I’m pretty hard on 2-man bands and even harder on laptop bands. The White Stripes are the quintessential 2-piece garage rockers with a superior singer / songwriter / musician at the helm. They write great songs and can rock small venues, but despite their prowess (well, Jack’s anyway) they can be really weak at festivals and large theaters. Same for the Black Keys and just about anybody else in that boat (canoe). Vancouver’s Japandroids like volume and embrace the loud, spacey shoegaze, Pumpkin-style guitar, which helps them out a great deal. Touring behind one of the best albums of 2012 doesn’t hurt either. They rocked The Social on Tuesday, but I fear I wouldn’t want to see them at a larger venue as some of the power of their tunes would be lost in a bigger space without the dynamics of more musicians.
Founding members of Orlando’s Plain Jane Automobile, Duke Crider, Paul McCorkell, and Luis Meija, regrouped as Our Wild Love. They have a new song available for free on their Bandcamp site called “Low”. If you’re a fan of PJA’s take on alternative Brit pop then you might want to sit down. Our Wild Love is big and new with the sound of “Low” landing somewhere between Depeche Mode and Muse. This is a bit of a departure for the band and this tune alludes to something exciting for the Orlando music scene.
I didn’t know much about Future Islands before this show so I was surprised to hear the 80s influenced synth pop band have a singer that floated somewhere between Morissey and Meatloaf with sprinkles of death metal snarls worthy of Glen Benton. It was even more surprising to see him strut and pantomime in sensible shoes, high-waist pants, and fitted muscle T. This was all so weird and so charming. Then it hit me. He’s goin’ for a sort of what-if-young-Brando-fronted-an-indie-band thing. The passionate, poetic lyrics served with a dose method acting further underscored that Samuel Herring is a dead ringer for Marlon Brando (somewhere between young Brando and older pre-fat Marlon). I was reminded that I was at an indie show when I leaned over to one of the younger girls in the group and said, “He’s going for a young Brando thing” and she looked befuddled. “You know, Marlon Brando. On the Waterfront, Streetcar Named Desire, motherfucking Apocalypse Now?!!!!! No? What the fuck? Really? Fuck off.” He was in his prime 20 years before I was born and did his last great film when I was like 4-years old so there’s no excuse not to know who he is if you don’t live in a fucking convent, which probably has high-speed internet anyway. What is it with young people? They are so quick to remind you how young they are and that they couldn’t know who that is. You have the fucking internet you fucking idiots! You should know more at 20 than I do now. Fuck!
I was about half way through Sharon’s opening song before I realized she wasn’t Sarah Jaffe. I’m not sure how I got their latest releases completely confused, but I did. It was hard to peel myself away from football and a new episode of Walking Dead to attend a show I thought might be a folky estrogen fest, but for the third or fourth time in recent history I was caught completely off guard by a powerful performance that I thought would be a snoozer act. Sharon charmed her way through an expertly paced set with a coy smile and playful banter. First, I was surprised at how un-power-dike she was. I was really expecting a scruffy Lillith Fair type. Next, at how young she is or appears to be. It was startling how much wisdom and emotion pours out of the fingers and vocal chords of a such a young lady. The band was tight and the songs ranged from tender to powerful. She battled with the thudding hip hop beats next door working in cute little dance moves as she tuned her guitar. She played the omnichord, the harmonium (pictured above), drank shots, and all-in-all walloped her first Orlando audience.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is one of my favorite bands of recent years. From their DIY beginnings to their more recent rock ‘n roll drama, Alec Ounsworth’s David Byrne meets Dylan vocals in front of their grooving indie pop possesses a certain allure for me. Despite their line-up changes they took the stage at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg and sounded great working through a setlist that touched every album while avoiding some of their bigger hits.
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes played to an eager audience just as the Gulf skies opened up on one of the coolest venues in Florida. The neo-hippy cult with a penchant for powerful singalongs did not disappoint. They could be compared to the Polyphonic Spree (I guess), but their members all have valid contributions to the music and their songs are better.
With M83 still touring on their breakthrough double album, Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, and a year long assault by singles like “Steve McQueen” and the ubiquitous “Midnight City” I’ll admit I wasn’t giddy like a school girl to see the band – especially since I saw M83 at the Beacham last November. So I brought my 12 year-old niece to the show and she was totally stoked.
See the full review on Tampa’s music blog, Suburban Apologist
Built to Spill‘s sound always reminded me of Dinosaur Jr. meets Modest Mouse with a propensity to use crushing guitar interspersed with jangly riffs and a drunken, sad humanist perspective. They also have the same northwestern vibe that MM does with a low-fi approach to live shows that puts an emphasis wholly on the musical performance and no matter the quality of the show it is always riddled with long pauses, self tuning of guitars, and constant muttering complaints about the sound and lighting. It’s the same “I don’t give a fuck” attitude that has the band looking like they rolled out of bed in their clothes with a Sunday morning hangover and took the stage.
Last night at The Social was no exception. In fact the lighting and sound dissatisfaction hit epic proportions as the band warmed up and settled into a short-ish but nicely mixed set. The lights lacked any dynamics – either being off or on. When the lights were on the band complained about the brightness. Then the lights were turned off. After two songs in near darkness BTS was like, “WTF?” It seemed like a passive-aggressive revenge being exacted on the band for an unknown cause. Constant calls from various band members to adjust volume and lighting led to some jabs about the competency of the lighting and sound techs. At one point Doug Martsch tried to find an audience member that could work the lights.
Does anyone know what happened here? Let me know below.
Robbed of the support given by good lighting the band thundered through their setlist and ended their first set with a rousing “Carry the Zero.” A 3-song encore was punctuated by a soaring 20-minute space jam of “Broken Chairs.”
KISS is heading to Orlampa as part of “The Tour” with opener / co-headliner Motley Crue. I’ve been a KISS fan since I was a kid. My upstairs neighbor in Brooklyn was 10 in 1979 and I was 4. I remember walking into his room and every inch of wall space was covered with KISS posters. This is pretty cool since his Italian parents barely knew any English. I was mesmerized. At 4 years old, they were more than a band, they were gods – these massive, mysterious beings that were simultaneously scary and alluring – kind of like a fat naked girl. I remember going to Richard’s (that was his name) birthday party where he got ALIVE II as one of his gifts. While the traditional party happenings played out I sat on the couch staring at the cover. I could not stop looking at the image of Gene Simmons drenched in sweat, makeup cracking, blood running down his chin and throat, and bathed in the blue stage light. My musical fate was sealed. Although soon after this was the point that KISS started to lose credibility with some fans I embraced them and all the hair metal they spawned through the 80s.
It can be argued that their music through their 4th album, the double-live ALIVE (everybody knows your 4th record is supposed to be a double-live album), was its purest and most original. Some may lean on their apogee, from Destroyer through Alive II, a time when they ruled the planet. Personally I loved them through 1979s Dynasty. They caught so much shit for the disco twist to that album, but listening to it again reveals a pretty charged pop rock record. These guys basically took the band they idolized (early Beatles) then amped it up. Early KISS is essentially “I Want to Hold Your Hand” with leather, flash bombs, and loud guitar. Their larger than life persona was the next evolution of teenage rock idols eclipsing the Fab 4 by becoming interstellar comic book anti-heroes.
Then the makeup came off:
This began a new era both musically and stylistically. They now competed with a new wave of bands in a genre they helped create. Hair metal, cock rock – whatevs – was the norm. The overblown 60s pop approach was not going to work anymore. While some bands still relied on theatrics, many bigger, louder, and more technically proficient bands came along. Screeching, whaling guitar heroics opened the door for groups that were a little more complex than KISS. Instead of KISS thriving in their own unique realm, bands that were not only influenced by KISS, but Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath and AC/DC appeared. The lessons learned from these bands created a more rich landscape for new bands to draw from. This led to KISS appearing somewhat sophmoric to some metal fans. Without the novelty of their makeup KISS struggled for relevance but built up so much clout that they were able to sally forth despite constant line-up changes and bedazzled outfits. They still managed to put out good songs in the 13 year period without makeup before they realized they could go back to the gimmick even though we all know what they look like.
I feel compelled to list “Shandi” from Unmasked, but they technically had not removed their makeup yet. I also want to list “War Machine” from Creatures of the Night because the first time I got Creatures on cassette it was the re-released version featuring the band without makeup on the cover. It also had guitarist, Bruce Kulick, in the picture even though he joined the band 3 years after that album was released. To chronicle non-makeup songs one has to start with ’83′s Lick it Up. This is where they were officially unmasked. This moment was ahead of the guitar “shredder” revolution and Gene and Paul didn’t realize what they had in Vinnie Vincent (the first replacement for Ace Frehley) and they literally had to restrain him from going apeshit on the ax. There were some personality issues too, but Gene and Paul weren’t ready to deal with any competition for the spotlight, nor did the anticipate the sea change in rock. I would like to pick “On the 8th Day” but “Exciter” still had the aura of KISS and was the first song on the first album without makeup. Vinnie’s guitar gave the song and album some credibility and “Exciter” still embodied the mythical rock god image they once possessed. UPDATE: The venerable Steve Schneider, @Schneider_Stv - humorist and most knowledgeable KISS fan alive, noted, “You picked the only song on Lick it Up that Vinnie didn’t play the solo on! It’s Rick Derringer!”
“Exciter”
This is a single so I’m not really reaching here, but it is – without a doubt – the best song on Animalize. This is a great tune and a hair metal prototype. After Vinnie Vincent was fired, Mark St. John – another shredder – joined the band for this album before crippling arthritis (and I’m sure there were personality issues) forced him to leave.
“Heaven’s on Fire”
Yet another single, but a truly strong track that is much more than a cock rock song from 1985. “Uh All Night” and “Who Wants to be Lonely” are pretty good but don’t stand the test of time. They were the other two songs in the KISS trifecta method. Every KISS album after 1977 is built around three singles and a series of filler songs. This is also the first official album for Bruce Kulick, a terrific hard rock guitar nerd that lacked any sort charisma or stage presence and that suited Gene and Paul just fine. Bruce was just happy to be working and take orders.
“Tears are Falling”
It was hard not to pick “Crazy Nights” or even “Turn on the Night” but “No, No, No” is actually the better song here and stands out 25 years later.
“No, No, No”
“Unholy” is a great song but it reflects a time KISS got a little harder in an effort to stay relevant. “God Gave Rock ‘n Roll to You” – although a cover – represents some of late KISS’ best work. And the addition of Eric Singer finally gave KISS a world class pro behind the drums. Yes, the great Anton Fig is amazing but we’re not supposed to know he was drumming for them.
“God Gave Rock ‘n Roll to You”
The albums KISS put out since returning to the makeup are mostly unremarkable, but I will always stand by them as one of the coolest rock bands in history.
KISS and Motley Crue are playing the Ask Ax Gary Amphitheater in Tampa tomorrow
Refused was a short-lived Swedish band of incredible talent. Their penchant for blending scream-o punk with heavy metal and dashes of electronica and alt rock was progressive and unmatched in the mid to late 90s. Fourteen years after calling it quits in the midst of a nightmarish tour for The Shape of Punk to Come, the band stood onstage in the city where they ended it all. It was prior to their 1998 gig in Atlanta that they decided to disband and declared, “Refused Are Fucking Dead.”
The irony was staggering as they kicked off the brief US leg of their reunion tour and so was the performance. Refused absolutely killed. Music that relies heavily on the combination of emotional intensity and machine-like precision was firing on all cylinders. Refused was loud. Singer, Dennis Lyxzen, – dressed to the nines – screamed and howled like Iggy Pop and strutted like Mick Jagger. Drummer, David Sandstrom, is a god-dammed force of nature and drove the show with a punk-y jazz-metal brilliance. The band was tight although the set was short at one hour and fifteen minutes, but hey – what more do you want from a bunch of communists?
Concert Video from the Refused Show:
Possibly my favorite song, “Hook, Line, and Sinker”:
Aaron’s Amphitheater formerly Hi-Fi Buys, formerly Lakewood hosted some sort of metal festival, but alls I knows is Slayer, Anthrax and Motorhead played.
Anthrax again got a much lower slot on the totem pole than deserved. This is Anthrax with fucking Belladonna! They headlined the smaller Jagermeister stage and summarily kicked ass with the less than generous 40 minute set they were given.
Motorhead is, well, fucking Motorhead and it was cool to see Lemmy scream up into the high perch of his signature mic stand.
SLAYER! Have you ever noticed how no one can just say “Slayer.” It’s always “SLAYER!!” And more often its, “FUCKING SLAYER!!” There is a reason these grandaddy’s of metal evoke such a strong response. They eviscerate. Even without Jeff Hanneman – the ying to Kerry King’s yang – they were fast, precise, and raging stealing the show as they always do. Hanneman, who is recovering from a spider bite that caused a rare flesh eating condition called necrotising fasciitis, which almost resulted in the amputation of his hand, was replaced by Exodus guitarist, Gary Holt. How fucking metal is that? A flesh eating disease that eats the skin, muscle, and fat from the inside and caused by a spider bite! Look for the song, “Spiderbite” on Slayer’s new album, Necrotising Fasciitis this Fall.
I’m pretty hard on 2-man bands and even harder on laptop bands. The White Stripes are the quintessential 2-piece garage rockers with a superior singer / songwriter / musician at the helm. They write great songs and can rock small venues, but despite their prowess (well, Jack’s anyway) they can be really weak at festivals and large theaters. Same for the Black Keys and just about anybody else in that boat (canoe). Vancouver’s Japandroids like volume and embrace the loud, spacey shoegaze, Pumpkin-style guitar, which helps them out a great deal. Touring behind one of the best albums of 2012 doesn’t hurt either. They rocked The Social on Tuesday, but I fear I wouldn’t want to see them at a larger venue as some of the power of their tunes would be lost in a bigger space without the dynamics of more musicians.
