Search - Devastating Karate :: Pajarito Plateau

LOS ANGELES, CA. - SUMMER, 2011 - Welcome to Pajarito Plateau, a slice of American Southwest carved out by country-punk band Devastating Karate, now available via CD or digital download. Sharing stories from the shores of Venice Beach, to the high desert of rural New Mexico, back to the shackles of Tucson's Pima County Courthouse, the band's fifth release serves up dusty folk tales of modern times. The title track kicks off the album with the energy and power of vintage Devastating Karate, before "Grandma Pat" reveals a more mature sound, including a hooky layer of back-country banjo. In "Arrested," the band swaps drums for cajon, resulting in a semi-acoustic take on classic surf-punk, doused in political satire. Each tune on the six-song EP features gravelly vocals, delivering a witty perspective on some of the bleaker situations in life. Formerly a trio, Pajarito Plateau introduces a new dimension to Devastating Karate's sound with the addition of Chris Cohick on lead guitar. Charles Pasarell remains on bass, Zach Lewis drums and Rat Ratliff still fronts the group on Telecaster. Recording for Pajarito Plateau was completed in two, extensive weekend-long sessions. Production for tracks 3, 5 and 6 was done at Mikael Karlsson's studio in downtown Los Angeles. Kevin Harp recorded tracks 1, 2 and 4 at bassist Pasarell's Marina del Rey apartment.