By Gene Wagendorf III
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| GOAT | Photo Credit: Gene Wagendorf III |
There's an astonishing amount of mystery that surrounds
GOAT, a collective of psychedelic voodoo rockers from Korpilombolo, Sweden. The town is said to still bear the curse of the followers of a traveling witch doctor, most of whom were driven out upon being discovered by Christian crusaders. That dark magic, combined with the centuries-long influence of voodoo culture in Korpilombolo, has allegedly shaped the music GOAT plays now. It's trance-like, made up of relentless rhythms embellished with wild bouts of improvisation. Passed down from generation to generation, the music is said to have been performed by various "versions" of GOAT, with only this recent incarnation finally laying down some wax.
World Music, the band's aptly-titled debut record, was released by Rocket Recordings to much critical acclaim. There are plenty of questions and ambiguity still surrounding the band and its origins- an impressive accomplishment on its own in a post-Google world. GOAT is currently in the midst of their first American tour, and were in town Thursday for a sold out show at The Empty Bottle.
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| GOAT | Photo Credit: Gene Wagendorf III |
Clad in a hodgepodge of hoods, masks and tunics, three members of GOAT approached the stage in bizarrely unassuming fashion, patiently tuning their instruments as the energy in the crowd began to swell. A softly plucked string or two gave way to a lithe snippet of melody, and then a little more, as the two guitar players and the bassist coyly tested the waters.Within moments a drummer and a conga player emerged, allowing "Diarabi," the lead track from
World Music, to take off. Smoky, Middle-Eastern leads danced over crunchy riffing and almost whispered jazz percussion. By the time GOAT's two female vocalists/percussionists had snaked through the crowd to the stage, the party was on. Trying to nail down a genre for GOAT became an instantly comic exercise in futility by song two, when the band leaned into "Golden Dawn." Riding Afro-beat rhythms and humming bass, the guitar players went manic on psych solos and chicken scratch riffs reminiscent of of Jimmy Nolen's sexiest work for James Brown.
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