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Hometown: Seattle, WA
Label: The IBCT
Management: Kris Kraus
Website: www.unclepooch.com
Sounds Like: Slayer band, Pharoah Sanders
Genre: Other
Like the ostracized Dr. Moreau and his LSD-obsessed assistant, Uncle Pooch surgically conjoins creatures of different species’. The vivisection of grindcore, free-jazz and good old-fashioned thrash spawned what they’ve dubbed, “Instrumental-Metal-Jazz”. Heavy, sludgy grooves turn on a dime into quick-fingered riffs, slip into abstract improvisations and finally give way to melodies that’ll scar your psyche.
The moniker “Uncle Pooch” references an obscure character in a David Lynch film. With that “Lynch” disposition, the founders of the Seattle band, bassist Shane Smith and guitarist Tony Stevens forged the Uncle Pooch sound. Drummer Denali Williams (Cracker Factory, Thomas Mapfumo) and experimental wind instrumentalist Greg Sinibaldi (Burnlist, Frieze of Life) joined the roster shortly thereafter.
Uncle Pooch released its debut album, Conduct Unbecoming, on The IBCT record label (www.theibct.com) in March, 2010. The full length recording includes appearances by guitarist RL Heyer (The True Spokes, Cracker Factory) and vocalist Kimo Muraki (Surrealized, Slow Bunny). It also features the Naked City-esque track Assault & Battery Acid, as well as the epic middle-eastern slammer Fallujah. Dennis Cook of Jambase.com wrote, “Their [Uncle Pooch] debut, Conduct Unbecoming, packs a wallop but you’ll gladly dive back into the pit when they barrel into each pulsating soundscape.”
After a vigorous performance schedule, including appearances at The IBCT’s Showcase at SXSW 2010 & 2011, Uncle Pooch added avant-guitarist Zach Stewart to the roster as Sinibaldi exited the band.
The eccentric quartet released its sophomore album, Oneirophrenia, in spring 2012 on The IBCT label. It consists of a thirty-three minute track portraying the effects of a condition caused by too many psychoactive drugs, and a track featuring the vocals of Walter Kibby III (Fishbone, Year of the Dragon) & Rod Palmer (Year of the Dragon). In addition to Oneirophrenia, Uncle Pooch and The IBCT simultaneously released an untitled live recording. The full length album consists of ferocious improvisations arranged into the compositions that appear on their two studio albums.
www.theibct.com
www.unclepooch.com
“Hearing the name Uncle Pooch one might be forgiven for thinking they’d come across a character from Homer Simpsons’ stint as acartoon dog with Itchy & Scratchy, but press play on the Seattle-based band’s latest long-players – Oneirophrenia and Untitle aka Sonarch (pick them up here) – and one encounters a genuinely dangerous vibe. Predominantly instrumental, this is unmistakably metal in origin but slashed through with diamond tipped punk drive and freaky psychedelic verve. Pile driving intense, Uncle Pooch is also never less than absorbing, music perhaps best understood cranked to “11” while one does countless bong rips pants-less atop a massive subwoofer.
One is forced to use broad strokes in describing the undulating writhing and skittering of this pair of releases because Uncle Pooch isn’t like other bands. Really. Yes, moments like the album-side-length title cut from Oneirophrenia suggest what Metallica might be like without all that Hetfield...”
Dennis Cook - Heavy Is As Heavy Does
"...A range of influences is an understatement. While the core of the music rings true to its metal underpinnings, there are quasi-orchestral overtones that baffle and confuse the senses with their perplexity. To put it simply, it’s like the beginning stages of a savage and frantic acid trip where you’re not sure what’s happening but you know everything just changed..."
Luigi Linguini - Uncle Pooch Does Experi-Metal, Pierces Medulla Oblongata
“What truly glorious, sandblasting heaviness! Seattle's instru-metal Uncle Pooch are beatifically hard - real dark of night, one toke over the line stuff, creepin' outta the shadows of your subconscious stuff - that they puncture with curious, oddly beveled noise and a strange, sinewy electronic wind instrument (courtesy of saxophonist Greg Sinibaldi, who delivers buckets of texture & tone), Middle Eastern left turns and numerous other elements that keep one guessing...”
Dennis Cook - jambase.com - Creepin Outta the Shadows of Your Subconscious
“Named after a character from David Lynch’s 1990 film “Wild at Heart,” Seattle’s Uncle Pooch are a thrashing, experimental metal quartet. The group are performing in support of their sophomore album Oneirophrenia (the follow up to 2010’s Conduct Unbecoming), released last month via IBCT Records. The album features frenetic arrangements punctuated by blast beat drumming, heavy riffs, and avant garde solos. Just when you think you have the right rhythm to headbang to, the tempo changes and the music takes off in a different direction. Check out this clip of the group performing at last year’s IBCT SXSW showcase to see what you’re in for:
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- Julie Cochran SSG Music - Blast Beats and Avant Garde Solos
“The Sunset Tavern is having a night of all-local Prog Rock, with Uncle Pooch, Blame It On The Girl, and The Filthy None. Uncle Pooch is the black sheep of this show, having a much heavier metal sound than the other two bands, and specifically lists Ween and Mastodon as influences along with Naked City. They get some points for taking their name from a “Wild at Heart” character, and the kind of clever song title “Assault and Battery Acid.””
Nick Lazalere - Black Sheep
