A quahog is an edible, hard-shelled marine bivalve mollusk (aka, a clam),
which is native to the eastern shores of North America, from Prince
Edward Island to the Yucatán Peninsula. The Quahogs are something
completely different, barring the fact that they too hail from the
Eastern shores of North America … well, Providence, but you get the
idea. Far from being something you’d wanna deep-fry, the band known as
The Quahogs combine the best elements of folk, rock and country into a
gut-wrenching, raw, rootsy blend, which throughout retains a relevant,
youthful sound.
The band is the brainchild of Quahog songwriter and singer-guitarist
Steve Delmonico, who in 2011 began recruiting like-minded musicians to
flesh out a backlog of his song ideas. The final lineup of Kevin Aubin
on drums, Chaz Weber and Jim Galvin on lead guitars, and Ethan Kerrigan
on bass pooled their collective talents into a forthcoming project
titled Traveler’s Log. Though that CD is due out any time, The Quahogs decided to release a prelude EP of new material called Spasms, which is free to download on their various social media sites.
The EP comes at a precarious time for the band, especially for Steve
Delmonico, who has been laid up and out of service for several months
battling a severe case of pancreatitis, brought on by, as he puts it,
“binge drinking like an idiot.” And it’s that kind of honesty that
underscores his entire style of songwriting, in that he demonstrates a
fearlessness to feel his own pain and transcribe it to song. In fact,
most of the songs on the new E.P. reflect a sense of frustration and
isolation he clearly must have felt during this dark period, which
included stints in both the hospital and rehab.
In the time-honored tradition of greats like Bob Dylan, Townes Van
Zandt, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and other songwriters that he and his
fellow Quahogs admire, Delmonico writes from a place of courage and
veracity. After all, good songwriters give the public what they want.
Great songwriters tell them what they need to hear. On the track
“Midnight Train,” Delmonico minces few words in detailing a sense of
loss and lament in the wake of damage done: “I’m drunk again with you
on my mind / It’s happened once before, it’s happened every time / All I
wanna do is drown the pain, and forget the day you took the midnight
train / Fuck the midnight train, she shot me low / My baby left me about
a year ago…”
Another standout track is “Grand Central,” which at first blush
sounds like an updated version of something The Byrds would have done on
their 1968 foray into country music, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. But make no mistake, their work is not derivative, it’s inspired: “Went
to Saratoga Springs, right back down to Queens to forget what I left
behind me / Well it ain’t so bad, I got a flask and a brand new pack,
and I’m thinking baby just maybe someday someone will save me.”
As is often the case, lack of space permits me to expound on just how
impressed I am with The Quahogs. And considering how long-winded I can
be, maybe that’s for the best. But I can declare without any hesitation
that these few tracks represent a sound and songwriting style that rank
The Quahogs among the best original bands to come out of the area
in some time. Most artists spend many months and even years looking for
their own unique voice. But in this case, it seems like the voice and
sound came looking for a band. And in The Quahogs, worthy caretakers
were found, and hopefully they’ll carry on the tradition of unvarnished,
honest songwriting and heavy roots performances for many years to come.
