardless of age or demographic, this is the band you will want to follow if you’re a fan of Oregon music. See soundcloud.com/slowcorpse or slowcorpse.bandcamp.com.