The Silver Spring Penguin

Every once in a while, music as we know it steps out to stretch its legs, maybe light up a smoke, and simply exist. No beat, no meter, no three-chord rock — just a ringing in the ears after all the racket has been silenced.

That’s what experimental group Dead Violets manages to capture, a disquieting, eerie, industrial hum that’s beautiful in its simplicity. The self-proclaimed “drone-core juggernaut” pulls its sound from three daring artists who each bring a dark, almost primal vibe to the show.

Dead Violets

Silver Spring vocalist Bethany Moore uses her poetry to explore human despair and emotion. In the single “Banish”, Moore slinks through a deliciously dark composition, wearing nothing but a digitized veil.

DC-based composer J. Surak spins that musical thread using “found objects” — answering-machine cassettes, busted CDs, acoustic instruments, and old record players rigged with foil. And Swede Thomas Ekelund performs a “sonic exorcism”, mashing sounds from his habitat with the last gasps of vinyl noise. (His words, not mine.)

Sample the single “Banish” from their record label’s site, or catch some instrumental buzzing on the group’s website. For the full dose, catch Dead Violets live Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave). Five bucks gets you through the door.

Photos courtesy of Flickr user Intangible Arts.

Some people dislike dreary autumn days because, well, they’re dreary. Then there are nut jobs like me who live for dark days and even darker nights, when the raw cold finally matches my mood. That’s when I tune into brooding bands like The Hot Noodles, a Cheverly-based quartet that’s been grinding it out since 2005.

The bandmates — Kelly Fisher and Charles Andrews swinging guitars and vocals, Dan Atchison on bass, and Nathan Lorentz on skins — play songs they like, some original, others not. According to the band’s website, they play parties, clubs, pools, parks, whatever. And it’s that attitude — part care-free abandon, part apathy — that makes The Hot Noodles a good soundtrack for a rainy day.

The guitar work on “Waterfall” has a gritty, raspy crunch, like The Pixies at 4:00 a.m. after too many unfiltered cigarettes. But the vocals are reminiscent of Jefferson Starship (and not that “We Built This City” shit), with discordant vocals that snarl irreverently at listeners. It’s a mean, dirty, delicious song.

A slower beat on “Happy All the Time” gives the tune a Neil Young vibe, though not as whiny. It reveals The Hot Noodles’ connection with grunge precursors, before Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder made it angry. The Hot Noodles are a steaming bowl of ennui, perfect for slurping with a dirty spoon.

Sample The Hot Noodles on the band’s MySpace page, then get a full serving Saturday at the Mayorga Coffee Factory (8040 Georgia Ave). The gig rolls at 7:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of The Hot Noodles.

Writing a band profile is always tough when that band posts no biographical info on its website. Example: David Andrew Smith. According to his MySpace page, Smith is from Ellicott City, and he might be part of a band. That’s all I got.

But when the band website runs thin, one must actually work for that info, and listen intently to the artist’s music. So here’s what I got on Smith, according to his tunes: He likes being in love, even if love doesn’t like him back.

That’s not to say his joints are sappy tear jerkers. In fact, Smith manages to mash mellow, country acoustic with driving rock beats, then layers that sound with lyrics and vocals a la Matthew Sweet and Nick Lowe. That equals some pretty damned good tunes.

The one that’ll stick in your head for days (if not weeks) is “Talk to Me”, a sweetly plaintive but not totally wussified song that rings of Del Amitri. Equally infective is “Sweet Sweet Nothing”, which has a slightly harder edge and a warning to all who dare to mess with a certain chick.

“So Much Has Changed” leans towards country, very much like The Eagles’ “Lyin’ Eyes” tripped soft rock with straight-up Western. Meanwhile, “Bound” is an acoustic ballad all the way.

Sample David Andrew Smith’s sound on his MySpace page, then check him out at McGinty’s Public House (911 Ellsworth Dr) Friday night (yeah, that’s tonight). The Irish pub usually charges a $5 to $10 cover charge, so be prepared to spread the wealth.

Photos courtesy of Kim Hutchens and William Cornett for David Andrew Smith.