Caustic Casanova - Accidents - Oh So Peligroso -- Velvet Lounge - Feb 17 2012

Oh So Peligroso - The dreaded 'third time seeing a band' thoughts creep into my head. I tend to worry if I see a band too frequently I'll end up thinking the fresh fun I had the first time has been replaced by seeing something average that maybe was not that fresh to begin with. But then there are sets like this which allow me to appreciate a band I like even more. They came out guns blazing with a bass that was a bit too high in the mix, but eventually organ, drums, guitar and vocals caught up. The energy is here again as are the catchy songs, but I was really watching the playing. I liked how the guitar work is more runs and leads during the verses as opposed to the basic barre chords (Keith Levine perhaps?). The bass is certainly heavy enough and the organ plays can support the melody as well. That allows free rein for the guitar create unexpected sounds giving this band its unique space. The vocals come out strong and there is a sense of fun with the entire band. The give off the same vibe as the Damned often does with things close to falling apart (well, with the Damned they often did). They closed with Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" which I have not seen live since 1974 when I was in junior high school where my friends, Rick, Greg, and Jon performed it at some function. Jon went on to play in Dayton's The Lovers which were the dreaded mainstream-seeking new wave band that our band, Toxic Reasons, would have nothing to do with. I secretly rooted for them having an old friend in the band, but alas, they are but a footnote to a footnote (deservedly so after listening to what I found on the web).

Accidents - I had not seen this band before, but I trusted Caustic Casanova to invite good bands for their CD release show. My trust was well served as this band instantly created raucous rawk music that bore down deep. Buzzsaw classic hard rock mixed with thrash metal mixed with gutsy punk rock. Although, that sounds like a lot, the approach was pretty simple... two guitars blazing away with bass and drums providing the thunder and a singer with a great piercing voice and stage presence. It was kind of Street Dogs meet MC5 in a way. Now if you are NOT doing the kind of guitar work I mentioned in the first set and ARE playing barre chords, it is easy enough to make it work if you have the energy and the hooks. That was all there and the singer with his Jello Biafra/early Paul Westerberg voice singing while hanging upside down from the rafters certainly made this exciting and fun. The sizable crowd tonight enjoyed this set as much as the first one.

Caustic Casanova - Speaking of seeing bands a lot..., but actually it has been a lot less frequent the last year or so. But I was not going to miss tonight as this local trio are releasing their long awaited album (see my review). They played it in full which is a perfectly good idea as it flows so very well and showcases all their amazing styles bundled together. Old psyche, new psyche, alt metal, classic rock, dreamy prog... all with interesting slightly off kilter vocal work and slashing dynamic shifts of power and volume. The set went almost an hour and unfortunately it was getting late, so some of the crowd had filtered out. But hopefully they bought a record before they went home, as this music is strong and sounds fresh after multiple listens (at least the 5 listens I have done so far in less than a week). They are headed to Mecca (Austin) and will pick up some tour dates around that, so hopefully lots of intelligent heavy music fans will discover this band that is still a little bit too under the radar around here.

Quote of the Night: "Will you save my wall?" coming from the man next to me. He was a parent of one of the band members and of my generation. I like having people around that appreciate the value of walls to lean on and a few stools or chairs to ease the pain of aging limbs and backs.