Better Days Will Haunt You October 10, 2006

Two legendary albums, a bunch of tours, a small but fanatical fanbase... the twin guitar attack of CHAVEZ is at last enshrined in a landmark, extremely enhanced collection. No stranger to the brain-cracking power chord, CHAVEZ differs from bands both from the mid-'90s and now in the application of extraordinary minor-key harmonies and mindblown, fiercely joyous lyrical subjects. These sit easily atop the silver-electric guitarage of Matt Sweeney and Clay Tarver. Scott Marshall's huge bass moves give space and counterpoint to the shattering ANTI-rock drumming of James Lo. Indeed, the band claimed Carl Maria von Weber as a major influence, and it is not hard to think of the lower-Manhattan-based quartet as the reincarnation of 19th-century romanticism via incredible chops and a musical upbringing soaked in the Kinks, AC/DC and Pretty Things. Ferociously rocking with a high-wire fragility, CHAVEZ's music stuns and satisfies like nothing else.

Ride the Fader November 5, 1996

Woe unto ye olde wizened guitar troubadour, wearily peddling his wares from pillar to post. Oversaturation has blighted the robust market that's now only a memory. Savvy insurgents buffet him with science as technological innovation renders those once vigorous sensations shopworn. His axe is dragging. Though having become sorely embittered over the years, he feels lucky to have at least plied his trade in a simpler time; when the bounty was rife with riches, air-guitaring prostration, young lads' adulation, and moistened undies. Now he feels only pity and some loathing for the beleaguered modern-day rock practitioner. He is enlivened, however, by some fresh-faced upstarts on the scene.

Blessing the house with some of that old time religion, NYC's Chavez are proselytizing and profilin' in '96 with Ride The Fader. Most first-time listeners are engaged by the upwardly mobile arrangements and whirly dissonance, then hooked by their wholesome candy-ass pop bonhomie. This was a style that could really rally the kids together. Indeed, both affected highbrow nerds and unibrow uncivilized rocker bonded over Chavez's debut, Gone Glimmering, and while that effort met with responses ranging from intrigued fence-sitting to spastic huzzahs, Ride The Fader confidently blows it to bits in every category. Any occasionally awkward baby steps on the debut have been mercilessly slapped and bashed into submission. Everything's harder, more boombastic, cocksure etc. while simultaneously managing to be more kissable and cuddlier (i.e. the power ballad action of "Unreal Is Here"). The songs are trim motherfuckers too with all the extraneous fat burned off for easier digestion.

Guitarists Matt Sweeney and Clay Tarver began dithering about in late '92. They were joined by drummer James Lo over a half year later who had played with Sweeney in Wider, With a now departed bass player, they recorded two songs in October '93 that Matador released in the summer of '94 as a 7" single. By this time, fiery bantam Scott Masciarelli, childhood friend of Sweeney's, took over on bass and the band began playing live for the first time, opening for Shellac, Dinosaur Jr. and Come among others. Summer of '95 saw the release of Gone Glimmering.

In the past year since its release, the band has been in relative repose, mostly due to lack of a booking agent (they have one now) and bassist Scott Masciarelli bolting to Hollywood to pursue filmwork. This break in the action allowed other members to follow their interests too with drummer James Lo recording compositions and traveling with choreographer John Jasperse, guitarist Clay Tarver doing freelance filmwork and singer/guitarist Matt Sweeney toiling with odd jobs around the house.

Still, Chavez managed a two week U.S. tour with Guided By Voices and Bardo Pond plus three weeks in Europe with GBV. When Scott finally waltzed back to town earlier this year, the band got busy and entered Water Music with John Agnello in August. Bryce Goggin recorded "Unreal Is Here" and "Memorize This Face" at Iiwii and Baby Monster.

Pentagram Ring October 17, 1995

Pioneers of the mensa-metal movement, NYC's Chavez put the mo back in EMO with Pentagram Ring, tack on two new songs, include both sides of their never-before-CD'd "Repeat The Ending" 7" and prepare to win the swimsuit competition (if it isn't cancelled next year). Songwriting, (lamb) chops, hummability, Chavez bring people together like a telethon (minus the wheelie-boys).

These guys are set to explode at radio. (No, they're not gonna get tons of airplay, we're just gonna strap dynamite to Scotty's torso, send him 'round to WINS and blow the fucking place up! Kick out the jams, motherfuckers, and fuck Freebeing.)

Gone Glimmering May 23, 1995

Unabashed "hard rock" without stupid lyrics, codpiece styles (but they're working on it) and surprising subtlety, rhthmic invention...this stuff isn't supposed to happen, but happen it has. Chavez are a NYC quartet that inspires rabid audience reactions, and not just 'cause of the bass player's silver trousers. Their first year of slumming onstage with superstar pals like GBV, Shellac, Bailter Space and others has seen a solid jump in earplug sales around the East Coast.

Gone Glimmering was recorded over weekends in December '94 and January '95 at various locations with various producers/engineers (Bob Weston, Bryce Goggin and John Agnello). Their efforts have been described by know-it-alls in terms like "an odd hybrid of ringing, shifting guitar riffs; ample doses of catchy, subtle melodies and harmonies that weave their way above, below and through the music." Someone else was caught claiming that Chavez were "the future of hard rock as filtered through nearly two decades of New York neo-noise." Of course not everyone agrees. One reviewer was heard to grumble, "they have a way with seasonings, but they sure know how to overcook everything," but who are you gonna trust, your own instincts or the Zagat guide?

Chavez are not merely famous ex-musicians, but they also have exciting credentials in the non-rock world:

• Ex-Bullet LaVolta guitarist Clay Tarver is also known as the director of the award-winning "Got Milk?" series of televisions advertisements,
• Ex-Skunk guitarist/vocalist and Wider bassist Matt Sweeney augments his Chavez paycheck by working as a publicist for the Helmsley family (Leona, not Sherman).
• Bassist Scotty Marshall and Live Skull drummer James Lo very briefly played in the house band on the old "Into The Night...With Rick Dees" program. Use of a sophisticated VCR w/ frame-by-frame advancement is necessary to prove this, however.
• Bob Pollard likes these guys so much, he told us he'd get Jim Greer to join GBV if we signed Chavez. We were drunk and didn't understand...we thought he said he'd get Jim Greer to join the Moonies.

“Repeat the Ending” b/w “Hack the Sides Away” July 25, 1994

Under the pretense of making worthwhile rock music, Clay Tarver and Matt Sweeney started playing guitars together in late 1992. For eight months, they played without a drummer or a bass player. After a while most of their friends figured Tarver were just saying they were in a band so they could get drunk a couple of times a week in peace (they were not incorrect; the primary purpose of Chavez is to provide a worry-free drinking environment for its members. )

Enter the diabolical James Lo of Live Skull and Wider fame, who was not invited to play, but offered his services nonetheless. As Lo was the first person in eight months to express any interest whatsoever in what they were doing (the very mention of a band with ex-members of Bullet LaVolta and Skunk produced chortles, guffaws or aggressive indifference from most New York rock types), and as the words "James Lo" and "Bad Ass" are synonymous, his request to join the rock outfit was met with an enthusiastic "eeerase."

Utterly free of anyone's expectations, high or otherwise, they contentedly dicked around in their rehearsal room. Along with friend Davey Hoskins, they recorded two songs in October of '93 so they could "hear what we were doing." Masters holder and Hollywood swinger Scott Masciarelli, Sweeney's long time pal, moved to New York in March of '94 and joined the men of Chavez as Bass Player in an effort to hinder a budding film career. Two weeks after Masciarelli joined, the band started playing live. Seeing (another) chance to blow huge amounts of cash, Matador pressed the aforementioned tape into a 7" single which they released summer 1994.

The Men of Chavez appreciate your time and patience.

The Men of Chavez are sworn to fun and loyal to none.

The men of Chavez are...

James Lo - drumset
Clay Tarver - guitar, vocals
Matt Sweeney - vocals, guitar
Scott Masciarelli - bass