Back in April, we were compiling that week’s On Sale listings at Brighton Music Hall, and one inspiring pairing surfaced just after press time: A joint tour from Spiritual Cramp and White Reaper, which kicks off tonight (June 17) at the Allston venue.
At first we were wondering what led the San Francisco punk band and the Louisville garage rock dudes (they of “Judy French,” a Top 10 banger of the past decade, no questions asked) to join forces on the road, and soon we learned why — the tour is preceded by a two-song split 7-inch that dropped May 16 via Blue Grape Music.
The lead track from the vinyl hits with the unveiling, and it’s a shouty romper from Spiritual Cramp, featuring White Reaper, called “Whatever You Say Man.” The flip side is a White Reaper track called “Shimmy,” and, naturally, it features Spiritual Cramp. We can just picture all the boys together on stage belting them all out. Listen to both joints below.
“This is a funny song for me,” admits Spiritual Cramp’s Mike Bingham about his band’s lead effort. “I feel like I should start this blurb off with the disclaimer that I am not usually a depressed person. But, sometimes on a day where I start writing lyrics for a song, I am. Some days I wake up and I look around at all the beauty of the world and I’m moved to tears and overwhelmed with gratitude. Some days I wish I never woke up. This song is about what it feels like to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.”
Yeah we feel that, man.
WHITE REAPER + SPIRITUAL CRAMP + SMIRK :: Monday, June 17 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: 6: 30 p.m., all ages, $27.50 :: Event info :: Advance Tickets