C.O.D. Band of the Week - National Sunday Law

One of the objectives of this site is to give more exposure to relatively unknown metal bands in this vast City of Devils.  Many of the local venues do a better job of catering to touring acts than their fellow citizen musicians (that is, until the rest of the world appreciates them).  There are exceptions, of course.  The Smell is a prime example of a great incubator of music.  For metal, my good friend Eddie Solis has taken on that burden.  He has amassed an empire of venues at the intersection of Hollywood and Western to book emerging acts, including the Relax Bar, Blu Monkey, and the recently opened all-ages club, Panic Room.  This site has to pull its weight, which isn't much, but it is something.  So the plan is to try to profile a local band a show each week.  

Our very first selection is NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW, who will be performing from 11-11:30 tomorrow night (Friday) at the Relax Bar.  They are a two-piece from Los Angeles that was recently signed to Saw Her Ghost Records out of Birmingham, Michigan, and join the likes of ACROSS TUNDRAS and BATTLEFIELDS on the roster.  An EP will be released this summer, but until then, you can check out their self-released debut, La Storia Di Cannabali.  I've only heard what they're streaming, and it's no surprise to hear members of Intronaut have made guest appearances on their recordings.  Definitely a bit raw, with some harsh transitions, and they may need to seek out Eddie for tips about getting a little more low end out of that guitar.  But there's considerable promise.  The EP and experiencing them lie will tell a lot.  If you cannot make tomorrow's show (maybe because you'll be at the Acid Mothers Temple show with me), they'll be a few doors dwn at the Blu Monkey on May 13th.   

Can you give us some background on how the band started?

We met about eight years ago through a Craigslist musician wanted ad. At the time we were trying to form a four piece band, but we never found the other two guys.

I noticed some of your favorite authors are prominent atheists, and the band name has a religious connotation - are your views on religion a motivation for your music?

The band name comes from a scary religious propaganda book that was anonymously mailed to Darin. We are atheists and it does influence the way we see the world. But outside of some influence on the lyrics, it doesn't really motivate our music. 

Two-man bands seem to be on the rise in metal - why do you think that is?

Its a lot easier for us to get things going when there's only two people. We have a lot of specific ideas and we never liked telling people what to play. Plus, the less schedules to work around, the better.

How did you get hooked up with Saw Her Ghost?

We just sent them an unsolicited copy of our self released full length. Two weeks later, we got an email saying they loved it. 

You refer to Acid Mothers Temple on your website as an influence - are you bummed you have to miss their performance tomorrow night so you can play?

Actually SHG put that on the ad for the upcoming EP. We've never heard them, so we don't know what we missed. But now, we're curious to check them out. (C.O.D. - N.S.L. sound nothing like Acid Mothers Temple, but they should check them out, because everyone should be so influenced).

Any details about the new EP you can share?

It'll be called "The Fifth Ape" . One of the songs features our friend Joe Lester of Intronaut on bass.