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Talk of claws, casseroles, confinement, and alcohol

Barrence Whitfield's back Under the Savage Sky

Not as much screaming from Whitfield these days, so you can dig the lyrics.
Not as much screaming from Whitfield these days, so you can dig the lyrics.

Won’t say the guy’s name, but he was a drug dealer with a name fitting that occupation. He held down an all-nighter DJ slot at the campus station, and I sat up with him once while he stuck on a vinyl album side, catnapped that 20 minutes, back-announce the finished side, stuck on another side. Back to catnapping.

Video:

"The Wolf Pack"

...from Barrence Whitfield's latest, <em>Under the Savage Sky</em>

...from Barrence Whitfield's latest, Under the Savage Sky

In this way I heard side one of Barrence Whitfield’s Live Emulsified, though I already knew “The Girl From Outer Space” from dipping into it at Cellophane Square’s preview turntable. Screaming. Five minutes of it. Every now and then you could hear him settling back into his normal range, sticking a dismount as he took a fresh breath. But almost continuous screaming. Over headphones, over airwaves.

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That was 1989. Come 2015 he screams only in scattered phrases. Time drags us toward the void. Upside: Subtler phrasing and, hey, you can actually dig the lyrics, saturated by talk of claws, casseroles, confinement, alcohol as both a first and last resort, a “Wolf Pack” to scare sober anyone from the Hangover franchise, odd references to The Birds, and for the big finish, a man contemplating his own death as it goes down on the sidewalk.

Guitarist Peter Greenberg produced, shoving everything into the middle at once to the front like a World Series of Poker mastermind with his chips. Whitfield and saxophonist Tom Quartulli sumo wrestle over the front of the mix. A little screaming. To keep you awake for your dose.

  • Album: Under The Savage Sky
  • Artist: Barrence Whitfield and the Savages
  • Label: Bloodshot
  • Songs: (1) Willow (2) I’m A Full Grown Man (3) The Claw (4) Rock N Roll Baby (5) Adjunct Street (6) The Wolf Pack (7) Incarnation Casserole (8) Angry Hands (9) Bad News Perfume (10) Katy Didn’t (11) I’m a Good Man (12) Full Moon in the Daylight Sky
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Not as much screaming from Whitfield these days, so you can dig the lyrics.
Not as much screaming from Whitfield these days, so you can dig the lyrics.

Won’t say the guy’s name, but he was a drug dealer with a name fitting that occupation. He held down an all-nighter DJ slot at the campus station, and I sat up with him once while he stuck on a vinyl album side, catnapped that 20 minutes, back-announce the finished side, stuck on another side. Back to catnapping.

Video:

"The Wolf Pack"

...from Barrence Whitfield's latest, <em>Under the Savage Sky</em>

...from Barrence Whitfield's latest, Under the Savage Sky

In this way I heard side one of Barrence Whitfield’s Live Emulsified, though I already knew “The Girl From Outer Space” from dipping into it at Cellophane Square’s preview turntable. Screaming. Five minutes of it. Every now and then you could hear him settling back into his normal range, sticking a dismount as he took a fresh breath. But almost continuous screaming. Over headphones, over airwaves.

Sponsored
Sponsored

That was 1989. Come 2015 he screams only in scattered phrases. Time drags us toward the void. Upside: Subtler phrasing and, hey, you can actually dig the lyrics, saturated by talk of claws, casseroles, confinement, alcohol as both a first and last resort, a “Wolf Pack” to scare sober anyone from the Hangover franchise, odd references to The Birds, and for the big finish, a man contemplating his own death as it goes down on the sidewalk.

Guitarist Peter Greenberg produced, shoving everything into the middle at once to the front like a World Series of Poker mastermind with his chips. Whitfield and saxophonist Tom Quartulli sumo wrestle over the front of the mix. A little screaming. To keep you awake for your dose.

  • Album: Under The Savage Sky
  • Artist: Barrence Whitfield and the Savages
  • Label: Bloodshot
  • Songs: (1) Willow (2) I’m A Full Grown Man (3) The Claw (4) Rock N Roll Baby (5) Adjunct Street (6) The Wolf Pack (7) Incarnation Casserole (8) Angry Hands (9) Bad News Perfume (10) Katy Didn’t (11) I’m a Good Man (12) Full Moon in the Daylight Sky
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Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
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Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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