 by Rob van Alstyne
Local sextet Mel Gibson & the Pants make the kind of groundbreaking, genre-defying music that is easy to enjoy and hard to explain. Is it hip-hop? Well, there is a rapper who sounds remarkably like Snoop Dogg on speed (his decidedly non-hip-hop handle is Harold Sanders). Is it rock? Well, they do have a live band quick to peel out post-rock riffs and rubbery bass lines. Is it electronic music? The band does appear to rock about as much techie gear as your average Best Buy and knows its way around skittery beats, jittery sequencing tricks and Tron-styled keyboard craziness. Given the post-Thanksgiving timing of my interview with Drew Christopherson (drums) and Ryan Olson (beats/sequences), I couldn’t resist asking them how they explain the sound of the band when munching on turkey legs with their respective families.
Download an mp3 of Mel Gibson and the Pants’ song “Reagan’s Dead.”
 “I’m
more likely to call it an electronic band with a rapper than I am to call it
hip-hop,” says Christopherson. “We set out to make good hip-hop
records, but there’s only so close to that sound we can get with the setup
we have.”
“To me, I guess it’s all kind of hip-hop,” continues Olson.
“There’s enough room in there for all of us to get our different
voices out there.”
If one factor defines MG & the Pants’ soon-to-be-unveiled sophomore
album, w/ Guitar, it’s that crazed confluence of unexpected voices
(both lyrical and musical in nature). There’s Sanders of course, but his
speed-drawled hyper-drollery is buoyed by some stunning guest spots from Twin
Cities notables representing the two hottest collectives in town as both Doomtree
(Cecil Otter, P.O.S.) and Rhymesayers (Eyedea) emcees sound off to the perfectly
simpatico space-rock backing of the band. Guest rhymers aren’t the only
surprises in store as the band shows its love for the spastic rock end of their
equation by soliciting some guest yelps from Travis Bos of Chariots and so-and-so
from the Belles of Skin City.
A dizzying sonic collage nearly an hour in length, w/Guitar is a relentless
lesson, and Sanders proves himself a master lyricist throughout—just as
deft with scathing attacks on commerce (“Life’s more than just consumerism
/ Whose vision are you fitting? / How you living floor to ceiling? / What’s
all this stuff concealing that your life ain’t fulfilling?”) as
playful personal contemplation (“The tragedy of growing up is—well,
growing up—but still being able to fit into all of your old emotional
self”).
 Sanders’
rapid-fire, insight-laden rhymes would be enough to mesmerize even within the
traditional “two turntables and microphone world,” but fusing them
with the group’s forward thinking instrumentation is a revelation. Settling
in a heretofore undiscovered pocket somewhere between Minus the Bear’s
post-prog explorations and the Sea and Cake’s chilled out breeziness,
MG & the Pants’ sound is intriguing even before Olson subjects it
to the extensive sequencing and effects work that turns it on its head and launches
it into orbit. From the opening semi-reggae-wooziness of “I’ll Never
Be Happy Again” and its straight-out- Nintendo keyboard to the closing
cascading guitar lines of chilled out anthem “This Boat is Obviously Sinking,”
the listener remains challenged and engaged.
“We recorded with Jaime Hansen again for this record, but this time he
really wanted us to record in Steve Albini’s studio in Chicago because
of the equipment they have there, so we went there and laid down all the basic
tracks live in like two days,” explains Olson of the album’s unique
birthing process. “From there we just spent a ton of time back in Minneapolis
with Pro Tools and stuff in our practice space. If we could edit it and make
something pop in a different way we did it. The whole thing took about a year
and you can get lost with what your original focus was. I would rather do it
quicker.”
Despite Olson’s wish for quicker results, w/Guitar gains much of
its hazy mojo from this blend of punchy live instrumentation and textural effects.
Christopherson is a true beast behind the drum kit on aptly titled cuts like
“Unleash the Beats” and guitarist Riley Hartnett crunches sinisterly
and arpeggiates beautifully with equal aplomb throughout. These live chops form
an oddly beautiful symbiotic relationship with Sanders’ computer-tweaked
witticisms (frequently double- and triple-tracked or digitally tweaked to approximate
harmonies).
 With
the band members involved in numerous other musical and real-life projects—from
running the local record label collective Totally Gross National Product to
pursuing doctoral degrees in neuroscience—local music fans should give
thanks that the six busy members of MG & the Pants manage to make the time
to link up at all. Although the group has received substantial love from 89.3
the Current, the band wishes to put to rest any misperceptions of “local
music stardom” people might have about the group.
“When we were on the Current the other day they asked us about our ‘rapid
rise to local stardom’ and I didn’t really know how to respond,”
replies Christopherson stifling a laugh. “First of all we’ve been
around for like three years so it can’t be that rapid, and secondly we
still play plenty of shows in front of, like 35 people—I don’t think
I really know what ‘local music stardom’ is.”
“We’re definitely not in this for the money or some kind of stardom,”
continues Olson. “Like 98 percent of my friends play music—it’s
just what the hell we do. We started a record label so we would have something
to do on Friday nights.”
“Yeah, I mean all the way to the name it’s kind of obvious we don’t
take ourselves very seriously,” adds Christopherson as our conversation
comes to a close. “I’m pretty sure the second this stops being fun
we’d all reconsider doing it.” ||
Mel Gibson & the Pants play two CD release shows for w/Guitar
on Sat., Dec. 17 at the Triple Rock Social Club. Both shows will feature openers
Doomtree and Dosh. 5 p.m. $6. All Ages. And again at 10 p.m. $6. 21+. 629 Cedar
Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399.
For more info on Mel Gibson & the Pants check out
their record label’s official website at TotallyGrossNationalProduct.com.
Head on over to our mp3
page to download hundreds of tunes, including Mel Gibson and the Pants’
song “Reagan’s
Dead.”
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