The Seed: Bozeman’s Panther Car Release New Single and Tell Us About Their Pickled Carrots
Bozeman-based rock band Panther Car is gearing up for their show at the Rialto on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019 with fellow rockers The Lovedarts. Panther Car have given fans an early treat ahead of the show, as they’ve just released their new song “Lull“. The new track is the lead single off their forthcoming album, Pomegranate, slated to drop in 2020 on tape & vinyl via Anything Bagel out of Missoula. We haven’t worked with Panther Car much, so we had them tell us about their background, recent projects, and their very unique merch item — Pickled Panther Carrots. Keep reading to find out more.
What made you come up with the name, Panther Car?
The origin of the name has passed with time, but the meaning has abstractly grown and developed with us as a band. We like to use is as a placeholder to define something that is undefinable, just like our music.
You released “Dithyramb”in 2018. Can you tell us more about the making of the album?
Dithyramb was our first capture of the contemporary Panther Car, where we felt like our writing style was in a direction where we all were creating something congruent with our influences. Recorded in basements and storages units across town, we were taking the DIY approach to recording and handled every aspect of the recording independently. Until it came to distribution, our friends over at Levitation Recordings and Tapes in Missoula hit us up asking if they could help put out the Album on tape. We ended up making it a dual EP, Dithyramb/Labyrinths the latter half being some of our older music from 2017. The next stage in the Panther Trajectory is to release our LP, Pomegranate out on Anything Bagel in Missoula early 2020. Pomegranate was recorded at The Unknown in Anacortes, WA with Nicholas Wilbur in early 2019. It’s a professional studio in a beautiful church that used to be a sailmakers workshop on a peninsula in a port town – pretty magical. This was a very nice treat for us, being on a vacation with each other and recording our first full album at a studio where lots of our favorite bands have recorded. It is something we are really proud of and cannot wait to share with everyone.
Can you tell us a little more about “Lull”?
“Lull” feels like a good snippet of what spans all of Pomegranate – loud guitars and soothing vocals intertwining with Pop and Prog elements traveling along together. A contrasted theme we love to play around with.
We did a giveaway with you guys that included “Pickled Panther Carrots.” Are these official band carrots? Do one of you work at the cannery? Please explain because this seems pretty cool!
This is the greatest gift from our friends over at Roots Kitchen and Cannery in Bozeman. Chrys was working there one summer and the owner of the company came up with the Idea of selling them as merch on the road. They became the biggest hit! They were great to sell and gift to hospitable hosts of houses we stay at while traveling.
Are there any particular artists that have had a big influence on your sound?
Mainly we love listening to music and always sharing new sounds with each other. Some heavy-hitters for us would have to be: Warpaint, Dearhoof, Dot Hacker, Radiohead, Palm, and Spirit of the Beehive.
Your show on the 13th is a co-bill with The Lovedarts. How familiar are you with them? Are they friends of yours?
We have been playing in the Bozeman Underground music scene for years with members of The Lovedarts. Earlier on we knew some of them as the Permians which we played many house shows and venues with. Their energy is undying and they really know how to keep your attention during their set. We cannot wait to rock the night away with them!
What’s the best part about being a band in Bozeman?
The Best part about being in Bozeman as a band is there are lots of touring artists coming thru on I-90 and we often get to host or play shows with them. For instance, we got to share the stage with Chastity Belt, Protomartyr, Cindy Wilson, Jo Passed, Alien Boy, and tons of other cool bands over the years. This sort of method of being the supporting band on bills is something we really love being apart of.
What’s your favorite concert memory performing as a band?
Probably being apart of smaller festivals, like Camp Daze (R.I.P.), Dreyfest, Ghost Carrot Fest, Labor Fest, and Treefort (not so small). We really appreciate seeing people come together for music sake.
Y’all have anything else in the works aside from the new album?
Once Pomegranate is pressed to vinyl we will be touring as much as we can. We love being on the road together, meeting new people, and seeing how other people make their local scene special. We also appreciate the writing process and take our time doing so.
The Seed is Logjam’s blog dedicated to all things up and coming artists, both local and regional. Here, we’ll feature band interviews, videos, special features, new music releases, and more.
