Way back when, in the early days of this new decade/millennium, when Northern Liberties (the neighborhood) was quickly becoming the next stop on the gentrification express; I had a small glimmer of hope that the rise in the profile of Northern Liberties (the neighborhood) would in turn help rise the profile of Northern Liberties (the band). Granted I never believed for a second that the majority of people who would possibly become aware of this West Philly trio by their association (in name) with an up-and-coming neighborhood would accept them with open arms. But hey, any press is good press, right….
Jump back to the present, and now Northern Liberties (the neighborhood) is one of the city’s hottest spots to live & hang out (at least until Fishtown/Kensington gets off the ground), and Northern Liberties (the band) remain one of Philly’s best kept secrets. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean some of the greatest artists spent their entire lives shrouded in obscurity waiting patiently for the rest of the world to develop the eyes, ears, or whatever senses are required to fully appreciate their work (I believe the scientific term for this is The Van Gogh syndrome). And that definitely puts these guys in with good company…
But on the other hand, now that Northern Liberties (the neighborhood) is a safe haven for hipsters & yuppies alike (though in actuality there is little difference between the two, the hipster of today is really just the yuppie of tomorrow, you know, when mommy & daddy cut off the trust fund and they have to get, like, a real job, but I digress…), people approaching Northern Liberties (the band) for the first time may be a bit puzzled by the odd choice of name. Well let me be the one to enlighten you there newbie. Let’s step back in the Way Back machine shall we & take a look at the city in years of NLBG (Northern Liberties Before Gentrification, for those of you not down with acronyms). And what did this now hip & bustling community look back then: A vast, teeming industrial wasteland of abandoned warehouses, broken street lamps, danger, & madness (remember folks this was, more or less, the area of Philadelphia that inspired David Lynch to make Eraserhead). And it is these images that, in a way, best describe the music that Northern Liberties makes.
Make no bones about it, these boys are all about the doom & gloom, but they also can recognize the beauty & wonder that exists in this modern urban asylum.
(Note to the band:
If you’re looking for critical endorsements to slap on the cover, I humbly offer the previous statement as well as the following:
“The Soundtrack to Humanity’s Spiritual Apocalypse & Rebirth”
“Songs About the Things That Go Bump in the Nightmare of Your Psyche”
“What Lurks in the Shadows When You’re Alone at Night? Listen to This Album and Find Out!”
“Hey, If You’re a Pigeon You’ll Love This Band!”)
Which brings us (at last!) to Ghost Mind Electricity, Northern Liberties newest tome to the mysteries of modern life. Recorded by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios, this album tackles subject matter such as: voices calling from other astral planes, the dreams of unborn babies, death, resurrection, dead deers, war, blood, psychic nurses, & in Northern Liberties’ ongoing struggle for the rights of birds everywhere, finally, a National Anthem (For Birds).
My reaction to this album, as well as the other Northern Liberties’ album & most of all their live shows, is really hard (if not outright impossible) to put into words. It definitely grabs me in an intellectual level, as well as a gut level, but in the end it grabs me the most in a spiritual way (hey here’s another blurb: Finally a Band That Will Make The Atheists Believe In…Something!). Each encounter with this band (and once again the live shows especially) is like a baptism in fire, blood, & electricity, and every time I reemerge I’m still convinced that the world is a dark & scary place, but I also have a renewed hope that there still is something resembling magic in this world…
Once again Justin Duerr & co. have walk down that fine line between madness & enlightenment into the gaping jaw of the unknown & have come back, souls intact, with an album reporting what they have found for benefit for all of us true believers…
Author: dana
Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (preemptive_strike, 2007)
“ghost mind electricity” is the lord knows how many-th record by west philly heroes northern liberties. usually a band who are much better represented by their live show then by their recorded output, the band appears to have finally struck gold, doing it up right and heading down to inner ear to let don zientara run the knobs on this. the result is definitely the best sounding northern liberties output thus far. the music is the same formula, drums+bass+vox(and sometimes more drums). the result is very offbeat and loose but still punk sounding. a record can break into either an intense moment or a stoner jam on the drop of a dime. while still a band that you really need to see live to get the full effect, this is the best shot so far at a truly AWESOME record by the band. i cant even recommend any tracks because they are pretty much all awesome.
Justin Duerr, Northern Liberties and the C.O.D.E. space (Eskandalo!, 2007/8?)
JUSTIN DUERR~
Radio Pigeon Man
Justin Duerr, Northern Liberties and the C.O.D.E. space by Alison Leigh, 2007/8?
I am here to tell you a story. A story about a person, a place, some other people and some thoughts. Oh and some birds as well.
Let’s start with the subject of this article- Justin Duerr. While attending a show at the C.O.D.E. space in Philly one night, I was blown away by a band called PRE. Then I watched a band from Israel who were really really funny. Then as I stood on the mini ramp across the room of this seemingly endless place where bands can set up just about anywhere and play a show, I witnessed three people begin their set. I snapped away with my little camera and captured what appears to be some sort of death march cult chant of darkness taking place in a dungeon in some church on the wrong (right) side of town.
The pictures tell it all really. Oh and speaking of cults, um the C.O.D.E. space is what one might refer to as a cult. Not the Kool-Aid suicide kind of cult mind you, but the gather-everyone-up-and-do-something-awesome kind of cult.
C.O.D.E.— the Church of Divine Energy—was founded by Justin and a guy name Seph. The two of them currently reside at the space but it was once a place to see shows practically every night of the week. They stopped with the band stuff because it got boring or something. Anyway, they wanted to have things going on there all the time but the band thing took over so they decided to, I don’t know, feed the space some tainted Kool-Aid and end it all. Well, they youtubed everything that happened in that place for your viewing pleasure. Here’ some.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs9yQYcBVBA
So anyway, back to the band. The words dark, moody, intense, frightening— all describe their sound. They are a three piece with one bass player and two drummers. The band is made up of two brothers and one childhood friend. They have been in bands together since they were 12. I guess you could say they have had plenty of time to figure out their sound, right? Anyway, they have a website. It’s right here.
http://www.northernlibertiesband.com/NL/HOME.PHP
I will give a run down of what I saw in the order that it happened, to give you all an idea of what it’s like to see them play a show. First, I was your average jaded person in the crowd. I saw two great bands in two different parts of the venue so I didn’t even realize that another was about to start, on an actual stage. So all of the sudden there was music. And for about 5 seconds I was like “Ho hum what are the chances that there could be 3 good bands all in a row? Like zero out of a hundred mil——wait— this band is actually fucking AWESOME!” Seriously, that is verbatim what my brain said to itself.
I got my camera ready, and found a spot atop the ramp. I tuned in just in time to see a man with really short hair and white face makeup wearing a scary red cape, RIP the cape off of himself to reveal a crazy looking house dress with a gigantic collar. All in a matter of 1/8th of a second. Brain asplodes.
So I proceeded to take pictures and get involved with what was going on. The music is seriously enveloping the whole room. I was jealous of the people who were close up to the stage, but at the same time I was at a good vantage point for seeing the show. Not so great for photos but I liked what the pics were looking like— they were weird as hell, and I just can’t complain about that!
THEN, at some really dramatic point during a song, Justin whips out a marching band drum that rests on his shoulders (see pic) and starts playing this marching band type of beat— like marching straight to your death— in a single line— expressionless but wildly happy- the kind that feels like you joined a cult and were quite naive and content about it; you just feel the sound. At this point I was like— ready to add them to my list of favorite new bands on my myspace, so you KNOW it’s for real!
Just when you think it couldn’t get any creepier, he starts reading from this book. I have no idea what he’s saying whatsoever but it really didn’t matter. It was the cadence and the seriousness of the words that made me stop and listen. And of course when asked what it was he was reading, I was let in on something TRULY. FASCINATING.
The Toynbee Tiles.
Maybe you read that link. Maybe you didn’t. In any case, Arnold Toynbee is a writer. The book Experiences was the one being read. The writer is referenced on this website. I dare you to read it. Seriously- DARE!
“A stop-watch would, no doubt, have registered that the duration of this transport had been infinitesimally brief; yet, in virtue of the poignancy of the experience, the momentary posthumous spectator’s imagination was able, ever after, to recapture the atmosphere of that dire reunion of husband and wife; and this one scene in the tragic drama of a civil war between a Roman Republic and an Italian Confederacy would call up, before his mind’s eye, a series of dramatic incidents running back past the climax of the catastrophe to its eve…”
Uhhhh….. makes me a tad stupified. Anyway, someone is doing a documentary on the tiles, which they believe originated in Philadelphia and ended up in random towns in South America. Justin is featured in the doc and is referenced in the Wiki entry. I really recommend you to peruse the articles I linked. It is quite bizarre information to say the least!
Moving on…
So after the show was over I was all crazy blown away and had a great time. One of the best shows I’ve been to in a really long time— actually, it was the day after the MEMES show I attended so the weekend has gone down in history as one of the best- for the sake of the music of now, and for the good of all mankind— hallelujah! Northern Liberties has 3 albums out, two 7”s and 2 live acoustic shows they recorded on the fly. The newest of which is called Ghost Mind Electricity and is available for purchase. I can attest to this cd’s value— it’s so serious and intense but not preachy or annoying. It’s heavy as hell, it makes you want to dance at times, or smash a glass at others. Makes you want to blast it loud and scream at your parents! Awesome hahaha!
—-this article was scribed with the very blood of my wrist- that which I had to cut for the completion of this article. I suffer for my work….and so should you
post script~ the pigeon reference in the title has to do with the fact that he used to raise carrier pigeons. He now takes care of sick and injured birds with a woman named Enid. Together they are in a band called the Vivian Girls Experience. They sing songs about pigeons at times and it is available for purchase as well. I believe they may be pigeon people! Also check out their art photography together. It’s inspiring and disturbing, yet funny and practically high fashion as well. Basically, the deeper one digs into the lives of these people, the more fascinating they become….
post script script~ both Justin and Seph are ordained ministers and have performed wedding ceremonies at the CODE space. FYI!
*this was published a few years ago. This just happened: Directing Award, Documentary:
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, director Jon Foy, Sundance, 2011
He also has painted a mural in Eskandalo http://www.justinduerr.com/ArtPage1/htmPages/ArtPage1Image17.htm check it out! Congrats to all involved!!
the film! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZELQhpf_o
There’s quite a bit of missing links in this article, and for that I aoplogize. Just recreated it for here real quick. Hope you are inspired to google up some stuff!
Originally Featured in the Eskandalo! Zine
Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (Valiant Death, 2007)
This is the third full length album by Philadelphia’s own NORTHERN LIBERTIES.
It’s obvious that lots of people can relate the energy of live music to a spiritual experience, but
Northern Liberties are one of the few bands whose music is MEANT to be a spiritual experience.
The brainchild of Valiant Death logo artist Justin Duerr (author of “Decades of Confusion Feed The
Insect” zine), this album is the best recording of Northern LIberties to date (and I’ve loved this band
since I was 16…) – heavy, heavy rhythms and bass driven melodies yet again set the stage for Justin’s
occult themed lyrics.
This isn’t just good music written about weird stuff, this is a tome of belief, a testament to the ideas
behind what Duerr refers to as “Ghost Mind Electricity” and the foundations for what has only come
to be known as “Ghost Punk”.
Beautiful packaging for this CD – a 6 panel full color digipak and a 8 page lyric booklet, in addition
to the long running time of this 12 track album make this a very worthy investment for anyone seeking
something new and different.
– Bucky Lewis –
Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (Philadelphia Weekly, 2007)
Northern Liberties are like a mini goth-punk cottage industry, spanning comps and 7-inches, live EPs and a DVD limited to 23 copies. Their third album Ghost Mind Electricity is a thudding, low-end-heavy journey through sorcery, unborn children, cremation and dead deer made all the more unsettling by the trio’s guitar-less setup and drummer/singer Justin Duerr’s half-detached, half-crazed missives, akin to those of Wilderness’ James Johnson. If there are metal tinges to “Silver Fire,” “Changing” is quiet and even pretty. This may be their best showing yet, but the way to experience Northern Liberties is live, where the crunching and munching of bone is right in your face.
(Doug Wallen) – Philadelphia Weekly
Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (The Pagoda Five, 2007)
THE PAGODA FIVE: Best Albums Of 2007, Entries 10-6
9. Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (Badmaster) Third album from the Philadelphia trio that discovered the fine line between Joy Division and the Misfits. Recorded at the legendary Inner Ear Studio in Virginia (home of 98% of the Dischord catalog) with its equally revered owner/engineer Don Zientara, its’ the trio’s most accomplished recording yet. (http://www.northernlibertiesband.com – available on CD)
Northern Liberties “Ghost Mind Electricity” (Walked in Line, 2007)
The American group looks quite at Les Savy Fav but more complex and Fugazi with a big layer of madness.
You have the sort of disc that is good everywhere and that one listens to carefully and enjoy every moment. The structures are offbeat and surprising in the way of a good Shellac. The singing is fabulous and flies on big guitars. The bass is very forward and often full. The sounds are sometimes disturbing and it is very hard to move in this musical setting that is so unconventional.
Fortunately, the group at the delicious idea recover all the world with “Dead Deer House” in the middle of the CD. A piece much more direct and punk with a melody very strangely The Cure at an early stage. An original group that should not go unnoticed among twisted. If you find this nice yellow digipack and you are looking for something different to put you in the ears, then it’s time to crack. (Chris)
GENRE : Post Punk/Hc
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Untranslated version, for all our French speaking friends:
Northern Liberties “Ghost Mind Electricity” (Bad Master)
Ce groupe américain ressemble pas mal à Les Savy Fav mais en plus complexe avec du Fugazi et une grosse couche de folie. Vous avez le genre de disque qui fait du bien partout et que l’on écoute avec attention en dégustant chaque instant. Les structures sont décalées et surprenantes à la manière d’un bon Shellac. Le chant est fabuleux et s’envole sur de grosses guitares. La basse est très en avant et souvent saturée. Les sonorités sont parfois inquiétantes et on a beaucoup de mal à se diriger dans ce décor musical qui se montre de manière non conventionnelle. Heureusement, le groupe à la délicieuse idée de récupérer tout le monde avec « Dead Deer House » au milieu du CD. Un morceau bien plus direct et punk avec une mélodie étrangement très The Cure à leur début. Un groupe original qui ne devrait pas passer inaperçu chez les tordus. Si vous trouvez ce joli digipack jaune et que vous cherchez quelque chose de différent à vous mettre dans les oreilles, alors c’est le moment de craquer. (Chris)
French paper & online music ‘zine ‘Walked In Line’….
Northern Liberties – Ghost Mind Electricity (Paniscus Revue, 2007)
Wild beats and tweaked instrumentation combine with a vocal approach somewhere between Davids Byrne and Yow for an eclectic emission from the tri-partite Ghost Mind. Militaristic drumbeats seem to herald the dawning of a spirituality that becomes more physical than spectral as the tracks roll on through tales of “Children of the Unholy Cross,” “Psionic Sorcery Song” and “Dead Deer House.” At times subtle and restrained, but more often than not barely under control, these 12 songs possess a frenetic underworld energy that is singularly arresting as the pieces flower and decay. One can’t help but wonder what it would sound like if the songs were ‘overmastered,’ given additional layers and effects capable of building and destroying alien graveyards. As with the previous Secret Revolution, the artwork by vocalist Justin Duerr is excellent, an intricate illustration of the “ghost punk” ethos at work. Would probably be most amazing live.
Victoria’s Thunderdome 11/17/07
Saturday, November 17th, 2007
With Eph Tradition, Mantooth, and Bitchslicer / Den of Germs
Victoria’s Thunderdome, Philadelphia, PA
The El Bar 11/10/07
Saturday, November 10th, 2007
With Slot Cars, Women, and Mercury Radio Theater
The El Bar, Philadelphia