Similar garage rock to a point

Double Dead Moon with deviations — pierced arrows play two shows this weekend

By Matt Driscoll on November 29, 2007

When Pierced Arrows played the Brotherhood Lounge in October, it was hard not to take note. Considering both Fred and Toody Cole, from Dead Moon fame, play in Pierced Arrows, how could you not be intrigued by the couple’s new band? Oregon’s Dead Moon were the definition of seminal over their lengthy career, and when the band officially called it quits in 2006, you could feel the sadness among lo-fi garage fans. Pierced Arrows, while destined to be compared to Dead Moon, fills some of that void.



This month, one-upping Pierced Arrows October stop in Olympia, the band will play Hell’s Kitchen Saturday, Dec. 1, and The Brotherhood Lounge Sunday, Dec. 2. If you missed your shot at Pierced Arrows last time around, here’s a rare chance to make up for it. 



Joining Fred and Toody Cole, drummer Kelly Halliburton rounds out Pierced Arrows. With two thirds of Dead Moon making up Pierced Arrows, and with both bands sharing a similar sonic intention ( www.piercedarrows.com states that the band “picks up, musically, where Dead Moon left off”), it seems only natural to wonder what the difference is between the two?



According to Wikipedia, Dead Moon played their last show Nov. 26, 2006, and Pierced Arrows debuted on May 18, 2007. Literally, one band was starting as the other died.



Musically, Pierced Arrows and Dead Moon aren’t identical, but they’re not vastly different, either. At the risk of sounding ungrateful, which I absolutely am not, a diligent music journalist has to question what’s fresh or new about Pierced Arrows. 



“Obviously, it was really exciting for me to get the chance to play with Fred and Toody. Dead Moon had always been around,” offers Halliburton of how he hooked up with Pierced Arrows.



“Toody kind of called me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to jam with them. I’m still not really sure why they wanted me to, since I’m not a drummer. I said no, then after we got off the phone I was like ‘what the fuck am I doing?’ So I called them back.



“Because the band is two thirds Dead Moon and it’s the same creative forces that powered Dead Moon, that’s what we’ll always be measured against,” continues Halliburton, who is the son of someone who played with Fred Cole in the ’70s.



“I was afraid of the Dead Moon stigma following us at first, but it seems like people have been comparing us to them very favorably. No one has come up to us and said ‘You suck.’ I think (Fred and Toody) wanted to try some stuff they didn’t fell comfortable doing with Dead Moon. It’s hard to tell as a musician, but it feels different.”



The positive comparisons have been well earned. While it’s true that Pierced Arrows isn’t a drastic diversion from Dead Moon, the sight of the Coles still on stage is enough to bring a smile to most faces. There are deviations, as evident on a 7’’ released by Pierced Arrows earlier this year, and as time goes on the differences become more evident. How’s this for a curveball? The band plans to release a LP in January, and went as far as to employ a few digital recording techniques in the record’s production. I guarantee you that was new territory for Toody and Fred.



“The recording went really, really smoothly. I think we were all a little surprised,” says Halliburton.



“Analog is great. Digital is convenient. I think we’ve got the perfect mix of both worlds. We have 11 songs recorded, and it’ll probably come out on Tombstone. We’ve got a tentative European tour planned for March, and we want the record out before that.



“I’ve only played once in Tacoma, with another band of mine. It was kind of bleak. I have no idea what’s going on in Tacoma,” adds Halliburton.



“But the Brotherhood is a great venue, and Olympia is one of our favorite towns. We’re definitely excited about both shows.”



That’s your sign, Tacoma. Show Halliburton, and Fred and Toody Cole that we’ve got a few fans of legitimate rock who know how to have a good time, too. Sunday night at the Brotherhood in Oly is sure to be a massive night. Make sure Saturday in Tacoma is just as good. If there’s a must-see show this weekend, this is it.



[Hell’s Kitchen, with The Fucking Eagles, Gold Teeth and The Mosquito Neckties, Saturday, Dec. 1, $5, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]



[The Brotherhood Lounge, with The Old Haunts, November Witch, and I’m A Gun, Sunday, Dec. 2, 9 p.m., $5, 119 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.352.4153]