Demeter bites deep with heavy rock and darkly drawn poetry on "Beg, Borrow, Steal"

"tell me what you want I will steal it from you later"

Brooklyn based Demeter, on the rock potent Beg, Borrow, Steal (from their current EP "The Year of Goodbye") has classic rock bones and 50 seconds in, when the eruptions start happening and Kate Rivera's evocative vocal aesthetic cuts through, I thought of an amalgam, a car crash of PJ Harvey (Dry- circa 93), Chrissie Hynde - from the Pretenders (My City is Gone- circa 82) and Patti Smith (Radio Baghdad - circa 2004). Sure that is high praise but Rivera possess a steely eyed vocal persona and a kind of folk underbelly in her phrasings (like all the aforementioned talented women). It is not only Rivera that has a air of rock classicalism washed with post punk but the other players of Demeter too. John Mason (drums) does some seriously wicked rapid snare rolls, guitarist Ian McNally sweeps up multi genre'd tones in his vast sound, Daniel Bloch winds bass lines around Mason's kick drum and keyboardist, vocalist Tim Bustle fills up the spaces in garden rock ways. The band offer that the track written by Rivera is:

"is a Patti Smith-esque rager that talks about the emotional games, ulterior motives, broken promises, and inhumane policies politicians support and design. It’s about calling out a system that uses youth and hope for ill-gotten gains, and that aims to break the gentle and the strongest, most resilient of us. This is a song that punches up. It reminds you to fight."

"give me all your youth... I want to bite right through your spine
then you'll know the truth so I'll turn your head like a screw...
beg, borrow...steal"

-Robb Donker Curtius

Demeter · Beg, Borrow, Steal

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Demeter is word rock from Brooklyn -- founded by Kathleen (Kate) Rivera of Amor Prohibido, and Ian McNally of Cicero and the Orations in December 2017. Demeter is made up of songwriter, singer, guitarist Kate Rivera, guitarist Ian McNally, drummer John Mason, bassist Daniel Bloch, and keyboardist, vocalist Tim Bustle. Kate’s songs and poems are influenced by Patti Smith, Adrienne Lenker, Annie Clark, Julian Casablancas, and Hector Lavoe.