Give Up The Roast is a column that collides delicious caffeine with wild thrashing a la a bi-monthly coffee and punk album pairing — the perfect combination for perking you up during that midday slump. Here, columnist Shannon Shreibak investigates all of the notes, from fruit rinds and spices to perfect fifths smothered in grinding distortion. So come on all you coffee shop novelists, DIY freaks, and connoisseurs of fine taste — keep your mind here in the GUTR and catch a buzz with us.
When it comes to the Seven Deadly Sins, I’m red-(right-)handed when it comes to gluttony, particularly when beverages of the caffeinated variety come into the conversation. The next sin on deck would be pride… that is, my stalwart, how-I-wish-it-was-charming Midwestern pride. Formerly resigned to my Middle America roots — being born-and-raised in a small Indiana town and later moving on to the region’s metropolis of Chicago — I have finally come to wholeheartedly embrace my rootsy upbringing. And hey, it only took 22 years…
That’s why this week’s installment of Give Up The Roast is getting all types of nostalgic for those Great Plains; a bit wistful for days gone by and places never left; and, of course, loud as hell, because why else are we here?
BEHIND THE CURTAIN (BACKGROUND)
Partly because it’s relevant, mostly because it makes things a hell of a lot more interesting, I’m all about shamelessness this week on GUTR. I’m conceding to my rap sheet of Deadly Sins like there’s a toasty chair in hell waiting for me, because at least it’d be warmer than my beloved Second City at the moment. (HA! Weather joke! Chicagoans do that a lot…) But with shamelessness comes infinite possibility; in GUTR’s case, the vast landscape of both coffee roasters and hardcore/punk that sprawls across the Midwest. When we’re talkin’ the region’s coffee network, it’s hard to keep Dark Matter far from the forefront. The great people of DM do coffee with a balance of whimsy and reverence that’s tough to nail and has since served to distinguish themselves in the bustling Chicago coffee scene. Midwesterners who know how to play the game and play it loud… easy, that title would be bestowed to one of the first Midwest hardcore band I ever feasted my ears on: Modern Life Is War.
Let’s blaze on like there’s a light roast at the end of the tunnel, people.
BRASS TACKS (THE COFFEE)
Anchored in my home base of Chicago, IL, Dark Matter Coffee has always held a special place in my caffeine-blitzed heart. The brain trust at DM never fails to innovate in the coffee world, from collaborating with heavy metal slingers Mastodon for a special brew to pairing their blends with special clicks-and-mortar mixtapes. (They even got a limited release on those cute ol’ things called cassettes.) But past the killer branding and clever merch is a painstaking attentiveness to coffee quality and unfuckwittable roasting skills.
DM’s grassroots approach to coffee sourcing and production is what really won over my heart and palate. From CraigsList ad peruser to coffee company CEO, DM founder Jesse Diaz strived to become involved in every aspect of coffee production, from the bean to the barista. While his powerhouse roasting company may not be the most gargantuan of the city (whaddup, Intelligentsia), DM boasts the most boundless creativity, as is evident by their dabbling in barrel-aged coffee, coffee-doped beer endeavors and tongue-in-cheek brew names.
Each and every one of Dark Matter’s blends can stand in its own right as a brilliant piece of roasting mastery. My heart, soul and coffee cup, though, lie with Unicorn Blood, a Northern Italian espresso that’ll blow your hair back into last week. Front-loaded with a colossal walnut aroma, the espresso slides right into a peanut buttery body and tapers off with a wave of chocolatey malt smoothness. But it’s not all the sweet stuff, here — DM has managed to whittle through any possibility of the saccharine with rivulets of acidity, making Unicorn Blood one of the most drinkable espressos out there. Unicorn Blood will dig deep in your bones with its syrupy texture and rustic notes, not unlike the foothold the Midwest will plant in any mildly sentimental heart. Now let’s dig deeper with some seminal Midwest hardcore.
WHITE NOISE (THE MUSIC)
While the “Sound of the Midwest” has been largely associated with near-diffident alt-rock bands like Wilco and beautifully airless singer-songwriter projects such as the Cairo Gang, the Midwest still scratches a dark underbelly of the deafening and cathartic. A band that has become synonymous with the bloody knuckled grit of Midwest hardcore is Modern Life Is War. Hailing from the dirt-caked railroad town of Marshalltown, Iowa, the raucous quartet have managed to bind the earnestness of heartland rock with the relentless fury of hardcore punk. The band both captivates and manhandles with vocalist Jeffrey Eaton’s purgative yarns of small town struggle, a maelstrom of guitar feedback, and a ferociously unapologetic poising of the blue-collar narrative.
When delving into the far-reaching history of MLIW, it’s damn near impossible not to halt and laud the band’s seminal sophomore LP Witness. This year marks one decade since the album’s release and it has not wavered in neither significance nor panache. The nine-track watershed album has even inspired a glorious reissue and anniversary tour. Weaving the very real struggle of living, loving, and sometimes contemplating leaving contemporary rural America, the album showcases Eaton’s lyrical prowess and vocal barbarity. Delving into rebellion (both with and without cause), seeking kinship within a lost generation, and the paralysis coupled with possibility, Witness has aged into the wails of a home that Midwesterners can never leave, whether it’s within the confines of a cage wire fence or the sepia-toned edges of our minds. Even weathered by time and tribulation, Witness is an album that I will raise a glass to — whether it’s an ice cold can of Old Style or a freakishly strong cup of espresso — with every listen.
Column by Shannon Shreibak. Go forth and be loud with her on Twitter @ShannonShreibak.
