Thursday, March 06, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Music: High and mighty

Nebula puts stoner rock on the map

By Newt Briggs

News flash, folks: Stoner rock ain't just for stoners anymore. At least that's what Nebula--and a whole generation of modern-day, hemp-huffing longhairs--would have you believe. Pioneered by scrap metaleers Monster Magnet and SoCal desert rockers Kyuss, the stoner rock genre has gradually come to encompass that vast no man's land of psychedelic grooves and Black Sabbath-style riffery between classic rock and punk. And according to Nebula singer/guitarist Eddie Glass, stoner rock shares at least one other similarity with its early '70s predecessors.

"I guess they call it stoner rock 'cause people like to smoke a bunch of grass and come to our shows," says Glass. "I don't know if it's our audience or what, but our music just seems to lend itself to getting high."

And getting high is clearly something Nebula knows a lot about. Throwbacks to the pre-Atari golden age of denim and death rock, Glass, drummer Ruben Romano and bassist Mark Abshire look like they just ditched P.E. to blow bong hits out the back of a '72 Duster.

But beyond the look and, of course, the dope, the stoner rock tag doesn't hold a whole lot of weight with Glass. "I don't really have a thing about titles or labels or anything," he says. "I just write the music and play it. You can call it electric fire rock if you want. It's just music, you know?"

While "electric fire rock" might not be the most apt description of Nebula's sound, it does do some justice to the L.A.-based power trio's unique brand of synapse-frying, retro-rock stompage. Blending influences as diverse as Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, the Stooges and Mudhoney, Nebula alternates between straight-ahead electric blues and fuzz-friendly acid rock--occasionally folding in the requisite sprinkling of spliff-induced psychedelia. Just don't call it a jam band.

"To be honest, I find that whole scene kind of annoying," Glass says. "I mean, how long does a song have to go on before you're like, 'Enough. I get the point.' All we wanna do is go out and wail, not drone on for 18 minutes with every song."

And if there's one thing Nebula can do, it's wail. Notorious for their frenetic touring and shit-kicking live shows, Glass and company are less day-trippers than they are wah-wah-wielding vampires, preying on the unsuspecting masses of Anytown, USA.

"Our live shows have really got a lot of power and energy," says Glass. "It's a combination of adrenaline and booze and whatever else people are putting into their bodies. Before it's all said and done, it can get pretty trashy. Sometimes people just freak out."

Currently signed to Sub Pop (for whom they've produced two widely acclaimed studio albums), Nebula soon will put that glorious trash on display for the world at Austin's South By Southwest m++usic conference. Thankfully, though, the Nebula van will come chugging through Vegas along the way--no doubt leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake.

"We just recently started hitting Las Vegas," says Glass. "I think that for bands Las Vegas is becoming more than just a place to gamble and get prostitutes."

Yeah, now you can get your weed here, too.