Review by Dieter Kraus (Beat Magazine)

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Beat Magazine Album review:

Dern Rutlidge

“Johnny No Stars”

(High Beam Music)

The long-awaited full length album is out, from one Dern Rutlidge. A
band who manage to generate walls of sound live have at last recorded
the product that has been ploughed through in the live sense. The inside
sleave work is reminiscent of QOTSA, and perhaps said band is somewhat
of an inspiration.(?)
Album opener “Far From The Metal” begins with ac/dc tone and comes
complete with Hell`s Bells for intro. Repeated heavy-end riff with a
casual change up at a head swing beat is a fetaure here. Vocal work is
clear and easy, but contains an edge of hasrhness that is a block of
their live performances. Yes guitar wail will have you reaching for the
pool que so you too can ROCK like you mean it. Title track comes on with
an increased tempo and a up charge for some melody and solid breaks. A
rounded full sound is found early on and is a nodd to the production of
this album. This track also features a break in riff which is very Fatso
Jetson(esque) but without the artrock feel. “Lines on the Table” is the
first single to be lifted and is a mellow foray with a casual swing of
guitar and a juttered riff for snorting. Straight ace rock in black with
melody and a casual non-offensive vibe sets this album for wide appeal.
“Smells Like Teen Pregnancy” continues the journey into social commentry
with a “sorry I came in you” to make amends for the rock lifestyle.
There is a snappy feel to this track and a range of tones that gives
added dimensions to the straight rock vibe. A mellow entry to the next
track with layered acoustic guitar will get you out on the porch to
whittle some and crack another bottle to laze in the haze. Structure is
sound and intent is good which gives this track an appeal and a break
from the riffery and guitar silliness. These said factors come into gear
with “When I`m Rockin`” which is a broad riff on a straight road to the
horizon and is garnished with hand claps. Plenty of volume will add the
required density. This track and “Loaded” are standouts of the bands
live performances and nothing is lost within the recording. Warm fuzz
tones and scale of riff are well translated on this album. “On the
Juice” will have you swilling double time, with guitar sling and general
instrument murder on high for a rockin` frenzy with fine time change
ups. Danzig cover(?) is a bass heavy chant along chorus with big finish
in short time. The casual sentiment returns on the track “Walk in the
Night”. Solid vocal delivery and atmosphere are used well with a rich
melody and catchy beat. Album closer gives the guitar roar a final work
out but the beat begins a familiar journey and ends a little flat.
Dern have produced an album that is sure to set the mark as far as
melodic, heavy-end, guitar based, straight-up, fuel for rockin` goes.

Hooray.

Dieter Kraus's

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REVIEW

http://www.metalshop.com.au/home.asp

Reviews & Interview by .anthony moore.

Put your balls in your back pocket and rock out to DernRutlidge!

‘Johnny No Stars’ album launch, review and interview with Dern
bassist Jason P.C.

Dern Rutlidge are definitely here to kick some arse with their first
long player ‘Johnny No Stars’. The force of the album gunning you
down like buffalo running wild on the rawk’n’roll plains! These
guys are here to prove that not only are their song writing skills
beyond most but that they can also deliver it with the strength of
eleven Hulks!

Straight up the albums weight is hefty with a build up of feed back
and heavily distorted guitars winding up your senses for the fat
and meandering riffage that is ‘Far From The Metal’. With a solo
you could curl up in for the winter, this track is a great intro into
‘Johnny No Stars’. No glitzy showmanship, no pretense, just
strong guitar-driven rock laid over driving rhythms with
stripped-back raw vocals.

The title track is definitely one of the albums highlights. Always
pushing you forward to get closer to the speakers to fill that
“little addiction”. It builds into an adrenalised chaos and throws
you headlong into the first single lifted from the long player,
‘Lines On The Table’. An intimate and laid back subdued groove.

Another superhero is ‘Loaded’. With its abrasive vocals and
in-ya-face attitude you just gotta love it! Once more that rolling
thunder guitar-pushing power. As the saying goes, there is always
strength in numbers, so crank it past ten on your stereo!

One minute DR deliver cranked distortion with punked-up mayhem
on the Misfits track ‘Where Eagles Dare’, then racing through their
guitar-driven stupor on ‘Smells Like Teen Pregnancy’, to their
beautifully tripped-out loungeroom-esque cruise of ‘My Survival’.

Dern definitely don’t seem to pigeonhole themselves. They create
new areas for others to explore.

Every track is killer, and what better way to complete the
onslaught than with ‘Broken Girl’. Like the entire album, it packs
more punch than a Holyfield fight, never biting off more than it can
chew.

DernRutlidge musical strength and vocal styling individualises
their sound that much more compared to other bands strumming on
the same stage. The song writing and recording on this album is by
far one of the best I’ve heard for a while. (Thanx guys!) In some
albums their seems to be moments where something lacks, where
someone has lost an idea or they just weren’t paying attention,
‘Johnny No Stars’ has no such moments!

Available direct from www.highbeammusic.net, this album will
never leave your stereo.

Complete track listing:
1. Far From The Metal
2. Johnny No Stars
3. Lines On The Table
4. Smells Like Teen Pregnancy
5. My Survival
6. When I’m Rockin
7. Loaded
8. On The Juice
9. Where Eagles Dare
10. Walk In The Night
11. Broken Girl


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“A Little Bit Louder Now!”

DernRutlidge Album Launch
Saturday, 12th May 2001
The Punters Club, Fitzroy. Melbourne.

One listen to DR’s album will prove that they can rock. But how
does that translate live? Into immense, powerfully thick walls of
sound burning through your mind! And as we all know, those
fun-lovin’ metal stances thrown in now and again only adds to the
overall sound!

They came on a bit late (gotta hate it when strings can’t cope!) and
opened with ‘Far From The Metal’, the lead-in track from the long
player ‘Johnny No Stars’. As I mentioned, a great intro into their
album, and also into their live set. Loud good ol’ guitar-driven
rawk’n’roll!

Stoked that they also threw in ‘Silverball’ and the legendary ‘7
Mile Of Highway’ off their ‘High As The Sun On This Midnight Run’
EP.

Also gracing the stage with the mighty Dern was Legends Of
Motorsport’s undisputed king of keyboards, Andy Christ. Adding
his own frenzied take on ‘Smells Like Teen Pregnancy’ and the
albums title track ‘Johnny No Stars’. If you haven’t seen Legends
live yet, it’s truly worth the experience!

The few hundred or so punters that turned up certainly didn’t
leave empty handed. Everyone left with their eardrums still
pounding out the Dern rhythms and some were lucky enough to
score a CD. Copies of the album thrown out to heckles of “Kick it
to me…Kick it to me”.

Complete set listing:
1. Far From The Metal
2. When I’m Rockin
3. Broken Girl
4. Silverball
5. 7 Mile Of Highway
6. Loaded
7. Smells Like Teen Pregnancy
8. Johnny No Stars
9. Lines On The Table
10. On The Juice
11. Where Eagles Dare


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DernRutlidge bassist Jason P.C. took some time off
stage to answer a few questions…

First of all – what are the thoughts behind Dern and
what continues to push you in terms of your playing?

The drive of Dern is just the desire to play good music, no more no
less. There are a lot of bands with a complete life sucking market
strategy that places them in the realms of the mundane and I guess
our wish is just not to be one of those bands. If you want fashion
tips we ain't the band for you, if you want a band that does what it
does with no bullshit then we are probably for you.

What album was the turning point for you in terms of
really shaking you up and making you wanna rock?

Well for each member of the band it was different, I’ll speak only
for me, the first thing that made me want to rock was Kiss. Gene
Simmons was the biggest influence on me. Later on there were
others but gene still remains a hero and a source of inspiration.
Everyone used to put on kiss concerts in there back yard didn’t
they?

You’ve all had experience in other bands (Blood
Duster, Christbait, Drool) how does Dern differ from
them?

We don’t fit nicely into a “scene”. And we have the freedom to
play pretty much anything that we want to. Our other bands didn’t
really have the ability to go in different directions, but Dern can.
We can pretty much play whatever comes out naturally. We are
one of those things called a band. Not a stoner band or a heavy
metal band or a pop band just a plain and simple no frills band.

What did you want to get out of recording your latest
long player, Johnny No Stars as opposed to your
previous releases?

Well our other releases had no budget or time to do things exactly
as we wanted, this album was approached slowly and with a pretty
clear idea of what we wanted in terms of sounds and I think when
you listen to it you will find that it sounds pretty honest. We are
all pretty happy with the record, we just hope that other people
get into it.

You guys are on High Beam, who do a lot for Australian
music. How did you first hook up with Jeb and how’s
that been going for you?

We had just finished our deal with another label and we sort of put
the word out about finding another label and there they were. Its
like they were waiting for us. Like fucking vultures. He he. We are
really happy with High Beam I mean they have given us their time
and there money so hopefully we will be able to repay them with
some album sales.


Last time I saw you guys was at The Corner in
Richmond, the new songs rocked and everyone got into
them. How have you found your new material is being
received?

Really well, I think that as a band we are getting better with each
show we play and the songs that Craig has been writing are getting
better and better. I think the crowds can tell we are getting a lot
more comfortable with the songs and the stage.

You’ve played with the likes of Henry Rollins, Fu
Manchu, Monster Magnet and the Hellacopters, what’s
been the highlight for you in terms of the perfect live
show?

Every show for us is rewarding, some of the best shows have been
really small gigs where we don’t feel as nervous or that we have
to live up to a standard and we can just chill and play our shit the
best we can, I think they are the shows that we all enjoy the most.

Got any classic Rawk’n’Roll tour stories for us?

How about the Richard Cole/John Bonham red snapper in the red
snapper story from the Zeppelin days at the Edgewater Inn? That
story was pretty fucking rawk. Or do you mean us? Umm we don’t
have anything really.

It seems there are more and more bands escaping their
garages to play on stage, but venues are disappearing.
Do you think that everyone wants to play now instead
of watch? How strong do you think the Melbourne
scene is?

The Melbourne scene is very strong there are some really fucking
cool bands out there it’s just that you have to find them. There are
still some great venues that have been around forever like the tote
and the punters club the corner and the empress that support local
bands and have gigs almost every night of the week. And of course
everyone wants to play!! Its every kids dream to be a fuckin rock
star and that ain’t bad I think it’s very healthy.

Music on the internet is ever growing, what
importance and role does the net have in Dern’s
future?

Who knows? It’s changing every week with all the file exchange
things popping up all over. I mean most labels have plans for or
already have in place some kind of mp3 sales systems where you
build your own cds and whatnot direct, and that’s good I just don’t
know where it will lead. It should make shit cheaper and more
accessible so that has to be a good thing. Our little bit of the net is
www.dernrutlidge.com .

Any bands that you think should get a mention that
don’t?

Goatsnake are probably the band that I think don’t get enough props
and of course Legends of Motorsport and the Dwarves can never
get enough promotion from me.

Thanks very much for taking the time out for the
interview. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Um not really just thanks I guess to everyone who has read this.
Go out and have a listen to the album and if you like it buy it.
Maybe recommend it to a friend or something, we will be very
grateful.
Rock on.
Jason p.c.

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Or check out www.highbeammusic.com to pick up a copy of their
first long player ‘Johnny No Stars’ and the first single lifted from
the album, ‘Lines On The Table’.

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