Preview: Young Widows at Thee Parkside

Louisville’s Young Widows are playing  June 10th at Thee Parkside. Like a cage of unleashed demons, the trio’s haunting, persistent patterns will stalk your mind and stick in your ears — and judging by their latest video, there will be blood.

What happened to rock? When did rock break up into a thousand tiny pieces? Pop rock, prog rock, post rock, post post rock, pre rock, math rock, hard rock, soft rock, medium rock, sludge rock, drone rock, heavy rock, alt rock, psych rock, freak rock, noise rock, folk rock, schlock rock – there are hundreds of subcategories we have come up with to describe the same twelve-note scale played in varying patterns. I get it. Each is unique. We are all special.

Young Widows certainly does not make this whole process any easier. Sure, they sound like a cross between The Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Melvins, and early Stooges, but I am hard pressed when it comes to coming up with a neatly packaged descriptor for the three-piece.

Yes, they are noisy, but they are not specifically noise rock. They are proggy but they are not specifically prog rock. What they are is hypnotic, methodical, minimal and directed. Young Widows are anti rock. They do not rely upon hooks or the ease of a steady progression. They sound like the future by referencing the past.

Singer/guitarist Evan Patterson spastically ejects lines from his guitar while droning vocal phrases in a steady monotone. Bassist Nick Thieneman and drummer Jeremy McMonigle hold the pieces together like duct tape on a wound, suturing the gash with the glue of their playing and holding on for dear life. One thing can be said, with as chaotic as the playing is, the intention of Young Widows is unwavering and fully affirmed, they are the future, they are the past and they will be exploding soon at a bar near you.

Young Widows play at Thee Parkside Friday, June 10th, My Disco, Hides, and Name open. Doors are at 9pm, tickets are $8-10 and the show is 21+.