17 feb 2006 - albuquerque - atomic cantina

from albuquerque journal

Happy to swear by the Motorists

There must be something in the water in Dayton. How else could one explain the immense amount of musical talent that has come out of the southwestern Ohio city in the past two decades?

"It's the aliens," quips Swearing At Motorists founder Dave Doughman in a recent phone interview as the band passed through Louisiana.

Regardless of the reason, Dayton has produced a dozen or more seminal indie rock acts including The Breeders, Brainiac, Guided By Voices, Enon, The Amps and others that have made great contributions to independent and alternative music.

Swearing At Motorists is another act that, despite not having much fame or fortune (or expensive recording techniques for that matter), creates groundbreaking, innovative music that critics drool over.

"I think it has a lot to do with the low cost of living," Doughman said of his hometown's rich music culture. "People can afford to not work that much and still live in relatively big houses. So when the bars close, people just go back to their basements or garages and play music all night long."

Doughman said that at one point in the mid-'90s, about the time Doughman teamed up with Don Thrasher to start Swearing At Motorists, he was paying $70 in rent per month.

During this time, the two compiled a plethora of songs, many of which haven't surfaced on a recording, and released their debut on of all things, cassette. Before long the duo had caught the ears of independent labels and critics and had expanded into a full band.

Since then the group hasn't let up and tours almost endlessly in the States and abroad.

Doughman recently rented a small apartment in East Berlin, Germany, where he recorded the vocals for the group's latest release, "Last Night Becomes This Morning."

Swearing At Motorists will make a return visit to Albuquerque tonight to perform at Atomic Cantina. Ironically, the last time the band passed through Albuquerque one of its musical heroes, Jonathan Richman, was playing the same night.

"We pulled up the van to the venue that Jonathan Richman was playing at," Doughman said, "and we just started loading in our gear acting like we were going to play. We would have played for free."

--Kevin Hopper

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