Cymbals Eat Guitars - Alex G - Ricky Eat Acid -- DC9 - Dec 10 2014

Ricky Eat Acid - Ricky sits at an electronica table working up loops, samples, beats and just a wee bit of live vocals. The good news is that he did not have a Macbook open and refrained from bobbing his head up and down. He seemed like a nice guy, too.

Alex G - The last time they were billed as Sandy Alex G as there is an Alex G out there as well in the music scene. As confusing as the name is, this Philly quartet combines a lot of familiar sounds such as Violent Femmes, Mission of Burma, and Sebadoh into some odd mix of rock with an overriding Meat Puppets vibe, particularly in the vocals. They make it work with a seemingly laconic attitude where clearly there is plenty of power underneath it all. It is a lot of fun with good songs and the occasional extended jam that moved into some surprisingly heavy territory. This is a fine band that is developing enough fans around here to support their own shows.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - This quartet was just here in September opening for Bob Mould. They did a fine job that night in the big environs at the 9:30 Club. But tonight, it was the smaller but nearly full room at the DC9 for them to test their music out. And they easily passed this test as their vibrant rock music had the intimacy and variety to keep the crowd fully involved throughout the lengthy set. I was pleased that they began the show with a song that they had never played before. Bands that tour frequently should try to add new songs or odd covers whenever possible to spice it up for us that were at the last show. The opener showed a fine command of tension in the controlled pace fo the music with the vocals trying to push outward. The band then varied the pace with crisply played faster rhythms,  bouncy keyboards, ringing guitars, and the intense lead vocal work. They impressed me even more than I expected tonight seeing them up close and good things await future tours for this Staten Island band.

Obit of the week - Brian Goble died of an apparent heart attack this past Sunday in the Vancouver area. Brian was the lead singer of the Subhumans (Canadian, not UK) as well as a long time bassist for DOA. He had a quiet intensity that burst out of his vocal work with those bands, as well as a wry understated sense of humor amongst the serious times. He was a great guy that will be sorely missed by many people all around the globe. Joe Keithley says it well here. But I'll leave with a great photo from Bob Montgomery that shows what punk bands looked like before they found punk. From left to right, this is Brad Kent (DOA, Avengers), Brian Goble, Dimwit (DOA), and Joe Keithley (DOA).