Public Image Ltd. -- 9:30 Club - May 12 2010

Public Image Ltd. - After a surprisingly long hiatus, John Lydon resurrects one of the most pivotal post-punk bands ever. In fact, they may have been most responsible for coining that term with the very different and challenging albums in the late seventies and eighties. So what exactly will happen tonight? I was excited to find out, as was a near-sold 9:30 Club crowd. No openers, just a good long set with many of the key songs from many of their albums. The set list does not appear to vary much from each show and it does appear to be a tight well controlled set. Lydon is in fine voice, once he gets the requested reverb early on. The band is excellent and features the Pop Group's drummer (another early post punk band around the time of early PiL), a more unknown bassist and Lu Edmonds who has worked with PiL, Mekons and was in the Damned for about five seconds (actually longer, but we Damned fans are still bummed about the second album even if isn't as bad as it is disappointing).

The band was excellent and the sound was quite strong tonight. Lu Edmonds brings more of a psychedelic swirl to the songs. He rounds off some of the jagged edges of Keith Levine's early work while still retaining enough of the bite. I would say his style bridges Levine and Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers (especially latter period work). He plays bouzouki some and both he and the bass player have some keyboards going at times. All three do backup vocals at times. The rhythm section was solid and is of course crucial to PiL's sound. Lydon's voice was good, his comments amusing as usual and his political fire was still high in comments and even a few jabs slipping into the songs.

As for the songs, they came off very well. I was enjoying the entire show well enough after the strong opener "Love Song" and then they went into "Chant" and pretty much blew my mind. It is not often you can take a great song from a brilliant album ("Metal Box") and do a better arrangement, but that is what they did. The song was screaming with the vocal interplay and sounded absolutely dangerous. I rarely feel the power and danger in a rock song these days, but this one literally had my jaw dropping and my eyes widening. Stunning. And the closer "Religion" did not lose any of that power. And with a three song encore, the show came to a powerful close. Lydon promised us that we could expect more things from PiL very soon. Good. It's been overdue, I think. This show started as enjoyable and ended as essential.

Quote of the Night: An exchange between me and a guy standing next to me before the show.
"What's with the music stand (by Lydon's mic)? What is this, Chopin? I mean, he's John fucking Lydon.
"Yeah, well it's been 17 years."
"But we don't care about the lyrics. It's John freaking Lydon. He can just make 'em up."
"Maybe, but many other people use them, David Johanssen of the Dolls, Pete Hammill...
"Really? Yeah, but a music stand. I mean. John Lydon. Just make it up."

Plug of the Night: There is an open house for all DC area bloggers at the Goethe Institut at the corner of I and 7th Street in the NW. It is Monday the 17th from 7-9pm. Here is the site and you can contact Ellie Brown for more information... http://goethedc.org/

I would love to attend but I will be out reviewing a guy I saw open for KISS in high school, Leslie West a the Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA. But hopefully they will do another as I do enjoy going to the Goethe for movies and Fringe events.

Buzzcocks - The Dollyrots -- Black Cat - May 11 2010

The Dollyrots - This band is a power trio with a female bassist/lead vocalist. They have a clear, clean hook oriented pop punk sound. Hmmm, kind of fits perfectly with the headliners, what a shock. Very steady sounds here with a few songs standing out more. They tried a clap along in the second song and an odd sing along that made no sense to me early on as they were trying to rev up the crowd a bit. Eventually, their music won the crowd over and they did have a good chant along and clapping song at the end. So, I would advise them to take care in how hard and early you push a crowd next time. But they kept a good attitude, so that was refreshing. I think their cover of Melanie's "Brand New Key" won over a lot of people. And they laughed off their "Spinal Tap" moment where their banner half fell down covering the drummer who still managed to keep the beat. Their music did win me over, too and I enjoyed the set. They are a good enough band to see on their own and they certainly set the table tonight for the mighty Buzzcocks.

Steve, Danny, Chris, Pete, credit: Ian Rook (www.ianrook.com)

The Buzzcocks - I have not seen this essential band since the early nineties (in Salt Lake City no less) and they have taken a while to get on this side of the Atlantic for a variety of reasons. They still feature Diggle and Shelley on guitars and vocals, with Pete Shelley doing most of the leads. The concept of this tour is the playing of the first two albums in their entirety. I have no problem with that as the weakest material is still excellent. And did they ever play them as albums, as they ripped through the songs with very little space in between. Vocals were good and the sound was strong--maybe a bit too much reverb on guitars, but not distracting. Not much stage patter as they just blasted away, although Shelley mentioned "I Need" was making its North American debut which does some time happens on these "whole album" shows. Steve Diggle always looks like he is having the time of his life on stage interacting with the crowd which pretty much is because he is having the time of his life. If not for the Buzzcocks, he would be hamming it up with everyone at a local pub somewhere. Shelley is quieter, but smart and outgoing enough and when the show ended, they all worked the appreciative crowd up front for some time before leaving. But not before a few "Singles Going Steady" set of encores including: "Harmony in my Head", "Promises", "Love You More", "What Do I Get" and "Orgasm Addict". The crowd was loudly doing the oh-ohs in the songs with no prompting and really jumping around. Killer show. Welcome back to North America, Buzzcocks, you have been missed.

Plug of the Night: I was happy to meet Michael Darpino between sets. He writes excellent reviews of many of the shows I see along with others I wish I had. We could have talked music non-stop for days and over time, I am sure we will. Check out his work at the link or all the write-ups at www.welovedc.com

Caribou - Toro y Moi -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - May 10 2010

Toro y Moi - I saw this solo act recently and was pleasantly surprised to see that in the mean time, he has transformed into a three-piece band. In fact, this is their eighth show together. He has added a bass and drummer, although the bass player played a bit of guitar, too. Keyboards and dreamy pop vocals are still at the fore of this music. It is pop music with lots of dreamy echo and effects carrying it into light psychedelia. The songs are catchy and at both shows, the audience clearly gets into the music. They survived a bit of static in two songs that the soundman fixed on stage.With a full slate of gigs opening for Caribou, the future looks bright for this South Carolina band.

Caribou - Haven't caught up with these hot Canadians in a long time, very near the time they had to change their name from Manitoba due to the lawyers of the Dictators' "Handsome Dick" Manitoba making some threats. Hey Dick (nee Richard Blum), aren't you just running a bar these days? Well Caribou is doing just fine, thank-you, as the denizens of this absolutely jam-packed sold-out crowd will attest. Caribou is actually one person who is a math scholar in a family of math scholars. I will resist the urge to call this math rock (a truly odd category that makes a little sense, but kind of doesn't) and I would more easily classify it as psychedelic pop-rock. I thought he had a smaller band last time, but it was four at this show. He has a drummer, guitarist and bass/backing vocalist assisting him. He plays guitar, keyboards and drums. I thought the songs were all as strong as could be. They went from dreamy pop to edgy rock, weaving psychedelic moods in and out, varying from long jams to structured pop songs. This is really some inventive and fun energetic music. I liked them quite a bit last time. I really liked them a lot this time. Note to the Black Cat and 9:30 Club, this band needs to hit one of your stages next time as they are very steadily building a smart fan base and I don't see a ceiling anywhere nearby.

Sign from London from a Betting Parlor last week: "Make this election pay! 100 ways to bet all local and National election results."

Caedmon - Scottish Story Telling Center - May 7 and 8 2010

Caedmon - When the special and unique bands reform somewhere in the world, I try to get there if I can. When Comus reformed on a boat between Sweden and Finland, I was there. When Pentangle played Royal Albert Hall a few months later, I made the pilgrimage. The trips were magical and I would have forever regretting missing them. Caedmon with its one album issued (500 copies yet) is not going to get the Royal Albert Hall. But thanks to the CD reissue along with a live set and the internet, there was always some interest in this excellent band. They first rehearsed together a couple years ago and enjoyed it and worked on many new songs. Now they have decided to follow through on this and come out with an album soon. Along with that, they decided to treat friends, families and anyone else that wanted to make the pilgrimage to Edinburgh to two shows. This may be the only shows they do since 1978. Based on the results, I hope not. All five original members were present and were nicely supplemented occasionally by Simon's son on drums, Angela's daughter on vocals and some old friends on sax. All five members were spot on throughout the shows. They all sing and although there was some tentativeness at times and at first, their confidence grew and their magical voices came back. Angela's voice (as they even quoted the internet as saying "fragile") was still very recognizable as it kind of floats gently above the music. Jim Bisset's electric guitar was a model of compressed solos and unique coloring. Sam Wilson playing 5-string bass mostly could both ground the songs or run of lead moves of his own. Simon Jaquet grounded things in the folk camp with his acoustic guitar and mandolin, unless he felt like keeping a beat on a drum kit for the newer songs. And Ken Patterson played countless instruments in many ways with the cello and keyboards being the key sounds in the older songs. I go into a lot of detail here as the separate instruments really stand out with clear space in between. Yet it comes together brilliantly on record and in these shows. This really would not have worked with half the band. Newer members would have laid down simpler parts. These five really do put it together in such a wonderful manner like all great bands. On their website and as they discussed on stage, the categories of folk, folk-rock, Christian Rock, Psyche-folk, and Acid Folk have all come into play in discussions of the band. Thankfully freak folk and free folk are for the newcomers, because you could throw those in, too. There are elements of everything mentioned along with even some jazz, world and rock in some of the newer songs. But the category problem is exactly why they are such a success. This is also true of Pentangle and Comus and what do you know? If I had to wonder why I made such long treks for these three bands, it is quite clear. They all achieved a unique and even singular sound. The fact that is of high quality only sweetens the deal.

They picked the key songs from the album. They did Aslan twice four nights (encore bonuses) which makes sense as this the song I usually select when I make compilations for friends. Sea Song set the mood just as brilliantly as the album version did. Columba's Song was a daring choice and they did mention that they used to play it really fast. Even a bit slower, it really is a one of a kind song that still amazes me. Give Me Jesus was a great cover that showed yet another of their many styles. They did a couple from their live CD and also opened each show with a song not on the CDs, but was specially written for their farewell show. It was like the classic bonus track discovery (except I can't go back to it... yet?)

The new songs they performed were varied and quite lovely for the most part. You can hear them at the myspace link. You should also check out their website and stay tuned for when their new album comes out. This band certainly deserves further recognition beyond their cult following. Although most of the audience were friends, I did chat with some older folks who I thought knew them, but instead had no idea who they were, just thought that it looked like a fun event. They were won over, too, which tells me more than I can try to analyze myself. So I will stop now, happy I came for the music and also pleased that I met the band and they were all some of the nicest people you would want to talk to. I certainly understand why everyone cannot fly around to see every interesting band, but it should serve as a reminder to always be on the lookout for interesting music and when in doubt, go for it. You won't regret it.

Quote of the night: Some friends of theirs discussion the poster that mentioned acid folk... "What's acid about it? Sulphuric?"

Ray Davies - Mark Perry? -- Usher Hall (Edinburgh) - May 5 2010

Mark Perry - My ticket said "special guests", there were no introductions, the singer/guitarist did not identify himself. He did introduce his keyboardist as Allie. Allie did introduce him while everyone was applauding at the end. But due to the noise, I heard Mark Perry. Looking up Mark Perry, he plays guitar in Canada. I do not think it was him any more than it was the Mark Perry who ran Sniffin' Glue magazine or sang for ATV. A quick websearch on this antique computer I am using yielded nothing so this is a mystery. In any event, the set was simple and fine. It was nothing where I would rush out and buy a CD, so I am personally ok without knowing his name. But it was well received and there were some decent songs. The keys were a nice plus for the arrangements.

Ray Davies - I saw this veteran back at the 9:30 Club maybe 5 years ago. I enjoyed it much and found it interesting that it was by far the oldest crowd I was with. Of course, he will have some old fans, but many of the other older acts I frequently see had a bit younger blood in the mix. Pretty similar here, but the venue was huge and there was maybe some younger blood there, too, at least a couple father/sons near me. I mention this as the Kinks and Davies music is pretty classic stuff and sometimes gets short shrift when there is discussion of the giants of the British Invasion of the sixties. The hall was pretty classy and apparently it does classical concerts and rock/pop shows. The sound was excellent and his voice is quite amazing in the timbre and hitting the notes and all that. He plays mostly acoustic guitar throughout with a touch of electric. He worked with his lead guitarist as a duo for quite a long time before bringing on his full band. The keyboardist did sneak out to add an accordian for two songs, though. I thought he may have overdone the sing-alongs by trying it with a few challenging songs. But other times, it was natural and when you are dealing with classics, some of which he is getting closer and closer to the half century mark of performances, it is only fair to allow him leeway. He did a set of songs that were used in films which allowed for an amusing Wim Wenders impersonation. Odd that he mentioned one was in Juno, yet he hadn't seen it (worth a look, I think). He even read a little from X-Ray, his autobiography. Dedications were to his brother before his closer, All Day and All of the Night (after quoting a nasty rejection label from Direct, one of the many labels that rejected the Kinks demos). He also had a dedication to the Knack (mentioning their late singer)before playing a song the Knack had covered. And the best dedication was to Alex Chilton before really rocking out. He does many of his hits as mentioned along with Lola, End of the Day, I Need You, Sunny Afternoon, etc. He covers newer songs, different Kinks and solo periods. His Irish guitarist was excellent and the songs sounded fresh. I'll leave others to discuss his brilliance in song writing with his special observations of surroundings detail, but suffice it to say, this is one great song writer who still can play and sing.

Pithy sidebars will have to wait. There is a line behind me, so I must leave.

The Stooges - Suicide -- Hammersmith Apollo - May 3 2010

Suicide - The line to get in was crowded with really old weather beaten guys who clearly look like bare minimum survivors from the punk era. Really a good vibe which you can see at other Stooges shows, but not with this concentration thanks to the great London punk scene. When I hit my balcony seat, it was a bit more diverse with a couple of younger Italian guys next to me and some people in front who I would've guessed were Deadheads if not for their stooges t-shirts. Anyway, the pre-punk electronic confrontationalists from NYC hit the stage. They do their first and pivotal album in full with Martin Rev running keyboards, electronics and loops and Alan Vega at the mic. I was not expecting the intense club shows they used to do due to the venue size and maybe their age, the music did the job more than well. The sound was great with lots of throbbing electronica. The Italian guys among others around me left to take a break or whined about things before going. The music still has the power to confront and annoy and be very cool and interesting. I enjoyed it and I did see at least two Suicide t-shirts. So some people enjoyed it and got and the others didn't, which just left us more to "get", if you get my meaning.

Iggy and the Stooges - I saw the reformed Stooges a couple of times when they toured a few years back and caught Iggy and Ron separately in the old punk days. The recent shows were spectacular, absolutely monumental achievements that I am so happy not to have missed. Ron Asheton's death was a sad blow to their continuation, except for one odd deja vu situation. Iggy wanted to work with James Williamson prior to their third lp, Raw Power, and up pulling the Ashetons in for that effort. Ron did not want James as part of the new Stooges, although James was willing to do some work. Then Ron dies and James gets offered a good early retirement package (like I did). So now, Mike Watt fills in for the second deceased bass player (mayber third.. Recca, Zettner?) and we have the new Raw Power lineup. They were here to play the album in full starting with the title cut, then proceeding pretty much in order. The crowd was pumped and the band was hot. Iggy was Iggy and I was impressed that the voice and energy was good on the second straight sold out night. He did not do two shows in a row on previous tours. But he was up for crowd surfing dives, crazed dancing, fans on stage, all their classics. And how he manages those pants, I am not sure I even want to know. I was getting such a unique feeling with the second Stooges version. Although, it is not my favorite version, it is a fascinating different style very key to Detroit rock I believe. After the album, they just continued to let it rip with Cock in my Pocket/I Gotta Right/I Wanna Be Your Dog/1970/LA Blues/an instrumental maybe from Kill City/Beyond the Law/Open Up and Bleed. Awesome songs, enough from the earlier albums and killer material from the unreleased or oddly released stuff of the later era. I was dearly hoping for Open Up and Bleed which is only available from live shows and was thrilled when they went into the snake charming riffs. They encored with Fun House and Kill City which is a nice funky combo to send everyone home with. Glourious, essential music. Mike Watt is kind of the guy people like me from my era look up to as getting to live out his/our fantasy. At the end of the night, he took his bass in one hand and pumped his fist while jumping up and down which was the perfect meeting of minds with me. Do see this band when they hit the States, hopefully later this year.

Signs surrounding the Show:  Ever observant of quirky coincidences, I did spot a scalper selling Stooges tickets while a pizza delivery guy rode his bike by with the oddly worded "Raw Pizza" on the box on the back of his bike. Then on the train to Edinburgh after the show, I saw a billboard for an insurance company with two crazy looking individuals and one of them had to be Iggy. If not, he could win a lawsuit, especially in the UK.

DC ROCK LIVE on the road...

Greetings all. I am taking the act on the road tomorrow flying to London to see the Stooges with Suicide at the Hammersmith Apollo. Then it is up to Edinburgh to see the Caedmon reunion shows (first in 32 years). I will try to post from the UK, but if not, you'll get the writeups on May 10th. And then, it is a lot more DC shows.

It has been eighteen fun months of doing this blog and I plan to keep going strong. I was going to write an autobiographical piece but I get depressed before trips and wasn't up to it (yeah, I know, that sounds opposite of the way it should go). But I'll get some more things up this month and may try some other ideas.

So keep rocking in DC. I'll be back in time for the Buzzcocks and PiL and the great local scene..

Frightened Rabbit - Maps & Atlases - Bad Veins -- Black Cat - April 27 2010

Bad Veins -This duo is from Cincinnati, near my old stomping grounds of Dayton. They come at us with far more than the sounds of drums and guitar. They have lots of keyboards and bass and such coming out of their equipment which includes a big reel-to-reel player constantly spinning around upstage center. I had one of those once. Anyway, I hear a rich sound within the indie rock world with catchy melodies, strong vocals and good pop from the drums. I am hearing things in the Radiohead-Muse direction, but maybe it's because they look like they could be members of those bands as well. In any event, I was hooked by the songs with half of them really fully reeling me in. And on the last song, the old school telephone was used as a microphone. I thought it was a kitsch prop. Great set, guys.

Maps & Atlases - A couple guitars and rhythm section with one guy on vocals. Vocals... well, maybe these vocals remind me there are things I like less than demonic metal voices. I have heard other singers in indie pop rock bands sing in this direction and it just doesn't move me. It's kind of like a guy trying to hit Peter Gabriel's upper register while singing through waxed paper and a comb. As for the music, it's just the kind of noodling pop that also does not bring me in. I am sure there are people that like this and I don't like to trash bands that give a good effort but this set had nothing of interest for me. I have to say that although the cute pop songs may have brought a few people in, the crowd response seemed pretty tepid.

Photo by Jannica Honey 

 

Frightened Rabbit - I was quite wary of this band with all the hype surrounding them. I do recall hearing some songs long ago that I liked, but I just don't trust the bands that the music magazines gravitate to. But they get it right sometimes and Frightened Rabbit is a perfect example. This Scottish 5 piece continues to tour and sell out larger and larger clubs. The Black Cat was packed with fans that thoroughly enjoyed the band's very catchy indie guitar pop-rock. The one vocalist was strong and the songs were nicely varied in pace and presentation. They did a 12 song set with many songs recognized by the crowd who sang along, danced and were into every note. I felt the band had really classic pop sensibilities with some rural Scotland background in the songs as well. Scotlacana perhaps, although I hope that word is never used again. The three song encore featured "Poke" done on solo acoustic guitar with voice. The next two rocked out and sent most everyone home happy.

Quote of the Night: "I don't know, I think that child molesters on the internet are real scary. I am going to go out and have a smoke."

Vieux Farka Toure - Elikeh -- DC9 - April 26 2010

Elikeh - I saw this local band open for Toure last year (previous review). They did a great job then and did a great job tonight. They had singer/rhythm guitarist from Togo originally coupled with a rhythm section, conga player, lead guitarist and two saxophones who also added percussion.  I don't know much about Togo, other than Emmanuel Adebayor, but I don't think that matters a whole lot as it is a mixed band and brings combined styles into an excellent final product. The lead guitarist was hot and I liked that the saxophones did not overwhelm. They could not help but lend a certain jazz feel, but they dropped to the background often and let the other players in. This guy I met, Felipe, reminded me of the great African percussion group, Osibisa, who I do recall. A good band worth seeing on its own around town, but thankfully were given the call again to open for the headliner tonight.

Vieux Farka Toure - This great guitarist, son of a great guitarist, put on one of the best sets I saw last year and delivered the goods again tonight. Unfortunately, this time it was at a jam packed DC9 as opposed to the Rock'n'Roll Hotel. It was close to sold out on a Monday night and was jammed to the gills downstairs before the show as the DC9 was late as usual in allowing people up. But the vibe was all good once the music flowed. The first song was amazing in its sinewy playing and reminded me heavily of Turkish great, Erkin Koray. And although Toure eventually played music very different from Koray, they do share a similarity of bringing their regional style to the world by combing some classic rock, blues and psyche elements to the mix. Toure's band is not overwhelming in size, just in the delivery. He has a rhythm section, conga player, and acoustic guitarist. The congas and his leads are the main attraction with the other three laying it down for those two to go wild. My African musicologist friend (he's lived in Mali for many years) next to me was able to describe some of the differences in songs such as the northern Mali songs he played which had a more snaky upper body dance flow than the other Mali songs with a punchier beat. But Toure then goes where he wants to whenever he wants to and makes great music out of it. Jimi Hendrix was channeled and he played some of his father's music as well. Hopefully his legend will continue to grow and he can play the bigger clubs in town with the growing fan base he deserves.

Quote of the Night: Toure, after the opening cut waving his hand and getting a wave and hellos back from the crowd... "That's to the technician actually, but hello".

Municipal Waste - Toxic Holocaust - Black Anvil -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - April 25 2010

Black Anvil - The question tonight is a whether I can handle a genre I know a bit about, but am out of date only interested in the best of the bunch, yet am seeing three bands I have not heard of? Well let us find out. The first band is a trio from NYC. They trend toward upper mid-tempo with a death metal sound. They do play a couple fast paced thrashers which I liked, sort of death metal Ace of Spades kind of songs. The two vocalists do variant demonic voices throughout. There is too much of the "if I can't sound like Rob Halford or King Diamond, let's do a guttural demon voice" thing that exists in this genre. But if stays a little low key in the mix, I can live with it. I don't know enough to say that they fall somewhere between Gorgoroth and Exodus, so that will have to do. But they certainly know how to open a show, unlike Exodus, and they did that here. The crowd got revved up and the set went well.

Toxic Holocaust - As I struggled to read their logo (what is it about the one style everyone uses--always a challenge with the Jaxx calendar), I see that another three piece hits the stage. They are faster than the openers with a sound more of the crossover hardcore and metal sound that DRI and west coast metal bands were doing back in the day. Well they are from the west coast, but from the more indie minded Portland, interestingly enough. The drummer can move it along and the other two seem pretty well locked in. The guitarist sings in a rasp again, but it isn't overly flamboyant which is good. The guitar breaks and solos are good, a bit thin at times but this is brief and not too shocking with one guitar. I like their songs mostly and thought they were quite good. The crowd grew to mostly full club and started going a bit crazy up front. So all is well tonight for the troops.

Municipal Waste - The nearly local band (Richmond, VA) hits the stage. They have a solid following world-wide and deliver a very fast thrash metal set. Each band got a bit faster and closer to that early 80s sound. They were a four-piece with a full time singer who went with his own voice. I almost heard a bit of the Boston hardcore scene in this music and some of that went metal, too, so it all kind of blends together if you look far and wide enough. Tough, strong music that the crowd got into. Oh, and the crowd had swelled, but earlier I did a count of black (or dark blue) shirts and came up with 42 of 50 with the rest in white, flannel or gray. That seems about the usual. One kid got tossed as we had to part ourselves for the security guy to drag him out the door. But nothing else too bad during this energetic set. And the final answer is that I enjoyed the night. I won't be going to everyone of these shows, but a good set of bands will bring me back.

Quote of the Night: "The next song is about ripping your fucking face off". I think fucking as an adjective was used about 3 dozen times in stage patter and much more in the lyrics and even the t-shirts.

The Points - Davey Crockett - Maybe, Baby -- DC9 - April 22 2010

Maybe, Baby - We have a male/female duo on guitar and drums respectively with the guitarist doing the vocal chores. So, basically a White Stripes lineup with a guitarist no where near as good but a drummer that is better (which I could say about any other White Stripes type lineup). Based on the X's on their hands, this is a young upstart band. They appear pretty active and know what they are doing onstage. It was kind of a harsh garage punk that had a Cramps feel without the rockabilly. Good punk spirit if not fully developed. The vocals were buried which is kind of hard with so few instruments. Still, I enjoyed the set enough to recommend them. I'll keep watching and listening.

Davey Crockett - Another duo with another small drum kit (no toms other than floor and one less cymbal). They are from Texas, hence the name. A couple of guys this time playing very similar music to the first band. A bit more forceful and plenty of pace, but I would still say it was really fast garage punk and not hardcore. Fair set, but my favorite part was hearing a Zero Boys song come on the PA after they were finished (note - I knew the ZBs back in the early Midwest days where I grew up and am jealous of a KC friend of mine who had them come to his town which is rare that he gets a great act that doesn't come to DC).

The Points - Finally a real power trio! Ah, but the drum kit is still without toms, aside from floor. I think I saw these guys some time ago and they have been around DC for a while. A good dirty Misfits sound without the over-the-top Danzig vocals. So that does mean some decent hook oriented songs underneath the intense energetic playing. Good sound and they handled the guitar break-down well enough to keep it going. I found the crowd beer spraying toward stage to be as dull and cliched as anything else I don't want to see at punk shows in 2010. Funny, that I was just reading about the Public Image initial US tour earlier that day. I recall they had a sheer curtain between the band and audience to keep the puppets from gobbing over the band. Some things don't change.

Quote of the Night: from the headliners "How you guys doing tonight? Yeah, I know, whatever."

The Coathangers - Sick Sick Birds - (Stop Worrying and) Love the Bomb -- Black Cat - April 21 2010

(Stop Worrying and) Love the Bomb - We begin with candidates for best band name. They are a locally based four piece with a twin guitar attack. Both guitarists sing lead, one female voice and one male. The sound is sort of a punk-to-hardcore early 80s attack that reminds me of a range from the Alley Cats to the Zero Boys. That covers A-Z, so basically this is good garage-punk with decent hooks, good pace and energy to burn. The vocals got lost in the guitar roar at times and the songs did not vary a lot which one could also say about the Ramones, so it is not a big deal. I enjoyed the set and this is a good band well worth showing up early for. And enough people did in the backroom of the Black Cat.


Sick Sick Birds - Another four piece with one guitarist taking the vocal lead. They are from Baltimore and have a gutsy rock attack somewhat similar to the earnest early 80s of DC. I would say Gray Matter, but they weren't quite up to that standards, so maybe the post-Gray Matter band called Three. Good energy with songs that also fit the indie-rock mode which I cannot define but seems to paint an image clear enough for most people, no matter how broad a land mass it fences in. Some good songs and this band is worth another look. The energy of the set was sapped a bit with slow tuning (a bum string, I believe) and a shoe tying break. But they have a good sound and may do some nice things as they continue to play out.



The Coathangers - My second experience at seeing this Atlanta band who is touring hard and making a decent name for themselves. They have this great attitude first approach but also dish out some great original sounds that are not dissimilar to and edgy off-punk approach that I raved about recently at the Styrenes show. This band really takes me back to my punk days seeing a band like Milwaukee's Ama-Dots. But I heard some sharp music here where I can make a comparison to a fusion between the Slits and TSOL (Beneath the Shadows version). Their songs do attack and twist around in fun original ways. Lots of energy and although the crowd was subdued (as usual) they were clearly into it. Good stuff, check this band out. You will have a blast.

Quote of the Night: From SSB (as opposed to SSD of Boston and SST Records)... "This one's for Craig T..." Probably the first and last time I will hear a song dedicated to Craig T. Nelson. Like I mentioned that tuning took a while and they had to really dig into some old TV to keep the patter going.

Beatallica - Borracho -- Black Cat - April 19 2010

Borracho - Thick, hard rock immediately comes our way when this twin-guitar four-piece kicks it in. It's heavy with some metal, a bit of stoner rock, and when they add a little pace, they kind of head into Kyuss territory which I enjoy. They do seem to spend more time with the slower heavier rock sound in which they do well to avoid plodding. I prefer the faster or mid tempo songs a bit more, but the band is effective and has a good sound overall. A good opening tonight.

Beatallica - The sound was a bit rickety out of the gate, but eventually the guitars shined through and everyone was happy. And it usually is a happy fun time at a Beatallica show. The four piece from Milwaukee take Beatle tunes and play them in a Metallica fashion with reworked lyrics that go in the metal direction. They drew a decent crowd and most everyone is aware of what they do these days, although there may still be a small portion of the crowd that is surprised. They have been doing this a long time and they do it very well. The one thing that has changed is that they now sell CDs of their songs. Initially, they had legal issues to contend with and just gave the songs away. Metallica enjoyed their act, but the Beatles have been corporate a long time and the songs aren't even with the members anymore anyway. But Weird Al Yankovich manages as does Lez Zeppelin, so they figured out a way and now release music on an indie label. They still have the good stage patter and have great stage names like Ringo Larz on drums, so the set always is fun and moves along nicely. They have their chops musically and really do a great job with the songs. They played their recent title cut, "Masterful Mystery Tour" with the Beatles melody intact and slipped in some "Master...Master" moments from "Master of Puppets". Clever, fun and worth checking out if you like almost any kind of rock music.

Quote of the Night: Borracho responding to audience cry... "You said we sound awesome or awful?"
"Awesome!"
"Awful? Well we practice to sound awful."
"Awesome!!"
"Oh, ok, we get off on self degradation."

Styrenes - Kohoutek -- Velvet Lounge - April 18 2010

Kohoutek - I've extolled the virtues of this band before, so suffice it to say that they should be worth a viewing for anyone that likes psychedelic rock. I thought they nailed it well tonight. They kind of started with Pelt-like ambiance built into free jazz then into hard psyche rock, back to psyche free jazz and finished with a rock out. The drums seem to be the key as the percussion items and mallet/stick choices change the foundation considerably. The guitarist grabs the cue. The bass holds it down. The saxophone chooses his spots and two noisemakers, an oscillator/machine guy and a guy with a guitar on the floor do wild things as well. Good stuff Check it out. And, as usual, if this band opens, expect a good headliner.


Styrenes - I was looking forward to the 35th anniversary tour of one of Cleveland's lesser known pre-punk band. Pere Ubu was the famous band (along with the predecessor Rocket from the Tombs and splitoff Dead Boys), with the Mirrors and the Electric Eels having a cult reputation along with the Styrenes. These members moved around a bit, but we had a great lineup with Paul Marotta leading the way, joined by Jamie Klimek (Mirrors) and John Morton (Electric Eels). This was a fascinating glimpse into the curious world of pre-punk. Around 1976-77, punk rock exploded quietly in NY and loudly in London. There were many bands in those cities along with LA, SF, and Cleveland most notably where "punk" found them. The Cleveland bands had all the attitude and kicked out killer music in a variety of styles that all worked. Paul Marotta (a ringer for Harlan Ellison in looks, voice, and attitude btw) controlled the show nicely, playing piano, acoustic guitar and doing most of the lead vocals. His keyboards prowess surprised me a bit and he was in great shape all night. Jamie Klimek played guitar and sang some leads. The rhythm section has worked with Marotta a while and was solid all night. John Morton looked an older version of scary and wild as he did back in the seventies, but surprisingly played guitar quite effectively and added some theremin. Morton was in his whole world the entire night with his slow set-up which took about 10 minutes longer than the rest of the band as they watched, instruments in hand. Wild guy, wild music. The set was brilliant. Everyone contributed and the songs were sarcastic, rocking, varied and a lot of fun. This isn't a sound many people are able to create and pull off successfully. I am amazed that it worked so well in 2010. Sadly, people that think they are punk rockers were no where in sight. This is the real deal folks. If you spend your time in the bathroom spraying that spiked mohawk or posing with that leather jacket, you lose.

Quotes of the night: From the Styrenes set as best as I can recall--
Morton reacting from inaudible drummer comment during prolonged setup "Shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up!"... ...Marotta-"All we can hear is John (in monitors)" Klimek-"Less John, way less, no his playing his great" Morton-"I don't need this shit, other people want me"... ...Marotta-"Is there a hospital near by? There is? And they are skilled enough to get John's foot out of his ass?"... ...Morton (re Klimek) "I just want to say what a pleasure it is to play with this man. I love him, he's amazing..." Klimek-"Oh, he says this every show, I don't know if it's sincere"...

And there was an absurdity to it with Marotta seemingly able to keep everything together and I think they all really enjoyed the show and playing together. Yet this is the beauty and the danger of early punk, will it fall apart horribly or come together brilliantly? I was on the edge of my seat and watched it come together brilliantly.

Pissed Jeans - Cloak/Dagger - The Wayward -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - April 16 2010

The Wayward - It looks to be a punk lineup tonight with whatever years of history can bring to the form in 2010. This band begins with a decent enough sound. They are a power trio with the guitarist doing the vocal duties. The playing is good and there is an experimental punk/hardcore sound that I have heard before but can't really place. The vocals and melodic lines are a bit of a letdown for me, so they can keep trying to work on the songs. But if the kids want some dark abrasive punk, they will get a decent set from these guys.

Cloak/Dagger - This the second time I have seen this four-piece from Virginia. Their sound impressed me even more this time around. Tey go full blast, straight ahead with strong throaty vocals. The rhythm section is to notch and the guitar sound again creates some of the most interesting tones I've heard out of a punk band. The second cut sounded like some lost Radio Birdman cut which is very welcome to my ears, as Australian punk is some of the finest music out there. Rapid fire delivery with few breaks show a well prepared band that wants to deliver the goods. They did and this was an excellent set.


Pissed Jeans - For a Subpop band, they sure don't have much of a Web presence. But I guess that may be punk dedication. This band is a heavy muscular four-piece. The music is loud and tough with some almost Flipper like elements within (nowhere near that weird, though). The music is dense with industrial under currents which are nice. I wasn't blown away, but there is some sneaky effectiveness underneath the initial bludgeonery. The band went over well and it was refreshing to see a crowd get into the music with some sort of pogo combined with metal head bobbing as opposed to the mosh pit which should disappear from life. Intriguing band and one I will need to study further before I come to a final verdict. But I am glad I heard them tonight.

Quote of the Night: from the Thai restaurant earlier... "Out of all the things on the menu, you're getting the chicken fried rice? Wow."

Neil Innes -- Jammin' Java - April 15 2010

Neil Innes - The "seventh member" of Monty Python, not to be confused with Carol Cleveland, is doing a quick tour of the US and Canada. With that connection and his work in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, it was just too hard for me to pass up this show. He did a lot of songs and song snippets over the course of a couple hours supplemented with lots of humor and stories from his most interesting collaborations with Python and Viv Stanshell. He began with a ukulele song and quickly switched off between guitars and piano thereafter. He went back to 1966 Bonzo songs and explained that they would visit record stores and buy 78s with the most bizarre titles for a tuppence and try to top each other by finding the weirdest song to record. These were hilarious and between these and his own songs, he had a lot of audience sing-alongs with choral responses (not unlike The Lumberjack Song, but shorter) that were pretty face paced and fun. And believe me, I am one of the last people that would admit to having fun with sing-alongs. He finished his first set with "Brave Sir Robin" and Eric Idle's "Bruce's Philosopher Song". The second set was more of the same with a good Elton John parody with glasses. "You're Never Alone at the Bottom of a Pile" was a fun song. He had a bad cord which was making a racket while on piano that lead to an audience member joke which he promised to steal. "I've never done a slick show in my life, so I don't know why I should start now." Well not slick, but after another crazed sing-along, he had us spell "sod off", pronounce it and then watch him sullenly leave the stage before coming back for one encore. Much fun.

Quote of the Night: Innes explaining differences between men and women-- "Why do women generalize and men don't?"

RECORD REVIEWS - APRIL 2010

Red Sammy "Dog Hang Low"
                       ep







Red Sammy is the nom de plume of Baltimore's Adam Trice. He is the singer songwriter of these two records and also plays acoustic guitar throughout. All twelve songs (Four from the ep) feature full band arrangements with the normal rock touches along with the Americana touches of a banjo, pedal steel and saw. And that is the ground we are firmly affixed to here--Americana. There is a strong and steady feel of the road throughout these songs. And the best of them give the listener the feeling of that open highway on a hot desert day. Sure, this motif has been used before and will be again, but the traffic on that highway is not congested enough to block good songwriting like this. There is excellent banjo and slide guitar work throughout and some fine female vocals, especially on the ep. Trice's vocals are gruff in the direction of Tom Waits, but not as twisted. Sometimes they are a bit too breathy, but with the strong music and backup vocals, they can be quite effective. If you like the music of Woven Hand, Chris Isaak, Gram Parsons and many others of that ilk, you may want to give this band a listen. I look forward to their next live set, when I get the chance.


Favorite songs:
"To the Day" - This is from the ep and features some lead female vocals. It has a very nice psychedelic folk vibe which is always one of my favorite sounds.
"Songbird" - An outstanding road song that really swings and almost gives me motion sickness with the way it moves me. Excellent track.
"Turn Away" - A bit lower key here, but heavy on atmosphere and very moving.

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic -- 9:30 Club - April 12 2010

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic - The circus returns to DC or rather the Starship has landed. I always liked Clinton's assessment of his role as leader of this mammoth enterprise consisting of up to 27 people rotating onstage with about 15 being the average number of musicians. Many called Clinton the ringleader, but he said he was more of a referee. That kind of makes sense in that it is clearly his show, but he allows others to lead various portions of it. Many long time P-Funk musicians are here along with a lot of DC area guests who have historical ties to the band. The primary DC area guests were the three-part "P-Funk Horns" if I heard correctly. And I should note, although I have lots of P-Funk's early albums, I am hardly an expert at keeping track of this amazing roster of musicians. However, that matters little to me and most in the crowd, as everyone is here to have a good time and get some mind blowing fusion of funk, soul, blues, blistering rock, and whatever else the P-Funkers decide to throw at the crowd. The opening act is much of the band playing for over an hour. Then, Clinton and crew play another 2 hours plus. The music is fun, high quality and covers a lot of the classic ground. The highlight for me is always the killer instrumental, "Maggot Brain" which is a ten minute guitar solo written by Eddie Hazel and performed for years here by Michael Hampton. Three guitars and a rhythm section accompanied him, so it rocked to say the least. There really isn't much more to say about this legendary act except that it seemingly lives on a tour bus and maintains many of the legendary musicians of its early days with plenty of young blood as needed and ultimately delivers a great show that you would have to be way too cynical for me if you did not enjoy it. So check it out if you have not done so, or revisit it if it has been a while. Although it probably can't go on forever, there is something cosmic and otherworldly to it all. And as he talked about his song "Paint the White House Black", it is interesting to note its release in 1993. So maybe he can keep the mothership flying forever.

photo by Marcy 

Quote of the Night" from George Clinton - "The mothership is still flyin' y'all! Fuck what they said in the paper today." referring to a lengthy piece on how the original mothership used on stage was in storage here until someone's mother wanted their garage back and it got sent off to a Prince George County dump. I have no doubt it is still flying.

Dark Sea Dream - Disco Machine Gun - Caustic Casanova -- Velvet Lounge - April 11 2010

Caustic Casanova - This show is the last DC show for a while as the band will be doing some recording into the summer which should prove interesting. And it was a solid send off. The early part of the set had a twisted art damaged punk sound which really worked well with the guitar and bass battling atop the solid drumming. The set finished with two great long psyche jams that were songs and not just mindless jamming. Their theme was New Mexico tonight (St. Louis previously) and they are at a far more rapid pace to go through the country than Sufjan Stevens ever will. An excellent DC band that hopefully will be delivering some of their fine songs on a CD for each and every one of you.

Disco Machine Gun - From Wilmington, Delaware comes this power trio plus viola. Their sound rocks and there is certainly care in their songwriting. I had trouble coming up with an easy classification which is usually a good thing (it was this time). Between the C.Casanova's first part of their set and some of the snarling jagged songs I was hearing here, I kept thinking back to the pre-punk scene out of Cleveland from about 1975-6. Maybe I was simply anticipating the Styrenes show next week at this same club which I am looking forward too. In any event, this was a good twisted rock band that I would like to hear a couple more times to see where they fit in my listening world. And thankfully, they got the sound man to get the viola sound improved after a quiet start.

Dark Sea Dream - I have not seen an amp to person ratio like this since I saw Nine Inch Nails over five years ago. And then when one guitarist pulled out two sets of effects boards that had cords and cords of old growth on them, I kind of knew what to expect. They did pretty well trying to get this massive set-up up and running quickly, but did not have time to get an annoying buzz figured out. Well, they played over it, through it and around it. This was loud psychedelic shoegaze with not much variation. I think it was a two song set. There were treated vocals and two guitars doing enough different things to make it interesting. With this sound and some work on harnessing it and writing some more songs, they could become Bardo Pond. I am sure I will be seeing their progress some time soon.

Crossword Puzzle Clue of the Week: From the new Sunday Washington Post puzzle... "30 Across: 1988 Syd Barrett album" ...Four letters...

Caetano Veloso -- Lisner Auditorium - April 10 2010

Caetano Veloso - The third chapter of my South American trilogy starting with Os Mutantes last year and Gilberto Gil last month. Veloso is a massive talent and musically bridges Gil and Mutantes quite nicely. He, in fact, brought Os Mutantes forward as teenagers to be his backing band for some pivotal shows in his career. And all of this seemed pretty clear in his sound last night. He covered old and new with a 3 piece rock band behind him that played that amazing mixture of bossa nova, samba, psychedelia, rock, folk and pop. I only have a few old vinyl records of his, so I was not familiar with all of the songs he did, but that mattered little. They were just complex enough while not losing the pop hooks he has always been able to create. Veloso was in fine voice and moved around the stage well, really looking ever the fit 67 year old. The crowd was naturally responsive and finally by set's end and encores rushed toward the stage and danced in the aisles. The guitarist was excellent, really nailing some wild psychedelic breaks. A nickname like "the Bob Dylan of Brazil" could be an annoying anchor to some (and probably is to him) but I don't mind using it if it perks the interest of people who have not experienced Veloso or Tropicalia. His recordings are worth seeking out (I need to step this up as well) and thankfully the live show is vibrant and exciting.

Book Review: I can also strongly recommend one of the finest books on the arts that I have ever read, Caetano Veloso's "Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil". Veloso covers his fascinating life as well as other Tropicalia artists and other artists outside of music. It is dense, philosophical and challenging (too challenging for some narrow minded types based on the Amazon reviews I read). Veloso has great intellectual, artistic and personal strengths which he has needed, as like Gilberto Gil and Plastic People of the Universe, he has been jailed (and exiled) for his politics and art. Give it a read, give him a listen. Enjoy, for it is easy to enjoy even without the incredible history.