Bostonians of the Week: Broken River Prophet

Brilla also reminisces about a Sunday afternoon Lockgroove show at Borders in Chestnut Hill where kids in the store rocked out to the band’s Spacemen 3 and Velvet Underground covers. The band was rewarded for its efforts with $50 in store credit. And that was actually a lucrative gig—other performances have involved playing only to bands on the bill, or to five bored fans awaiting a hardcore biker band. Bassist Dennis Noble describes an encounter with a motorcycle gang in which he attempted to complement a biker on his orange ride; the biker summarily informed Noble, “this is candy tangerine.” Then there was the thrift store in Brooklyn that looked like the set of Sanford and Son, the deserted Detroit bar surrounded by barbed wire, the gig with the all-girl Motley Crue cover band, and—well, we (or the band) could go on.

Perhaps in part because they have played together for so long, or because they all have other creative outlets in which to express themselves, the Broken River Prophet members mesh incredibly well together in studio and on stage. The musicians report feeling as though everyone else in the band intuits what they’re going to do. Even when there’s tension, it’s only because the members know each other so well—and know how to push each other’s buttons. Direct communication and distinct roles help the band succeed in its musical mission. Noble describes being in the band thusly: in some bands, when you have a bad day, you want to call and cancel practice. With Broken River Prophet, he feels like band practice transforms his day for the better. Singer-guitarist Deborah Warfield sums it up more succinctly: when the band is really on, it's like a "constant orgasm."

Despite the band’s involvement in so many projects—Lockgroove, Shenzou 5, Tiny Amps, The Subject, Puella, Tounge, and Charlene, just to name a few—the members sometimes feel a little disconnected from the local music scene. Adam reports, “I kind of feel like we’re the outsiders… an oddity.” The band feels that what people gravitate to can be “fickle,” and consequently the local scene can sometimes be more about trends than achievement.

Anyone paying attention to Broken River Prophet’s music, though, won’t be disappointed—this is solid, trend-free downer rock that somehow leaves you feeling good. Surprisingly melodic for being such dark-psych rock, the melodies might represent Warfield's influence. She says, "If I don’t hear a melody, I don’t hear a song;" in this insistence on structure, she and the band rescue us from the droning, mirthless music that so many bands seem to be playing these days. In Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor describes one of the characters as follows: “his head bigger than the world, his head big enough to include the sky and planets and whatever was or had been or would be.” We conceive of Broken River Prophet in a similar way; the music (and sometimes the band roster) is expansive, ambitious, and even a little spacey/psychedelic.

New album With Infinite Arms to Cradle the Flames is not a reference to octupi on fire—the title instead refers to the seemingly conflicting state of having many troubles to confront, yet many methods of support to help you deal. Broken River Prophet may be mellow now, but the band has gone through hard times; the new record represents the current members' solidity and the band's ability to handle whatever comes its way, and is a cathartic progression from any past troubles. Tarot imagery is used in the album artwork (as on the record release poster above), and a mysterious sense that things will be all right no matter how dark it gets permeates the record. If you have any interest in Tarot, Warfield knows her numerology and might do your numbers if you're lucky.

The band releases With Infinite Arms... this weekend, and will then begin a tour of some sort. Brilla says planning a tour with no label assistance has been difficult. A “sheer force of will” is necessary to get anything done: “You just go into the unknown." The band has, oddly, found it hardest to find gigs within a 100-200 mile radius, but has already booked shows in Washington, D.C.; Athens, Georgia; and Austin, Texas. Perhaps this fits in with the disconnectedness the band feels from the local scene—but any place not jumping to book this band is prioritizing perceived popularity over actual good music. Locally, the band likes to play Great Scott for the good sound, Red House for the free burritos, and the Middle East for CD releases. Check ‘em out at the Middle East this weekend before they skip town, and make sure to snag a copy of the rich, rockin' record.