Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires - Turf War -- DC9 - Jan 27 2014

Turf War - Good old fashioned power-pop/punk never goes out of style, even to those of us who remember when this sound was a massive blow against the empire. This Atlanta quartet offers absolutely nothing new with no reinvention to this sturdy wheel. Yet they have formed a strong and smooth wheel that grips the road and moves along at a brisk pace. You will hear elements of the Ramones, Blondie, Nerves, and the Undertones and many more of your favorites in these tunes. The 33 minute set tonight went over well with a fairly decent Monday night crowd who braved the cold to hear some good rock music. Turf War should be welcome on many a billing.

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires - This band is also a twin-guitar quartet with one guitarist handling the lead vocals. They are also from the south, Alabama in this case. And they follow in that same sort of punk pop rock mix, although these guys play it a little looser, with a bit more glam sleaze. The guitarists really have a way with working around each other, brazenly working off the highly melodic vocal lines. They have that classic NY Dolls, Dead Boys thing going on that hearkens back even further into the older glam scene. But these guys have the pace and a powerful rhythm section to make it tougher and faster than anything that came out before 1977. This is their first time in DC, yet they seem quite road tested with the comfort level they have on stage. The best of their songs really moved and jumped and the lesser ones were decent enough. The crowd dug them and they should be gaining  a lot of fans on this tour. I would see them again any time.

Photo of the Day - As I ready myself for another Premier League day, some clever sort offered his idea to aide ailing Manchester United Fans featuring my favorite Sir (Alex Ferguson).