Bloomington, Illinois’ Constant Velocity have a new album, Muttonhead, out on the Miscellaneous Music label. We had the opportunity to chat with the band about arguments, hatred of Toby Keith and writing songs about Eric Clapton….
Who is Constant Velocity?
Constant Velocity is a three way argument between punk-rock, prog-rock and some third thing that we have yet to determine.
That’s an argument you can never win. Nice. So given that, how would you define your sound?
Well, every band wants to tell the world that they are beyond classification and that they are genre-busting revolutionaries with guitars. We are no exception in this, but if you imagine a cross between the concise songwriterlyness of The Minutemen, the experimentalism of The Flaming Lips, and the want-to-be-the-Clashness of Stiff Little Fingers, that gets you in the ballpark. Toss in a little Shane MacGowan and there you are.
What’s the story with your new album, Muttonhead?
Our friend Jerry Erickson recorded the album for us at his studio in Atlanta, Illinois. At the end of the film ‘Any Which Way But Loose’ there is a country band playing in a bar. In that band there is a bass player with big sideburns and pouffy hair. That is Jerry. Or “Muttonhead” as he is known. We recorded this album exactly the way we have always recorded. Mostly live with minimal overdubbing. On this album, I think we have finally captured the energy of what we do. The rawness is there.
What’s the story with “Truculent” – the 5th track on the album?
That’s our ‘hit.’ Audiences go wild over it largely because of the subject matter. It is a song in which I vent my spleen over the calamitously wasteful SUV and it’s southern cousin the fancy lookin’ truck. They abound in my neighborhood and make my blood boil combining conspicuous consumption with callous indifference to the enviornment. I also take a swipe at our selfish foriegn policy, assholes like Toby Keith etc…I feel better after singing it. You’ll feel better after hearing it. You will not be able to resist singing it yourself next time you are behind the wheel.
Any gigs coming up?
Yes. I am taking off my album releasing hat and putting on my booking gigs hat even as we speak.
New album plans in the works?
We will be going back into the studio in October to record our next album (it’s all written, rehearsed and ready to go). It will be called “Seven Songs About Eric Clapton”. No joke.
