I can't help it. I'm rather affectionate about Lay Down Mains. Each member has been such a part of the Atlanta scene for so long, it's almost impossible to imagine it without them.  And finally, we're able to celebrate the release of their long-awaited full-length album "Mama, Go Rest on High," which was recently released via Moodswing Records.

If you've seen the band, you already know the sound -- heavy and hard but with melodic twists that pull in even casual listeners. But the technically savvy listeners are just as rewarded; the skill of each of the three band members comes across as soon as the first song starts. These are men who know their stuff and it shows. And you can't help but love them for it. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a little biased.

Rick Moore was the second person I met when I moved to Atlanta 11 years ago, having been introduced to him by the first person I met, a longtime band mate of his. Without a doubt, he's served as one of the most influential people in my life as far as music goes, having brought me from knowledge that spanned little past Wu Tang Clan, Minor Threat and the Kinks.

But as my  audio awareness swelled, Rick Moore's skill grew, and I was able to witness his development from long-ago bands such as John Brown and Copa Vance to this most current, and possibly longer-lasting, project that we know as Lay Down Mains.

But that affection doesn't stop with Moore. I first met Lee Corum when he was  still in high school playing with Some Soviet Station, one of the best bands this town has ever seen. Corum joined Moore in Copa Vance, and that expansion of scope and style continued, in a neat sort of merge that made tremendous sense once you saw them onstage.

And besides being one of the nicest people possible, David Lane is terribly talented, having been in a number of bands throughout the years, the most recent being the popular Hex Error, a mainstay at bars like the EARL for some time. And after that band fell to the wayside, Lane met up with friends Corum and Moore and the rest, of course, is history.

Click here to hear the track "Send Back My Letter" from their album, and here to listen to an unreleased track called "553." For nostalgia sake, you can listen to John Brown's "Hitlist" and "Dirt Mover." And, of course, read the interview with Rick Moore below! And get your ass out to the show Thursday night. It'll be fun, I promise.

Holly Lang/Pine Magazine: How would you describe your music?

Rick Moore/Lay Down Mains: If I had to give it a label I'd say 'Prog Punk' because it's loud, fast, aggressive, short songs that aren't very straight forward.

HL:You've been a part of this scene a long time. Can you tell us about some of your past projects? Do they bear any influence on Lay Down Mains?

RM:Of course they all do. Lee and I were both in Copa Vance. Every time you move on to a new band you get closer to what you really want to sound like. Most of that is picking the right people to play with. Thank God for David Lane. If you take a Copa Vance song and play every part half as long and twice as fast, and slick up the vocals, you'll have something approximating Lay Down Mains.

HL: What about bands as far back as Barrel or John Brown? Or for Lee, Some Soviet Station? How do you feel those played into your evolution?

RM: Well, Barrel was my first band in that I was bringing in the riffs that the songs were developed from. I had just started playing, so my riffs were very elementary, but the guys I was playing with had the skills to really elaborate and make it interesting. That's the best trick to develop your playing. Always play with people who are better than you. Of course this was in 1994, so math rock was the rage. I had just heard Slint, Crain, Bastro, Hoover and Circus Lupus, Nation of Ulyses. I started off imitating that stuff really transparently.

As you play more you tend to gain more subtlety and restraint. After Barrel, in Galanas Cerdd things were much more flowing but still a little rambling. Learning another persons guitar style forces you to work hard to keep up, which I had to in Galanas. I learned a lot then. John Brown was sort of ill-fated. It was huge and tonally decent, but still really structurally bloated. I figured out after Copa Vance that pot and structure don't mix well, for me at least. Lay Down Mains is really the first band that there isn't pot at every practice. I think it shows. Our music is much more concise and streamlined than anything I've been involved with before.

HL: What's changed in those years, in the Atlanta scene as a whole? What's stayed the same?

RM: Everything's changed and nothing's changed. There's still a shit ton of bands in a shit ton of cliques, and every time something new or different comes along, or some old shit gets re-hashed, the media takes a shit, the veterans couldn't care less, and the new jacks think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I think that happens as a product of any new group of younger kids getting involved. I know when I started here in '93 I thought all the existing bands were crap and I wanted to change the face of music in Atlanta. It's great to have that exuberance, but it mellows as you mature and your perspective broadens.

What definitely hasn't changed is that fads come and go, and ultimately none of them mean anything.

HL: In your opinion, what are some of the bands that don't get the love they deserve?

RM: Any band that puts most of their time and resources into playing, writing and developing is pretty much guaranteed to be under appreciated. What rankles most about the kids' stuff today is that technique, musicianship and overall sound quality are not included in the aesthetic. It's the opposite. 'Let's sound like crap. It's cool.' NO, IT'S NOT KIDS!
 
HL: What's up with your names? It's an amp reference, right?

RM: The earliest Marshall amps all had their power transformers mounted laying down on the chassis, like the last of the tweed Fender amps they were copying. When they got into making 100-watt amps, only the very earliest ones retained the lay down power transformer. As the first of one of the most collectable series of amplifiers, they were christened with a title in amp geekdom. Since the British don't say 'power' they say 'mains', this title became 'Lay Down Mains'. The most famous example is one Eddie Van Halen used to record at least the first few Van Halen records. It's got a nice ring to it.

HL: Who is putting out the album? Where'd you record it?

RM: Your friend and mine, Chuck Petrakopoulos is releasing it on his Moodswing Records label. I'm proud to be a part of it, and I wholly agree with Chuck's personal philosophy for doing a label.

We recorded at Chase Park Transduction in Athens with David Barbe, who is one of the most fun and knowledgeable engineers I've ever worked with. His forte is all tape recording, and that's how we did it.

HL: Any out of town shows in the near future?

We aspire to. We're not terribly motivated guys, and we're not well connected. Hopefully this record will open up more possibilities. I'd love to go out west. I think California with all it's cheese and plastic might be rather receptive.

We have to get a vehicle or trailer. Gas is retarded. We all really want to play for some strangers though. Everyone here has got to be burnt-out on us.

HL: Anything I haven't asked yet I should?

RM: Yes! What's 'We No Fun'?

HL: What's 'We No Fun'?

RM: It's a compilation record masterminded by Mike Keenan from Hawks. It should be out early next year. We've recorded a song for it with Mr. Marlow Sanchez. I guess it's a reaction to the “We Fun” film. It's going to include only bands that weren't represented, bands that, in my opinion, are much much better and more often overlooked. I love Gentleman Jesse, All Night Drug Prowling Wolves and Mastodon, but there's a bunch of shit bands in that film that's supposed to represent Atlanta music. First of all, what kind of asshole presumes to make a comprehensive film representing Atlanta music? It's impossible. Second, in a million years I would never be happy being represented by the likes of bands like Deerhunter. It really pisses me off, but at the same time it's only typical of music media.