Jeffrey Novak is a former Memphian with deep ties to the Goner scene through his former band Cheap Time. His new band Savoy Motel is a departure from his usual rock trajectory to a funkier, drum machine driven sound influenced by early 80s electro. Their new self titled album just dropped, and here’s their first music video “Hot One”.
Music Video Monday: Savoy Motel
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Rat Traps were a band made up of siblings Jeffrey and April Novak, along with Joe Simpson of True Sons of Thunder fame. The band existed in the mid 2000’s and released singles on labels like Kenrock, Your Permanent, and Shattered (a label I’ve mentioned before in this column). Musically sitting somewhere between the Persuaders and the Reatards, Rat Traps played blown out, no-frills garage punk, and they fit in perfectly with their Memphis peers cranking out the same style of budget rock ‘n’ roll. The band was Jeffrey Novak’s first foray into sitting behind the drum kit, but his sloppiness with the sticks lent to the band’s half-baked aesthetic.
While Jeffrey Novak would go on to be in Cheap Time (and most recently Savoy Motel) and Joe Simpson would later play in bands like Sharp Balloons and True Sons of Thunder, this was April Novak’s last foray into playing live, save for a few shows with the short lived cover band The Blue Birds. Rat Traps are a highlight in a very unique era for Memphis garage rock, back when Gonerfest was still in it’s first years and Shattered records was making sure that regional punkers were getting their music released on vinyl. Check out a few Rat Traps songs below, and if you have a line on any of these singles, feel free to hit me up.
Rat Traps Rule, OK? (2)
Rat Traps Rule, OK? (3)
Rat Traps Rule, OK?
“____ Rules, OK?” is a new weekly installment on the Memphis Flyer Music Blog where Music Editor Chris Shaw focuses in on Memphis music past and present.
It would be a shame if Chicago’s Cave (one of Drag City Records’ better-kept secrets) came through Memphis to play Murphy’s, again, and did so to a somewhat empty room. Offshoot Bitchin Bajas were offered a rapt audience last December when they played at Glitch, but perhaps we’re comparing apples and oranges here. Largely instrumental and highly recommended to fans of loud and rhythmic Kraut rock / space-rock like Can, Neu!, and Hawkwind, Cave is a rather hard to pin down but extremely active band that has released five full lengths since forming in 2006. Cave co-founder Cooper Crain also busies himself as an in-demand Chicago engineer/producer, and his credits include recordings by Circuit Des Yeux, Times New Viking, Heavy Times, ONO, and Moon Duo, among others.
Also on the bill is Savoy Motel, the new project of former Memphian Jeffrey Novak. Novak has a budding solo career and is the founder of Cheap Time, but Savoy Motel doesn’t have much in common with those projects at all. Featuring memebers of D. Watusi and Heavy Cream, Savoy Motel should bring the funk to get things started tomorrow night. Doors are at 9 p.m. Check out songs from both bands below.
