Steadfast friendships, a taste for whiskey, and a penchant for Iron Maiden and Fugazi. These are the driving forces behind New Rock Church of Fire. The band is made up of bassist Mitchell West – who works with political advertising by day and brews his own beer (Mitchale) by night, guitarist and lead vocalist Floyd York – who pays the bills with a slew of odd jobs from catering to real estate photography, and drummer and singer Trae Lamond – who bartends at Chadwicks in Alexandria. Alexandria is, as it happens, the town where all three members grew up, learned to play instruments, and formed a bond at an early age.
As far as aesthetic qualities go, NRCOF can be summed up in a few words — hard, loud and fast. Their strong punk leanings can probably be attributed to their common love of Fugazi and Nirvana. And for personal favorites, Mitchell told us, “Trae’s a big AC/DC, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden fan. I’m big into Drive Like Jehu and Queens of the Stone Age, and Floyd’s on a big David Bowie kick.” When all those sensibilities come together, the results are a big and dirty mix that comes in somewhere between Iron Maiden and Johnny Cash — but mostly Iron Maiden. With song names ranging from “Laces Out” to “Finger Blaster,” there’s quite a bit of levity with these three guys, who are as dedicated to having fun and enjoying each other’s company as they are to making the most of their band. We’ve seen NRCOF a few times live, the most recent being this past weekend at Arlington’s Galaxy Hut, where their set was accompanied by Terminator 2 (their collective favorite movie) in the background.
From jangly surf rock guitar to pounding hard core drums, NRCOF meld together the lifestyles, the preferences and the personalities of three people that know how to get along — and make some exciting, fun music in the meantime. Trae’s a pretty explosive drummer. When he pipes up for his vocal role, which he shares with Floyd, you hear the eerie, deep tones of Glen Danzig. Floyd makes his guitar sing, and the shock of his punk rock yawp in comparison to his diminutive frame and soft speaking voice adds to the band’s unexpected layers. Mitchell takes the bass for a mean walk, and makes the most of it as a source of melody and percussion.
So how did they land on the name New Rock Church of Fire? That’s one detail they’re not willing to share. They’ll make jokes about it being named for Mitchell’s grandfather, New Rock Church of Fire West, or after a prize winning race horse. But the real derivation is something they’d like to keep to themselves.
We caught up with the fellas of New Rock Church of Fire at the Arlington house where Trae and Mitchell live. Keep on reading for a raucous discussion about learning how to be a band, rockism, and Wheel of Fortune.
