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Concerts, February - March 2002
The Mooney Suzuki with the Priests and the Datsuns at the Bug Jar
March 23, 2002
Holy shit, there couldn't have been a more perfect show than this one,
I don't care what anyone says. It just kicked ass. Thanks again to
Sam for the guest list...
The Datsuns are from New Zealand, and you should know about them. I think
I've said enough right there. Seriously, they rock, they roll, they
rip it up like there's no tomorrow, and they do it with the greatest
of ease. And better yet, their impressive sound- a mix of garage, Cheap
Trick, KISS, AC/DC, et al. yet cooler, comes off just as well live as
it does on the wonderful wonderful 45's that they had for sale (I also
like the fact that the "Fink for the Man" 45 is a nice vibrant blue-
mmmm, colored vinyl...). It's really too bad that there weren't more
people in the Bug Jar when the Datsuns went on, but they performed as
if it were as packed when the Mooney Suzuki went on, giving everyone
in the audience a good dose of Rock and Roll Medicine with full out
catastrophic antics (no one stayed on stage- they were all out
showing off and working it on the floor for about half of the set)
and a blistering, tight performance. Check them out. Now.
Rochester's Priests played next, delivering whatever it is they like
to unleash on the masses through their mix of low-down, twisted, and sick
elements. Oh yeah. And make sure you groan that oh yeah at first, and
shriek it at the end for the full effect. So now that I've succeeded in
making this seem all erotic and what not... the Priests' set
was well put and entertaining as usual with a mix of songs ranging from
old to not even named yet. I believe that this was also the show where
Trey from the 45's joined them on the wonderful Farfisa for their
finale, which included Hi-Heeled Sneakers. That was the best
part of their set by far. And if it wasn't at this show, then
I don't know what show I'm dreaming about right now. As far as the
groveling/mic stand waving/falling off of the stage/knocking things
over shtick goes, it was fairly contained this evening, which was sort
of disappointing. However, I learned that thanks to Matt, I have a
fear of flying bodies and mic stands... why haven't you developed that
yet? Because you haven't seen the Priests enough. Go.
So the Mooney Suzuki closed the evening out with a wham a bam a boom
and uh, a bang. I don't care what anyone has to say, the Mooney Suzuki
still hold the stage presence and energy and aura that is enough
to knock your socks off, or perhaps, if you really get into it, cause
you to just go insane- in a good way- while witnessing them. The place
was packed, and rightly so; the Moonies put on a great live show.
Supporting their latest release, "Electric Sweat" (which you should get)
the set featured new tunes Oh Sweet Susanna, In a Young Man's Mind,
Electric Sweat paired with older ones like Turn My Blue Sky Black,
Your Love is a Gentle Whip, Half of My Heart, and I Say I
Love You. And even though there were enough people there to fill
the band area and almost be on top of the stage, there was, like the
Datsuns, audience participation from the band a number of times- very
enjoyable. Compared to the Donnas show that I saw them play last year,
I liked this show better because of the smaller, more intimate
environment. I think that everyone fed off of each other, which is
always the best way for things to be. Check out this band before they
appear as an MTV Buzzworthy or something (which, while may be good, is
very scary). Check out the interview that I did with Sammy James Jr. and
Graham Tyler by clicking right HERE
The Reverend Horton Heat with Nashville Pussy and the Street Walkin'
Cheetahs at the Showplace Theatre, Buffalo, NY March 12, 2002 /
Nashville Pussy with the Street Walkin' Cheetahs and The White Devils
at Water Street MusicHall, Rochester NY March 15, 2002
Due to the overlaps of bands and all of that, this review is condensed
by band and order... if you have a hard time with chaos, just leave now.
Well, since they're local and probably the least important of the bands
being written about in this review, I'll talk about the White Devils
first. The White Devils were (Frantic) Frank, Paulie Rocco and the one
and only Rob Filardo. Then Rob left the band because he was in too many
bands or something (ha!), so Frank had fellow Flattop Too Tall Paul
fill in on drums. Then Paul left the Flattops and the White Devils and
can now only be seen at Swingin' Neckbreakers shows, so Frank, in need
of a drummer, talked real sweet to Rob and Rob is in the band again. Or
was. At least, that's my take on the story... the band doesn't play out
a whole lot, so I really can't form a strong opinion having seen
them all of twice. However, they aren't half bad, and if you're into a
bit of low down grease with your rock and roll, you might dig em. The
White Devils are Frank's excuse to use his beautiful looking cherry red
Gibson SG, and they're Paulie Rocco's to after having played some
stellar slide, go up to people and try to sell his cd's. They're Rob's
to just be in another band. I like the way the percussion is a bit
more innovative, but at times the sound is a little thin because there
is no bass present. But somehow it stays together. Like I said, if it
sounds appealing, check them out- they're playing with the mother-fuckin'
man himself Link Wray in July- a show that you should be at anyways.
The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs opened in Buffalo and played second in
Rochester. They sucked. I guess I'm just not into the typical washed up
sounds of harder rock wanna-be type music; it just didn't sound very
original, and it seemed like they were trying awfully hard at times
to create a stir within the crowd. Their singer reminded me of a Vince
Neil wanna-be (looks and everything), which if it were Vince from say,
15 years ago, would've been fairly damn funny, but it was like Vince
from the VH1's Behind the Music era / today. The only one who
looked cool and managed to rock was the tall skinny Keith Moon- esque
drummer, but he was probably strung out... don't waste your time.
Nashville Pussy headlined in Rochester and were billed second in Buffalo,
and despite playing what I felt were fairly damn identical sets (right
down to the drugs commentary- they turn an "asshole" into a "super
asshole", ha ha), I enjoyed them. I wasn't too sure what to
expect, as I hadn't heard much of them and had never seen them before,
but they came out loud, redneck, and in charge, bringing out the inner
trashiness within us all (even I got more-slutty-than-normal looking).
Nashville Pussy played a fairly long set- around 1 hour- that both nites,
was solid, energetic, and a damn fine debaucherous time. The band
served up a combination of tunes like You Give Drugs a Bad Name,
High as Hell, Keep on Fucking, All Fucked Up to name a few and on-stage antics that at times, were on the verge
of turning pornographic (fantasize in your mind all you want, you'll
have to go to find out). How can you go wrong?
The Reverend Horton Heat closed out Buffalo, purging all of the dirty
ways cast upon the audience by Nashville Pussy and spreading the
wonderful sounds of neo-rockabilly the way it should be done. Never
ones to disappoint the audience musically, the band was as tight as ever,
and they really had a great live sound about them. The band all of the
band members- Jimbo, Scott, and the Rev (who was wearing white Nubucks
a la Pat Boone) fed off of each other very well,
and the energy was great. They barrelled through many songs-newer
ones from "Lucky 7" and the previous album; Loco Gringos Like a
Party, Reverend Horton Heat's Big Blue Car, Galaxy 500, Spend a Nite in
a Box come to mind, and there were many older tunes in there as well.
And of course there were the requesite songs honoring the man and legend
known as Jimbo (I think he has quite a few now) and the wonderfully
humble and hilarious tune Nurture My Pig. They even gave a
shout out to Rochester. Can you not like it? Sure. But I don't think
it's good for your well- being. Check them out when they come around
again in August- to get away from the 'heat'... ha ha. If only they knew
that Western NY is secretly Hell in disguise...
The Bloody Hollies CD release show with the Priests and the Trailerpark
Tornadoes, at the Mowhawk Place, Buffalo NY February 16, 2002
The show was being touted as Rock 'n' Roll like a kick in the face
(a phrasing courtsey of yours truly), and that my friends, it was.
The Trailerpark Tornadoes started off the evening, and set the mood of
insanity fairly early on, playing a loud set that was not too
impressive. I saw them once before in Buffalo with the Bloody Hollies
and Thundergods, and chalked it up to a bad nite. Um, I think I was
wrong. Overly loud, overly sloppy... I don't know. I'm trying to be
nice here, but I don't think it's working very well. There's a fine
line between being unpolished as an art and unpolished just because.
Unfortunately, that line has been crossed repeatedly by the Trailerpark
Tornadoes. Oh yeah, the feedback- it needs to stop.
The Priests once again played an impressive set featuring their brand of
twisted rock and roll that lures everyone who hears it into its
convoluted web. Need I say more? Not really, but I will. Flashy
guitars! (I'm jealous) A moody vocalist! Surprisingly tight playing!
RnR at its finest! The set featured a combination of new, semi-new, and
not new songs, namely Jellybean, Streetwalker, Little Girl, Black
Hills, House of Wax, The Perpetrator, and Because of You,
the song that officially took Matt over the edge. If I'm not mistaken,
it was this song that caused him to knock Rob over, causing Rob to
throw his bass, which in turn hit Ethan on the head, and resulted in
the whole band leaving the stage not looking very happy. Talk about a
domino effect... however, to satiate the drooling fans ready to rush
the stage, the band came back out and played a very groovy cover of
High Heel Sneakers, proving just how sweet insanity is. Lick
it up and weep.
The Bloody Hollies closed off the evening of mayhem with a set that left
me impressed. The band had a much more together sound for the show,
and I enjoyed the aspect a lot. Nice brashness with some wonderful
trashy rockabilly rhythms thrown in. It seems that the audience enjoyed it
as well, because they were going fairly nuts throughout the entire set,
moshing, and uh, crowd surfing. Yeah. Just a little insane. Unfortunately,
I'm forgetting the bulk of the songs played during the evening- I do
remember hearing Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll, Jailbait, Ice Cream
Truck, Drink it Up! and possibly Insane for Elaine, I Need Love,
and Be A Man plus some more. Don't quote me on the last
one though. Colin from the Priests also joined them for a song at the
end, with Nick joining up on guitar as well. As for what song it was,
do you think I could tell you? I really need to stop living in the fast
lane... ha ha. As you can tell, the show rocked, the Bloody Hollies
rock, and their new cd entitled Got It Where It Counts,
now out on Garage Pop, rocks as well. Go get it or forever be damned.
The Flour City
Knuckleheads, live at the Penny Arcade on December 16
2001, The Bug Jar February 12, 2002, and Fantastic Records February 15,
2002
They're not necessarily the newest punk group on the streets, but they're
the punk group with the newest name and the newest drummer, that's for
sure. The Knuckleheads play punk rock that blends the likes of
heavyweights like the Sex Pistols, Clash, and Ramones with newer punk
sounds a la Rancid and their Epitaph counterparts. I'm combining
these three shows in order to cut through the fluff (the other fairly
bad bands) and get to the core (the Flour City Knuckleheads). All three
shows have been full of catchy punk rock tunes like
Saturday Nite, 25 Years, 911, Sarah's Nite Off, Old School a
cover of White Riot and more, that have resulted in
extreme moshing, diving, popular girls deciding to mosh and getting
thrown around like rag dolls (hee hee, at the Bug Jar), and my very
own brother, Sir Timothy, getting knocked over by his fellow audience
members. I love it. The band still has to solidify their live
performances a bit, but in the mean time, if you like it raw, low-down
and gritty, catch the Knuckleheads live and get their demo!
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