Naomi Punk - Sister Ex - Masters & Johnson -- DC9 - August 5 2010

Masters & Johnson - A young trio from Olympia, WA hits the stage in front of a very small turnout. It starts with a rather rough sounding song that seems to have lots of internal clashing going on. It kind of rocks in a loopy sort of way. I am thinking of the early "learn on stage" punk bands like ATV or Subway Sect, if not the true odd ramblings of the Shaggs. I cannot say I really enjoyed the 15 minute set, but it was rather fascinating and took me back to a more innocent time (about 15 years prior to another young trio from Olympia). The long finisher actually did have some inventive fun moves. Interesting, but more work will either kill this band off, make it slick and dull, or vibrant and exciting. Who knows?

Sister Ex - A steady four-piece ground out the punk rock tunes with the emphasis on rock. Quickly paced mostly, but some nice variety in tempo and sound at times. It's kind of the "aware" 1979-81 sound. I heard Vktms with Niagara (Destroy all Monsters) like sound on vocals. Some good bass lines, but their stage patter needs a lot of work. But when you are talking to ten people...

Naomi Punk - Two guitarists, one who sang, a drummer and a guy at a keyboard that was pretty much there for samples from the sound of things. A lot of dialogue samples between songs to sort of string the set together, which was not a bad idea, since the maximum people applauding was 8 until the last song when the middle band came back in the room. The songs were rocky-psyche lo-fi affairs from the Jay Reatard/Wavves school, but not quite as catchy. Perhaps a bit more eclectic for this band. There was annoying buzz in an amp, but this set did not last long. Most likely shortened due to the low turnout. Yeah, it was a bummer, but it still could turn into a good rehearsal. Instead it was plow ahead and get through it. Perhaps a little more promotion on the myspace page or band website would help.


Quote of the Day: Paraphrasing Josh Elliott on ESPN who I heard in the gym take a shot at his employer after his cohost had read news for the last 10 minutes... "Yes, Josh Elliott also here as part of this show even if I haven't spoken in a while. That's called bad production."