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THE BLACK WATCH

John Andrew Fredrick formed the black watch in 1987 after he'd received his Ph.D. in English from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He was married and deeply unhappy, a great change from his perhaps excessively felicitous childhood growing up as he did in Santa Barbara flying kites, playing sports, listening to The Beatles, going to Goleta Beach and trying hard not to get in trouble with Jesus. (He was raised a Lutheran and rather strictly.) The first incarnation of the band included a surfer, a Native American, and a Joe College UCSB Crew Team Member. They played in kilts and were very terrible. They listened to too much Joy Division and The Cure and opened for Toad the Wet Sprocket who collectively said nasty things behind their backs as people in catty provincial coastline California towns will do.

The Black Watch have had a variety of line ups with main man John Andrew Frederick remaining the only constant member. These days guitarist Steven Schayer (ex. The Chills) is currently the latest member to join.

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PT105: The Black Watch - Led Zeppelin V (CD Album) 2010 Powertool Records

1.Oscillating 2.How Much About Love 3.Emily, Are You Sleeping 4.Like In The Movies 5.Cognate Objects 6.Earl Grey Tea 7.The Maid's Been Round 8.Only Tasted 9.The Stars In The Sky 10.Kinda Sorta 11.Weirdly

US: $13.95

NZ: $20.00

Reviews

BLURT: Clichés abound about the consistent things in life: death, taxes, trash TV. One of music's most reliable pleasures is an album by The Black Watch, L.A.'s long-standing indie pop heroes. Led Zeppelin Five (cheeky boys) is no exception, a set of particularly well-written tunes that will induce wistful smiles on anyone who adores jangly guitars and literate rock. The quartet sticks mainly to mid-tempo pop this time around, allowing winsome melodies to carry leader John Andrew Frederick's tales of confusion and yearning. "Like in the Movies," "Kinda Sorta" and "The Maid's Been Round" stand as near-perfect marriages of form and function, as if the best bits of the New Zealand, U.K. and American underground guitar pop scenes were carefully blended into one savory pot of indie rock chili. Just for variety, the band rocks harder on "Earl Grey Tea," co-written and sung by lead guitarist Steven Schayer, and a hidden cover of the Beatles' George Harrison-penned nugget "It's All Too Much." The Black Watch has really been on a roll the last few years, and Led Zeppelin Five continues the band's winning streak. http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/2865/
NO DEPRESSION: As an outlet for John Andrew Fredrick’s musical ambitions, the Black Watch has been around for the better part of the last 25 years, despite rotating line-ups and only occasional record label interest. To his credit, Fredrick’s managed to persevere, pursuing his muse while maintaining a teaching position at the University of California in Santa Monica. Brushing aside the scholarly approach of his day job, Frederick opts for easy engagement and a tuneful tack that emphasizes gorgeous pop melodies imbued with psychedelic suggestion. The end result sounds like a fanciful combination of the Soft Boys’ spectral ambiance and the sweep and spectacle of the Moody Blues. Yet while the concept may seem retro, it never comes across like a rehash. That conclusion seems especially well founded on Led Zeppelin Five, its inexplicable title likely the result of some inside joke. There’s ample evidence of Fredrick’s forte found on “How Much about Love,” “Emily, Are You Sleeping” and “Earl Grey Tea,” songs that allow his anglophile inclinations to be swept to the fore. And while the lithe and lilting “Like in the Movies” and the smooth, genial caress of “The Maid’s Been Found” and “Only Lasted” provide the few moments of repose, the set’s so irrefutably engaging over all, even the slower tracks don’t diffuse the momentum. The recruitment of an actual band – which, besides Fredrick, now also includes guitarist Steven Schayer, drummer Rick Woodard and bassist Scott Taylor – should help further Fredrick’s creative designs and perhaps even encourage some wider acclaim. Not surprisingly then, Led Zeppelin Five boasts the kind of luster and allure that continues to make the Black Watch tick. – Lee Zimmerman. http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/lees-listening-stack-the-black
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