Ritual Tension

RITUAL TENSION
Ritual Tension began in 1983 in Manhattan. Ended, in terms of live performances, in 1989. A favorite at CBGB, often headlining Fridays and Saturdays, and Hilly Krystal was a co-producer of the band’s second LP recorded live at CBGB. Played multiple dates in Boston and DC, but both a European and a west coast tour never materialized. Played the Ritz and Tin Pan Alley (a three night stand), and the A bar and the Pyramid and wherever the hell. In the meanwhile three full LPs and one EP, followed up years later by a best-of collection.
Personnel:
Ivan Nahem, vocals
Andrew Nahem, guitars
Claire Lawrence-Slater, bass
Michael Jio, drums
succeeded in 1985 by:
Marc Sloan, bass
Michael Shockley, drums
Discography:
I LIVE HERE. LP. Sacrifice Records, 1986; Fundamental reissue, 1988.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA. EP. Sacrifice Records, 1987; Fundamental, 1987.
I LIVE HERE/HOTEL CALIFORNIA, Fundamental, 1987.
THE BLOOD OF THE KID – LIVE AT CBGB. LP. CBGB/Celluloid Records, 1987.
EXPELLED. LP. Sacrifice Records, 1989.
PAST TENSE. LP. Sacrifice Records, 1999 (compilation).
Selected comments:
This is actually a classic moment in the history of rock music. Rarely has any band tortured & twisted a 70s rock standard to such extremes. The total antithesis of the spirt (that laid back, West Coast attitude) inherent in the tune, stripped to its barest essentials, anger oozing from every angle. String-strangler Andrew Nahem stretches bizarre sounds up & down that neck, like bugs crawling over naked bodies. Vocalist Ivan Nahem is a real natural. The quartet have done a fine job of producing themselves, especially the backing vocals. The rhythm team is no less powerful. A totally harrowing experience. If I wasn’t so tough, I’d have a hard time dealing with this disk. - Jersey Beat
Powerful but surprisingly melodic tunes based around the tortured ravings of the two Nahem brothers. Big and bald Ivan sings like he means it. Andrew plays guitar with the sort of loathing for his instrument that Pete Townsend used to have. – Scunthorpe Target
Ritual Tension makes noncommercial music outside of even punk’s accepted norms. Tension’s songs are hard. It takes some listening and thinking to figure out how to hear their sound… Ritual Tension is a spare dose of appropriately named energy. – Spin
This is music at the end of its tether, trapped, bored, dangerous. They shout of New York lowlife, but it’s not the loveable bozos of Tom Waits… They’re on a long leash but holding it themselves… Ritual Tension are people you genuinely would not want to meet down any dark alley. You even feel uneasy with them on your turntable. Magnificent. – Melody Maker
The tension wires of sound and imagery, both geared wholly to a critique of modern ways, at times recall PiL’s more virulent work, but really Ritual Tension are answerable only to themselves, not to history. - Sounds
Surprisingly, their parochial approach is good for music a lot more intense and universal than, to choose the relevant example, the Bush Tetra’s “Too Many Creeps.” - Robert Christgau, The Village Voice
A pulsating, stark excursion. Ritual Tension share a kinship with Live Skull and Sonic Youth, but they’re more precise and the effect is more immediate. ‘The Wrong Tack’ is chilling. ‘Tightrope,’ with a loping bass line, drill-bit guitar passages and superb vocal performance has an equal effect. Their cover of the Eagle’s classic could be their vision of the rotting corpse of the 70s, as they leave it slowly dangling in the wind. ‘The Grind’ also lives up to its name, slow and churning guitar sparks, a molten rhythm, expressive vocals, creating a cauldron of sound that’s scary as hell. – Suburban Voice
Odd that shallow folk think of them as a ‘noise’ band, considering the razortight precision of the rhythm team: hard as death, twice as swift, bring to a boil, add guitar for texture, but definitely not rhythm guitar. Lead guitar you mean? Nuh-uh. Something separate from the two, elements of both. Sprinkle snippets of dialogue from David Lynch’s version of Taxi Driver, then try to fit this peg in your square hole, Mr. Greenjeans. Just lovely. – Away From the Pulsebeat
All three records are indispensable. This is modern music without training wheels. Once it’s gotten into the bloodstream, it exhilarates and resonates through abrupt time changes and shifts in mood. Ritual Tension has reached that same plane of compositional brilliance that inspired ‘Trout Mask Replica’ or drove the Birthday Party to produce something as twisted as ‘Prayers on Fire’… These are real songs, albeit different than the pablum most music industry types think should be consumed. There’s genuine intelligence and musicianship at work here. - Reflex
Current locations
Ivan Nahem aka Elvin X aka Ivan X. Co. Longford, Ireland. See www.myspace.com/elvinx.
Andrew Nahem lives in Manhattan. He has several screenplays and TV pilots in various stages of development/completion/hell. As one third of the Elevator Mood inspection Commission, he has written, produced, directed and acted in Elevator Moods [www.elevatormoods.com], a series of short films which has shown at Sundance and SXSW Interactive, won a Webby Award in 2005 and has recently been acquired by A&E. (The young RT guitar player would no doubt have been appalled at the Muzak Andrew has composed for the upcoming second series.)
Marc Sloan: student of Flamenco Guitar, free lance audio/video, trying to relocate back to Manhattan (Jersey's killin')
Mike Shockley: 2 kids
a wife
3 jobs
2 bands
not much time for cake
oh well
i've had my fill