By Alee Hoffman
The High Ceilings is a Boston-based quartet comprised of front man Max Heinegg, guitarist Chris Blackburn, bassist Ron Riley and drummer Jon Farrell. The group is serving up their modern rock to a growing fan base with their upcoming release, “The Edge Is As Safe As The Ground.” The record will be available in March, but The News was able to get a sneak listen.
The album opens with a haunting and melodic instrumental, “No One Ever Noticed.” It sets the tone for the rest of the disc which then launches into the star of “The Edge” (the band’s favorite), “Mayfly,” that boasts a catchy chorus and uplifting, interesting lyrics, reminiscent of U2 at their most upbeat.
The song “Let It Be Now” manages to make an organ sound rock and roll. The airy, delicate sounding, guitar work segues smoothly into a heavier style without losing that relaxed vibe.
The apparent and impressive skills are what makes “The Edge” work. The instrumental work is excellent and the creativity added into it keeps the music from sounding like standard Top 40 fare. Lead singer Max Heinegg sounds like a decent blend of Chris Cornell and Dave Grohl at his best, although at times his rock-styled vocals dip a little too far in to Scott Stapp of Creed and Chad Kroeger of Nickleback’s twangy and overdramatic territory.
The High Ceilings know that even the hardest rocker has a soft side. With its sweet lyrics, “Sunset” allows the rhythm section to shine throughout the song, with simple, yet impressively clear, bass and drumlines.
Overall, “The Edge” is a winner for fans of modern alt-rock that doesn’t stray far from the mainstream. One can expect to be hearing The High Ceilings on rock radio around the country soon. The band will be playing a record release party on March 13 in New York City. There is also a tentative plan for a record release party at Bill’s Bar on Lansdowne Street on March 29. The News was able to talk to Blackburn and Farrell after the two braved a New England blizzard to hang out and chat about upcoming plans.
The Northeastern News: When did this all start for you guys?
Blackburn: We started the band about five years ago. I met the singer, Max, through some friends. We started by playing acoustic together, and then we started playing live. We went through a bunch of bass players and drummer and we ended up with Jon here, and a guy named Ron, and now it feels right.
The News: Were you in previous bands before this?
Blackburn: I wasn’t around [Boston], but Jon was.
The News: How does this compare to what you were doing before?
Farrell: It’s different. Basically, every time I left a band, or a band has dispersed, I have always looked to [get better]; I never wanted to go backwards. Being in a band in Boston, everyone has to start at the bottom and work their way up. I didn’t want to pay my dues again, because I had already paid them. Each band I have been in has just gotten increasingly better. Now, I have found that playing in The High Ceilings is what I want; I don’t want to move on.
The News: What is the music scene in Boston like for you? Just from bands I know and the shows I go to, it seems like a lot of the musicians know each other. Is it overly competitive or relaxed between the bands?
Blackburn: It is competitive, but a friendly type of competition. It’s hard because there are about 2,000 bands and about 10 good places to play.
The News: Where are the best venues to play?
Blackburn: We really like T.T. The Bears; we really like Bill’s Bar; we like The Middle East and clubs like that. But, there is something great about every place.
The News: What bands do you like to play with when you do local shows? Any favorite Boston bands?
Blackburn: We really like the Good North. I just found out about this band called The Model Sons, and they are really cool. (turns to Farrell) You probably like a lot of bands around here that I don’t even know about.
Farrell: Local bands? I really like The Halogens.
Blackburn: The Sheila Devine are great.
The News: Yeah, I like them a lot, too. Your first album came out in 1999, what sort of new ideas or experiences came into this new record that didn’t happen last time?
Blackburn: The first record was hastily recorded; I don’t think we were ready to do it. We had a different bassist and drummer, and Max and I were trying to recreate an acoustic sound in the studio. There are some good songs on there, but I didn’t think we had a ‘feel’ on there. There was no sonic identity. [Our current bass section] made us realize they could really back us up and add their own elements. We could all add in our own influences. I think now you can hear one of our songs, and know it’s The High Ceilings, and three weeks later hear a song of ours on the radio that you hadn’t heard, and still know it was us.
The News: So you found your niche. What is it?
Blackburn: We joke around.
Farrell: We call ourselves ‘gremo.’ Grunge and emo, with a little bit of punk mixed in.
The News: There is an onslaught of rock music happening right now. What makes you unique to all the modern rock bands coming out?
Farrell: We aren’t as simple as a lot of the bands coming out.
Blackburn: We are not as heavy as a God Smack or a Creed. We have some more classic rock in us. But really, our lyrics are what make us stand out.
The News: What is your lyrical process?
Farrell: It’s all Max. He is a published poet and he works as an English teacher. I have been in multiple bands, and Max is the only one I have seen that will have three sets of completely different lyrics for one song. The words he uses, I mean, a perfect example [of his talent for songwriting] are the words for “May Fly.”
The News: Do you all have day-jobs that relate to what you do in the band? What do those jobs bring to The High Ceilings?
Blackburn: (Laughs) Frustration.
The News: Oh, sorry about that.
Blackburn: It’s alright; it shows our passion when you are willing to exhaust yourself for two things.
Farrell: Actually, the band is my only job.
The News: Really? How did you make the risky jump to–
Farrell: (Laughs) I didn’t, I got laid off.
The News: Okay, well, it does give you more time to focus.
Blackburn: It’s good for us; he never misses a practice.
The News: So what’s next for The High Ceilings?
Blackburn: Basically what we want to do is just get as many fans as possible as tour as many places as we can, but we haven’t conquered Boston yet. We still have a lot to work to do here in as far as getting people to hear our music. We have our CD release shows coming up. We are going to [put our music] online and in stores, and just go out, bring our guitars and drums, and make a lot of noise.
