The Gerunds - Golden City - Milk Machine -- Red & the Black - Jan 29 2010

Milk Machine - All the normal rock components were here, but some were a bit twisted. There was the bass tuba, the rhythm accordion, and the lead trumpet (with some glockenspiel). But put a guy on a drum kit behind and bang out some songs with attitude and you have good rock music. Cool stuff and fun, gutsy attitude throughout. I liked that they smiled at their few flubs and just kept going and churning out the tunes. The crowd dug them and it was a big one for this club filled out with far more than just friends of the band.

Golden City - A little slow on the start as two members took (bathroom?) breaks while they were standing on stage. It looked like a crowded airplane in this small club. But then we get underway and had a two-guitar four-piece playing good fast rock music with pop hooks--perhaps a bit straighter and stronger than power-pop. I was detecting a trace of the Undertones which was in part due to the singer's voice which wasn't as extreme as Feargal Sharkey, but it had a bit of that tone along with Ben Deily (early Lemonheads). One song had a fantastic break with staccato guitars that resembled some of the creative moves Social Unrest did long ago. Good set and enough quality to separate themselves from the herd in this vast field.

The Gerunds - Second time for me with this band, still at the Red & the Black. I enjoyed the first one a lot and this one hooked me as well. The songs are really good and the players know their stuff. The drummer has a strong precise attack. The bass player is smooth and quick. The two guitarists grind out the chords and fills in grand manner. The two vocalists play off each other very well. There is nothing not to like here. That is to say I find myself enjoying their music very much (if I may speak with a gerund). As a bonus, they invited Bad Religion's Brian Baker up to perform four (!) Dag Nasty songs which was Baker's band back in the 80s with Gerunds singer, Peter Cortner. A very nice highlight and there were a fair number of old-timers like myself who enjoyed this treat. Do see this band when you get a chance. Like the guy I was chatting with who didn't know them, you will be impressed.

Celebrity Sighting: I may be the worst celebrity spotter on the planet, but if you wear a suit of question marks, you are either the Riddler or Matthew Lesko. It appeared Lesko was enjoying the opening band with his wife. I am not sure if there is a child in the band or they just love tubas.  Or perhaps he helped get their band a government grant? This reporter did not try to find out.

Nick Oliveri - Ambition Burning -- Velvet Lounge - Jan 25 2010

Ambition Burning - Last minute addition to the bill when the original opener was too ill to work. I had seen them recently and thought there was potential amidst the rough spots. Since then, they have been rehearsing acoustically only, so they were happy to get a chance to cut loose with the volume. All in all, not much has changed. There was some good basic thrash that was mostly hardcore with metallic touches. Nice call and response vocals between two different voices. The bass player had to tune a bit much for a bass player, but the guitarist did well aside from a brief unplugging or switch off or whatever. Nice chaotic Who style ending with drums toppling over and axes swung around (but smartly not smashed as they weren't getting a lot of funds from the 12 people in attendance).  The headliner applauded them and the small crowd enjoyed the effort as did I.

Nick Oliveri - This is not exactly someone I would expect doing a solo acoustic show. However, the former bass player for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age did a very nice job playing his brand of Acoustic Death. There were covers from his former bands, an amusing take on Dee Dee Ramone's "Endless Vacation" (as if there is any other way to play that other than amusing) and lots of power strumming and hard-edged vocals. He had his girlfriend sing on a couple of numbers which gave a little variety (and proved what his road manager said that Nick at 6'2" is the shortest person in the tour car). He even did a Roky Erickson cover, so he gets extra credit points from me. I enjoyed his good natured attitude about just having fun with the not quite 20 people that were in the room. He said somthing about a band he was joining that just finished recording in Norway. That may be a better way to go long-term, but I enjoyed this between band solo outing just fine.

Quote of the Night: "I was really bummed that I missed seeing Tad when they opened for Primus in 1991". That was from the road manager at the merch table. And when I overheard that, I had to go over and chat as I was at that tour in Denver and was amazed that he remembered the year. I may have gotten the decade wrong if pressed. Anyway, it was a nice chat with a guy who works in the business but is a fan at heart which is always nice to hear.

The Cornel West Theory - Hume - Imperial China - Buildings - Big Gold Belt -- Black Cat - Jan 22 2010

Big Gold Belt - The Sockets Records showcase begins with a Brooklyn duo--woman with microphone, man with guitar and mac. They had video as well. Lighter music with more of a dreamy soundscape with some dance and psyche touches. Good vocals and very light, tasty guitar sounds filling in with the electronics and drumbeats. A good opening set.

Buildings - An instrumental power trio with gutsy indie rock in more of a post-rock vein I would say. Busy, active playing yet playful and interesting keeping things a bit more upbeat than downer. A bit of a Feelies feel to the set at times. Spirited, well played, enjoyable set. I would be happy seeing this band on a bill with all sorts of different style of bands.

Imperial China - Another trio, but more electronics and synthesizer and switching between extra percussion and guitars and occasional bass. More sonic landscapes but sharper edged in the percussion, guitaring and vocals. Propulsive rhythms were the driving force for their sound and it worked well for the most part. Another solid DC band here.

Hume - A four-piece this time playing a jagged Feelies sort of rock with soft vocals underneath. Two guitars that played together more than dueled. A couple of the early songs had a little bit on an over-reliance on annoying pauses all over the song. An old friend of mine, Ron House (Great Plains), used to say how much he disliked songs that did that. I don't mind nearly as much, but I see his point when it is overdone. But I am getting picky here. The band played on with a good indie rock feel, sometimes in a Modest Mouse vein or other bands of that ilk. The last few songs were janglier with some interesting rhythms and ended the set on a high note for me. There is some quality here for sure.



The Cornel West Theory - A collective of musicians and rappers doing hip hop with an interesting soulful rock backing. Rather than metal guitar work, there was only drums, bass, keys and synth-electronics which created a very nice backing to the vocals. The sound varied from fluid neo-psyche rock to a classic soul backing and some funk. It was never overwhelming but created a great bedrock for the vocals which was the usual sort of thing with some female voices joining in as the set went on. Singing and rapping also kept the songs varied and interesting. A very good DC act here that puts a lot of thought into the music as well as the lyrics. Well worth checking out.

Quote of the Night: "...University of Utah... ...Rick Majerus..." Huh? During the opening set, there was a loud conversation next to me fairly near the stage. The guy kept going on and on and I don't care how little you care about the band on stage, there is no reason to discuss anything about Utah at the Black Cat. And Majerus has not been there in over ten years although I may have misheard that one. Frankly, the only low point of the night was the really loud and constant conversations going on during all band's sets. I was constantly moving around to avoid this until I got hired to watch someone's coat for about a half hour.

We Are Scientists - Uninhabitable Mansions - Black Cat - Jan 21 2010

Uninhabitable Mansions - My second viewing of this five-piece from Brooklyn. And without looking at the previous review, I think the result was pretty similar tonight. They play a really nice ringing sort of pop music that sometimes steps up the pace or has some subtle lead noise from the lead guitarist. Good vocal interplay between a male and female voice, although the female voice was a bit soft partly due to her style and maybe a bit of soundboard issues. It did get a bit better, so the harmonies ultimately worked. Some songs were just a little too soft, lush pop which had my mind wandering more than I would have liked. Those songs were just as good, but seemed for fitting for a college radio show. Still, a good set by a good band that I cannot help liking.

We Are Scientists - Two straight nights of power-pop born out of punkrock, or something like that. This time it is an American version. We Are Scientists delivered the goods with vocal driven songs featuring plenty of riffing, inventive bass lines, and a good pop from the drummer who was doing his second show with them. The band is clearly smart and funny as their stage banter was well above average. I especially liked the guitarist mishearing (or maybe not) audience comments and twisting them into odd phrases. Very catchy songs and a very appreciative audience that almost filled the club. My home listening leans toward brooding, powerful stuff far too often. That is why it is always a pleasure to go out and just rock out, smile, and have some fun with a band like this.

Quote of the Night: "I just heard someone say about our drummer 'he's Mark Twain!'" -- as mentioned above.

The Cribs, Adam Green & the Dead Trees - 9:30 Club - Jan 19 2010

Adam Green & the Dead Trees - I thought this was going to be two different acts and from what I gather, it often is. But tonight, NYC's Adam Green fronted Portland's four-piece, the Dead Trees. The Trees had a garage rock sort of steady sound somewhere between Canned Heat and the Shins. Green had an Ian Curtis delivery that was closer to Warsaw than Joy Division. Green is gabbing semi coherently between songs explaining how loaded he is which explains much. He has energy, but a really bad habit of dropping the mic down on the ground with a loud pop, far too many times for my ears. Some songs are pretty good, the band is solid, but the singer annoyed me way too much. I've seen Guided by Voices already. There was much worse behavior there, but better music. It was not worth the sacrifice this time.

The Cribs - What used to be a three piece pop-punk band (all brothers) from the UK is now a four-piece with ex-Smith, Johnny Marr adding some strong guitar work. This is a far better gig for him than it was with Modest Mouse, in my view. The Cribs have a strong power pop sound born out of punk, perhaps, but sounding of any modern era. They have plenty of harmonies and strong, catchy songs. Sometimes, I felt it was a little too steady and lacked dynamics, but they did some nice twists and turns toward the end of their set to give me my fix of variety. Speaking of Joy Division, they mentioned playing the Black Cat the day Tony Wilson died. So Manchester rules the evening and rules it well. Good set for a good crowd that had a good time. Me too.

Quote of the Night: "Look up at me please" from the ID checker at the front door. Apparently she was trying to detect if a 45 year old man was using the ID of a 50 year old man to sneak in. Fortunately, I resembled my drivers license enough to gain entry. Or perhaps I just look 20 years old when my head is down. Are these people trying out for Airport Security jobs?

Upcoming show: Sockets Records, a local DC label, is celebrating its fifth year in existence--no minor feat these days. They have a show at the Black Cat this Friday night. The music is heavy with electronica and pop, perhaps a bit in the Animal Collective universe. Support local music is still a good motto when in doubt.

Joan as Policewoman, Carol Bui - Black Cat - Jan 14 2010

Carol Bui - The usual rock instruments with a cello, second percussionist and a second female vocalist accompany Ms. Bui on stage. They start with really cool ethnic dance tunes with lots of pace, power and melody. The second song went into some unholy triad of Smithereens, Silver Summit and the New Christs (post Radio Birdman). What the hell have we got here? Songs settled to a point where they were not messing with my brain into some really nice rock music with singer/songwriter feeling and good rhythms. There is some really exciting stuff going on and I am enjoying this much. But then a colossal bummer happens when Ms. Bui announces she is leaving DC and headed off to the state of Washington. Our loss as I would love to see more sets like this.

Joan as Policewoman - Kind of a big act with good press getting the downstairs stage at the Black Cat. So it is no surprise that is packed with a lot of fans. Joan comes out with a keyboard-vocalist and a drummer. I had not realized that she was as integral in instrumentation for her sound as she turned out to be with her guitar and keyboards carrying her songs. I knew her voice was the main draw and she used it well in her songs where she was able to show the same intensity in the louder rock songs as she did in the quietest of passages. Great dynamics, smart stylish pop songs well delivered tonight. Even a cover of Public Enemy delivered in a non-rap style. I enjoyed the set a lot more than I thought I would and am a believer in the critical success she has had.

Quote of the Night: "Oh they are done" mentioned by one of the gabby people a good 45 seconds after the opening band finished. Glad you were paying so much attention (Truth in Journalism--this quote was from the last time here, but it was better than the one I had tonight. Although tonight's opening band was much better than before, so perhaps I should not be so harsh).

Caustic Casanova / Daddy Lion / Broken Buttons - Velvet Lounge - Jan 13 2010

Broken Buttons - This IS a new year, I show up a couple minutes late and find a Velvet Lounge show actually started on time? I did not miss much and quickly got into the spirit of this first of three trios this evening. Vocals were prominent and well sung as delivered by the bass player. The guitarist some times stopped playing his angular, jittery post-punk notes to move over to a Moog. The rhythm was rock-steady with a PiL like bass sound (but faster). I am hearing some Bauhaus and Joy Division in here, so we have a classic post-punk sound, well delivered. The songs vary to where I wondered whether the guitarist is closing in on Bernard Sumner (Joy Division) or Dick Dale? No matter, a set I enjoyed and I promise to be on time next show.

Daddy Lion - Both axemen were singing in front of solid pop songs that rocked out nicely when the desire was there to take it up a notch. The first song had some really nice oddball breaks that came out of left field but that is a compliment. I did sense some good song writing in this young band. They still did three covers of songs by the Sonics (yes!), Del Shannon (fine) and Modest Mouse (well, I can't win them all--although the song was fine). Good harmonies, nice grungey undercurrent and rock moves popped in and out in this enjoyable set. The band was having fun and did a nice job of promoting their music and future show and just hanging out after the set.
 
Caustic Casanova - This DC band has some records out and t-shirts, so they have been around a bit. They began with a slow building psyhe-fest that ended loud and faster in a Kohoutek manner. Ergo, the Velvet Lounge is the perfect venue for this sound. They varied things a bit between psyche and hard rock with arty vocal moves reminding me a bit of MX-80 Sound (yes, I've used this reference at least three times previously, but it explains things nicely even if they are obscure).  The bass sound fuzzed out a bit too loudly at times, but it settled. His playing was quite good which acted like an extra guitar at times. They also reminded me a bit of a really nice band I've seen many times, Entrance Band. Good show all the way around tonight.

Quote of the night: "You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go DOWNTOWN". Yes, that was Petula Clark bellowing out one of my favorite songs from my youth before I knew what rock'n'roll was. Good between band music, but it really got me thinking about forgetting about my cares? I understand the sentiment, but were it so easy, Petula.

Zlam Dunk / Detox Retox - Black Cat - Jan 10 2010

Zlam Dunk -  A vocalist/percussionist is supported by guitar, bass, drums, and keys. He does a melodic punk style with tight pounding rhythms and guitaring and cool swirling keyboard playing. Really nice attack with a good 80s dance style added with the keys. A lot of sounds and subtle style shifts underneath keeps this music very interesting with each song. Nothing profound, just subtle shifts and altogether fun attitude from the band. Quite fresh and there was even an Akron/Family style a capella break in one song. These guys are from the Austin area which could help them on their way if they don't get lost in the shuffle. I hope they stick to it and keep having fun on the road.

Photos by Stas Casa

Detox Retox - There was a very large percentage of women in the crowd which had me puzzled, although when this band kicked in, I think I had my answer. The four-piece had a very pop-rock sound with attractive hooks. There was a dingy sound at first that had me disoriented a bit. It kind of helped with the rock aspect, but it was not clear to me what the intent was. The sound eventually gelled a bit better as the night went on and perhaps I got more used to their style, too. I heard an Echo and the Bunnymen vibe at times. The songs were decent enough and although I enjoyed the opening band a bit more, I would put my money on this band for a bigger audience down the road. But I am not very good at handicapping these things--which makes me the perfect A&R guy for a major label. That is, assuming that position even exists anymore.

Observation of the Night: I believe I saw someone texting with thick gloves or mittens on. Or perhaps his phone had an app that channeled directly into his brainwaves? I admit to not keeping up with these trends.

The Capstan Shafts / Cheniers / The Octagon - Black Cat - Jan 7 2010

The Octagon - This band was a little tricky to figure out. One song they had some great catchy pop moves in a grunge setting which did not seem to work. Other songs were grungy rock which sounded good. Then came some average pop sounds. Ultimately, I saw enough smart songs to make it work, but the sound never quite gelled. Good effort, perhaps another night with better sound may work even better.

Cheniers - Local band that is perhaps named for local Wizards announcer Phil Chenier? I know this band never saw him play like I did, but they did choose a nice googlable name at least. I was hearing good grinding, churning moderate pace pop songs with a bit of punkrock style that was not unlike Wire. They are not anywhere near the upper echelons with Wire, but their choices in song and playing were good and quite enjoyable. And for any band that list Swell Maps as an influence, let alone even knowing Swell Maps, well they are my kind of band.

The Capstan Shafts - Apparently this guy named Dean from Vermont has quietly churned out a bit of music over recent years well below the radar. He has put together this band of a couple guitarists and a rhythm section and they are playing together for the first time here (not sure if any of them have worked together in other combinations). Anyway, the vocals were good and delivered good hooks in the pop-rock style. The rhythm section was solid and the guitars were fascinating. One played garage chords as distorted as you would like while the other did some of the most oddball leads and fills I have heard. It had the jarring effect of a Tommy Hall electric jug or Pere Ubu home made synthesizer. Well, not that extreme, but it made me look up and try to make sure I was seeing and hearing a guitar. Good stuff. My notes say "Daniel Johnston backed by the Zeroes?" Maybe, I am not a big Johnston fan but it has the right poptone here, but much more control. Very enjoyable set.

Quote of the Night: From an exchange from a fan and Dean from Capstan Shafts (with apologies as I didn't hear the song title exactly.

Fan: "Fire xxxx"
Dean: "Fire, isn't it illegal to yell fire indoors?"
Fan: "Fire xxxx"
Dean: "Oh Fire xxxx"
Fan: "Fire xxxx... plus there's a fire!"
Dean: amidst laughter "Now that is illegal"

Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody / The Jet Age - DC9 - Jan 6 2010

The Jet Age - Three piece with an active drummer, solid bass player and guitar vocalist that shined a bit more as the guitarist. I liked the sound with some good effects and good rock playing. Vocals were decent but lacked confidence at times. I was reminded a bit of Awesome Color who I like quite a bit. I sense these guys are young and still working it out, but they have got a really nice start at it. Stay at it, stay strong!

Adam Franklin Bolts of Melody - I have very slowly become a big fan of the former Swervedriver singer. His solo career is going well with a couple of albums and a couple of US tours. His music is almost a perfect formulaic balance of psyche, shoegaze, rock and pop. Only a modest turnout tonight, but a strong base of fans for him. Many people were very enthusiastic, as was I. I really enjoy his songs and the subtle jamming done around them. Every band member has touch and taste and it is such a pleasure to see them. No cynicism tonight, I will just continue to gush here.  I appreciate his work effort as much as his songs and wish him much more success.

Quote of the Night: from the opener- "...Now's the time to get your refund, but Adam Franklin is up in 45 minutes, so you may want to stick around." Please, Mr. Jet Age, show some confidence. This would be funny if it was coming from Rat Scabies or someone from that era, but dig in, rock out, have fun and apologize to no one!

Gogol Bordello / The Extraordinaires - 9:30 Club - Jan 3 2009

The Extraordinaires - Four guys with neatly trimmed beards, a funny hat, fish shaped guitar... OK, smart and funny band with eclectic style opening for an eclectic headliner. This band was good and did not grate at the nerves at all despite my cynical expectations. Nothing really grabbed me either, but it was fun with catchy enough songs and good playing. They are from Philadelphia.
 

Gogol Bordello - I have heard the buzz for some time, but this
is my first chance to catch them live, as they should be heard
and seen on stage. This was the second of two sold out shows
and the final show of a lengthy tour. I was not surprised to
see they had plenty of energy to burn as that is a major part of
the act. But first the lights dimmed and then they played almost
fifteen minutes of entrance music. Now I am a fan of cool intro
music, but this was a bit excessive. I heard the Pogues, a gypsy
song, reggae, a hardcore song (Wasted Youth? I am really
pissed I couldn't figure out who) and another song. So they laid
out a long recipe of what they are about in case you had not
figured that out already. Finally, they jump into the set and did
an excellent job. Seven of them bouncing around with a couple
of female backup singers popping in and out. The crowd dug
it as expected and I enjoyed it as well. However, there was
something just a little rehearsed and formal about the
presentation which kind of defies the formula a bit. Whether
that is due to playing big club (gee that has never happened
before) or just a certain comfort and limitation of a rock set,
I don't know. At least they did not line up and do a Rockettes
kick or anything like that. I find bands that are born out of
the Pogues to be a little tricky for me to fully get into and
these guys had some Boiled in Lead stylings in here too, so
in spite of their originality, it is a form where other bands
have also excelled at. But I am being a bit picky. This was
fun and the band is worth seeing for a whole lot of varied
music lovers out there.

Quote of the Night: from a line... "She's trying out for a triathalon and training with a guy who is on her kickball team." Huh?

Top Ten sets in 2009

2008 was my year to travel to Europe twice and see countless sets from DC to Denver and a few points in between. 2009 was the first full year of DC Rock Live and every set I took in was from DC or the near-by cities. It is a tough call to come up with a list and my first draft was 25 bands. I try to weigh in the overall positive effect I cam away from the show with along with the element of surprise I felt, along with something I feel is important for me personally. There are a lot of really good local bands from here to Brooklyn that I have to compare to world acts, so perhaps I should break this out into two lists. Well, maybe next year (Sorry Caverns, Tennis System, Stellastar, etc.). For now, let us list. Scroll down for full reviews of the show.

10. Do Make Say Think - Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Dec 1st.  A nice surprise greeted me with this interesting collective of musicians. My cynicism is now greatly reduced toward large ensembles hitting the stage when they play compelling original music like this. The Toronto scene is a hot one for me.

9. Dresden Dolls - 9:30 Club - Jan 21st. The highlight of a rather corporate side inauguration party event. This simple looking duo of piano/vocals and kick-ass drums really pounded their music into me. Intense, smart and very fun.

8. Ya Ho Wha 13 - Velvet Lounge - March 27th. What could I expect from commune survivors from the band that gave us Father Yod and post-Seeds Sky Saxon songs? I was presently surprised by the exciting psychedelic jams and overall positive vibes exhibited by these three old-time members.

7. Opeth - 9:30 Club - May 13th. A little bias here, as Mikael Akerfeldt is a good friend of my friends, Comus. This band really nails compositional metal as good as anyone out there. I really felt it at this show, the second time I have seen them. Strong, thoughtful music.

6. Elliott Brood - DC9 - Nov 22nd. A great little set by a great little Toronto three-piece. I really hope I am catching rising stars here. They balance accessible pop rootsy music with psychedelic tones and gutsy rock.

5. Akron/Family - Rock'n'Roll Hotel - August 11th. I have seen them twice before, so no surprises here except for their adjustment to being a trio. Some of the whimsy was gone, but eccentricity remained within their usual great songs and stage presence.

4. Vieux Farka Toure - Rock'n'Roll Hotel - June 9th. African beats were on display, but lots of modern touches from rock, blues and psyche, too. Great guitaring easily covering any style Mr. Toure chose to play.

3. Van der Graaf Generator - State Theater - June 24th. A rare appearance by Pete Hammill and band was well worth the long, long wait. A smooth sound with very average looking gentlemen slowly unfolded into some of the most darkly intense progressive music I have ever heard. A brilliant show made better with an opening set by the Acoustic Strawbs.

2. Jay Reatard/TV Smith - Black Cat - July 5th. Truly an eventful evening for me. I got to see one of my punk heroes, TV Smith, play for the first time. Then, Jay Reatard completely lived up to his reputation as a great punk songwriter/performer and then, they all encore together playing four loud, raucous songs by the Adverts. Brilliant and so, so satisfying for me.


1. Os Mutantes - State Theater - October 7th. Like so many older acts I go to see, I mostly wanted to help complete my historical perspective of all the important rock bands of my lifetime. And sometimes the magic happens beyond that motive. This time, it did with a magical, wonderful, vibrant set of psychedelic music performed by these Brazilian masters. Knowing their history or nothing at all did not matter at all. This set was mindblowing psychedelic rock with world beat touches, perfectly delivered.

Grant Hart / Ambition Burning / The Ultimate Vag - Velvet Lounge - Dec 21 2009

The Ultimate Vag - We have the drummer from "Kohoutek" and a guitarist from "To Live and Shave in LA". They play an extended jam that was quite good. The players are excellent and the guitarist made enough changes to keep any section from becoming too long winded. Some good melodies and attention getting sounds and rhythms throughout.

Ambition Burning - Straight ahead punk rock power trio. A woeful start where they stopped playing with an untuned bass. Then a long tuning break before the second song. Then a song they screwed up twice on, quit and played something else. Then, things started clicking and they showed a glimmer of hope. A few good burners and then a couple that sounded like Spaceman 3 which was quite a nice surprise. So there is something possible for this band. Keep practicing, guys.

 

 Grant Hart - I had not seen my old buddy in 22 years. After a quick catching up, he hit the stage solo with hollow body guitar plugged straight into an amp. I would have preferred a full band, but his voice was good and his song writing was always good enough to work in any format. Despite the mainstream media coverage, there were no more than 30 people present, although there was the snow and the holidays and other things going on. Still, a nice delivery of some quality pop songs was evident tonight at the dark and quiet Velvet Lounge.

Quote of the Night: from Mr. Hart- "I'm wearing my guitar like a damn apron (strap around front on both sides). Not very professional. I'm sure some of you noticed." He then replayed the opener or did a very long version of it.

Scream / Rustbuckit - Black Cat Dec 20 2009

Rustbuckit - Something snowy happened to Dykstra who were not here to open, or maybe it was bankruptcy court. Anyway, we have four older guys who clearly have their chops and are grinding out some punk related straight ahead rock. They introduce themselves as a couple of guys from Black Market Baby and Steve from Minor Threat/GI. That makes perfect sense as this is in the BMB style as I remember it at least. Kind of reminded me of Easy Action (Post Negative Approach) with a totally different vocal style. Good rapid fire body blows delivered here, more than hook oriented pop. Solid, well done and glad to see them still rocking.

Scream - Happily, the Black Cat was able to move this sell-out from the back room stage to the full stage. They easily doubled the attendance with that move as the club was moderately packed in spite of the weekend of snow. The original four banged out two songs before introducing a newer second guitarist to play the rest of the way. Apparently, they are still a bit active as they had new songs to debut. I kind of assumed this was a one-off to get a paid trip back home for Christmas or something. And maybe it was as Brian Baker also was on hand for the encores adding more guitar pyrotechnics. The songs were great to hear again, always a tuneful band, the songs rocked with a mainstream style that was not pretentious. The sound started murky and confused but eventually righted itself as it often does. That distracted me a little, but the band was strong and together and the crowd enjoyed it a lot. They had a sax out for two of their more reggae inspired numbers, so lots of good variety in their set. The very bald Peter Stahl had a song about 1995 being the year of the bald singer, but I would like to see his thesis as it seemed the 80s was more where that happened. But he looked good and sounded better, so that was the main thing. The one key to Scream's success was their backing vocals (overall singing for that matter) and I had half forgotten how much that Skeeter and Franz helped move the songs along. I will happily plow through snow to see these guys anytime.

Quote of the Night: Between a couple of guys in the opener... "God those guys (Scream) got old." "Yeah, and we didn't?". I have to say Scream looked about 20 years older, two of the Rustbuckit guys looked about 35 years older.

Sleeper Agent! / Cloak/Dagger / Domino Team / Solar Powered Sun Destroyer - Black Cat - Dec 18 2009

Solar Powered Sun Destroyer - Anglo-tinged indie rock with strong psychedelic touches and maybe an ounce of shoegaze. Three guitars blasting away at times with sound effects and a fog machine. Decent vocals, strong sound. They just did not quite get me to break out into overall excitement, but I just relaxed and remembered what you usually get from the fourth band on the bill. So a really good set and good things could be in store for this band.

Domino Team - Two guitars, bass, drums and two vocals with a multi-ethnic lineup. I anticipated the cliche and expected hip-hop metal, but instead got short, brutal thrash-metal bursts. Not as odd as Napalm Death, I suppose, but strong intense little bursts of power more like the NYC metal hardcover crossover bands. Amusing at times between songs, although one vocalist would not let anyone finish their sentence and you could only understand half of what was said, which was not altogether bad. The other vocalist is a bartender/manager at the Club and although that helps in booking, they delivered a solid opening band set.  Just work on the patter as you should have guessed when someone yelled for the third time, "shut up and play"!

Cloak/Dagger - A four piece from Richmond with one guitarist. Wow. The band is very smart by only having one guitar here. The guy is amazing as he can grind out rhythms and do fills, overtones and full leads and somehow keep the rhythm sound going. One of the best I have seen in this style, for certain. Rhythm section fast and good and the vocalist was strong and clear. The music reminded me of when punk split into hardcore and other (later called postpunk). The sound is from that era but they actually combined both styles into hard, fast punk rock with odd and angular moves within. Maybe a combination of Rudimentary Peni and the Proletariat? How about Honor Role and Ruin? How about I stop showing off all the obscure bands I know and just say this band is excellent, a hot and heavy creative in-your-face rock band that really struck a chord with me. Rather, they were striking the chord eight times a second with me.

Sleeper Agent! - My second time with this band and was surprised to see them headlining upstairs. Stabb quickly expresses his surprise at that as well (see below). Stabb had his usual wit which I enjoy as another old timer. When you're this old, it is wisdom I think (as I picture him wincing at that line--he has a good wince). As before, I think the guitarist is quite creative doing lots of unique things in the basic sound that is in the neighborhood of Government Issue, but not really. Probably some of the quirky moves in the songwriting feel like GI, but this band stands by itself just fine. Stabb was one of the excellent DC vocalists who all had one odd thing in common, they really didn't sing particularly well. What they had was style, presence and great delivery. I will except Peter Stahl from Scream from that description, but we'll see how he sounds this Sunday. Anyway, enough reminiscing. Much mention of the snowstorm that was just beginning to come down which clearly scared some people away. For the brave souls that came, they were treated to some great area music.

Quote of the Night: "Thanks to Cloak/Dagger, the band you people all really came to see"

Street Dogs / Roger Miret & the Disasters / Stigma - Black Cat - Dec 16 2009

Stigma - A loud, tough five piece hits the stage with a sound that was a bit too much at first, especially with vocals overdriving, but it settled eventually. We have two brothers from Agnostic Front on vocals and bass. Vinnie Stigma, singing here, was AF's guitarist back in the early days of NYC hardcore. That band had punk, hardcore and eventually metal combined with a resultant sound that is kind of obvious now, but was not back then. This band is clearly of that sound, style and energy level. An Iron Cross cover and lots of originals went over well with a surprisingly tepid crowd. I had a lot of respect for the band for asking the crowd to come up front and get enthusiastic and then smiling, keeping the energy and rocking out when the crowd kind of stood around. Other bands keep moaning and asking, but they just did their job and did win over the crowd by set's end.  Glad to see Vinnie looking well, as he was a nice guy some twenty-five years ago when I had a chat with him.

Roger Miret & the Disasters - Now we have the vocalist of Agnostic Front, playing some rhythm guitar with a lead and rhythm section behind him. The sound was again a bit off at the beginning with feedback and thin spots. The songs were a bit more Misfits-Syl Sylvain kind of numbers, but they rocked well enough. Once the sound sorted out, the band picked up steam and did a good job. Just another slab of NYC punk rock, and that is almost always a good thing.

Agnostic Front - ! What a nice surprise to get three of the original Agnostic Front guys together with an extra guitarist and Stigma's drummer. They did a couple of the classics which sounded great. After researching a bit, apparently Agnostic Front is getting back together and doing a substantial amount of touring next year in the US and Europe. If you want a dose of classic 80s, New York, this was the band to see then and I would recommend them now.

Street Dogs - "Holiday shenanigans with the Street Dogs" is how the flyer reads and that sets the attitude pretty well for this fun raucous band. This band started about seven years ago with former members of Boston's Dropkick Murphys. Irish punk rock all the way here. They have a love of the Pogues (and cover Boys From County Hell tonight) but want to play a bit more like the Ramones (OK, this is obvious as their entrance music was Blitzkrieg Bop and a Pogues instrumental). I think I saw them open for the Adolescents a few years ago and they blew me away. So tonight I expected their high energy, melodic, fun brand of punk rock and they delivered. The crowd was filled with hardcore fans and others that dug in and had a great time. The band brought a US Marine and had them set up a Toys for Tots booth in the back which was nice of them. They do charitable things and the singer was a firefighter, so they are a band you can respect or just go out and have a great time with.

Quote of the Night: from Stigma... "DC, the home of Iron Cross, Sab should be here any minute..." Such a singular DC band, that Iron Cross, you don't hear them mentioned often, but they resonate in a big way in some places.

Forgetters / The Max Levine Ensemble / Police & Thieves - St. Stevens Church - Dec 12 2009

Police & Thieves - This band sounded VERY 2nd generation harDCore. I could almost close my eyes and hear Faith playing. Earnest vocals, buzzsaw music striving for melody and succeeding mostly. A bit of crunch in the guitars and overall a pretty decent effort, especially with a fill-in drummer.

The Max Levine Ensemble - Revved up power pop punk that was pretty loud and assertive. The guitarist's vocals were lost early but the sound improved. The mosh pit got going and the songs were catchy. Great energy with band and crowd lead to a nice set.

The Speech discussing this benefit - I was getting this eerie feeling that I had been here before in 1987 when I lived in DC for a year. So this guy starts speaking and the feeling continues. Is this the same guy that did a benefit for Amnesty International with Scream back in 1987? As he talked about his group, We are Family, a senior outreach network organization, he did the usual nice type of speech. As he went on, the emotional intensity went up and yes, I recognize this speaker from that show 22 years ago! He then mentioned starting shows here in 1987, but I need not this evidence to realize that this is a truly odd deja vu moment. So this guy talks about being older to this good sized crowd of young people and I realize that he, myself and the sound guy are maybe the only older people here. The crowd is the exact young crowd I saw 22 years ago (with maybe a few more tattoos). The speaker went from an inclusive speech to an us/them them railing against the obvious targets and the crowd politely applauded. Where are their parents that were the last time? I am sure many have done good deeds as will many of these folks. But there is room for a lot of cynicism here as well. But I want to keep a positive vibe here (after all this is sponsored by Positive Force).

Forgetters - Right from the first note, I sensed we had a smart talented power trio here. They have some old pros from bands such as Jawbreaker and Against Me, so I was not too surprised. I really liked the strong mid tempo rock sound with clear dramatic vocals (almost TSOL like, but different). The vocal/guitarist had the challenge of segueing from the emotional positive speech to his explaining the nihilism and darker nature of their songs which was quite amusing and well done. The songs kept coming and I enjoyed them more and more. This is a very early show for this band and I suspect good things await them as they develop their audience. They have the goods to do very well.

Quote of the Night: "I got like vegan Doc Martens, they're like cool, it's like expensive, but whatever like... like... like..."

Ra Ra Rasputin / Tennis System / Laughing Man / Baywa - Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Dec 5 2009

Baywa - "Like Baywatch without the tch"... You have the guitar, bass, drum kit foundation with a female vocalist/keyboardist and a Santana style stand-up percussionist with various drums for sticks and hands. Did the guitarist say the keyboardist was a guest? If so, they should try for permanence as she gave a help to their sound. Clearly, the rhythms were key and were pretty enjoyable all night. I thought the guitar and vocals (at times) were a little herky-jerky which was the intent, but just sounded like lower rate Talking Heads kind of stuff. Nice final song left a good taste in my mouth. Good job.

Laughing Man - The classic power trio comes on after the guitarist plays one bluesy number by himself which features more singing than guitar pyrotechnics. The drums and guitar were pretty simple with the bass a bit more interesting. It is not technically fascinating or brazenly punk shocking or anything, so what is it. I would say it had an "outsider" "real person" concept working here. A few songs were very moving and there was just something primal and powerful when it worked. It does remind me of the mysteries of watching new bands back in the punk days when lots of people tried to do something with music. You would get some fun results. This was fun.

Tennis System - Third time is the charm for me as I see one of DC's finest young bands. I am recognizing some of the songs and they are still awash with swirling shoegaze guitars and pulsating rhythms. A really fine band that should continue to do well. The only negative in the set was me as I was barely able to stay awake since I had spent two days baking, preparing and hosting a brunch for some friends earlier that day. But I could still feel the power tonight. Check out this band soon.

Ra Ra Rasputin - Sorry guys, I left early as I did not have it any me to make it a late one and the club was running a full hour after the posted times tonight.

Quote of the Night: "This song's called 6699.  I think it's cool cuz it looks like quotation marks together. People thinks it's about sex... which it is." from Baywa.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists / Radio 4 / Title Tracks

Title Tracks - Another hot set from this local four-piece. The first couple of songs were great power pop with hooks and beats a plenty. The band had a great rhythmic thrust with the jangly hooks and intimate vocals on top. Fully layered sound is the key here. If they keep writing, playing, touring, they could do very very well. Fun band.

Radio 4 - I have not seen this NYC outfit for about four years. I remember at the time that I respected their sound, but I just was not terribly moved. So for the first few songs, I was pleased to think that maybe I was being a little too hard on them. The sound began a bit like Title Tracks, but with less jangle and more of an early U2 rock and eventually a kind of European post-punk pop-rock sound. Further on, different songs introduced various other forms of funk, dub, garage-pop and then I remembered specifically where I had a problem with them. They are very slick and certainly enjoyable, but I just did not feel a real unified sound or a way to really bond with them. Not that it was bad set, far from it. But it really did not command an emotional interest. And the polite crowd did seemed to be little bland in response as well.

Photo by Shawn Brackbill

 

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The sold out crowd finally filled in slowly throughout the night. Leo is a big favorite in DC and delivers great shows. This one did not begin that way as there was a serious bass problem and some guitar problems. Leo played "Dirty Old Town", and old Ewan MacColl song in a good intense Billy Bragg style. So I didn't mind the problems, nor did the crowd. The band handled it well and the set began to grow more smoothly after the first four or five songs. Leo writes some fantastic pop-punk songs and the band delivers. 90 minutes of energetic pop with lots of power and feeling. This is well beyond a simple category of power pop.

Disturbing moment of the night: While choosing a urinal, I had to pick one way too close to some guy who was using both hands to write a text message. It may be less dangerous than texting while driving, but it was creepy.

Do Make Say Think / The Happiness Project / Years - DC9 - Dec 1 2009

Years - What we have here tonight is a collective of nine musicians from Toronto playing in total as the headliner and in various combinations with a songwriter/arranger leading the openers. Here we have the guitarist playing a hollow body electric and acoustic fingerstyle with the occasional loop. A trumpet gives a few songs some nice color and transition. The guitarist is no Davy Graham (few are even close) and the loops make it a little unclear what he's playing and when, but the result is the issue and the music is excellent. There's a good Robbie Basho style energy which I do enjoy much. And the more he plays, the more he earns my respect as a really good guitarist (which gets clearer in the subsequent sets as well). A sax joins in and other members pop in as well. A nice set.

The Happiness Project - This time a bassist/guitarist takes the lead by explaining that his project was to record his neighbor's speech patterns and compose songs off of the variant vocal maneuvering during their conversations. Alright, this sounds pretty iffy. But when he kicks it in starting with a conversation and then having a sax play along with it, it makes sense and sounds surprisingly good. The subsequent efforts go in different directions with full band interpretation, looped dialogue, and playing in between the words in interesting patterns. This really worked in spite of my misplaced cynicism. I look forward to the full band coming up next based on the creative and accessible sounds thus far.

Do Make Say Think - There is some instrument switching (as there has been already), but it is quite seamless and not manic at all. The nine members mostly play a couple guitars, a bass, two drumkits, violin, sax, trumpets, and keyboards. There is some slight group vocals more in the way of chants picked up by distant stage microphones, so we are dealing with instrumentals here. The music is diverse and very smart without being an intellectual exercise. Very catchy guitar lines and smooth brass breathing in and out between the main melody lines. Some really interesting psychedelic moves, interesting violin plucking, good drumming. In fact, if I were to compare this to Terrastock bands that I saw last year, this reminds me of somewhere between an Irish band I enjoyed immensely called United Bible Studies and a Louisville music collective Sapat. That is pretty high praise from me and I really had a great night watching these Toronto musicians. The club was crowded for a Tuesday and the patrons agreed heartily. Oh, and I now read they have worked with Akron/Family. What a surprise that great bands find each other and work with each other. Do Make an effort to see this collective.

Quote of the Night: "So this is place is hipster heaven..." from some annoying guy who talked loudly 3/4 of the way through the headliner's set.