Pan.a.ce.a Diamond City September 2006

Pan.a.ce.a Press

Diamond City Sept. 2006

'All or Nothing'

By: Gene Padden, d.c. editor 09/07/2006

Photo by Tom Bonomo.

An aptly named album means September is put up or shut up time for Panacea

It's been a long time since diamond city has championed a local band's album on its cover.

Oh, we love local bands. Who doesn't?

But when we honor an area band with the front page of our paper, it's telling everyone that said band has graduated from the rank and file, and has proven itself an undeniable contributor to Northeastern Pennsylvania's pop culture.

It's saying, "This band has so much going on right now, that we think it would behoove you to read just what the hell everybody's talking about."

In the case of Panacea, it almost - almost - doesn't matter how much you do or do not enjoy the forthcoming album. Because regardless of the perceived quality of this disc, this band has already accomplished something that almost no other unsigned local act has achieved.

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It's called: "a much-anticipated CD release."

For real.

Since Panacea dropped an EP called Anaodyne almost a year ago, the big questions on lips that flapped from our piddly little scene to the handful of hard rock A&R reps that still have the means to sign a band is, "Yeah, Panacea is tight. But what else are these guys working on?"

The answer would be a 10-song album called All or Nothing, and to be blunt, this band realizes more than anyone that after nearly four years, the time has come to put up or sew it up - hence the title of the disc. Not that Panacea is a band to pop off all the time, but even the most modest of players - when inundated by too many nice words - will start to believe a hype that isn't real, and that's when you hear that "x" band broke up a mere three or four months after the "big" album came out.

Panacea is a band that has endured so much local press that many of its brethren, without having seen so much as one 30-minute set, will talk yang on Panacea, just because the constant media bombardment is so repulsive.

Truth be told, the Anodyne EP was without question a buzzworthy and welcome complement to NEPA's music scene. But it was not the vehicle to propel the band from Breaking Benjamin's footsteps into its own spotlight. It didn't get the band the coveted record deal, but it did open some eyes. Panacea is fine with that.

"When we did 'Anodyne,' we had limited time and money and we needed to get it done quickly," vocalist Tim Farley told us in a recent interview. "This time around, we were laughing in between takes. I was happy with 'Anodyne' but I'm happier with this one."

Which brings us to the next juncture. Panacea has the eyes and ears of desperate hard-rock industry scouts. The wait-and-see game begins as the band's sales, show attendance, and press will now be scrutinized.

RAISING THE BAR

With modern-rock radio serving as our model, it's obvious the quality of the songs often takes a back seat to the marketability of the songs. As evident not only on Panacea's new record but also in its live shows, the band has no problem catering to either.

This is a band that does not need to ask that you raise your fist or bang your head during its shows. As sure as you breathe involuntarily, you will move to Panacea.

In portable format, Panacea's new album has set a new standard as far as local rock bands are concerned. This release, though the band's first full-length, easily rivals the sophomore efforts from many of today's major-label nü-rock bands.

Panacea is Farley on vocals, Paul Young on guitar, Kevin Harry on drums, and Mike Morgan on bass. The band, which credits Bloomsburg as its home, returned to nearby Saturation Acres and spent three weeks recording All or Nothing with Bret Alexander at the helm. Of the 10 songs, none of them were around when Anodyne was recorded. Young was "the new guy" back then, and the band has taken full advantage of his presence.

"The songs totally grew, and there are more mellow parts and more intricate parts," said Pauly. "Bret and I talked trash for months before this came out, and we still talked trash while we were in the studio and Kevin came in before his vacation and he was like 'Where'd that come from?'
"It was a lot of little stuff I did like playing with a capo and even a slide. It was stuff you wouldn't hear on a newer rock album."

Yeah, Pauly used a slide in the studio. This is a guy whose paws make a can of Red Bull look like a double-A battery.

"It was actually one of Bret's jumbo slides, and we really had to squeeze it onto my hand," he said with a chuckle.

Perhaps funnier than the visual of Pauly clamping on a capo or working a slide is that the approach actually worked. Thanks to an efficient and more comfortable recording situation, Panacea was able to forge a record that's mature, tactful, and worthy of every bit of attention it has coming.

THE BIG PAYOFF

While the CD offers Panacea fans all the crunchy, catchy riffs and singable refrains they have come to expect of the band, track five, called "Additive," proves Panacea is more rock than should be allowed by today's commercial standards.

"Additive," in short, is the "Holy shit" moment of this disc.

The tune chugs along with a minimal indie singer/songwriter vocal/guitar arrangement and proceeds to build in a manner reminiscent of Alexander's unforgettable single "Gentleman East." As the drums enter and the ensemble gently thickens, Farley sings his ass off, leading the way to a majestic chorus of harmony, made possible by a heavenly string arrangement by Nicholas VanWik, a recent collaborator with Kanye West.

"Bret suggested it, and at the end, he thanked us for letting him try it," Farley said. "We were like, 'Um, no, thank you, Bret.'"

Farley, who Alexander once described as a "spot-on" vocalist, has even improved, and that's scary. Taking a cue from bands that have already found their way onto the country's airwaves, Farley has Hulked-up his vocal tracks. His performances on tracks like "Additive" and "Move On" warrant immediate and repeated listens.

"My comfort was important because we previously worked with Bret," Farley said. "He knew how to let me try new things and at the same time, reel me back in and keep things tasteful.

"Also, on 'Anodyne,' there wasn't a whole lot of stacking of vocals and things like that. But the records I listen to have double, triple, and even more layers of vocals. It fills it out and makes it strong. He was really open to that, but if it wasn't good, we'd try something else."
Having two monsters in your rhythm section doesn't hurt, either.

"Mike and Kevin laid their parts in one week and it was like clockwork," Farley said. "We went in, and did our job. That helped me, because I had more time to work on the shit I wanted to experiment with."

THE MIKE MORGAN STORY

Part of Panacea's waltz with local media includes the "controversy" surrounding Morgan, who recently joined The Drama Club. Once DC singer Nick Coyle first told diamond city about Morgan's addition, the scene boiled over with rumors of Morgan's eminent departure from Panacea, which never happened.

During our recent discussion, Morgan sat quietly until we asked for clarification.

"I'm tired," he said, and then he delivered an answer that's good news for both bands. "I'm just a f*cking player, man. I just want to play as much as possible."

So Morgan has become integral in two of the area's most talked-about bands, and none of the parties involved seem to have a problem with it.

"I'm fine with it, but man, it sure seems like everybody else has a problem with it," said Farley.

"Let people talk. Let them make up stories. As long as our name is on their lips. Press is press. I'm fine with it."

Pauly agreed.

"It's part of this business," he said. "It's just like Johnny in The Drama Club is involved in a bunch of other projects. That's all Mike is doing with this. And it's cool."

THE BUSINESS END OF THE ROCK

Having been around the block, Panacea has made a habit of turning potential problems into positives. When the band first emerged, there were issues with other bands under the same name. The band quietly trademarked the name "Panacea" in the United States, beating the other bands to the punch and crossing another potential disaster off the list.

An everyday necessity such as rehearsing is no easy task, either. The band's practice space is in Northumberland, which is a haul for Pauly, coming from Plains.

"And that's three or more times a week," said Farley. "Everybody makes sacrifices, because this has to happen. It's also allocating our money correctly. It's not worth it to maybe blow the money on a radio spot and in turn have a shit album."

Once All or Nothing hits (in stores on Sept. 19), the band plans to exorcise cover material from its set. Perhaps the only challenge greater than recording an outstanding album would be convincing a club owner to allow an all-original, hard-rock set in NEPA.

"We're tired of playing f*cking covers," said Farley. "We only did it to get gigs and to be heard. Now, we're trying to transition to all originals because we can now, but now the club owners don't want us. They want cover bands."

It's a no-win situation for even the most talented area bands, which need the gigs more than the club owners need to worry about entertainment. However, in talking with Panacea, you get the impression that the guys aren't discouraged.

There are a million ways to sign a million dead-end record contracts. You can sell or fake-sell thousands of CDs out of the trunk of your car. Your fans can download your song until they fry out their hard drives. Your parents could be wealthy. You might save the life of an A&R guy, or take his fat-ass kid to the prom.

But there is only one guaranteed path to continued success in today's music industry. You need to have songs - strong, catchy, undeniable, easy-to-relate-to songs.

Panacea can look the other way when it comes to gigs, because this is a band that believes it has the songs, and in turn, its fans believe in the band. We saw it work for Breaking Benjamin. For Panacea, the one question remains: "Will lightning strike twice?

"No matter what happens, this is already worth it to me," Farley said. "This is the best record I've ever made with the best band I've ever played in.

"Why wouldn't people want to come out and see the best? Yes, there are bands that are right up there with us, and these bands have helped us become a better band. But I think we've made a name for ourselves around this area and we consistently play good shows. We're professional, we love what we do, and if people want to see a good f*cking original rock show, there's nowhere else to go."

A LONG SEPTEMBER

Panacea's CD is scheduled to hit stores on Sept. 19, with a release show at Peppers in Berwick on Sept. 30.

Also on the roster for this month, we'll spotlight new CD releases from local bands Owen's Grudge, Lessen One, Ashfall, The Big Green, and Mark Mack as well as Peepshow, a compilation release by 1120 Studios.

©Electric City 2006