“ Chainsaw Rainbow,” two provocatively juxtaposed words that blend jagged dissonance with multi-colored warmth. That essentially encapsulates the sound and intent of Los Angeles-based songwriter, guitarist and producer Dominic Massaro.
Massaro, who is also an abstract visual artist, is the veteran of several southern California indie rock projects such as Motordrone and Jetdog. “The last three or four years I’ve been vacillating between being experimental and being more song-oriented,” he expounds. “Half of the songs on my new record Heavy Sad Love, while warped and trippy sounding, employ more traditional sounding chord progressions while the other half are more abstract. I’ve come across a combination I like, at least for now.”
Looking to heighten his profile as Chainsaw Rainbow found Massaro associating with the Downtown L.A. underground music and arts scene.
"I give them my music and they put it out without trying to change it."
As a performer and patron he met Mutation Records head Spooki Tavi. “Spooki is one of the partners in this D.I.Y. arts collective of musicians, filmmakers and writers called Non-Plus Ultra,” says Massaro. “They have a space where they do shows and are all about doing cool art for the sake of cool art. We found we were on the same page where I give them my music and they put it out without trying to change it.”
What is significant is that Massaro is releasing his new album online and on cassette only. It is a decision based on economics and practicality. “Tape has a natural compression to it that softens harsh guitar and electronics that are in my music,” explains Massaro. “Also, for a lot of people cassettes are an inexpensive and portable medium. The cassette tape market is, obviously, not huge, but it is growing.”
“Today, with Instagram and Twitter, it’s better than ever to find the particular people that like the same musical, cultural and artistic things that you do,” asserts Massaro on the challenges of connecting with your audience. “In the old days you’d put an ad in a magazine and it went out to everybody, but it might not reach who you want it to. Now, with these platforms, you can narrow down your audience where you can find each other. It may be a slow process, but I have modest goals. It’s not how big I can get. It’s about how can I do the music I like and get it to the people that like it.”
Chainsaw Rainbow’s new release Heavy Sad Love was released online and on cassette Sept. 12.
Date Signed: May 13, 2017
Label: Mutation Records
Band Member: Dominic Massaro
Type of Music: Lo-Fi/Psychedelic /Shoegaze
Management: Self-managed
Booking: chainsawrainbow.com/contact
Legal: N/A Publicity: mutationrecords.bandcamp.com/contact
Web: chainsawrainbow.com / mutationrecords.bandcamp.com
A&R: Spooki Tavi
