Longtime Phoenix band No Volcano say goodbye with new album

What do you get when revered local band No Volcano decide to unplug their guitar cables and pack up their drums one final time?

A chance for one last big blowout, I suppose, although this is a shindig that started off as a record release affair and has since become a retirement party. For a band that once asked us, “Who brought the party?” it seems as now they're saying, we’ll take it with us, too.

Marking the end of an era, No Volcano will give their final performance as they release their last album, the aptly-titled "The Last Drop," on Friday, Nov. 29, at The Rebel Lounge.

So why are they hanging it up?

“The show was booked as a record release, originally, but I made the hard decision to have this be the last show because I wanted to go out on a high note. We are at the top of our game, and I wanted to go out that way. I’m glad that everyone has been on board with it and no one was hurt by it. Live shows are not really what I want to focus on,” says singer/guitarist Jim Andreas, who has written the bulk of No Volcano's songs over the band’s career.

Drummer Chris Kennedy has been Andreas’ bandmate since he was 18, when they were in a band called The Hoodwinks that played venerable venues like the Sun Club in the late 1980s. From there, they were half of Valley legends Trunk Federation, shifted into Down With Buildings transformed into letdownright and finally became No Volcano.

Kennedy offers a more blunt answer to why they are calling it a day.

“It is sheer tiredness," Kennedy says. "Jim wants to explore some other things and my wife, Susan, is ill. It is a lot of stress for me to keep doing this right now.”

Bassist Karnes, who was part of the duo Lush Budget Presents The Les Payne Product (or one of the many variations of that name), is less convinced that the band is truly coming to an end.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” says Karnes.

Lead guitarist Bill Goethe has a more philosophical reaction to the breakup.

“This has been a really great opportunity to focus some energy on something positive for a few years. It’s been the best therapy you can come up with, so I’m gonna miss it,” he says.

One thing is for sure, though: There is no tension behind the end of No Volcano. These guys truly enjoy making music together. It's just time to do some different things. And some of the members have already started.

Kennedy, who had a side project for a while called Kingfathand, may revisit some of the old songs he has written, as well as continue to work in the studio quite a bit. Kennedy has engineered and produced all of the No Volcano records, including "The Last Drop."

“The record sounds great. It is produced so well. I am more proud of this record than all of the other ones. Chris really nailed the production on this one,” Andreas says.

The 10 tracks on "The Last Drop" are utterly delightful. Truly, this is as strong a record as No Volcano has done and quite possibly their finest moment.

The wait for "The Last Drop" was about five times as long as the band’s usual year between records due to COVID, Susan Kennedy’s illness and Andreas’ divorce several years ago, to name just a few things.

“The record was started before COVID, so it has been a long stretch for this one. We took some time off — everyone did — but Chris has spent a lot of this time working on the record. It has been a long process. Four years,” Andreas says.

“I was working on it here and there — an hour here or there — and I don’t like to work that way. It wasn’t a lot of fun. It’s way more fun if you can just dive into it and not come up for air until you’re done,” Kennedy says.

With his wife dealing with a very serious medical condition, one might think that the record was a welcome distraction, but according to Kennedy, this was not the case.

“It was really kind of the opposite. It stressed other parts of my life to take the time away to work on the record. The whole COVID thing kind of fucked everyone’s head up,” Kennedy says.

Andreas adds, “Our dynamic has always been me pushing Chris and I really didn’t want to push him this time, but I still did. I feel really guilty about that. I’ve always done that: pushing and poking.”

Still, though, there doesn’t seem to be any tension among the longtime writing partners. If anything, at the end of No Volcano, the two seem more at ease with each other than ever.
Each member of the band was able to be extremely thoughtful about their favorite tracks on "The Last Drop."

Karnes was quick to point out that the first track, “Like The Dead,” is his favorite. There is a charming video for the song that also features Andreas’ partner, Jenny Tamura, who will perform with the band during the final show.

“It’s the one I would play over and over again. It’s got a nice tone to it and the recording turned out good. I liked the song when we just started it and the recording turned out great,” Karnes says.

“What Have We Done” is the third track on "The Last Drop," which is currently available on Spotify. It's a bit wistful but still completely No Volcano, even if the piano part sounds a little bit like something you might find on a Mountain Goats record. It’s also Andreas’ favorite track on the record.

“We aren’t going to play it in the (final) set, but I love that song. It’s about my divorce, so it’s very personal to me. I love the harmonies that James adds to the song, too. Right now, I am kind of in a sad song mode, so this one is a little melancholy,” says Andreas, who sings in the chorus, “What have we done? / Turned love into hate.”

For Goethe, the best song is a fun little romp called “When The Lights Go Out.”

“We started playing it right after Doug Clark (of Mighty Sphincter) died, so I was very intentional about sounding like those old Phoenix punk bands. It’s got a little bit of Nova Boys, a little bit of Hellfire, a little bit of Tony Karaba (Rabid Rabbit/Peace Thru Power) and Steve Marinick (Junior Achievement). Jim said it sounded a little bit like the "Munsters" theme. It’s a homage to all the old guys. All the stuff that we love,” says Goethe, who also spent time in Response and Chatterbox.

Kennedy was the most reluctant to pick a favorite, but he did offer that “The Garden” was his favorite before adding, “but I failed in ‘The Garden.’ In my whole recording life, I’ve always wanted to achieve something similar to that great, swelling hi-hat sound in Electric Light Orchestra’s 'Don’t Bring Me Down,' but I’ve never been able to get that sound.”

Actually, “The Garden” is as catchy as they come. His production work is also top-notch; though the song has a lot going on, everything is in its perfect place with enough space to sound great on some earbuds or through the car speakers.

While the band could just play the record and call it day at Friday's Rebel Lounge show, which features a stellar lineup of openers including The Necronauts, Astrologer and Sturdy Ladies, they've put together a set composed of songs from each of their five records, which they'll play chronologically.

“We’ve had 10 years of this band. Five records. I’m proud of every one of them. This is the longest I have ever been in a band. I know I will play with these guys again. Bill and James have recorded songs with me already and I know Chris and I will play together again. We’ve been playing together since he was 18, so over 30 years,” Andreas says.

No Volcano. With The Necronauts, Astrologer and Sturdy Ladies. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. The Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road. Tickets are $13 plus fees.