Satan’s Pilgrims - Go Action!! 2022 turned out to be a huge year for the nearly 30 year old Satan’s Pilgrims. An induction into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame followed by an all-star “Dave Stomp'' memorial concert for Dave Pilgrim. There was a new single on Get-Hip, a track on an Otitis Media sampler, an archival live album released on Record Store Day, and this release of Go Action!! on HiTide. The recording for Go Action!! began before covid struck, but was completed with the band members recording their parts in their own homes. Dave had just finished recording his last organ parts before his untimely passing.
As for the music of Go Action!!, beyond some DNA level connections to the PNW sound, soul music and Richie Podolor, it seems useless to try and pick out influences or make comparisons to other bands, as the Pilgrims stand alone as a monolithic entity. They have been doing this long enough to have found their own distinct groove and sonic coherence; so, it really doesn’t matter that they were spread out around the country to record. One advantage of remote recording emerges in that the sound of each track, especially the drums, is slightly different, which keeps it all fresh from song to song, like a collection of singles. Essential common elements are found in the breadth of songwriting, the seeming minimalism and the patience in the execution and production. Every song has just what it needs, and nothing more.
You’d think that with three guitar players, everyone would be fighting to get their little licks noticed, but the five perform as tightly as knuckles curled into a fist. If you want to hear what three perfectly intertwined guitars sound like, check out the chorus in “Clam Diggin’.” The single chord intro of “Go Action!!!” comes flying out of the gate, strongly melodic, spooky keys, and then the chorus opens up with tuned tympani toms lockstep with percussive strings mutes on the guitar. “Gear Grinder” is a primal rocker that I keep coming back to. Primarily, it’s all chords, with nary a melody other than drummer Ted and his son harmonizing on some “Owooms.” When was the last time you heard a song that had zero drum fills?
“Spider Island” is a tense, spine tingling, hair raising spooker. “Riot on the Seaside Strip” has the Pacific Northwest swagger, with the guitars playing right on top of each other and Justin Thompson (Impala) blowing hard sax for some delightful cacophony. “Captain’s Cove” is a sweet ballad embellished with melodica that gives me the Podolor/Pacific Surfers feels. “Beenz and Greenz” is another fun one, with a modified Bo Diddley beat and a wholly original maraca plus percussive string mute break down. And, “Pilgrim’s Party”… with a dream audience cheering along throughout, this is the fantasy live Pilgrim’s show we all desperately needed during the pandemic. I can imagine the band members rocking out in their home studios, summoning the telepathic connection required for a live show. The perfect set closer.
Go Action!! is a stylistically and sonically varied album. In the typical Satan’s Pilgrims mode, it’s a party platter that’s fun from beginning to end.
(This review appears in Continental Magazine #34 available from Double Crown)
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