ALTERED STATESMAN

Sponic Zine
Issue 6 (May 22, 2001)

Look to the Altered Statesman for Inspiration. . .
by Matt Bowman

"When they said, 'look to the east for inspiration,' they didn't mean East Dayton." -Steve Poulton

Few people can boast the resume that Steve Poulton carries absent-mindedly in his hip pocket. In the interest of avoiding the dreaded "name dropping," it is safe to say instead that his resume displays a revolving / revolting / revolutionary cast of songwriters, smugglers, bands, characters and performers that could only align with the hand of fate or the nose of bliss idiocy.

Fewer yet is the number of persons that compare to Poulton's charm and charisma, as well as his talent, in the delivery of a message.

The best is generally left for someone else to say; Michael Krassner's remark to an audience one evening, "Steve Poulton, how about that voice?!" That voice is carried into the Altered Statesman's songs by three core members: Joe Burns in the Percussion Arena, Andy Perkins holding down the low, low end and Joe Thompson rounding and squaring off the shapes with his own brand of stunt guitar work.

The Altered Statesman have a rather interesting back catalog. 1998 brought a couple of cassettes, including the Invincible Me release, an impressively modest collection of songs recorded on the four-track, boom boxes and a karaoke machine. The next two years allowed time for some in depth experimentation in unconventional home recording. The eclectic self titled CD, recorded in Steve's basement on four-track in early 2000, utilized an arsenal of tube mics and equipment, lending the six song disc an intimacy that nearly defines the Altered Statesman's sound.

The songs always seem to flow out of some sort of ambiance, molded and shaped into lumps and layers and levels and canyons of sonics, the right hand grabbing you just as the left has let go. The songs carry the weight, as opposed to a single musical or lyrical "hook."

With an air now in solid tow, the metal became hotter and easier to hammer out, as it were. Later in 2000, the Extra Me EP materialized, showcasing a recording session at the (in)famous Truckstop Studios in Chicago. The recording endeavors, coupled with a relentless amount of live performances, would not be fruitless. A Curtis Mayfield tribute in Chicago, weekends at The Second Story in Bloomington and bushels of trips between Athens, Columbus, Cincinnati, Lexington, Bowling Green and the homebase of Dayton give the band some collective experience and much deserved recognition in this Rubber and Rust Belt.

The small indie label Pussy Power recently took notice. The Altered Statesman took root in drummer Joe Burn's studio in Florence, Ken., and kicked out a couple of songs for a 7" that the label released in the early start of '01. The A-side, "Tricks Along the Highway," is not such a self-effacing title. The song is the rambling of the tires hitting the lane reflectors; the chorus, a brief trip into the rumble strips, edged with flute, organ, and a disjointed choral arrangement of guitars. The B-side "Sideways" is the Southern summer humidity of the trip...the relaxation, walking behind the sultry walk.

July of 2001 will put the band back in the studio to record a new full length. Expect this record to be the best yet, with a year or moreof live playing behind a majority of the songs.

The Altered Statesman possess a mathematical property that few other bands operate with: their prolific output is coupled with consistent quality. In this laxidazy, half-ass chronological point in "indie rock," with legions of idiots running around in baggy pants and holding a Boss Dr. Sample, or the thinker/ no-thinkers that buy and rewrite GBV records left and right, The Altered Statesman stand out as a shining, original beacon in the fog.

Whiskey with your water? Yes. Viscous? Yes. Burning? Yes. How's the driving? Alright. Find the Altered Statesman in your heart. Find them in your bushes. And how old IS that needle?