New End Original - music group - Brief Article

HE'S TALENTED, ARTICULATE, AND THOUGHTFUL. But Norma Arenas, guitarist for fresh-off-the-presses New End Original isn't always easy. "I don't care how many records we sell," laughs Arenas while working at Primitive Records in his newly-adopted home of Oakland. "I told my band I was keeping my day job."

With such loyalty to the nine-to-five, grind, we might hypotesize that Arenas-former guitarist for Krishna-hardcore giants Shelter, Anti-Matter zine editor extraordinaire, and co-founder of post hardcore icons Texas is the Reason-lacks confidence in his new project. That'd be a good story line, except the other members of New End Original-former Texas is the Reason bassist Scott. Winegard, drummer charlie Walker formerly of Chamberlain, and singer Jonah Matranga, who fronted Sacramento's Far and performed as the one man singer/songwriting wrecking crew Onelinedrawing-comprise an ex-member all star squad.

OK, we can see that he likes his record stores gig. Fine But it's also evident that, Arenas has earned a prosaic perspective on the trials and tribulations of the rock world since his former band broker up. "I have spent way too many years with people I wasn't getting along with at the time, and when you have the change to step away from the situation, you understand, how meaningless half of those life threatening' quarrels were It really minimizes what you accomplished as a band." Arenas does not intend to make the same mistakes twice.

But putting together New End Original was no easy fat. "I had rally no intention of playing guitar ever again after Texas broke up," said Arenas, who move from New York to Chicago and was content to immerse himself in the city's pioneering techno and house scene. That is, until he went to see that was to be Far's last show. "I was like. 'Fuch, he has got it. Passion talent, he cares, he's got a voice, he sings about things that mean something." The two started talking about a side projected and, given their geographic limitations, began trading homemade demos.

After two years trading demo tapes, Arenas decide it was time for a change. With Matranga in town the pair had dinner and Arenas mentioned he would be open to moving to moving to the East Bay. "When Jonah and I started talking about playing it became obvious that if I was ever going to pick up the guitar again, it would be with him and only him." Quick to act, the duo pounced on Walker, who was interested in going west. Ditto for Winegard, who was willing to follow his Grape OS business partner.

Seasoned and self directed, the band's first practice in the early spring turned into June recordings sessions for the band's debut, Thirller. "We didn't want to wait. Let's go in, do it, get on with out lives, that way, your don't pretend you're going to have a grand rock opera after holing yourself up in the rehearsal space for a year," said Arenas. Thirller combines Jonah's alt folk balladeering with soaring post punk and lush pop. It's a varied, if inconsistent, body of work that revels intimated moments of hope and faith, anger and rejection. Sifting through the wreckage of familial dysfunction and personal failures, New End treads some familiar territory with Oneline drawing's "14-41." But the band hits their stride with "Hostage," which seethes with danger, drama, and fierce tempo changes. On "Leper," Jonah, singing to just the piano, bears his vulnerability and isolation, tipping his hat to Elliot. Smith and Jackson Browne.

While Arenas is evasive with regard to the band's sound he's deliberate regarding their approach to the music business. "If you take the indie road, you should stick by it and do everything like an indie band. If you take the major road you should stick by it and do everything like a major But I have really weird feelings about crossing the two." It's a diluted answer to the age-old debate of indie vs. major, but refreshing nonetheless. For new End original punk's ultimate "Us vs Them" argument still matters. "I promise that we aren't marketing ourselves to force it down you throat and make you like out band. Our only objective is to play this music and get it out there in and hones non-sleazy way."

And if that means keeping his day job, so be it.

COPYRIGHT 2002 High Speed Productions, Inc
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group