SARGENT HOUSE

Tera Melos is one of the few bands who could evolve from producing chaotic instrumentals to crafting pop songs with clever vocal hooks, and they have done so without sacrificing their unique approach. Epitonic talked with guitarist and vocalist Nick Reinhart to discuss their new album, X’ed Out (out now on Sargent House), their recent tours, and some more personal aspects of the band. Tera Melos are on tour now, and are playing Subterranean in Chicago tonight (4/26) with TTNG and My Dad. - SOLD OUT

It sounds like you’ve really tightened up your songwriting to be more pop-oriented on X’ed Out. Was there something that led to a change in how you compose your music?

I feel like the songs kind of existed already, maybe - this is kind of cheesy - but I feel like they kind of existed in the atmosphere almost, and instead of imposing ourselves into these songs, we were just kind of figuring out how they were supposed to sound. I see a bit of a difference between these two - what’s going to make these songs sound the best, versus maybe in the past we were more interested in self-indulgent ideas, like,

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Sacramento avant-rockers Tera Melos will play Amoeba San Francisco April 14 at 2 p.m. Their latest record, X’ed Out (due April 16 on Sargent House), is a blast of tightly coiled riffs unraveling in all directions while sweet melodies keep the whole thing grounded in the eye of the storm. “Weird Circles” chugs along on math-rock riffery, while “New Chlorine” starts like some demonic cover of “Chopsticks” before unveiling a big, acidic rocker. “Bite” balances nasty, nauseous riffs with big, dreamy choruses, while “Sunburn” is the band’s clearest entry point, with non-stop riffs tapping underneath the band’s bright melodies. They chill out for ballads like “Snake Lake” and “No Phase,” as concerned with heavenly harmony as the guitar trickery beneath the surface, and they ease the tension with the sunshine pop of “Tropic Lame.” It’s been a while since we’ve heard a band as unabashedly guitar-centric as Tera Melos that can also write a decent pop song, recalling their Northern California brethren like Deerhoof and Hella, and while X’ed Out has its share of heady noodling, Tera Melos never sound self-indulgent. It’s a feast for guitar geeks and a reminder that indie rock need not be a laid-back, tepid affair. They make indie-prog that’s as fun to listen to as it is impressive, and that’s no easy feat.

I caught up with the band’s Nick Reinhart as Tera Melos prepared for a tour that begins with their Amoeba performance. They’ll be back in California in May, hitting L.A.’s The Echo May 23 and on May 25th in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill. 

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X’ed Out, Tera Melos’ eagerly anticipated follow-up to the genre-demolishing, Exclaim!-approved Patagonian Rats, is just around the corner. But while the Sacramento band have a big North American tour ahead of them in support of the new album, which is now streaming here on Exclaim.ca, the group apparently have the current state of the experimental music scene on their minds.

Speaking to Exclaim!, creatively restless guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart explains:

“I went off on a pretty good rant the other day on the plagiarism that seems to be happening in the ‘underground’ music world, which is really weird because you tend to associate that with pop music. Like, ‘of course this Lady Gaga song sounds exactly like this Madonna song.’ Obviously. Why’s that any surprise to anyone?

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Interview with Nick Reinhart : Play in new window | Download

In today’s episode I speak with the guitarist & singer of Tera Melos, an experimental band pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be, or is today, and what three guys in a room can accomplish beyond regurgitating their influences or resting on past laurels. In other words, it’s a pretty earnest and philosophical conversation about the role of the artist in society, their responsibilities to themselves and culture and the quest for originality.

We speak a bit about Nick’s visual art practice and, whether or not he should label himself an “artist.”  Personally, I think the visual work he has created for the band is as much a draw as the music itself.  More than simple “branding,” Reinhart’s works are deliberate borrowings from cultural touchstones whose long established characters are recast, either as avatars for the band members themselves (The Simpsons) or as innocuous mascots (Freddie Krueger).  This ability to co-opt established cultural icons in a meaningful way belies his conceptualist nature.  He may feel awkward labeling himself “artist,” but I have no such problem.

I hope you enjoy what Nick has to say. I know I did.

Tera Melos on the Interwebs:

Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

Tera Melos, one of my all-time favorite bands, will soon be releasing their 3rd-ish full-length album, X’ed Out on April 16. Guitarist and vocalist Nick Reinhart took the time to answer some occasionally music-related questions.

AG: Say something new and interesting about Disco Stu.

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Man, this Happy Birthday blog is going to be a doozy. To try and put into words how much Nick Reinhart means to me and what his music means to all of us here at Sargent House is such a huge feat. You have been the most loyal person to me and the house and I can’t tell you how much it means to me. You inspire me constantly - I’ve never met someone so seemingly normal on the outside to be so absolutely extraordinary on the inside. Your talent is astounding to me. Believing in you and your band Tera Melos , bygones and your solo music comes so easy to me even though it took a long hard road for it to begin dawning on others just how important and creative it all really is. You know I love you and all the House loves you Nick. We hope we will always be your home for everything you do. XO /CP/SH

Tera Melos are an experimental rock band from Sacramento, CA. We sat down for a quick chat with Nick Reinhart to talk about their upcoming record, past and future collaborations and prank phone calls.

Sean: You guys are working on a new record right now? How’s that going?

‪Nick: Good. We’ve done most of all the basic tracking- guitar, drums and bass. Started vocals before fIREHOSE tour. It is looking like we’ll finish everything up after Europe‬.

‪S: Are you guys taking any different approaches with this record? Anything different that you are excited about?‬

N: Well we initially set out to make a more back to basics, mellow, minimal record. At least that was my idea around this time last year. But that totally did not happen. Haha. The vibe of the record is a little more straightened out than before. Although our idea of straightened out is probably still pretty out there for all intents and purposes. All the new stuff is very exciting, mostly just because it exists in territories that we haven’t really explored.‬

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(Source: terroreyes.tv)

Rad Releases ‘11- Tera Melos

Continuing our Rad Releases feature is a band who have not only made our year here at Circuit Sweet but also been a regularly featured band throughout the past 12 months. We have the honor in speaking to Tera Melos to find out their top releases.

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Photo proof that our own Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos is a dead ringer for the late great Steve Jobs circa 1980’s and he’s down to act so Hollywood let’s just save your casting agents the trouble and do this.

A Terroreyes TV Exclusive 

“Behind Patagonian Rats” Interview by Bobby Markos (of Native)

When an album is released, it is picked and prodded at by critics and fans alike. The songs are played over and over and read at their face value. But often times, we as listeners forget that there is another dimension to an album: the mind and timeline that went into creating it.
Tera Melos’ masterpiece “Patagonian Rats,” with its vast array of swooping content, acid-tripped melodies and unforgettable hooks was released to the public in September of 2010. With it being the band’s first or second full length (it is a long story), it was put under the critic’s microscope. Sure we all know it is technical, sure we all know it is a poppy rendition of a traditional “Melos-piece”, but do we know the emotional and exhausting story that ended up being just under 50 minutes long? Such a story needs to be told, and thus unfolds here today.

Going into the writing process, did you have any ideas for what you wanted “Patagonian Rats” to be?

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Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos and Bygones sits down with Terroreyes.tv and explains to them what he’s jamming right now and  why. Of course we are very proud of him for not sharing that Hella album I let him have so early…  CHECK OUT NICK’S PICKS HERE

Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos, Bygones joins Maps & Atlases for an impromptu guest jam at their last show in Sacramento at the Catalyst during their run on the RX Bandits Tour. Now, I’ve said it before many times, but nothing makes me happier than being part of the process that brings so many great musicians together. I just absolutely love seeing Sargent House bands play with each other. Which makes me really excited to see my beloved RX Bandits and Zechs Marquise all this week at their California shows. Hot Damn.

Rumor has it local videographer Sean Stout of Terroreyes.tv is teaming up with Sargent House to become their “main video dude,” a gig he described to me as a sort of “dream job” outside the recent !!! show at Townhouse. Stout’s heading down to Los Angeles in May, and Nick Reinhart of esteemed Sacramento band Tera Melos (also signed to Sargent House) is apparently moving with him. Sargent House is absolutely killing it; they are one of the best indie labels out there, boasting a great lineup of artists that they work with including, but not limited to, Omar Rodriguez Lopez (of The Mars Volta), Native, Russian Circles, This Town Needs Guns, RX Bandits, Red Sparowes, Good Old War, Zach Hill’s solo stuff and Hella tons of other rad bands. Come to think of it, Stout was even rocking a Sargent House hoodie that night at ToHo. That’s a good look on you!
-J. Carabba

Interview with Nick Reinhart from Tera Melos

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