Photo by Kate Anderson
On a sunny yet brisk January afternoon, the members of Volcanos gathered at Jose’s Barber Extraordinaire, the Bay View institution established by the father of vocalist Nicolaus Ortiz and bassist Chris Ortiz. They spend a lot of time together like this. “We’ve known each other for so long,” guitarist Jim Welniak said. “It’s pretty easy to mesh everything together.”
And indeed, the band goes way back. Welniak and Chris Ortiz initially came together in 2002, playing in the band Xolotl. In the 14 years that followed, the eventual members of Volcanos traveled through numerous band configurations together, most recently the Black Sabbath tribute act Hand of Doom, featuring Welniak, Chris Ortiz, and drummer Russell Eaton. “We’re a band of brothers,” Chris says. “Nic and I always joke that Jim’s our brother-in-law and Russell’s like our step brother.”
Even with this familiarity, the band had no intention of guiding their sound in any one particular direction. “There was no preconceived notion where we’d go with it,” Nicolaus says. The band members all agree that they bond over rock music, but each player adds their own elements to the overall sound, which features the tense rhythmic style of the Jesus Lizard, Shamanistic vocals and guitar solos that fall between Jimi Hendrix and Page Hamilton. “I think it’s my job to take what these guys are doing, interpret it and send it out like a ladder to the audience,” Nicolaus said of his role in the band.
The goal, he said, is to be “theatrical without being false,” an idea the entire band embraces wholeheartedly. “You have to be who you are,” Welniak said, recalling advice once given to him by his stepfather. “If you’re faking something, people will see it.” Chris echoed that statement, saying, “If you’re not who you are, especially with your children, then that’s really shitty to them. You’re showing them that you’ve got to be fake.” The band presents a united front, an approach that is entirely natural and not learned. No one’s stepping on anyone’s toes and there’s no sign of sibling blowups à la the Gallagher brothers of Oasis.
The band initially lacked focus, but all they needed was a nudge. “[Chief frontman] Chris Tishler calling us out to play a show definitely solidified that we were going to be a band,” Chris Ortiz said, “even though it’s a part-time thing, I still want to be relevant to the city. I want to put records out and raise the bar a little bit.”
Four months after their live debut, Volcanos went into Howl Street Recordings, enlisting the help of expert engineer Shane Hochstetler. After a rejected mastering job by indie-legend Kramer and a second try by Paul Jefferson, the band arrived at the finished product, their eight-song debut album. To celebrate the CD release (a vinyl pressing should arrive later this summer), the band has booked a show at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in Walker’s Point. “It’s big, it’s very professional,” Chris says of the venue, which is better known for hosting folk shows than heavy rock. “The people that run it are great. They’ve got beer, they’ve got coffee, and it’s all ages.”
In self-releasing their album and booking their own shows, Volcanos are sticking to their roots. The Ortiz brothers spent their youth in the independent punk scene. “I like the whole thing,” Chris says of D.I.Y. mindset. “I like trying to promote, trying to set up shows. I like the challenge of it.” Reflecting on his years growing up in the D.I.Y. scene, Nicolaus adds, “It made you feel good. Everyone had a blast. It’s all you expected out of it.”
“Punk ethic,” Chris says. “It always comes back to that.”
Volcanos play Anodyne in Walker’s Point on Saturday, Jan. 30 with local post metal quintet Lotus Ash at 9 p.m. Admission is $8.
