White Lung - Greys -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Aug 2 2016

Greys - A Toronto band starts off this east/west Canadian showcase and there is a big crowd awaiting. They were so polite as the band commented, even as the band cranked out some intense 80s styled hardcore that was modified into something a bit noisier with some room to breath. That ability made this more interesting than it might have been. Equipment struggles slowed a bit of the momentum, but there were some nice highlights when the guitarists worked out some unique noisy passages that were both intense and uniquely quirky without being overly arty. Effective and interesting.

White Lung - This is my first take on this popular Vancouver quartet. I have heard comparisons to Priests, which is certainly in the ballpark here. White Lung has a unique take on hardcore punk with the standard line-up of vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. What is fascinating is how the instruments operate such a separate sonic space, yet cohere so well. The bass line is a low rumble that starts at your feet and causes full body vibration. The drums are used to deliver fast body blows non-stop and rapid pace. The guitar has that compressed higher end fuzzy sound floating around your head as it churns out riffs and lines that propel the melody, again at pace with the right balance of flair and energy. And that leaves plenty of room for Mish Way to bore into our heads with her stirring vocal style. It is a bit like Pauline Murray of Penetration with a band that somehow has a sped up post-early Banshees sound. It is fast, only moderately furious, but intense and focused. White Lung is a reminder to the old and new and anyone in between whoever liked punk rock, that there is plenty of fresh ways to bring it.

Photo Grab of the Night: Speaking of old punk rock... Linda Ramone had a tribute event for her late husband Johnny and his band the Ramones on July 24th. They were able to get most of the cast of "Rock'n'Roll High School" there for their first ever reunion! I still remember the Dayton debut at a drive-in theater--great movie. Pictured is P.J. Soles, Dey Young, (Director) Allan Arkush, (Producer) Roger Corman (he is 90 years old!), Linda Ramone, and Clint Howard. Vincent Van Patten and Mary Woronov were also there. They all looked ready to pogo.