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Learning Curve Records and The Ghost Is Clear Records present the release of Salt Sermon, the new album by Missouri Executive Order 44.
With a release date of August 16th, Salt Sermon will be available in four formats: digital, cassette, CD, and one-sided LP.
Stream the music video for the album's first single, "Wear Me Like a Mitt, Romney," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igZSrH1Rmgg
Pre-order the album, here: https://lcrdistro.com/products/salt-sermons-lp-meo-44
Based in Kansas City, Missouri Executive Order 44 takes its name from a dark chapter of its state's history: in 1838, amidst tensions between Missouri residents and a burgeoning new Mormon population, Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an order stating, "The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace."
Clad in the bike helmets and white shirts that commonly signify LDS evangelists, the four members of MEO44 – vocalist Jarom Johnson, guitarist Elos Olsen, bassist Esau Fullmer, and drummer Malachi Hatch – use that specific historical moment as their rallying cry as they blast out blistering hardcore anthems in opposition to all forms of persecution. While a majority of bands in the scene take a stance against organized religion, the band flips the script and claims allegiance with the Saints of the 1830s, holding them up as victims of the state's tyranny.
Olsen states: "The struggle against fascist violent oppression of 'undesirables' is universal. We use a very fucked-up moment of hyper localized American history to relay that message for the fight against oppression. It’s a purely antiauthoritarian band. Don’t let anyone tell you who to love or who to worship."
Johnson concurs: “Missouri Executive Order 44 is a reminder that we, as decent human beings, need to stand together in communities and collectives to overthrow tyrannical authority and prevent the impending destruction of our autonomy by the bigoted forces of the state, police, and fascists. The story of our Mormon ascendants is cautionary but also too familiar to the experiences of our brothers and sisters. The state can and will oppress those it deems 'other' or 'less than' and our message is one of retribution, anti-colonialism, anti-state and pro-humanity."
Recorded and mixed by Matt Perrin and mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, The Body), Salt Sermon clocks in at just fifteen minutes. From sasscore twang to blackened noisecore, the album drives forward darkly, relentlessly, with Johnson holding court like a manic preacher. Reference points might include Cursed, Coalesce, The Locust, and Heavy Heavy Low Low. Olsen calls it, simply, "Great Plains Hardcore... like the sporadic chaos of a herd of steer left to stampede across an empty prairie." Tying together the songs are ominous samples: distorted field recordings of sermons, Sunday school lessons, and excerpts from religious audiobooks.
Summing up Salt Sermon, Johnson gives this description: “This album is a series of stories and vignettes that lay clear a few simple ideas: every person deserves love, every person deserves autonomy, every person deserves a place to call home on this earth, and the radical acceptance of love is a powerful weapon against tyranny.”
Since forming less than two years ago, Missouri Executive Order 44 has played shows with The Callous Daoboys, Portrayal of Guilt, Heavenly Blue, Frail Body, Bib, Knoll, and dozens more. Salt Sermon follows the band's 2023 debut EP, Seventeen Dead in Caldwell County. While the band members bear striking resemblances to ex-members of bands such as the late, great Bummer, and have perhaps been spotted volunteering their time at thriving DIY venues like Farewell and Howdy on Kansas City's east side, Johnson, Olsen, Fullmer, and Hatch choose to commit fully to the MEO44 concept and not reveal any hard facts about their lives outside the project. The names might be aliases but the passion is real.
A 2023 article in local Kansas City paper The Pitch puts it like this: "Dressed in the iconic dark slacks and white shirts of door-to-door evangelists, the 'bike-helmet hardcore' band Missouri Executive Order 44 is taking a new look at Missouri’s history and identity... They never break character, but MEO44’s Mormon themes and appearance are more than just a schtick. Rather, the performance is a medium through which the group is able to share deeply held principles—beliefs that extend far beyond the boundaries of LDS church history and doctrine."
Summing up Salt Sermon, Johnson gives this description: “This album is a series of stories and vignettes that lay clear a few simple ideas: every person deserves love, every person deserves autonomy, every person deserves a place to call home on this earth, and the radical acceptance of love is a powerful weapon against tyranny.”
Since forming less than two years ago, Missouri Executive Order 44 has played shows with The Callous Daoboys, Portrayal of Guilt, Heavenly Blue, Frail Body, Bib, Knoll, and dozens more. Salt Sermon follows the band's 2023 debut EP, Seventeen Dead in Caldwell County. While the band members bear striking resemblances to ex-members of bands such as the late, great Bummer, and have perhaps been spotted volunteering their time at thriving DIY venues like Farewell and Howdy on Kansas City's east side, Johnson, Olsen, Fullmer, and Hatch choose to commit fully to the MEO44 concept and not reveal any hard facts about their lives outside the project. The names might be aliases but the passion is real.
A 2023 article in local Kansas City paper The Pitch puts it like this: "Dressed in the iconic dark slacks and white shirts of door-to-door evangelists, the 'bike-helmet hardcore' band Missouri Executive Order 44 is taking a new look at Missouri’s history and identity... They never break character, but MEO44’s Mormon themes and appearance are more than just a schtick. Rather, the performance is a medium through which the group is able to share deeply held principles—beliefs that extend far beyond the boundaries of LDS church history and doctrine."
Tracklist:
1) Riding the Rail
2) The Unbuckling
3) Wear Me Like a Mitt, Romney
4) I Would Kill Anyone for You
5) Seven Is a Holy Number
6) Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man
7) Let's Jump a Cowboy Together!
8) Milport's Demise
9) Christian Pornography
10) Salt Sermon
11) They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion
Lineup:
Jarom Johnson - vocals
Elos Olsen - guitar, samples, vocals
Esau Fullmer - bass, vocals
Malachi Hatch - drums, vocals
Upcoming shows:
Jun 29 - Kansas City, MO @ Farewell (w/ Murf, Nerver)
Jul 13 - Topeka, KS @ Black Chamber DIY (w/ The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir)
Aug 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy (w/ Yatsu, Gash)
Aug 23 - Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records
Aug 24-25 - Denver, CO @ Ghost Canyon Fest (w/ Young Widows, Wolf Eyes)
Photos by Raney Yelenich
Artwork by Kyle Rotta
1) Riding the Rail
2) The Unbuckling
3) Wear Me Like a Mitt, Romney
4) I Would Kill Anyone for You
5) Seven Is a Holy Number
6) Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man
7) Let's Jump a Cowboy Together!
8) Milport's Demise
9) Christian Pornography
10) Salt Sermon
11) They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion
Lineup:
Jarom Johnson - vocals
Elos Olsen - guitar, samples, vocals
Esau Fullmer - bass, vocals
Malachi Hatch - drums, vocals
Upcoming shows:
Jun 29 - Kansas City, MO @ Farewell (w/ Murf, Nerver)
Jul 13 - Topeka, KS @ Black Chamber DIY (w/ The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir)
Aug 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy (w/ Yatsu, Gash)
Aug 23 - Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records
Aug 24-25 - Denver, CO @ Ghost Canyon Fest (w/ Young Widows, Wolf Eyes)
Photos by Raney Yelenich
Artwork by Kyle Rotta
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