By Kyle Schmitt (@KyleRadioviolet)
Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires were so loud I could only watch
comfortably from the very back table of the Black Cat’s elevated seating
area. A spirited delivery engaged the whole room, however, and this
group (particularly the Williamson brothers rhythm section) ripped it up
in their opening set. Birmingham native Bains wears his southern
heritage and liberalism like badges, and delivered a grad school civics
course onstage, tackling subjects ranging from Medicaid expansion to
American imperialism in his lyrics. The song “We Dare Defend Our Rights”
takes a dim view of Alabama’s state motto in the wake of the state
passing its own “show me your papers” law aimed at immigrants. Bains’
lyrics link different eras by comparing “four little girls in Sunday
school” with “the hijos watching Papa patted down in the blue lights and
siren’s noise.” There were positive memories to convey too, as Bains
sang of his father kicking back and watching 1970s stock-car races in
“Dirt Track.” He delivered an unflinching look at his state’s highs and
lows, then sported an Alabama baseball cap while greeting fans
post-show.
King Tuff was fittingly introduced with smoke and the Ghostbusters theme
song. His crew brought a lighthearted attitude to the stage, drawing
hearty approvals from a favorable crowd just by asking if they want to
hear another song. Tuff sounds best while howling over his own riffage,
as on “Wild Desire” and “Freak When I’m Dead”. But he showed welcome
versatility when he kept the vocals subdued while imploring, “I wanna
shine / so show me your secret.” While Tuff hit his highlight with a
fiery “Bad Thing”, his ethos was best represented on “Biggest Hearts”.
He admits to having “scraggly hair and wild eyes” while asserting that
scary-looking schlubs can be the kindest and most generous dudes around.
Credit for his powerful three-man set also goes to bassist Magic Jake,
who threw free t-shirts to fans after Tuff broke a guitar string, and
drummer Old Gary, who Tuff accused of farting black smoke.
Esoterica:
Quote of the Night goes to King Tuff after laying eyes on an Orioles
fan: “I see a Baltimore cap out there … I’m from Detroit.” He then
affirmed that he was here not for the ongoing O’s-Tigers playoff series,
but for rock ’n roll and to party with everyone… Tuff’s merch table
puts one in the mood for Halloween. There are Frankenstein and hooded
skull t-shirts, the latter of which “glows in the dark” according to a
saleslady wearing ghoulish green facepaint … The guy sitting next to me
in the Black Cat’s street-level cafe complained that some bully was
making fun of his blond mullet. An hour later, a woman took a
surreptitious camera-phone shot of the haircut in question while
standing 10 feet behind him.
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