Feature

Western Lands top ‘Best Underground Band’ in 2008

Over the past six years, the categories for the Nappie Awards have grown along with Mobile’s premiere alternative newspaper (yes, shameless self-promotion). With Mobile’s underground music scene remaining an ever-present ingredient, it’s only natural that the “Best Underground Band” category be added to the list.

After the votes were tallied, The Western Lands were chosen as the inaugural winner of this Nappie, with Thee Hibachi Stranglers and Subject Matters tying for runners-up.

The Western Lands is a versatile three-piece, comprised of Frankie Little (guitar), Mike Lane (drums) and Chris Murray (bass) and could be considered the epitome of local underground music. Little and Lane were pleasantly surprised to have received the nod.

“I didn’t even know that we were considered in the ballots,” Lane said. “It’s cool to get an award for something.”

This band has developed a local following with a sound that trips the musical spectrum. As with most underground music, The Western Lands is in no way a conventional band. After performing with a singer and bassist, Little and Lane found playing instrumental songs as a two-piece seemed more personally rewarding. The duo donned the name “Los Conquistadors de Muertos” for a house show and played their set as an instrumental two-piece.

“We played a house party, and we got really good reception,” Little says. “People were really into it, and we were like, ‘Man, we don’t need a bass player and singer!’ “

It was not until later that they recruited local artist/musician Chris Murray to play the bass. However, this line-up is not set in stone. The Western Lands have an open attitude when it comes to instrumentation and a habit of adding instruments and musicians both live and in the studio. This open attitude also seems to reflect in their music with jamming and improvisation embedded in their compositions.

“When we make up songs, we kinda have an idea of what we want it to sound like,” Lane explains. “It just depends on what we’re listening to at the time and what we’re going through. We really don’t have a certain idea of exactly what we want it to sound like. It just kinda ends up that way. It’s like, ‘Ah! This sounds really amazing! It would sound cooler if we added this: added a little bit more distortion or added a double bass.’”

Some of their music may be a throwback to the progressive sounds of King Crimson before plunging into the fury of speed metal with punk following closely. As far as The Western Lands are concerned, the audience’s positive reception of their music is only a welcome coincidence in their eyes. Their music flows naturally from their minds with no definite plan on a chosen musical genre. Anything having to do with genre is coincidental.

“It goes back to improv,” Lane says. “We play what we play, and we play how we play. It just falls into place.”

“It’s just about what we think sounds good, whether it be one style or another style,” Little adds. “We don’t analyze that too much. Maybe after we do it, we sit back and say, ‘Hey, that’s kinda like this.’”

Mobile’s underground critics have not had any complaints when it comes to this group’s music. Even though they have experienced the downside of Mobile’s local scene, Little and Lane have an optimistic outlook on it as a whole.

“There’s a really hardcore good following of local people who really like to see original music and like to see people do something different and unique and those people are mostly our friends,” Little says. “The rest of Mobile seems to want cover bands, which there’s nothing wrong with being in a cover band. But when I go out to see music, I want to see someone working hard and working what they write. I think Mobile has several very interesting bands. I’ve lived other places, and I think Mobile has great local, original bands.”

In 2007, The Western Lands decided take their music to another level. In cooperation with the LoDa Art Walk and Gideon Carson Kennedy, Little, Lane and Murray took Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi classic “Metropolis” and composed a soundtrack for the film. In the dark confines of The Temple, the band performed their underground magnum opus before an energetic and satisfied crowd. However, the next morning brought no closure to the experience for The Western Lands.

“We would like to do Metropolis again to get more out of it,” Little explains. “We worked so hard on it, and it was one night and that was it. We don’t want to keep repeating ourselves, but we would like to get more out of it.” They hope to do a repeat performance of their “Metropolis” score for Halloween next year, since the holiday falls on a Friday.

“We’re just looking around Mobile for a venue to do it,” Little adds. “We’re hoping to talk to those guys with the new independent theater that’s opening up.”

The Western Lands is in the process of putting the final touches on their third release, which will be the soundtrack for “Metropolis.” One of their current goals is to try to take their “Metropolis” show on the road. They are also entertaining the idea of composing another movie soundtrack, but nothing has been confirmed.

“As far as the music goes, we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing and incorporating different aspects and different instruments and different people into The Western Lands,” says Little.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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