PRESSING OF 300
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 the band 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."
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
PHOTO BY RANEY YELENICH
THIS IS A SPLIT RELEASE WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS THE GHOST IS CLEAR RECORDS FROM KANSAS CITY.
