Sweet Apple is more than just a question of Cobra Verde’s John Petkovic and Tim Parnin having some teenage kicks with Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis and Witch’s Dave Sweetapple. It’s the answer to the heartache, grief and depression that led Petkovic to drive from Cleveland to Vermont, where he rediscovered the healing powers of rock ‘n’ roll with some help from his friends. Love & Desperation (Tee Pee) isn’t a fountain of youth, but it’ll do in a pinch: a combination of stomping ’70s arena-rock riffs, Petkovic’s well-honed T Rex swagger and Mascis’ hard-wired guitar leads servicing lurid tales of sex, drugs and vampires. The members of Sweet Apple will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with Petkovic.
Sweetapple: I have been obsessed with these things since I was a kid. When you say Land Rover to people, they usually think of the newer yuppie machines seen all over the country in suburban grocery-store parking lots. I’m talking about the old, square-looking, go-anywhere, never-break-down, serve-the-military, farm equipment of the British Empire. Series I came into being in 1948, developed into Series II and eventually into Series III, which were built from 1971 through 1983. I never truly knew what it meant to be “at one with your vehicle” until I got my navy-blue, short-wheel-base 1974 Series III. Sure, there’s an element of maintenance in the rover that wouldn’t exist if I just went out and bought a new Chevy Blazer, but where would the fun be in that? Besides, Billy Childish has one, too. Well, almost. His is a Series II, but who’s counting.
Video after the jump.
