I've been a Jason Victor fan since 2015, when I saw Skull Practitioners open for The Jet Age in D.C.. Even if I wasn't already a fan, I'd likely be one now because the band's on In The Red Records, home to other bands I like, like Des Demonas and Wolfmanhattan Project. And, if that wasn't enough, the fiery music on the band's debut full-length Negative Stars would likely be enough to make me a fan.
[Jason Victor sitting in with The Jet Age in D.C., September 13, 2015, for a Ronnie Lane cover. Picture by me.]
Guitarist Jason Victor, bassist Kenneth Levine, and drummer Alex Baker are Skull Practitioners, and the trio's tunes are compelling, anchored around Victor's guitar playing. Jason's time in The Dream Syndicate recently has allowed the musician to sharpen his attack, and all of Negative Stars explores territory not entirely dissimilar to that trod by Steve Wynn and co. so many years ago. Opener "Dedication" has an intensity that suggests a listen or two to Iggy & The Stooges, while "Exit Wounds" is more lyrical, though no less fiery. Victor's guitar-line carries this one into a special space, adding flourishes to what would be rougher in other hands. The grunge-y "What Now" punches above its weight, while "Ventilation" and "Fire Drill" have an expansiveness not entirely unlike some of the pieces on Dirty.
Jason Victor is an interesting figure. His playing could easily find its way into something more stylistically conventional, and I know he fit in perfectly with The Dream Syndicate. But to this listener, I'm thankful that Skull Practitioners keep things a bit scuzzy. This is hard stuff in spots, and it sounds like a bunch of things I loved in the Clinton years. Negative Stars is not a retro record, but it's one which builds upon a tradition of sorts that should give it appeal to a whole bunch of folks.
Negative Stars by Skull Practitioners is out now via In The Red Records.
[Photo: John Bottomley Photography]