Local Focus: Carbon Decoy Out of Detroit
–by Robert Wilkins
Last weekend we found ourselves at Flamingo Vintage Detroit to see rising stars in the Detroit music scene, Carbon Decoy. Honorary member Fin Formica, occasionally sitting in on the bongos, runs the fashionable little shop with his significant other and gave us the chance to see these guys up close and personal. The vibe took me back to when local record stores still existed, and the coolest underground bands would stop in to play a show. On this night hipsters, rockers and fellow musicians turned out in force to see the newest and best Detroit has to offer. The band is comprised of Casey Rowe on drums and vocals, Jared Jordan on bass and Earl Mudd on guitar. While they hail from Jackson, Mi. their brand of music is 100% Detroit badassery!
Even though they have not been together long, they have already begun making serious waves in the Detroit music scene. Listening to these guys you can tell that they do what they do to appease the rock gods, not sell records to 12-year-old girls. The band are in it for all the right reasons, and it is simply to kick ass! They describe themselves as Garage/Doom/Stoner/Acid Rock and they are not afraid to mix influences to create a unique new sound.
Let me tell you some of what I saw and heard when I watched them play. Casey Rowe behind the drum kit makes me think of early Kurt Cobain singing and playing drums if Kurt could play like Dave Grohl. Jared Jordan plays some sick fuzzed out bass reminiscent of a cross between Cliff Burton and Geezer Butler. Together these two can lay down a groove that is as thick as a brick. Earl Mudd layers dastardly, sludge filled riffs ala the Melvins while also using his pedals to make all forms of psychedelic squeals and drones that gives him a sound all his own.
On this night, the band played several familiar Carbon Decoy tunes. The song “Sirens” starts with a slow psychedelic stoner vibe then builds into a diabolical crescendo and back. I’m quite sure this song would peel paint off the walls if it were played loud enough. The band changed the tempo and sped things up with “Atomic #6”. The pace of this song alone is sure to get the crowd hyped. Jared Jordan starts the song with a bass riff and tone that would be sure to have negative effects on small children and the elderly. Casey Rowe’s velocity of drumming along with Earl Mudd’s seething psychedelic leads sound as if the song could go off the rails at any moment. The band even performed their newly released (and my personal favorite) single titled “Like a Witch”. The song is ferocious from beginning to end! The rhythm section is locked into a wild groove, the vocals are urgent and Earl Mudd’s guitar playing is devious. Mind you, one does not merely attend a Carbon Decoy performance. It is something you become part of and feel on a visceral level.
The band has a bright future ahead of them. In their brief time together, people are taking notice. They are currently putting the finishing touches on their first full length album and with any luck it will be on the market by the end of the summer. In the meantime, the band are playing shows around the Midwest. Hopefully, they will be out on the road for a much larger tour in support of the album once it is released. If you love original face melting rock n roll the way I do check these guys out on Spotify, Amazon Music and anywhere else you stream music. Better yet, support these guys by buying their music and swag so they can continue to create great music and make sure to see them live when they stop by to destroy your town.
You can find Carbon Decoy on social media here:
https://www.instagram.com/carbon.decoy.band/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon.decoy.band
https://www.facebook.com/carbon.decoy.band/