Kingston After Dark: Get a little weird

Hey gang. Welcome back to another episode of Kingston After Dark. We have some good stuff for you freaks and geeks this week. Hope everyone survived Black Friday out there and can try and remember not to focus too much on shallow values this season. It’s OK to pretend to maim each other but not to really do it, Walmartians and Kohl’s shoppers!

Now let’s celebrate the holidays with some real horror rock on the national and local front. No, I’m not talking about sole remaining original Misfit, Jerry Only, dragging the  band’s legacy further into cheese ball territory with a recent “Horror Xmas” EP (which features a cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”). I am talking about Only’s still-awesome brother, ex-Misfit Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein! The towering guitarist Doyle has changed the name of his post-Misfits band Gorgeous Frankenstein to the more easily recognizable “Doyle” and has self-released a crushing new album, Abominator, on Monsterman records.

“We did a tour and had maybe 50 people a night and the people who came in said, “We didn’t even know you had a band. We just came out tonight.” It was time to change the name,” Doyle says.

Abominator is a super muscular mix of hard rock, old-school crossover, punk and metal. It features Famous Monsters-era Misfits drummer Dr. Chud on drums plus howling vocals from Cancerslug singer Alex Story.

“I just write whatever the fuck I write and I give it to Alex and he kills it. We do all the music first. When everybody’s happy with it then it gets the rest,” Doyle grunts.

Doyle has recently been seen onstage with true Misfits vocalist Glenn Danzig during the Danzig legacy tour, performing encore sets of Misfits classic crypt-cuts to crazed crowds. It seems like Jerry Only, who holds the rights to the band name, is really the only thing standing in the way of a true Misfits reunion. My friend Brian Goss even plays in a band called The Noise with Walk Among Us-era drummer Arthur Googy, so he is still around … but I don’t think hell is gonna freeze over anytime soon. Meanwhile, crank up “Love Like Murder” from Abominator. It may be dark but what do you expect from a guy who played on songs like “Death Comes Ripping” and “Skulls.”

Red Neckromancer

Kevin Sharp is an old punk rock friend of mine who has been cracking wise and laying down beats for years in bands like Tiger Piss or the much missed New Paltz ‘90s melodic punk band Joey’s Throwin’ Elbows (one of the most electric bands I ever saw). Nowadays, Sharp has stepped from behind the kit, PBR in hand, fronting the hellaciously rockin’ country metal band Red Neckromancer. The ‘mancers now have a debut album, recorded with local sound guru (and Arktones guitarist) Chris Heitzman. The CD release party with surf rockers Galanos was Friday, Dec. 6 at The Anchor.

“The name of our album is Banjos in the Abyss,” says Sharp, straight-faced. “The band is basically me on vocals and acoustic guitar, Michael Brandt on banjo and backing vocals, and Kris Green on Mandolin and backing vocals. On the album we had Matt Goldpaugh on the stand up bass, Greg Farley laid down some fiddle for us, and Chris Heitzman ripped up some electric guitar on the last song.”

Red Neckromancer’s sound parks their camper somewhere between David Allen Coe and Slayer on a trip to NOFX’s Heavy Petting Zoo.

“I wrote all of the songs on acoustic guitar so it was interesting to see how they changed and grew as other people added different parts,” Kevin says. “I’ve recorded quite a few albums on drums but this was my first experience recording vocals and guitar. With vocals there’s not really that luxury of being in the background. It took quite awhile to get done and there were some frustrating moments but in the end I’m proud of it and excited to use the things I learned from this when we record our next album. I’m not sure if I have a favorite song. Greg Farley tore up some sicko fiddle on ‘Banjos in the Abyss’ and I can’t get enough of Heitzman’s guitar in ‘Long Distance Whiskey Shot Relationship’ so those are the two that I find myself listening to the most. ‘Little Metal Girl’ and ‘Get a Little Weird’ are probably my two best-written songs.”

As a longtime resident holding it down for the scene, I asked Sharp what he loves about the area and what his favorite Evil Dead franchise film is, of course.

“It’s hard to say what my favorite thing about the HudsonValley is on a day where it’s 20 degrees. For music I think it’s a great place to be. For Red Neckromancer it’s been really nice because we’ve had a lot of really talented people sit in with us for shows. I think that has really helped us develop. Army of Darkness is my favorite Evil Dead movie.”

Also coming up at the Anchor, on Saturday, Dec. 7 there is a Ladies Champagne Brunch Clothing Swap from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.! Admission is just $15. Recover from Red Neckromancer with a Continental brunch buffet, champagne, mimosas, belinnis, coffee, tea and juice.

Now for the real fun part! Bring and swap your gently worn (good condition) clothing and accessories that you’re sick of, no longer fit, etc. This is a great opportunity to mingle, thrift and party. Portions of the sales and left over clothing items will benefit the Family of Woodstock’s domestic violence shelter.

Until next time … “Walk down city streets on an unsuspecting human world. Inhuman in your midst. This world is mine to own, ’cause … I turned into a Martian. Woah oh oh ohhhhhh!!!”