Monday, September 18, 2006

Review - Show - Gnarls Barkley @ Sherman’s Meadow (9/16/06)


As part of the Alice’s Now and Zen concert set in Golden Gate Park, Gnarls Barkley turned the heat-beset audience from lackadaisical to lascivious. The pastiche set included many covers from music’s greats, including The Violent Femmes, as well as this summer’s hits, Crazy and Smiley Faces, off their album St. Elsewhere. Frontmen Cee-lo and Danger Mouse came out in red karate uniforms while their backup dressed in white. The “g-strings”, as Cee-lo fondly reffered to the all female string section, sounded amazing. The guitarist and bassist both had some pretty unique dance moves to add to the performance. But really, it’s all about Cee-lo and his ability to shine into everyone watching him. He talked a lot about universal love and pulled off some daring comments like “Come on people, I don’t want to see you just staring at me” and “I’m gonna have fun up here today, how about you?”. His words forced the mom and pop/ son and daughter audience to wake up and groove. Persnoally, having gone to so many small-venue shows as of late I noticed the loss of intimacy at the show. But I was really impressed with how well Cee-lo handled it. Besides the hits and the wacked out tune The Boogie Monster, the shows highlight was a section entitled “vanity fair” in which Cee-lo listed off his better qualities. He said “I can sing” (giving the just-a-little gesture with finger and thumb), “I can rap” (again the gesture with fans ululating), and “I’m pretty talented (dead pause) I’m not lucky people”. I thought that line was pretty tight, seeing how it is kind of a stigma concerning pop artists. Hardcore man. To see and hear the Smiley Faces video just click on my bro Tracy’s blog Bucktooth Mechanics in my links section.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Review - Show - Walken and Dick Duster @ Thee Parkside (9/13/06)



dick duster \di-k 'd&s-t&r\ n : A gay man's soul patch. This tuft of hair just below the lower lip will dust the bottom shaft of any cock that happens to be insertered in the gay man's mouth. ---urban dictionary.com



Just coming back from the Walken and Dick Duster show. Walken fuckin’ ruled and played precise. Lead singer Shane was on the bass and his voice had a perfect mixture of high tone while being full, that is to say, the points were his vocals were high lighted stood well on their own and were actually musical. Guitarists Max Doyle and Sean Kohler, as I said, were on point and the new drummer Zack Farwell was in a trance, playing brutal and shit. I’ve gotta say if I hadn’t seen Shane at the FACEDOWNINSHIT show I wouldn’t have known about this one, glad I went. As usual they were cool at ease on stage thanking the crowd amidst screams. Nice to have a hometown, eh? (Check their upcoming show at El Rio on Sept. 23rd.)

Randomly, Matt Pike from High On Fire was at the show and I got to talk with him for a second when he wasn’t surrounded by the women. He said Norway was great and that the show with Venom at the Fillmore was fun. Unfortunately their drummer just went in for some surgery so they won’t be out and about again for another 6 weeks. Look for shows then.

I must say the real spectacle began when Dick Duster took the stage. The lead singer grabbed a bro and randomly talked shit to the audience until everyone was worked up to a boiling-point frenzy. The guitars wailed with feedback and the bass thudded along until the place exploded. A mic left on at stage right was soon pounced upon by some dude and then some chick. The lead singer, while goading, walked into the crowd and the whole concept of stage and floor was abolished, people were jumping everywhere and half the vocals were from the crowd - the singer crashed to the floor and was immediately jumped by the singing chick who starts pulling off his clothes, he tries to get up but is missing his shirt and half his pants, he makes it back to the stage only to have her follow, pull off the rest of his pants and give fake head to his exposed member, next he flaps it around kinda like a pin wheel you put in yr garden and chants something like “this is for all you men out there who ain’t got no dicks”, then he sorta pulls up his boxer briefs and jumps right back into the song. The music never stops. It is just one riff. It gets soft. It gets louder. It explodes. That is Dick Duster.

As the show goes on, more exposure, lead singer pushes through the crowd repeatedly falling onto the floor now littered with broken glass and soaked through with beer - people were dumping it all over the fucking place - he is soon a bloody mess (fyi I am not being British). Unfortuantely blood was soon everywhere and my shoes are ruined, my pants stained, and I had to take a shower immediately upon coming home. Alright, that’s a lie, but I really should. Just to be safe. Yeah, I’m gonna go do that. G. G. Allen lives!---










Thursday, September 14, 2006

TRANSLATION - Rainer Maria Rilke - page a month

And on into night they ride, into the same night. Again the silence. But within them, they have the words from before. The Marquis takes off his helmet. His dark hairs are smooth. The way in which they drop about his head and expand across his neck is almost womanlike. Something in the eye of the man from Langenau: off in the distance an object projects with a glint, something slender, dark. A lonesome column, half-abandoned. And later, it seems to him, it was the Madonna.

RELAPSE CONTAMINATION TOUR featuring FaceDownInShit, Minsk, Cretin, Fuck The Facts, and Unearthly Trance @ The Elbo Room 9/11/06

Southern super fried is, perhaps, one way and “the bass player is fucking wasted” is definitely another way of describing FACEDOWNINSHIT as they shuffled on the stage last night.























Bassist Waylon Riffs’s 3rd person characterization of himself led into a crusty set of pain soaked riffs with bouts of stoned giggles in between. This band has been on my list of must-see for two years now; initially I heard of them through a freight hoppin’ motherfucker from their home town, Greensboro S.C. Their sound resembles much of the sludgy grunge-metal from that region: Eye Hate God, Catharsis, Buzzov-en. Their hypnotic riffs are so completely full with seething disgust for corporate society and its minions that they pass for blast beats. It feels like these guys just want to live out in the woods doin’ their shit, smokin’ weed, playin’ music, runnin’ with the wolves, but they can’t, and are really pissed off that they can‘t.







SATAN
RULES.










I was already acquainted with, and somewhat prepared for, their sound, but their stage presence was a whole other dimension. Their sound check began with them falling into a jam almost against their will, it came that easily. Then the bassist cut the mic-check short by announcing that “we’re only screaming, that’s all we’re gonna do - you shouldn’t even be able to hear us”. Jason Crumer, the guitarist who looked straight outta a death metal Dazed and Confused, catatonically held his guitar like his gut and laughed with eyes 99.9% shut. There was no bullshit here, the boys were just out to have a good time. I mean, their passivity was disarming; anyone having a bad day just had to laugh with them. Launching off with a song from their new album NPON they put to rest any argument against their ability to play well while all fucked up. Crumer’s guitar had a warm fuzz that focused on bright tone - reminiscent of Thin Lizzy or ZZ Top - but BRUUTAL! Ryan Wolfe’s drums kicked in catchy and poignant with a million fills. He has the ability to play a beat so that it rises in intensity steedily to the point when you think it can’t go any higher but it does. And with the multitude of riff extensions he holds everything together.

In between songs the band left long pauses of southern hospitality. The crowd heckled with things like “Go back to Florida”, “I’m gonna throw myself out”, and of course “Play it slower”. But FACEDOWNINSHIT were in no hurry to get to the next song - instead they just kinda laughed hard and heckled back. I mean, from the depth of the depression in the lyrics you’d think there’d be signs of anger in their mien but they were completely down to earth and well natured. The show continued to rock til the last song and at one point filled the room with their characteristic whining feedback, forcing most of the crowd to hold their ears shut: the show was fucking loud. So loud, in fact, the police arrived shortly after they left the stage.














That night four other bands played: Minsk, Cretin, Fuck The Facts, and Unearthly Trance (in that order). Unearthly Trance headlined and I wish I’d gotten a better listen but the night was old at that point, and I hate to be a puss, but I was tired. I do have to throw a shout out to Cretin for keepin’ it real with the Carcass/Phobia stylin’ old school grind. I especially liked “A little ditty about a girl with one titty”. And for anyone who cares, Fuck The Facts is the fucking shit. I gotta say, when the 95lb lead singer Mel Mongeon and bassist Marc-Andre Mongeon took the stage barefoot I was a little skeptical but it turned out they were not talentless hippies. At first they reminded me of Dillenger Escape Plan “mathmetal” or whatever. Some of the guitar was really mind blowing and the dead stops consistent and precise. As the show went on elements of grindcore as well as NYC or Boston hardcore came out. Mel belted heavy growls and the few times she did her pig-squeal-style-vox it was off the hook. Personally I’d like to hear more of that from her because it gave more range to her sound. Part of Mel’s performance is taking a drink of water and spitting it on the floor in front or on the audience; she also let it kinda drip outta her mouth and down her chin. You thinking what I’m thinking? Good prop. When their set was over their merch table was totally swamped and I think that speaks for itself.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Top 5 Quotes By CRONOS of VENOM Made @ The Fillmore (8/27/06)


#5

“If you don’t know this one, well, you better just leave.”

#4

“We entitled the new album, Metal Black, thought we’d keep it simple for you guys this time!”

#3

“We won’t sell out!”

#2

“Nobody’s wearing any makeup up here! Well, unless he is (points to guitarist MYKVS)! This would be the right town for it anyway!”

And #1

“Who wants a free ride on my Doom Tractor!”