What in the name of Jack and Meg White is possible on a rock record with only a duo performing? A lot, it turns out, if you’re into edgy proclamation.
When Particles Collide — the dense electric project of Sasha Alcott and Chris Viner — hasn’t been around for eons, but you wouldn’t know it from the feisty “Mass to Energy” EP. These chemistry-punning tracks sound at once like the work of seasoned pros and the fresh outlet for performers who have suddenly found their sound.
Additional Photos
Get crazy bang for your buck and watch the sparks fly when WPC rocks out at Bayside Bowl on Saturday night.
What are your highest hopes for When Particles Collide?
Chris: To be able to sleep all day and rock all night.
Sasha: I would love to have one of our songs placed in a cheesy teen movie. Preferably during a montage of mild misbehavior.
Both: On a more serious note, we would like to take the next year to craft our live show, record more, hone our skills, and then we would ideally like to be a full-time touring band beginning in the summer of 2012.
You kick off the KahBang Festival (in Bangor Aug. 5-13) with a Friday noon set, then hit the road for New York. What draws you to the Big Apple? You’re not Yankees fans, are you?
Sasha: We’re hitting NYC three times this August so we can make sure the inner circle hipsters can say that they liked us before we eventually sell out. Also, I lived in NYC for 10 years in my previous life, so we’ll be playing with old friends across three boroughs. I’m particularly excited to hit Staten Island for the second time. Those kids don’t cross their arms and stare, they rock out.
Note: With his Red Sox hoodie in plain view, Chris refuses to dignify this question with an answer.
You’re putting together your second WPC Presents show. How did the first one go? What are these shows all about?
Sasha: The first WPC Presents show here in Bangor was an absolute success. We had roughly 200 people attend, and we had solid rocking from 9 p.m. until close at 1 a.m. We featured Milkman’s Union, The Class Machine, Tree Streets and Great Western Plain. Having bands from central and southern Maine come together for one evening in a town without an actual music venue was something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time.
The concept of these events is for our band to book, promote and provide sound for rock shows featuring three to four bands. We don’t actually play at these shows. As I mentioned previously, Bangor has several pubs and bars where live music is featured, but no real venue to host several bands in one night. We are trying to fill in that gap as well as increase the flow of live music up from Portland to Bangor.
Our next event is Friday, Sept. 16, and we already have Wes Hartley’s new project, Splendora Colt, as well as Theodore Treehouse confirmed.
What’s the craziest story you can remember from Arootsakoostik?
Sasha: Aside from driving over three hours, Nathan from the Class Machine not fitting underneath the blue tarp covering the field stage, eating red hot dogs or sleeping in the back of our minivan? I would have to say watching Henry from the Milkman’s Union drink “Chill,” which is Miller Lite with lime. Crazy.
Whom do you admire in the red-hot Maine music scene?
Sasha: I admire Meg and Bub Fournier for putting on the Free Range Festival in Belfast as well as Travis Cyr (Arootsakoostik) and Bryan Bruchman (HillyTown), who book and promote great events. Also, Aislynne Sambrook from A ROBOT booking and promotions. I am thankful to the boys of KahBang (that’s what I call them) for working so hard to put Bangor on the map as a national music festival destination. Musically, I love our pals here in town, Temperature of the Sun, and Portland has more talented bands than lobsters in Casco Bay, so I’ll leave out that long list.
What’s a musical failure you can now laugh at from the last 24 months?
Sasha: When Chris and I first started playing together, before WPC was officially created, I played acoustic guitar. We would open up for another project I was in at the pubs here in town as well as play open-mic nights. That whole singer-songwriter with an acoustic and a heart full of sad aches didn’t really gel. Switching to electric and embracing the all-out rockage that was actually in our hearts has been working out much better.
There is some rather sad video footage of one of these acoustic nights. Now I can laugh at it.
Mike Olcott is a freelance writer who lives in Portland and Boston.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.