The Sadies - Jessie Sykes -- Iota - Nov 17 2011

Jessie Sykes - Jessie Sykes is a woman with a guitar surrounded by bass, drums and electric guitar. It looks like Americana-Indie rock to me. And proof yet again, that I need to wait for a few notes before trying to guess the sound. Instead, they have a nice little psychedelic jam to open things. They are loud and tight, though giving everyone room to breath and establish each instrument's sound in the mix. It starts off in San Francisco psyche-land like something from Great Society but weaves the tunes into fascinating patterns like psyche-folkers Mellow Candle (mostly like the instrumental part in "Sheep Season" which is perhaps my favorite instrumental passage anywhere). There's a Bardo Pond feeling in the vocals and there are songs that manage the volume and intricacy of that band, too. But right after a powerful song, they drop it down many notches to play something folkier, but dark. The vocals are deep and down in the manner of a Bridget St. John. There is so much going on and so many things I hear, ultimately their set comes together as a superb journey through slow-fast, loud-quiet, rock-folk, with a deep psychedelic vibe throughout. Great music tonight with immaculate sound. They played as a co-headliner for 1:06 and held my attention through every note. The fairly large crowd dug it as well. Jessie Sykes and the band, the Sweet Hereafter, are from Seattle and have not played here in 5-6 years. I hope he next gap is significantly shorter. Now it is time to sample the record I bought from them. I have a feeling I will be digging deep into their back catalog as well.


The Sadies - Thanks to my job reviewing CDs for Folkworld, I got a chance to rave about this Toronto band's last CD after ignoring them for a dozen years. Many have seen them backing Neko Case rather than in their own band, and have missed the real fun. The two guitars are phasing and blazing as they rip through an Ennio Morricone western-style instrumental to get things underway. They next go into dual singing (with a Ride like sound) while keeping the guitars blazing. The bass is stand-up and along with the drums pretty much lays down on a non-flashy foundation. They add some surf sounds as well as fast Meat Puppets styled western music. A violin comes out for a brilliant honkytonk stomper where if other country music artists could aspire to this, I could be converted. But that's the beauty of this band. They also had classic blues rock and lighter songs in the set and it all came out with their signature sound and style. They were every bit as good as I expected and then some. And although my raving over Toronto bands may be getting a little old, I will put these guys near the top of that powerful list. There is just too much fun to have and great loud and fast guitars that can carry a killer melody. Time stands still during sets like this, although my cliches keep coming. No matter, do check this band out next time around.

Quote of the Night - From the Sadies (and eerily reminiscent of last night)... "We've played 20 shows... or a week's shows or whatever with Jessie Sykes and they have been great to be around. A real pleasure to be with them, a source of comic relief especially when they fight. So this song goes out to them (applause) ...except for that bass player--I never liked him (ooohs)"

The WeatherVanes - Benny the Band - Adrian Hardkor -- Velvet Lounge - Nov 16 2011

Adrian Hardkor - My second time seeing Mr. Hardkor, playing this time with violin and bass. Hardkor plays acoustic guitar and sings throughout. There is a nice energy to the Americana-laced folk rock songs. The accompanying musicians fill things out nicely and the bass player switching to mandolin is a nice touch. The violinist has some chops, although his fooling around with pedals created more distraction than anything else on one song. I enjoyed the third song the most and I could detect a couple others that stand out well, with others that are ok. It is a little loose by design, and a bit too loose for my tastes. But it still was a fun listen for the 44 minutes they played. They still have a ways to go, but there is a foundation present to build from.

The WeatherVanes - The headliner went up next and I thought it would be a bit more of the same. The starting point and approach was similar, although their were drums, bass, keyboards/mandolin backing the singer/guitarist. The first song showed a great dexterity with the acoustic guitar sound that had a great rock feel in addition to the Americana folk underbelly. His slide moves were clever and really livened up the song. He went to electric guitar for half of the nearly hour-long set and really had some flash moves that rocked out a lot more than I expected. The songs were put together well and always maintained a rootsy base. The keyboards gave a great high end sound, while the rhythm section was strong, but not overpowering. The band was able to raise it up a notch as a unit, which shows me they have done this for a while and have a great command of their fine material. This just may be the area's finest band at American-based folk-rock, with the emphasis on rock. They did a Tom Waits cover which fit their style and were quite funny, although I don't need to be reminded of the next band five times. The crowd of 30-ish was excellent tonight and really wanted some fun on a Wednesday night. These guys delivered.

Benny the Band - They are probably officially Benny, but it is often good to add 'the band' to common names. This is the third straight set from a flannel shirt wearing singer/guitarist with band. In this case, the band is comprised of bass, drums, and electric guitar. They have a quiet presence on stage, but work together nicely. The songs are a little more akin to the opening band at times, but there is and added rootsy rock'n'roll element. Also, the electric guitarist can play some smoking leads while grinning sheepishly afterward. They remind me of Johnny Rivers for some reason, although I am hardly a Johnny Rivers expert. Well, at least one time, I thought a song was going to break into "Midnight Special", but didn't. They had a tough act to follow but did a nice job of it. This was a great night of music and it only cost $5. Considering, this was initially my 5th choice on where to go tonight, I was quite happy.

Quote of the Night: There were many good ones, but I missed a few lines so I'll paraphrase The WeatherVanes singer... "Thanks to Adrian Hardkor, is he here? (no). Those were very kind words... considering he's such a dick. Someone stop me if you see him coming..."

Tinariwen - Architecture in Helsinki - Sophie Hunger - Dom - Lo Fi Fnk -- 9:30 Club - Nov 15 2011

Lo Fi Fnk - From Sweden comes this synth pop trio with vocals, a couple of keyboards and drums. There is some brief bass for a bit as well. Alas, their 32-minute set was played to a crowd about the size of the Velvet Lounge due to the quantity of bands on the bill tonight. This is pleasant synth pop with nice vocals. The band has some nice energy, particularly the guy on keyboards (mostly synth). My favorite part was when he jumped off the stage and bowed or shook hands with everyone on the dance floor. It was pretty much a football line-up at that point, although there were a few of us in the balcony, too. Nice enough music, not too dazzling and quite hard to rate with this crowd. My guess is it would have been more fun at the DC9, but I would not be raving about the set.

Dom - Now this is exciting--it's Dom, the band that brought us one classic underground psyche record in the 70s called "The Edge of Time". No wait, it's just five guys from Massachusetts. This also has a nice polite pop element to the sound, but it rocks out more. Well, guitars will do that won't they. At their best, they had a handle on the poppier moments heard on the Nuggets compilation. There was also even a touch of drone in one song. Interesting enough for me to catch a return show some time. The crowd still is slow filing in as this set at least started at the normal Birchmere time (7:34pm). At least a full football or soccer game could now happen on the dance floor.

Sophie Hunger - Sophie Hunger starts the show off with a solo vocal that is pretty high on the Mesmer scale. Her two band members accompany her on all but one of the songs thereafter. Sophie adds a bit of guitar and keyboards to some of the songs. Her keyboard playing is excellent and probably could be featured more. But it really did not matter as the three of them created a fascinating array of sounds that really blended together. One guy focused mostly on guitar while the other had trombone and percussion going most of the time. There was some flute and backing vocals, too. There is an exotic European feeling present and indeed they are from Switzerland. Since Switzerland has French, German, and Italian roots depending on the part of the country you are in, I would guess there was more Germanic approach here with a bit of Italian. Quick research shows she was born in Bern which is closer to the France/Italy borders, but she also lived in the more Germanic Zurich and the even more Germanic Bonn (as well as London). But enough off the roots, the presentation tonight was breathtaking at times and solid throughout. The sound was folk, both gothic and traditional. There was a jarring yet successful Americana/folk song as well. The crowd was finally growing into, well a crowd and you could sense the growing excitement they were feeling with this set. It was accessible, yet daring in many spots. This is her first US tour and if she does anywhere near as well in the rest of the cities, she should have a great future here. It was obvious to all as she took the time to say "thank you for being so kind. It's like you were hired... but you're not."


Architecture in Helsinki - I was only in Helsinki for a few hours and I don't remember the architecture. It was a cold, quiet, dreary Sunday morning and the one thing I noticed was people walked with the poles used for cross country skiing, even when on sidewalks and paths. But this band has nothing to do with that as they are from Melbourne, Australia. There are five of them and I am not going to document the instrument switching but keyboards dominate the guitars. Bass and drums are around, too. Lots of vocalists (one female) are used with leads and harmonies varying nicely. This is slick electro-pop. Frankly, it sounds like a lot of other bands that I never listen to in depth. For once, I see a band from Australia that has not heard the Stooges. I regret not following this type of dance/feel good music when I was younger, but it does not serve much of a place for me now. The crowd was somewhat into this, but it was mixed until the rousing closer where even I could detect the excellence. This is a baffling bill as if this band were touring with the two openers and Sophie Hunger was with the headliner. It's also a lot of music, but there is still time for one more band...

Tinariwen - This band certainly looks like it came straight from the deserts of northern Mali. There is a buzz about this band and African music has really given us some exciting touring bands over the years, so there finally is a good crowd. They have one percussionist, bass, backing vocalist, electric guitar, and lead vocals w/acoustic and electric guitar. The sound is familiar if you follow either generation of Toures along with other music of that region. It is well done and sounds great in the club. The only problem I am feeling is that they lack the guitar excitement of the Toures, as well as the intense songwriting of a Thomas Mapfumo, or even the vocal prowess of a Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Rather they cozily fit in between it all. I should listen more as I am trying to figure out if I'm worn out by all the pop dance music I've heard tonight, or they simply don't have that extra gear needed to lift me to higher planes. They did manage some nice grooves with their songs and reminded me of the African version of Canned Heat or other cool easy going psyche acts from the past. A solid band for sure, just one I will have to give a little more thought and listening to.

Quote of the Night: From the 'Yeah, we've heard of it department'...   Sophie Hunger - "We are a band from Switzerland, a small country in Europe."

Gringo Star - State Department -- Black Cat - Nov 13 2011

State Department - It has been a while since I last saw this local four-piece (Seems I have written that more than a few times lately). Without looking at what I wrote, I recall that I liked them, while sensing that it was early in their career and there was room to improve. And as often the case, the improvement seemed to be on schedule tonight. They featured a solid full-time vocalist and the normal power trio behind him. The early songs mixed grinding early garage punk with some funkier songs. It was all gutsy heartfelt rock music at the core with a gorgeous droning roar (or roaring drone) carrying "The Devil is in the Details" to great heights. Perhaps not unlike the Banshees led by Nick Cave? The guitarist and bassist traded instruments and within a few notes my memory came back in full. Oh yeah, this is the part where they switch to a classic post-punk sound merging Gang of Four and Public Image moves and sounds. It is quite good, although it does disconnect things a bit. If I were a major label A&R guy, I may have a problem with this approach. But since I am a variety seeking music fan, I enjoy them bringing me lots of good songs in different styles. This band is welcome on any bill I attend and they had some nice crowd support tonight from the 40-50 attendees.

Gringo Star - From Atlanta comes this four piece with two guitars, bass and drums and the occasional switch to keyboards with all kinds of instrument trading throughout. The keys here are the vocals. A couple of guys trade lead duties and all three up front harmonize well. The sound is nice early pop garage with plenty of gutsy psyche-rock underneath. The first song is striking with its pop harmonies and the look on stage is pure Beatles with Paul and George leaning into the same mic while John sings lead off to the side. The hooks are plentiful and there is plenty of good garage rock underneath to keep things just heavy enough without losing the pop. This approach reminds me a bit of the an old Montana band called the Frantics which have a really cool obscure album out there. Nice lighting from the stage adds to the classic psychedelic feel. The last song also reminded me of the Groupies' "Primitive" (see Nuggets compilation... see and listen to full compilation often). It is really hard to do a poor job at this sort of music. The real question is whether you do it really well and offer a unique take on things. I hear the quality here more than the unique. But in days where vocals are often an after thought, these guys are on the high end of the quality side. Their tour is almost over and hopefully there were a lot of people like me who will now remember a very nice band with a name that is really easy to remember.

From the 'Not exactly my intended audience' department... I frequently look through the search phrases that lead people to my blog and find some interesting and amusing results. I will try to write them down for future reference. However, there was an old show that attracted some very odd searches every now and then. It was a show I reviewed here at the Black Cat that featured, No Age, Holy Fuck, and Trophy Wife. I'll let your imagination be your guide to the keyword searches that lead certain internet explorers to my review.

Medications - Cloud Nothings -- Black Cat - Nov 10 2011

Cloud Nothings - I enjoyed this band some time ago, but it has been a while so I am curious to see what has transpired. Not much, just some ferocious jaw dropping noise that explodes off the walls and assembles itself into shockingly melodic and tuneful songs.They had a strong and fast garage approach in the past that was significantly better than their peers, but it's up even another notch this time around. Kind of like what I (and everyone else) mentioned in reviews of Liturgy, the rollicking drums are what really elevate things here. But with this band, the guitars and bass are up to the task of also providing stunning sounds at varying high speeds. They create such dirty beauty with thick sludgy sounds at high speeds where it is difficult to tell if the core tones or overtones are providing the melody. Imagine Stiff Little Fingers, Sonic Youth, and Social Unrest all in a blender poured over the children of the Count Five as they cover the Dickies (or Comets on Fire at times). Even a broken bass string didn't slow them down much as the remaining three did an older tune that wasn't on the set. And things were back to extraordinary for the next number. Even the more basic garage pop-rock tracks were still excellent and gave a nice variety. Keep an eye on this band, they may be breaking through.

Medications - I have also enjoyed this local trio a few times prior to tonight. And again, the first song amazed me in its assertive power and fascinating off-kilter melody construction. Am I just in a really good mood tonight? No, quite the opposite, so both these bands are reminding me why I head out the door after a bad day. Great live music can really lift you up and Medications are doing exactly what they advertise. I was thinking of heading upstairs for the Sea and the Cake (in one of those infrequent double bookings) or the DC9, but am convinced I made the right choice. Medications performed many creative songs and varied the components quite well while maintaining their personal approach. They sound like they could fit into quirky and creative indie rock, but they just have a way of emitting more jagged progressive moments and twisted moves than even most indie rock bands do. I would say that about half the 55 minute set was filled with excellent songs and the other half were filled with cool jams. Most of the time I can have a band's sound down easily 1/4 or 1/2 way through the set. This one took the distance and multiple listenings would be ever better. They did a great job tonight in front of a good crowd and even did a legit encore from the folks that were not too cool to clap and holler.

No quotes, but my usual plug for my CD reviews in Folkworld magazine. Issue 46 is out with loads of CD reviews (even a few DC acts I slip in) along with some reprints of the folkier shows I have reviewed here.

Purity Ring - Doldrums -- Black Cat - Nov 9 2011

Doldrums - I decided to take the road less traveled tonight and hit some electronica acts at the backstage of the Black Cat. First up is a Canadian guy with a sampler/electronics board and a microphone. I enjoy the opening souds which are spacey and filled with chants before some real intensity sets in. More pop moves and even some tropicalia beats and sounds sneak in as it gets a bit more dance oriented. But sonic strength seems to dominate more than dance beats. The vocals are good--real waif like singing with pop hooks but a subtle edge much of the time. Between the vocals and the crunching sounds, this interests me a lot more than DJ styled dance grooves. And there was not much dancing going on but the really large crowd clearly enjoyed this. I cannot pretend to be an expert in this genre, but I knows whats I like and I like this just fine.

Purity Ring - This appears to be a project of Megan James of Gobble Gobble. She is the singer in the picture above and is accompanied by a guy I presume is Corrin Roddick from that same band (again, my knowledge is slight and research limited). He handles all the samples and beats and she focuses on the vocals. And once again it is the vocal quality that creates the originality and interest for me. If anything, the music is pretty basic and does not offer a lot of variety in the sound. Although the variety in the types of songs more than makes up for the sonic steadiness. They go from icy pop to brighter numbers with ease. There are some gutsy songs at the end that change both tempo and mood, while James' Toyah Wilcox type voice stays strong in directing the songs forward. They are at the end of a long tour and still delivered a great half-hour set. The crowd loved it and was only disappointed when they came back and said they could not encore as that is all they had set. Ah, now there is a time where sampling can't replace the live guys. But as long as there is this kind of originality and quality vocal work, I may yet be seeing more of these electronica bands.

Quote of the Night: From the opener... This kind of music is popular in Canada, I swear."

Wu Lyf - Crystal Antlers -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Nov 6 2011

Crystal Antlers - I was torn between this show or seeing Anthrax up in Silver Spring. Since all Metro trains stopped at Fort Totten that night, I did not bother investigating other ways to get there, instead opting for this show with bands I've heard of, but have not heard a note. It took about 5, maybe 10 notes into this when I realized I had lucked into the right choice. Boom! Comets on Fire reborn! My, how I've missed that band. These guys line up with drums, keys, guitar and a bass player that handles the lead vocals. After a nice spacey easing in to the first song, the sonic power exploded into psyche guitar, wild anguished vocals, ripping drums, and synth/keys with real heft. They dropped it down a notch and showed some prog moves not unlike my favorite heavy progsters--King Crimson and Opeth. Pulverising prog and psyche continued with a modern touch. There are even some nice pop hooks buried within and the vocalist can carry a tune and not merely scream intensely. There was also a touch of sonic follow-through from last night's headliner, the Blackberry Belles along with some of my favorite intense European acts like Aphrodite's Child or maybe Mynd Music? Compare it as you like, it all worked extremely well with the large crowd tonight. I only wished it was a bit more than the 31 minutes, but I am happy as I have a new favorite band.

WU LYF Press Photo, NY, Paul McGiver

Wu Lyf - Wikipedia says the band describes their music as "heavy pop". That's a good place to start as I see two things I truly like about this band. They hail from the fertile ground of Manchester, England but don't sound like a clone of any of the great band there, but more of a talented and smart progression. The second thing I like is the really divergent styles at work. The music is dream pop with plenty of bite at times, but the vocals are harsh and edgy (thus giving the heavy to it all). They remind me of the Troggs' Reg Presley singing for Midge Ure's Ultravox! The music does shift around nicely from song to song which is great as the rhythmic pop elements could get a little routine. They do just enough to rise above and with the intense vocals that seem to bring in shoegaze and post punk intensities, they really deliver fascinating music. It is more to their philosophy that reminds me of the shift made by Jason Pearce from Spacemen 3 to Spiritualized. This music was not nearly as immediate as what I enjoyed from the opener, but it really created such an intriguing vibe, that I would like to take it in again some time. It's catchy and only briefly too safe, but I think many listens will bring out some of the genius they seem to have. A nearly full club had a mix of intense fans up front and intrigued people like myself scattered around in the middle and back. Tonight was another reminder to take in new sounds as it is amazing what you can discover.

Quote of the Night: From the opener... "Hey Lighting Man, what happened to the strobe lights? Do you expect us to entertain just with our music?"

The Blackberry Belles - The Dirty Names - The El Rays -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Nov 5 2011

The El Rays - This is the first of what turned out to be an interesting night of local and area bands doing their version of three unique sounds of the 60s garage rock scene. First up are these five players on guitar, bass, drums, saxophone and farfisa. Instrumental surf music is served up with style and skill. Things are kept simple and direct with leads from the sax and guitar. The sax is key to things sounding a little more worldly and beyond the cliche of this sound. They end up with a sound reminding me of the Monomen's instrumental album of many years back. But it is not that heavy and heads toward Dengue Fever's LA garage leanings. I am not sure what the cover to original ratio was, but "Pipeline" is easily recognized by probably about all of the 35-45 present. Three were using sheet music, so maybe things are a little new here, but the band was together and fun. It is really hard not to enjoy this style of music, especially on a Saturday night. But I would be happy to see these guys again any time.

The Dirty Names - This Annapolis band says they play rock'n'roll. They proceed to give many fine examples of this throughout their 43 minute set. I was a tad worried when the first song sounded like they could have played it opening for REO Speedwagon in 1975. But they would have blown REO off the stage with it, so that worked out ok. They then dug back into the early 60s, later 60s and pretty much took lots of inspiration from classic and garage rock from several eras and just blasted it out in their own manner. Loads of power and skill here, not a whole lot of tricks which is clearly by design. It takes guts to play things straight these days as opposed to trying to add the latest Band of Horses style or whatever else is hip. These guys have not only the skill, but the moxy needed to bring it home. They are off on a tour of the south and if they get crowds like tonight (swelling to nearly 100 by now), they should do very well.

The Blackberry Belles - Regular readers know I have reviewed this band many times and interviewed them once, so I already know I will enjoy tonight as long as something bad does not happen. Pause. No, nothing bad happened, aside from choosing that as my first sentence. For those of you that have not seen this act, it is a three-piece with guitar/vocals, drums, and keyboards that yield organ, piano, and keyboard-bass. The sound is soulful rocking garage from the late 60s and early 70s. The band has a great approach and locked into their music well tonight just as they have many times previously. The vocals were a bit subdued in the mix, but otherwise the sound was strong (as it was all night). They brought up the Dirty Names' bass player to do "Going Home" which was a lot of fun and as rocked out as expected. All in all, a fine hour long set that gave a third variation on 60s garage bands. All genres have their unique subsets and tonight was a fine example for those of us thinking of these things. For the others that wanted to rest their brain and just rock out on a Saturday night, they were happy as well.

Quote of the Night: From the crowd during the opening band... "Kevin Eubanks, eat your heart out."

And apologies for the annoying floating text that I cannot find. Debugging will happen soon.

Scratch Acid - The Kepones -- 9:30 Club - Nov 4 2011

The Kepones - Tonight is the first DC show for this Richmond band in 11 years. I am not sure they have done a whole lot of anything in that time as their web presence was on the meager side. But they hit the ground running tonight with a moderate to quick paced sludge filled rock'n'roar style that is a perfect fit with the headliner. Tough as nails the whole way through, but melodic enough to allow one to stay with them. This reminds me of what Tales of Terror was doing by laying the foundation for grunge, allow this lacks a bit of the swing. I won't recall the songs, but the I will recall the blast as these stylists got the job done tonight. The crowd dug it as well.

Scratch Acid -I never got to see these guys back in the day, even though I knew their Rabid Cat label mates, the Offenders, rather well. While the Offenders followed the hardcore path, these guys were doing something quite different along the lines of Flipper, the Butthole Surfers among the notable others. I instantly recalled the second song "Mess" and thought that would be the only would I would recall, although a few more were buried deep in my memory. The band was pretty much nailing their signature sound which is a more rudimentary brutal version of what Yow and Sims later would do with the Jesus Lizard. That band had more angular moves, where this one had more twisted noisy chords. They were loud and powerful tonight, although it was the vocal thrusts where I needed my earplugs to parry away the pain. Yow was stalking the stage well and there were plenty of fans excited to hear this band, many for the first time I imagine. The crowd may have been just under the JL's crowd, but not by a whole lot. And the 65 minute set was a blast. Both the guitarist here and in the previous band just let it rip without any fancy pedals/effects board. But I really enjoyed the first of a three-song encore where I named that tune by the second line although I recognized it quickly as something I owned. It was "Damned for All Time" from Jesus Christ Superstar and it was surprisingly effective played mostly straight within the Scratch Acid sound. My final thoughts are of how surprisingly normal this all sounds. They were really quite daring at their time, yet now like so many bands that push the envelope, the sound is part of the foundation for a sprawling complex.

Quote of the Night: I just was about to leave at 9:42pm as a non-related late show was schedule later. The band was thanking the crowd and was wandering off as the house music came up when someone just came in and while putting his ID back in his wallet, looked up and with eyes growing larger stated... "Oh my God, that's fucking bullshit."

Opeth - Katatonia -- Ram's Head Baltimore - Nov 1 2011

Katatonia - It is a reunion of sorts for me tonight. In early 2008, I flew to Stockholm to board the Melloboat and enjoy a two night cruise to Helsinki with lots of great music. I would not have gone, were it not for the reforming of Comus for their first show in 35 years, but it also introduced me to two metal bands, both of whom are finishing a tour together in Baltimore tonight. Sweden's Katatonia impressed me then with stylish vocals set to quality northern metal. Within a few songs tonight, the style seems to have shifted a bit more psychedelic. There are nice dark undercurrents in the music with the vocals still front and center. The guitars seem a bit muddier and more compressed than they would have been designed, but I am in a back corner and I am thinking the sound is not too hot in some portions of this venue. The set is going over well and the crowd is probably pretty sharp for this billing. Since it was the last show of the tour, they ran through crew credits and then had some fun changing things around a bit with a different vocalist singing death metal tunes from 1993 and thereabouts. The set began early tonight and gave them 56 minutes to show their present direction as well as some old classics. They are clearly in that ever expanding camp of metal bands that have feet firmly planted in other related genres.

Opeth - Speaking of related genres... Opeth have long been one of the finest compositional bands in the metal field and have used folk elements and progressive moves for many years. I was curious to see how the crowd would react to the brand new material which is as progressive as it gets with arguably no metal in any of the songs. They begin with the newer material which goes over well from what I can hear. The fascinating thing was that when they dug out lots of cuts from older albums, they chose the most progressive or folk oriented cuts. The demon voice did not appear in the nearly two hour set (I did not stay for encores, so perhaps Mikael summoned up the beast). There was some back and forth with the crowd, with Mikael Akefeldt coming up with the better punchlines or just telling them to shut up. But the humor was good and I did not sense that too many people were disappointed. The acoustic guitars made a long appearance, but the crowd stayed with it the whole way. And ultimately the set was quite rewarding. I think I enjoyed the sharper contrasts I saw in the last tour a bit more, but I think what I really enjoyed more was the stronger sound at the 9:30 Club, as the sound was again too compressed from where I was standing. Late in the set, the crowd clapped along with a conga bit without any encouragement from the stage. That felt good, as the crowd indeed proved itself sharp and willing to follow this extremely and versatile band in whatever direction they wish to go. There is so much skill here, that I would not dream of jumping ship. If anything, I will settle in for an even longer voyage.

Quote of the Day: I paraphrase Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt as he spoke about eye contact he does from the stage and how as a fan he always felt he was being looked at by the band...  "I was in a club watching Dee Snider with his SMFs band and there were only a few people there, but they were all about five meters in front of me as I stood in the back leaning against the wall. Dee Snider then looks at me and says 'You motherfucker, why aren't you having a good time like the rest of them.'"

Dead Meadow - Blackbells -- DC9 - Oct 31 2011

Blackbells - This 2-guitar four-piece comes from Brooklyn. I haven't written variations of that sentence at least a hundred times, eh? The sound is strong and the vocals are good and earnest. They seem to balance indie rock and mainstream rock evenly. The opener seemed pretty basic, but the second cut showed some skilled songwriting with interesting counterpoints and sneaky lead runs early in the song. Competent in the extreme, but sometimes a bit lost in the basics. Just when I begin to drift, they nail a nice original song to bring me back into their sonic world. The vocalist went back to join in on drums for one cut with the lead guitarist blasting away. These kinds of moves and the skillful songwriting elevated these guys beyond the mundane. There is a mainstream appeal that could either explode these guys into a strong fanbase, so it will be interesting to see if they can continue to improve their set. Creativity, hard work, exposure--all the usual stars will need to align. But for now, nice job.

Dead Meadow - This former local band, LA based for some time now, is finishing a tour with Black Angels that paired off two of the lesser known, but extremely exciting accessible psychedelic rock bands. It was only Dead Meadow tonight and again they still play to about 10% of the audience they deserve. But that 10% is a sharp crew that knows and appreciates how good this band is and their enthusiasm made for a fun night. The sinewy bass lines are there, as are the fuzzy guitars, appealing vocals, and some of the more powerful moderate tempos you will groove to. Their original drummer is back in and has not missed a beat. I found myself making an odd comparison to the Stooges 1st album--second side in particular. It is not exact, but there is a shared rudimentary beat that has some quiet intricate touches. The basslines have some similar moves, although there is more touch here. Add some wah-wah and you have quieter updates of "Ann" or "Little Doll". Anyway, that is my new take on this brilliant act for this evening. My only criticism is the lack of a new album. No doubt they will be roaring through again sometime soon with lots of new songs to devour. Hopefully Jason Simon's grandmother enjoyed the show as much as I did.

Quote of the Night: My own quote on the walk over... "What the hell is going on tonight?" Duh, it's Halloween--my memory grows shorter and shorter. It was nice to walk among the kids, as I have only had to open my door two times to trick or treaters in 30 years due to some remote or secure homes.

Fuxa - Kuschty Rye Ergot - Teething Veils -- Velvet Lounge - Oct 30 2011

Teething Veils - This is a one-man show with vocals and electric guitar. It begins with a moderate tempo that induces a light psychedelic rock feel akin to Richard Buckner. Vocally, it's closer to psyche-folk mast Mark Fry. After a couple wobbles, this music settled nicely. The second cut was almost pure-psyche folk magic in the Mark Fry style once again (perhaps a little tougher). He did an excellent cover of the Ramones "Pet Sematary" and his original songs were easy to get involved with. This was a lovely set that flew by. When I fall into a trance like this, these 32 minutes feel more like 10.


Kuschty Rye Ergot - I am not sure the world needs another review of this band from me, but people do stumble on these reviews for the first time, so I will still do a simple review and remind people that this is a band they should check out some time.  They create an excellent psychedelic sound that can twist and turn within many musical forms from Eastern to Krautrock, and then some. They lined up as the core three-piece that you always see here and in Kohoutek. They had great touch tonight and kept it a bit more on the deep side of things with a touch of garage sneaking in. But as one person summed it up best when he shouted after the set "Thank you for taking me to space."

Fuxa - This is pronounced fuchsia which creates much confusion among those of us that adore a certain early 70s UK album. Instead, this is a duo from Detroit who play synthesizers, keyboards and electronics. It's simple enough, but I found the set extremely effective in the way they moved along a time line. Early on, I was reminded of my parents' instrumental albums which created some of my initial excitement for music. Although Fuxa's sound was soft and clean, there was a disturbing David Lynch mistrust of suburbia underneath. They moved further into the 70s with a cover of Suicide's "Cheree" and had songs that reminded me of both Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. If I had been in a bad mood, I may have blown this off entirely, but a relaxed listening had my mind moving with every song. Thus, an effective set that turned out a lot better than I had initially thought. But I would like to ask the one member (formerly of Windy & Carl) with a microphone to somehow get the reverb off when you talk to the audience. I understood precious little of what was said and it would have been nice to have your friendly interaction. Frankly, at the Velvet Lounge in front of 20 people, it would have been clearer if you had stepped aside and just talk to us. But when the music flowed, life was good.

Quote of the Night:  From the opener... "It's not Halloween without the Ramones."

RECORD REVIEWS - October 2011

RECORD REVIEWS FOR OCTOBER

Spoonboy - "The Papas"

Spoonboy are a nice little power pop/punk project from David Combs of the long running DC favorites, the Max Levine Ensemble. As expected, these are catchy songs in a grungy little punk sound. The sound is quirky and the singing is akin to a chippy Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks. There is much in the direction of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, but it does not quite achivee those heights. There are a few engaging songs that have me interested in listening further. The songs' themes are geared a lot toward youth from what I can pick up and occasionally show off some good poetic storytelling. I try to see the Ensemble whenever I am able, and Spoonboy would also provide an engaging set.

They also have released this album in both electric and acoustic versions. I prefer the electric on most of the songs (with that usual Billy Bragg/Ted Leo style that electric invokes), but the acoustic works better at times. If this were designed as a tighter release, it would probably be best to mix and match which would make one stronger album. But this is all on Bandcamp, so everything is available for you to decide for yourself. And it's free, so take a listen here.

Songs to try first:

Gerald Lee Palmer - Classic story told with a nice pop melody and a little bite in the guitars.

Sexy Dreams - Another amusing story set to music to bob your head to or tap your toes to.

Mamas and the Papas - An ambitious arrangement that works well with its Roy Harper-light singing quality.

Peter Maybarduk "A Ring around the Atlantic"

Peter Maybarduk is a fine local musician that will play solo folk shows or full-band folk-rock sets. This album is even more complex and interesting than his live sets. The title cut has a great rhythm with lots of intriguing instrumental moves. His voice is a nice soft topping and reminds me of Feargal Sharkey of Ireland's Undertones. I was thinking that the vocals may be the only comparison to the pop-punk of the Undertones, but actually there are many energetic songs here that have that great youthful spirit and energy that the Undertones had. There are also folk moves with acoustic guitar or piano provided the light accompaniment to the vocal melodies. J. Robbins is on hand to produce and that is always a positive. They have put together a lovely variety of songs where there is something new going on from song to song, but it manages to stay connected and focused. My only criticism would be that some of the lyrics are a tad strained, but that is an error of ambition, so it does not affect my desire to return to this interesting album, available here at Bandcamp.

Songs to try first:

A Ring Around the Atlantic - Done in two different styles. The first one is a gem of a rocker.

Touched by Fire - Great grinding guitar rhythms with lead and backing vocals dancing around in different patterns. Energy to spare with plenty of hooks.

Something to Believe - Good simple power pop. And when power pop is good, there is not much more to be said.

Boris - Asobi Seksu - Liturgy -- Black Cat - Oct 29 2011

Liturgy - When I last saw this four-piece at the DC9, I was impressed with the band's fascinating controlled thrash metal drone style. But what really stood out was the drummer with his speed and nimble movements. Fellow blogger Michael Darpino mentioned that when he first saw them, that was what really impressed him as well. And now, Greg Fox is making one of his final appearances on drums with the band. I learned this recently when the New York Times ran a feature story on Greg Fox. Apparently he will be doing electronica and drum for another band. If he was only doing electronica, I would be disappointed as his drumming skills are too good to go to waste (remember what happened to a great drummer named Phil Collins). But we shall see where he is headed down the road. For now, Liturgy did a smoking half-hour set complete with chant vocal loops recreating their twist on a Gregorian chant. Sheets of metal from the two guitars and bass with screechy vocals and those wonderful drums all came together with various tones and overtones like some unholy alliance between Opeth and the early Meat Puppets after attending a few lectures from Brian Eno and Robert Fripp. I hope the band continues on. I don't envy the task of the new drummer, but these guys manage a great control of an intriguing sound, so it will likely continue to be a powerful set.

Asobi Seksu - This New York band (who wisely changed their name from Spotfuck) has been around a little longer than I expected. It was nice to catch up with them as they delivered an enjoyable 47-minute set tonight. They have a female vocalist who has some keys/electronics she uses regularly. After that, it is the usual guitar, bass, drums setup. They look like a favorite of mine, SF's Lovelikefire, and have a little bit of the same sound, although there is a striking difference within this band. The trio plays a powerful shoegaze sound that really roars up a storm. The singer has a dreamier pop style that contrasted nicely and was more starkly varied than other bands of this style. It all worked well enough tonight and for those that were not sure what slot to fit this band into, a Jesus and Marychain cover told the rest of the story. They struggled a bit with the sound and had to take a long time for a sound and line check (see below) as there were some setup problems tonight with the doors opening only just before the show was due to start.

Boris - I suppose I should not worry about Michio Kurihara (Ghost) showing up to assist on guitar with the three members of Boris as he seems to do it every time, but he did have some Visa problems that prevented him from playing with Damon & Naomi the last time through. He's here, so the line-up is complete. They have a two new discs out (one heavy, one light, although lines are blurred of course) and they played a nice selection from the new along with plenty of the old. And now the simple statement on this show... I believe this may be all the proof I need to say that this is the best live band anywhere. I like a ton of bands, but this band takes their very good records and brings them up to ridiculously high levels of volume, intensity, and passion when they hit the stage. They mix their styles so well and do not shy away from blasting away at a total drone for several minutes of their ninety minute set. The guitar sounds contrast nicely with Wata's deeply imbedded rhythms setting up Kurihara's wah-wah workout. And Takeshi's double necked axe featuring bass and guitar is there to add a third guitar when desired. They take a low key approach aside from Atsuo's crazy fun drummer personality which is a nice spicy addition. The lighting is excellent with dramatic back lighting and side lighting used more than spots. There is plenty of smoke and the effect is so much better than most bands. But the music is a beast all its own, yet somehow they harness it just enough to control the chaos and present the magic to the large club crowds. Simply not to be missed.

Quote of the Night: From the singer for Asobi Seksu after some annoying feedback... "Can we please make that stop. Please, it's very painful."  Thankfully it only happened a couple times that I noticed, but I appreciate the effort. Loud is wonderful, but some sounds are truly painful.

The Naked and the Famous - The Chain Gang of 1974 - White Arrows -- 9:30 Club - Oct 28 2011

White Arrows - Taking the stage only a half hour after the club opened is this LA-based 5-piece. They feature a couple of guitars and a keyboardist/eclectronica guy. The immediately striking feature, which really becomes the most fascinating part of their sound is the vocal work. One guitarist takes the first lead and sings a lot like veteran LA speed punks, the Dickies or Skafish. The band engages in far more of the dreamy and edgier brands of west coast post punk psyche such as the 3 O'Clock or maybe even Dream Theater. As the songs roll along, the keyboardist has a dreamier vocal style and the combination and contrast of vocal work and even the music is quite vibrant. Just as you relax with one vocal line, another one twists you around. The guitars always have an edge that sometimes stays in the background, but can jump to the fore and dominate. Yes, it was dancey and fun, but a lot to listen to which is vital for me interested in dance music. Alas, the club was only about half-full with the tight scheduling, and although some people were probably in need of some time to figure out the contrasts here, the band did build crowd support during their allotted 27 minutes. This was a fine set and is clearly a band to watch.

The Chain Gang of 1974 - From my old home town of Denver, Colorado, comes a band that has nothing to do with 'the Denver sound'. Instead, this four-piece is a solid fit on this bill with its Brit-pop dance electronica rock sound. The first song is pretty fabulous as the guitar work is straight out Led Zep's "The Immigrant Song". The vocals come in a bit like Bauhaus and some other Brit crooners where I know the sound, but I don't know their names. The second cut vocals went more of a Howard Devoto/Magazine style where the irony comes out nicely. But then, they slid into more comfortable brit-pop again. When it rocked a little harder, my interest was higher, but that was not quite often enough. They went over well enough with the crowd, but the support kind of waned as things got more predictable. I think there is some real potential if they can focus on their sharper, edgier, more original songs. Still, a modestly enjoyable set tonight to set up the headliner.


The Naked and the Famous - It is great to see this band make their way from New Zealand to these shores, but based on their popularity and tonight's sold-out show, there is no label underwriting needed here. This five-piece has a full command of their sound and the crowd is stoked. The two vocalists, male and female, work together (or apart) beautifully and bring the life into the music. The electronica and human beats and rhythms seem a bit basic to me and I could really do with out the bass note pummelings that throb deep within my body. I know some people really enjoy that, but it always seems distracting to me. The hooks in the songs are really excellent for the most part and that is why a band should achieve success. It's pretty easy these days to play dance beats, but it still requires skill to hook a crowd in and deliver vibrant vocals. A quick glance at the music I normally go see will show that this pop-rock-dance style is not something I am expert in. But I always enjoy trying to find the better or best of other genres. This band earned my respect tonight. As for the other 1,200 people, I think most of them already knew that and were just thrilled that the band delivered a great live set, playing the music they already loved.

Kudos to... the 9:30 Club for a relaxing enjoyable evening without their usual children running around nagging on every minor or perceived infraction. This was a good crowd tonight and security was there, barely visible, and not needed.

Beasts of No Nation - LTW - The Mostly Dead -- Red Palace - Oct 26 2011

The Mostly Dead - Regular readers will know that this is one of my favorite area hardcore punk acts, so unless they really slip up, they will be getting praise in this column. No slip-ups tonight, as their music was tight and strong and they did a great job building their 26 minute set by playing their most boundary stretching songs toward the end, which was a good touch. It was interesting to see their long time bass player back in the fold, although he has to trek down from Brooklyn to play with the band these days. The one 'game' I tried to play with myself is imagining the best era and city each of these bands would be a part of in punk/hardcore history. I came up with early 80s Boston with nods to the Freeze and even a little Proletariat of Mission of Burma tossed in. The only negative was that the crowd was slow in getting into the club and ended up about 20 or so. But they seemed to dig it as did I.

LTW - This is a local four-piece hardcore thrash band with a similar vocals, guitar, bass, drums line-up. The guitarist looks like he's 14, the drummer 41 (not really, just the shaved head and dark rimmed glasses look). There is a really bad feedback buzzing coming from their massive amps, but it is completely unimportant when they play as they just blast through the typical thrash songs. My placement of these guys is latter day Boston. Siege anyone? I barely remember that band, but they came to mind. These guys could also be post-Negative Approach (although they were in my mind as NA was the between band house music). The crowd had doubled by now, but if they blinked they may have missed this 13 minute set. I don't see an obvious web link and I will avoid the temptation to send you the LTW Band that stand for Light the World (ed.-corrected per comment)

Beasts of No Nation - I saw this solid local band about a year ago opening for the Zeros at the Velvet Lounge. I recall enjoying them, but the set went by pretty quickly. Even though it was only 25 minutes tonight, that was plenty of time for this four-piece to showcase their excellent assertive songs. It's hardcore and punk and heavy and tuneful. They loosen things up a bit at times and the guitars play together nicely as opposed to just pummeling each other to new heights. Hard to fit these guys in to any place and time, but I heard elements of the Offenders from Texas, but their was a sense of melodic hardcore punk from 80s LA in there, too. The main thing was that these guys deliver high quality songs that you can choose to think about or just rock out to. Hopefully, you'll keep your brain on as you will be rewarded more. Intriguing crowd tonight in that they were kind of mature and reserved for such a heavy show (thankfully they were not as 'mature' as I am in regards to this euphemism). I hope I don't wait as long for the next show as I do feed of these short bursts of energy. And these guys do it as well as anybody.

Quote of the Night: From LTW between songs... "Don't clap." Really? - then don't pause. Is your next song going to be about No Rules? But seriously, he makes a good point. This band like others in even radically different genres are presenting an overall sound and approach in a short set. It's not about playing a series of songs with their individual hooks, so I agree with him in spirit.

Ani DiFranco - Anais Mitchell -- 6th + I Synagogue - Oct 25 2011

Anais Mitchell - We begin with a singer/songwriter on acoustic guitar, just as we will have for the main act as well. Ms. Mitchell has a nice soft strum which she hits with an impact that creates a little tension even with the softer string sound. Her tight and strong voice clearly delivers her lyrics and is easy to listen to. I like that she has some longer songs and seems to tell a story quite well. I think that is her strength more than her poetry, perhaps. Although to be fair, it is hard to give a good analysis of this at a live show, although any cliches do tend to jump out. She did songs from a folk opera she wrote which sounds very interesting. She did well with the crowd in her solid half-hour set and succeeded with me in that I not only enjoyed the set, but am curious to hear more of her work in full.

Ani DiFranco - Amazingly enough even with all the folk records I review, I really have not heard a lot of Ani DiFranco music over the years. I always knew she was somebody I should listen to further and a show in the synagogue is as good as place as any to become familiar with her music. She has a lot of energy tonight which I am guessing is the norm as she seems to have a good personality for going solo. The songs are good with solid vocal dynamics that really highlight the qualities of her writing. He guitar work is well above what I normally hear as well. She really sounds more rock than folk and has all kinds of fills and runs that you don't usually hear in a folk set. The ninety minutes flew by with great music, nice stage patter and even a couple of songs with Anais Mitchell helping out (first on vocals, then on vocals and guitar). The guitar tech was ready with a new guitar for each song due probably to alternate tunings as well as DiFranco's forceful playing style. Great energy, nice songs and a set that she said would be entirely different from the one she would do the next night if anyone was coming to both sold-out shows. That is the sign of a pro who treats her audience well. It took me a while, but I am glad I finally caught up with her. And I would guess she'll still be moving at a fast pace hereon.

Quote of the Night: Ani DiFranco does the usual protest songs and they are fine, but she made this comment... "Do you believe this Congress? I mean, there ought to be a law where we could impeach them for not letting the President do anything."

Really? Is this something you also said 5-10 years ago? You might want to take a look at fascism more closely. It is great when you have someone good and who you like in the job, but watch out when you don't. See the Roman Empire for the pluses and minuses once Caesar overtook the Republic.

But of course, I think everyone understands this frustration.

Blitzen Trapper - Dawes - Smoke Fairies -- Black Cat - Oct 24 2011

Smoke Fairies - My favorite band of this incredibly good three-band bill hits the main stage at 8:32pm for their half-hour set. I reviewed them earlier this year and the sound was similar so you can read further about the band here. It was fitting that Bread Love & Dreams was playing on my IPOD when they went on as that era of Brit psyche-folk is right were this duo is at home. The good thing about being on this tour is a chance to expand their audience in the US. The bad thing about being on this tour is playing to indifferent indie rock fans in a really large room as people are still filing into the club. The club was less than half full at the start and more than half full at the end. The other issue is the delicate two electric guitar and two voice harmonies work a lot better in a smaller room. If ever the powerful mysticism created by this duo will get spoiled, it will be in a rock club with the usual high percentage of gabby pretentious people who have little interest in digging into something new. But that was the only negative here as the duo did their usual excellent job with their distant wistful songs. They have been touring hard, so I hope it will pay off and they can come back next year with another album and lots of new fans. And hopefully it will be in a dark moderate sized room with oriental rugs thrown down for people to lay out and absorb this transcendent magic.

Dawes - This four-piece is co-headlining on this tour and played a full hour-long set. They fit in with the California style of Americana and you would probably get the same feeling here as you would at a Band of Horses/Low Anthem/Gary Louris show as well. Steady rhythms and nice keyboard punctuations add to the vocal and guitar melodies. The guitar work is sharp and goes from simple runs to more jagged Neil Young moves at times. Their are some nice pop hooks and one song had me really thinking I was listening to Colin Blunstone sing a new song with the Zombies. They had a singer named Johnny Corndawg join them for a couple of songs. I was skeptical but the first one was excellent. The second one was a cappella and a little more bland, but it was a nice touch. Things like this are fun for the band and for those of us that see a lot of bands and like a few surprises beyond playing the latest album and a few hits. There are an awful lot of bands that sound like Dawes and several I like better. But there are a significantly larger number that I do not like as well.

Blitzen Trapper - These five guys are a good partner for Dawes, especially on this tour since their latest album has an even rootsier Americana approach than their previous album (both of which I reviewed for Folkworld magazine). After a couple more recognizable cuts, the band cut into their new one and really brought the songs to life. It really enhanced the songs tremendously and was a good reminder of why you should see a band live when you can. There are many albums that are good and you can recognize quality, but some do not fully resonate with you to the point you want to play them over and over. Usually, as what happened here, the live setting allows at least the better musicians to have some fun and pump some volume and maybe even a bit more heart into the material. At least that is how I felt with what I was hearing tonight. Blitzen Trapper remains a favorite of mine on the indie circuit as they have a great balance of creativity and gutsy heartland style . And this was a sell-out, so I am hardly telling too many people anything they don't already know. Funny though, there was a lot more space tonight than there was at the Damned show which was not sold-out (although it may have eventually sold-out with the walk-up crowd).

Quote of the Night: Well earlier in the day as I went to get my cat his heart pills...
"Here's a prescription for my cat."
"OK, your cat's birthday?"
"Uh, no one knows, probably April '04"
"And he's in our system?"
"Yes his name is Tam Lin, but should be under my name."

"No, it's not there, maybe under T... no, is Lin his last name?"
"Well, no but try that."
"Here it is in L... Tam Lin"

The Damned - The Legendary Shack Shakers -- Black Cat - Oct 23 2011

The Legendary Shack Shakers - "The Damned asked us to be here. It's blues stuff, so try and get into it". Hmmm... if you have to explain it... I am not sure what feedback the singer was getting up front, but it was odd that not only did he say that early, he again mentioned that the Damned invited them and they were on the full tour. This is 2011 after all. If it was 1977, yes, they would have been gobbed off the stage at first sight of the stand-up bass player. Still, this sound did challenge a few people. It was uptempo punkabilly rock'n'roll that reminded me of some of the Denver sound bands, but not as complex. The rhythms were classic and the singer played some mean harmonica. The real fun was in the guitar work by the former soundmeister from the Jesus Lizard. I did not know that early in the set and was thinking it sounded a bit like John McGeoch (Banshees, Magazine) on steroids. He provided similar sharp edges that were heard in JL, while playing some nice punishing chords as well. This was fun and maybe some people were looking at their watches for this 45 minute set, but I was not one of them.


The Damned - There are some very unpredictable moments that make me feel really old in a crushing way. The latest was seeing that the Damned were playing on their 35th Anniversary tour. The math may be the same, but the Zombies 50th year did not bother me at all. But the Damned helped me get into punkrock with their dangerous performance (along with the Sex Pistols) on NBC in the nascent days of punkrock. But to heck with all that, there may have been a late sellout or something very close with two generations of fans and plenty of people in between. The Damned decided to play their first and fourth albums for the tour. I would have chosen the first and third, but the fourth was the next best choice. They ripped through the first album and aside from the usual slow moves from the soundman, the songs were ripping hard and fast. But this is the Damned, so there was a delay as Captain Sensible switched guitars and could not get it working quite right much to the amusement of Dave Vanian. But by "Born to Kill" they were flying all the way to their great rendition of the Stooges "1970". They did the songs in order and then it was break time after this 36 minute set. They came back and played an album I liked but have not listened to in years. I recall that I loved the first two songs and it was spotty thereafter. And aside from needing a couple of lines to get the harmonies right in "Lively Arts", they did great on those songs. They then proved me wrong by reminding me that I did like Side One a lot, but didn't always flip it over. Side 2 is spottier and led to the their pop music direction, but sounded great tonight. And "History of the World" is a very well written song, so my memory was being sent on a marathon and not merely jogged. I was surprised that they did the sidelong Side 3 song on the special two disc set. I thought it was akin to the dull Love song that lasted a full side, but again it worked tonight with lots of dual psyche keyboard moves. And after a couple of encores from their third album, they called it a night leaving a very happy crowd behind. The Damned were a brilliant punk band, yet changed their style steadily through at least five albums through new members and desired genre additions and shifts. It still works well in 2011 in whatever format they deliver it and I will be with them as long as they care to keep it going.

Quote of the Night:  "What are you doing over there... you lazy bastard."  Captain Sensible making fun of the keyboardist Monty Oxy Moron (who looks a bit like Rob Tyner, but is more a fall guy like Marty Allen). He had to stand there for the first album with no keyboards and sing a couple of backup lines now and then.