The Whip
w/BlöödHag, DJ Franki Chan, DJ Red Leather Chapstick
Mon Nov 11, Graceland, $4.

Interviewing the now defunct Oly band Karp was daunting, because guitarist Jared Warren and drummer Scotty Jernigan loved to make up stories and pass them off as the truth. So when I talked to them about their new project, the Whip, I made one firm request: No bullshit answers. "Well, I guess we were late," answered Warren sheepishly, letting me know that the 15 minutes I sat waiting meant they'd cut me a break.

In terms of heaviness, Karp ranked right up there with the Melvins. Coincidentally, former Melvins bassist Joe Preston rounds out the Whip, which packs all the punch and sarcasm of Karp while adding a sludgy canorousness, if you will. "Musically it's not really that different," says Warren. "We didn't have a lot of fun toward the end of Karp, so it's nice to be working on something new. Having Joe in the band makes for a good mix. He's hilarious, and he comes up with some wacky things that Scotty and I probably wouldn't explore."

"We have so much fun during practice that we spend half the time just laughing our asses off at stupid jokes," adds Jernigan. "When we played our first show at Pho Bang, I was worried that we'd just be up there on stage, laughing hysterically. Nothing but inside jokes for the whole set."

The passing of Karp was a tragic blow to the riff-and-chug-loving Northwest, but why did the two decide to reconnect? "Hot cash, duh!" snarks Warren. Jernigan is less sarcastic. "Because it's me and Jared, you know? We've known each other since the seventh grade and have played music together for so long that it's way too easy for us to be together." Now serious, Warren adds, "It was good to have a break from each other. We needed to grow up independently and explore ourselves until the time seemed right."

Jernigan sums it all up in typical Scotty and Jared terms. "The way that Jared and I play music together--it's ridiculous not to. It would be stupid for us not to have a band. Except, does Jared make me look fat?"