Artist Profile - Indie-rock band revamped and ready to play

The Jews and Catholics are at it once again.

After a five-month, self-imposed hiatus, the Winston-Salem Indie-rock band has returned to the stage — louder and more energetic than ever. Judging by the packed house at Elliott's Review — the first show with new drummer Tyler Reeder — band members Alanna Meltzer-Holderfield and Eddie Garcia are creating the kind of "face-melting" music that their fans enjoy. The band has a few quiet moments, but that's only to make you wait for the explosion.

The band released two albums, "God's Trash," (2007) and "Inside," (2008), before being picked up by 307 Knox Records. The music label released the group's latest album, "Who Are? We Think We Are!" in 2010. Songs like "Mirrors," "Casino Lights" and a yet to be published song titled, "You're the Blood," shows the depth of their musical genius. Lead singer Garcia said, "I just want to jump off the stage every time I play that ("You're the Blood,") song.

I caught up with the trio, all in their 20s, at Krankies to discuss the whereabouts of a "temperamental" band member, upcoming shows and to learn what it's like to be a member of a post-punk rock band.

"If you know anything about us, you know that we're loud and electrified," said Meltzer-Holderfield, the upright bass player. Before Reeder joined the group in February, anyone hearing that the band consisted of an upright bass and a guitar thought the group was an acoustic duo. This led to a few awkward gigs with them tucked away in obscure corners. "If they think we're going to show up and be really quiet, that's just not going to happen," said Meltzer-Holderfield.

Reeder agreed: "Yeah, I've been in the audience countless shows that they played. It's always awesome and high energy."

Their most unusual shows have occurred because the booking venue didn't understand the kind of music they played and didn't know what to expect.

That was the case at Lunch Box Records, a music store in Charlotte.

"When we got there, all they had was one ancient public-address system and a small combo amp. And we are pretty loud, even when it's only the two of us. And the stage was about a foot high. It was stark daylight and all the lights in the store were on," Garcia said.

"We were booked as a hard-core band and that's what the crowd was expecting. Everyone there wanted to see a hard-core show and had bandanas over their faces and hated us from the time we walked in the door," said Meltzer-Holderfield. "It was really awkward." Hardcore or Emocore is a style of underground music that combines elements of heavy metal, punk and rock.

Despite having musical influences at opposite ends of the spectrum, the desire to perform and a mutual interest in books — Meltzer-Holderfield and Garcia met seven years ago while working in a bookstore — brought them together as a band.

She grew up playing classical music in symphonies and orchestras, while his roots formed while playing electric guitars in garage-rock bands.

"I was looking for something more creative," said Meltzer-Holderfield. "Eddie was one of my first friends when I moved here, and one day we just started talking about music. Soon we were hanging out at our houses and playing."

Reeder's initial time "behind the kit" was met with family resistance. His dad, a guitar player, wanted him to follow his example. "I played the guitar for a little while but didn't stick with it. It took a lot of convincing for my dad to let me play the drums."

But Reeder's transition into the band has been an easy adjustment for everyone. He has played with them in the past.

Prior to Reeder joining the duo, the band's third member was a "temperamental" drum machine. Complications ranged from inexperienced stagehands attempting to set up the system, to arriving at a show and finding that the venue did not provide a P.A. — or "one that was garbage," according to Garcia.

Other problems included synchronizing the drum machine with their instruments and adjusting its sound.

Bringing Reeder into the group has eliminated those problems and filled out their sound. He brings new life to the band by adding a dimension that wasn't possible to achieve artificially. The drum machine is now used for demos and solo sessions, though the trio may use it in the future to incorporate more electronic sounds into their music.

While the group is enjoying their recent comeback, in the past they have taken some criticism over what some people felt was a divisive name. But the story behind the name is not only coincidental, it's logical.

"Alanna's Jewish and I was Catholic," Garcia said. "Historically, I guess, Jews and Catholics have had disagreements, and we both came from pretty different musical backgrounds. So we thought it was a pretty fitting name."

For now, the band is busy writing songs, playing shows and incorporating Reeder into the group. When asked, "What's next?" Meltzer- Holderfield replied, "We're just taking one day at a time."

"And looking to entertain," Reeder said.

Want to go?

Catch Jews and Catholics on Friday at 9:30 p.m. at The Garage, 110 W. Seventh St. For information, call (336) 777-1127. Tickets for the show are $5.

Want to listen?

Visit their website www.jewsandcatholics.com to hear selections from all three albums. And like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/jewsandcatholics.