Mark Sultan, also known as BBQ, through his association with King Khan, is a garage rock jack of all trades. For better part of his adult life, in a myriad of bands (The Spaceshits, Los Sexareenos, The Almighty Defenders, to name a few) and as a solo performer, he has been cranking out quality primitive rock n roll. Taking inspiration from the punk/hardcore DIY ethos of going out there and doing your own thing on your own terms, he has been applying this way of doing what you love to a more raw and soulful type of music.
In his opinion, doing what you want, how you want is very important to his being as an artist.
"What I'm trying to get across to people is that you can play what you want. It's all about creating. I hope kids get this message that you can go out and play the music you love. But just do something. You may not get rich doing it, but it can be something you can be very proud of. That's what I believe," Sultan said.
On this newest record, "The War On Rock N Roll", which is available as a free download or limited edition vinyl through In The Red, Sultan takes his love of raw music to a new and different place, because you see the piece, is one long 50-minute improvised jam that was performed directly to tape at a friend's club in Brazil. It takes into account all of Sultan's myriad of influences and spits them out in one long compelling track.
Originally, this was supposed to be an album he recorded with a bunch of local musicians, but when that fell through, Sultan decided to wing it and do one long song, in one take. The results came out really well, and might be a little confusing to some fans of garage rock and it's brevity, but to Sultan it's all about trying something new and not being afraid to experiment.
"You can make garage rock that isn't cookie cutter. You can take this type of music and make a longer piece out of it. It doesn't have to be what everyone expects. You can take various forms of music and mix them together to create something different and unique. It can all be blended together," Sultan said.
Also, included with the track is a Manifesto, where Sultan calls for the death of rock n roll before it becomes a pale imitation of itself. While he admits that he did this in a tongue in cheek manner (for example, he lists one man bands as a problem, when he performs as one man band most of the time), there is a kernel of truth to his rant. He calls for people to stop relying on gimmicks and make music from the heart and soul, that is full of integrity. In a way, this is Sultan once again using his punk/hardcore DIY philosophy to primitive rock n roll.
Late last year, he also released two vinyl only solo records entitled, "Whatever I Want" and "Whenever I Want", which were also released on In The Red. On these records, Sultan explored a full band sound. Though he had help from some of his friends in other bands, Sultan played many of the instruments himself. On these records, Sultan plays with a myriad of styles including psych, doo-wop, punk and garage punk to name just a few of the type of genres he delves into. To him, this is just another way of putting out quality, non-cookie cutter rock music.
Sultan said this was a way to connect into the sounds that influence him and show how these forms of music all interconnect. It's also a way to see how he can take these compositions made with full band instrumentation and break them down and play them in his stripped down one man shows. It's another way to challenge himself.
But after this round of touring, which takes him to Cafe Nine in New Haven on Friday, he will be taking a little break to collect his thoughts and write a book. That's been another goal of his, and he said he wanted to get this out of the way before he's too old and regretful. It would just be a matter of committing to it and getting it done, which is the same way he approaches his music.
Well a specific type of music.
"The music that I play should be orgiastic, Bacchanalian, violent and primitive and it's music that I can put my heart and soul into," Sultan said.
So, you really don't want to miss this show.
Friday May 11, 2012
Mark Sultan
Jaques Le Coque
Dan Soto And The Duded Kings
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT, 06511
9pm - $10 - 21+
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