CHASING THE IMPOSSIBLE WITH TOMORROW THE MOON
Published in AXS.com, July 2015
Tomorrow The Moon’s recent single, “Miles of Jenny,” trips on a level of bombastic euphoria that has rarely been reached since the early 70’s. Launching with a hook that could peel the plywood off any neighborhood bar, the song cruises at an altitude of catchy British pop before ultimately soaring into a pocket of outer space reserved exclusively for the galactic one-note symphonies at the far end of Steve Gerlach’s wailing guitar solo.
Together with bassist Ryan Nelson and drummer John Carpender, who form a rhythm section that swaggers and locks at all the right moments, the trio’s performance on “Miles of Jenny” is one hell of an incentive to listen to the other thirteen tracks on the band’s third album, Blow Mind Blow.
Describing the relentless pursuit of an elusive muse named Jenny, the lyrics alternate between a balls-out obsession with her larger than life qualities and a triumphant acceptance of her dazzling untouchability. They shout like “Fox On The Run” and boast like “I Can See For Miles” and, in the end, come off funny as hell. The singer doesn’t care that he’ll never get the girl. He tells her “Jenny don’t you cry for me” because the sound of the pursuit makes it all worthwhile.
“There’s been songs like that throughout the history of rocknroll,” says Gerlach, who wrote and sings on the track. “Like the 50-foot woman. I was just trying write one of those space age love songs.”
The style of the music is influenced by the innovative British musicians who used their talent to connect with audiences rather than showcase individual expertise, most notably David Bowie and Syd Barrett. The object of the affection is inspired by Virgil Finlay’s illustration for the 1957 Henry Slesar short story, “The Goddess of World 21,” which is essentially a giant Bettie Page striking a cheesecake pose with a miniature spaceman standing awestruck on her breast.
Beyond that, Gerlach insists that “Miles of Jenny” does not reflect any particular woman from his past. “I don’t write about my life or the songs would be really boring,” he says.
On a personal note, he is correct. There are no drug-fueled scandals or furniture-smashing tales in the native Chicagoan’s past. But on a musical note, he is just being characteristically humble. Besides forming and fronting Tomorrow The Moon in 2009, Gerlach has played with the likes of John Cale, Shirley Manson and Chris Connelly, and will be joining JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound’s East Coast tour in August and Tommy Keene’s Midwest-to-East Coast tour in September. In other words, he is one of those artists who lets his work do all the talking.
To hear what else Gerlach and the band have to play, check out Tomorrow The Moon’s CD release show for the new album, Blow Mind Blow, at Martyr’s on Saturday night.