“What’s in a name? Would ‘Kiss From a Rose’ by any other name sound so sweet?” Easy concept, kids. Two bands that are idiosyncratic and unique and are frequently related to the cultural dead end of “project” team up for a wild concept.
THE MISSION: pick 3 song titles Each band writes a song to the song title, without hearing or knowing anything about the other band’s work.
The title inspires the music, the lyrics, the entire approach. Certainly things have a chance of getting interesting, yes?
Anyway, what transpires is the results of this collaboration/challenge. Feast your ears upon it… if you dare! DANGEROUS NOMENCLATURE.
Recorded and produced April 15th, 2021 and September 11th, 2021 by Toshi Kasai at Sound of Sirens
NeutronFriends Heavy Industries, Worldwide. STILL ON TOP!
— Artwork by Chris Williams – Plastic Flame Press (plasticflame.com) Mastered by Bob Weston, Chicago Mastering Service, January 2022 Neutronfriends.com
Protons and Electrons Atom 11 is now up for listening and pre-order: It’s Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends (Conan Neutron, Tony Ash, Dale Crover) with The Vig, and Cartographer with Turnip, The Cloth Clown.
I believe this is the first Cartographer release in 8 years. So there you go!
Cartographer is very closely tied to the NeutronFriends mythos, by nature of Conan being bandmates with Ben and Chris in Replicator, and with Chris and Andre in Mount Vicious. Without Replicator (and to a lesser extant Mount Vicious), there would be no Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends in any capacity.
Cartographer is burly, aggressive and uncompromising noise rock. While the band members don’t take anything too seriously, the music is serious as a heart attack. Pummeling drums, jagged guitar and bass that evokes pure sleaze and menace make a fully formed package of Noiserock(TM) delivery. I believe their song is about a birthday clown that wants to have sex with a young Ben Adrian’s mom.
The Neutron Friends tune is an homage to a classic gambling term. The Vig (short for vigorish) is interest principal amount owed on a debt or loan, always at a usurious rate, with the idea being that the borrower never ends up paying down the principal and is indebted to the lender by just just covering the interest. The conceit of the song is applying those principles to psychic costs, but it probably works as a more dead on interpretation too.
The EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander, features prominently in the “proggy” chorus bit. While, I think the guitar sound in the verses are just straight into a cranked Bassman.
Anyway, vinyl ships in September but you can listen to the tunes on bandcamp now.
Protons and Electrons Atom 8 is up to listen to and pre-order* Our song is Jilted Dragon, a song that may or not be about Smaug the dragon from the Hobbit, and may or may not be about one of Conan’s cats. Either way, it’s basically a heavy-ish surf song about the internal mindset and motivations of a frequently cranky creature.
On the other side we have Turbo Lightning! One of the bands of the unsinkable Jeff Byron of old pals The Mae Shi. Conan and Jeff go way back, and both have had their ups and downs, both are still here and doing their thing as hard as they can and with aplomb and vigor. Aplomb! Vigor! In any case: side note, TL singer Dana is also the badass behind the harmony vocals in Quid Pro Quo.
Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – “The Way of the Neutron” is a record with Conan Neutron/Tony Ash and Dale Crover Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating. – First song/pre-order and Japan. http://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com . The Way of the Neutron – Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating.
Spangle, and sass, small scale arena rock for smart alecks and malcontents. Big riffs, critical thinking, and big smart rock for freaks, nerds and weirdos. The latest work of the mighty Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Way of the Neutron (2025) is a mission statement of the most compelling order. Blending heavy riffs, huge hooks and harmony with relentless abandon. Telling the story of an ethos, a life of uncompromising music and the perseverance of the creative good fight in spite of overwhelming content and stimuli. It is not only the bands most accessible record, it stands alone as a case study for endurance. The very characteristic attitude is a part of Conan Neutron’s DNA. Talking about the first single off the upcoming long-play, Neutron states:
“Who Dares? Is a mission statement song. Most attributable to something a super villain would scream as a hero enters the room, this is a song about not just surviving but thriving often against insurmountable odds. One challenge at a time, one step at a time, one punch at time, one round at a time. Featuring a simple guitar hook and a relentless menacing main riff, it is a motivational soundtrack to dogged persistence. Who Dares? I’m the one who dares.”
The previous record is a split LP with the incredible LUNG called: Adult Prom on Learning Curve Records in 2023, This follows up 2022’s Dangerous Nomenclature. A three song concept ep and 2020’s Dark Passengers: their last dedicated full length release and 3rd full length album. After a relentless and creative 10 year run so far, with love from college radio, press and crowds alike. Neutron Friends show no sign of slowing down at all. Some people may be more familiar with the podcast, Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal , or the 4 Day Caterwaul music festival in Minneapolis but make no mistake about it. Neutron is a born rocker and very good at what he does and the Secret Friends in all iterations are a world class rock band. Available now to pre-order, and to stream in full in bandcamp by March 20th. You can now find your way… to the Way of the Neutron.
Conan Neutron is a guy, Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends is a band. It is a band with a revolving cast of live players. It is a band whose recordings featuring Dale Crover of the mighty Melvins on drums, Tony Ash of Coliseum on bass and the production skills of the iconoclastic and enigmatic Toshi Kasai. The Secret Friends bring forth a wiry and adventurous rock ‘n roll that is equal parts Cheap Trick, fugazi, Queens of the Stone Age, the Cars, and DEVO with perhaps Mean Streets era Van Halen mixed in. Big rock, big riffs, heavy, hooky, a little strange. You get it. This is big rock music that has all the bombast and energy of the classic arena rock bands, but with punk rock attitude. With a bench deeper than a baseball team Conan Neutron, a rock ‘n roll lifer has spent the last 25 years making records and touring making uncompromising, sometimes challenging and daring rock music to anybody that is interested.UPCOMING TOUR-DATES: March 7th – San Clemente, CA – No Joke Gallery March 8th – Los Angeles, CA – Redwood Bar
March 27th – Chicago, IL – Liar’s Club – w/Mr Phylzzz, Ghost Forest March 28th – Madison, WI – Mickey’s – w/Mr Phylzzz March 29th – Kenosha, WI – White Lilac – w/Mr Phylzzz, Dogsblood
March 30th – WILD ANTICS – X-Ray Arcade, Milwaukee, WI (w/Mr Phylzzz, Resurrectionists, Vile Bees, Chi Chi’s Restaurant, Powerwagon, Moon Rebels, Salvation, Primitive Broadcast Service) Japanese leg: April 1 – Nakano City, Tokyo – Moon Step April 2 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Cyclone April 3 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Ruby Room April 4 – Hachioji-shi, Tokyo – Hachioji RIPS April 5 – Fukuyama City, Hiroshima – 5 Cent April 6 – Nanamacho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City – Shizuoka live house Sogen April 8 – Amagasaki, Hyogo – Tora April 9 – Osaka – Hokage April 10 – Tokushima City, Ginza – Crowbar April 11 – Shibuya, Tokyo, Nishihara – Club Heavy Sick April 12 – Kawasaki, Tokyo – Live House YYYs
May 15 – Washington DC – Quarry House w/Club USA May 16 – Boston, MA- O’Briens w/Bedtimemagic, the Freqs, Sapling May 17 – Providence, RI – Fete Lounge w/Hammer Party, Ash and Bone May 18 – New York, NY – Gutter Bar w/EAT, Matte Black May 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Thunderbird Hall May 20 – Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl w/Fashion Week, Wendy’s Ash May 21 – Detroit, MI – Lager House w/Warhorses, Lung May 22 – Chicago, IL – Liar’s Club w/ Lung, Naw, Salvation May 25 – Minneapolis, MN – Caterwaul, 331 Club May 27 – Sioux City, IA – Whiskey Dick’s w/Elephant Rifle, It Really Is May 28 – Rapid City, SD – The Diamond E Collective w/Elephant Rifle, Local Cryptics, Whitfield Rennin May 29 – Casper, WY – Oil City Beer Company w/Elephant Rifle May 30 – Missoula, MT – VFW Hall w/Elephant Rifle May 31 – Boise, ID – Neurolux w/Elephant Rifle June 1 – Reno, NV – Corrigan’s Lost Highway w/Elephant Rifle June 2 – Bend, OR – The Capitol w/Kronk Men, Non Ether, Vacancy Floor June 3 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Theater w/Negative Passengers, Elegant Pleasures June 4 – Portland, OR – Swan Dive w/Gaythiest, Club Deluxe June 5 – Oakland, CA – Stork Club w/HLLLYH, the Freak Accident June 6 – Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing Company w/Cosmic Kitten, Astral Jets, Knopf June 7 – San Diego, CA – Til Two Club w/Cosmic Kitten, Holy Tears June 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Slipper Clutch w/Cosmic Kitten, Tragic Radicals
All photos for Way of the Neutron by Ed Hunsinger PROMO MATERIALS:
Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Podcast Host, and more-Conan Neutron stops by to talk his new record; Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends: “The Way of the Neutron”, the process of working with Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums for all the records thus far, demoing -vs- going into the studio, working with Australian band DEAD, some his favorite guitarists, some of Conan’s previous guests that Jody’s fascinated with: Guy Picciotto of Fugazi (and a couple of good Fugazi stories), Trey Spruance of Mr Bungle/Secret Chiefs 3, and Ralph Spight of Victims Family- plus much more! Link for pre-order of “Way of the Neutron”:https://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-the-neutronhttps://www.neutronfriends.com/ – Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – Rock Band: NEUTRON FRIENDS GO JAPAN! April 1 – Nakano City, Tokyo – Moon Step April 2 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Cyclone April 3 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Ruby Room April 4 – Hachioji-shi, Tokyo – Hachioji RIPS April 5 – Fukuyama City, Hiroshima – 5 Cent April 6 – Nanamacho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City – Shizuoka live house Sogen April 8 – Amagasaki, Hyogo – Tora April 9 – Osaka – Hokage April 10 – Tokushima City, Ginza – Crowbar April 11 – Shibuya, Tokyo, Nishihara – Club Heavy Sick April 12 – Kawasaki, Tokyo – Live House YYYs
PROMO MATERIALS: