The Dirty Americans – Ferndale – The Magic Bag, MI – 2002-02-15

Well, having learned our lesson after the great Brandtson-show-doors incident, my companion (Dad) and I arrived a bit later than the supposed door time for this show, figuring that not getting a seat was much better than freezing ourselves into another set of nasty colds. Of course, this time, we walked right in and sat down. An hour and a few drinks later, we looked around and realized we could’ve still walked right in and sat down. *sigh* I live, I learn, I suppose.

So, the Dirty Americans kicked off the night with a set of pretty thick rock. I actually really dug the last band a few of these guys were in, a really Sabbath / Clutch-y affair called Workhorse, so I was looking forward to hearing this set. Well, all things considered, the set was kinda hit or miss. The band’s sound was solid enough, but some of the songs just didn’t seem to go anywhere. There was a definite Sabbath-meets-Stoner-Rock vibe working here, and I seriously think the frontman for the Dirty Americans has thoroughly memorized every chapter of the book of Monster Magnet’s Dave Wyndorf. The man has the Wyndorf sound DOWN, and while normally that’s not a bad thing, it got a bit heavy-handed after a while. Still, when the material slowed up and picked up a groove, the Dirty Americans were tight. Bonus points go out for the unexpected and shockingly nice cover of Neil Young’s “Ohio” that closed the set.

Thankfully, Dad and I had a few more beers during and after the Dirty Americans’ set, because otherwise, we certainly would not have been properly prepared for the rather tragic heavy ‘hair’ metal experience that is Mind Candy. Now, I guess I’ll disclaim this a bit by saying that normally, I dig metal, and in all honesty, Mind Candy had by far the biggest following and crowd reaction of the night. The people were way into them, and in that respect, I guess they weren’t all that bad to have on the bill. However, bringing my personal opinion back into sight, I must remark that, well, Mind Candy sucked. Hard. The mix for the band was terrible, too, which really didn’t help my opinion of them. I mean, the lead guitar sounded thinner than a piece of paper, and most often, it was near impossible to hear the ‘hair’ leads over the rhythm guitar, which sounded like it was being filtered through a tin can itself. Ugh. As far as the set … Well, the singer talked up a cover song as if it was the end of the universe. After tons of build-up, he led the band into one of the most uninspired covers I’ve ever heard, as the band faltered through a cover of an obscure filler track from the first Godsmack album. The sad part, of course, was that eventually the singer jokingly spoke to the crowd, “We’re about to do our big radio song,” before launching into a perfectly acceptable rock and roll tune that made me think there was hope yet for Mind Candy. …And yeah, you guessed it, this was the last song of the set. Grrrrrrr. I would not intentionally go see this band again if I got in the venue for free and had all my drinks for the night paid for. Damn.

Eventually, The Fags took the stage and played a thoroughly rocking, though way too short set to cap off the evening. For the uninitiated, The Fags feature John Speck (ex-Hoarse) on guitar and vocals, Jimmy Paluzzi (ex-Hoarse, ex-Sponge, and ex-Puke-A-Rama) on drums and vocals and Michigan uber-producer Tim Patalan on bass. The fellas hit the stage in full ‘mod’ effect, complete with straight-legged black pants, black Converse Chuck Taylors, short-sleeved white button-up dress shirts and skinny black ties. There wasn’t really a whole lot of ‘mod’ to the sound, though, as The Fags pretty much just rocked about as hard as a three-piece could. The set did have some complications, though, as The Fags basically went sans bassist for two songs thanks to Patalan’s amp deciding to give out at the beginning of things. “No, we don’t have a smoke machine on stage,” joked Speck. “But our bass player’s amp just blew up!” Visions of the Alkaline Trio, Hoarse, and Rev danced around my head as Speck led The Fags through one three-minute burst of intensity after another. Unfortunately, though, the end of the band’s set came much too soon – literally. The Fags played by far the shortest set of the night, rounding off at about a half-hour of stuff, whereas Mind Candy and the Dirty Americans each rolled along for over 40 minutes apiece. Still, the rock these fellas spewed forth more than showcased a balls-out live show. Check out more info on the band at www.thefagsmusic.com.

Bedford Drive – Detroit – The Shelter, MI – 2002-02-09

I absolutely hate going to the Shelter for winter shows. As an actual venue itself, the place is great – it’s small, intimate, and the sound there is generally great, thanks to the way-cool sound staff. However, shows there rarely start at the time advertised, and the doors NEVER open on time. For this particular show, the door time was advertised in multiple local music rags as 6:30. Of course, I show up at 6:30 to find a small line of kids in front of me. Well, it’s February here in Michigan, so it was cold. Most of us were only wearing hooded sweatshirts (at the most), since the Shelter is notorious for getting ungodly warm during shows, and there’s really nowhere to set a jacket down inside. FINALLY, at a little after 7, the doors opened. Grrrrrrr … As I’m typing this, I’m all sniffly and achy thanks to the cold. Still, the show (and the beers that accompanied it) made everything seem pretty worthwhile.

The opening act, Bedford Drive, was a local four-piece that churned out some really melodic, catchy tunes a la Hey Mercedes and Hot Rod Circuit. Three members of the band were fighting off a pretty nasty case of the flu, but their six-song set managed to show off some solid songwriting and strong vocal harmonies regardless. Bedford Drive’s mix was about as good as I’ve ever heard for an opening band at the Shelter, with Michelle Bojanowski’s bass driving Ed Sertage’s and Scott Anger’s dual-guitar attack. (Hats off to the soundboard operator for the night, by the way, who did an excellent job of mixing all four bands for the evening.) Drummer Jay Croft rapped out firecracker-quick drumwork behind it all, while Scott’s strong and distinctive topped the whole set off. The songs were diverse, as well, as portions of the band’s set harkened to everything from pop-punk and emo to even a bit of 80s metal, thanks to a few cool dual ‘lead’ rhythm guitar parts. Still, the band’s strongest moments came during Ed, Scott, and Michelle’s harmony vocals, especially when there was rhythm guitar interaction behind them. This short set was a pretty good indication that Bedford Drive is certainly a band to keep an eye on the Detroit area.

Next up was Kid Brother Collective, who played what was arguably the best set of the night. This Flint, Mich. quartet literally shredded through material from the band’s latest release, Highway Miles (read a review here at DOA) as well as an intensely emo-ed up cover of standard 80s ballad “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love Tonight.” The rhythm section was powerful and spot on, and the interaction between the band’s two guitarists was as tight as usual. Singer Brandon Trammel’s live delivery makes every word he sings sound so intense and emotional that you think it may very well be the last word he’ll ever speak, and that intensity really drives KBC’s live sets (plus, he was wearing an Afghan Whigs Black Love t-shirt, which earned him a great many mega-cool points from me). The band also has an incredibly strong sound live, as the material from Highway Miles came across even better at the show than it does on disc. Clichéd or not, there are two words to best describe this band’s live show – intense and emotional, and the band certainly lived up to both of those descriptions on this night.

Liar’s Academy went on next, which surprised me because they had been billed as the headlining act for the show in all the announcements I’d seen. Though I’d read a lot of press about them, this was the first time that I’d actually heard this Baltimore three-piece, and while I was a bit surprised at the band’s overall sound, I was really impressed. Liar’s Academy, of course, is the new project led by former Cross My Heart and current Dead Red Sea frontman Ryan Shelkett, leading me to believe that perhaps this band would have a bit of a brooding, dark sense to them. I couldn’t have been more wrong, as he led bassist Matt Smith and drummer Evan Tanner through a set of completely catchy three-minute rock tunes. Every so often, Shelkett let loose with a guttoral scream or two to show that he hadn’t forgotten his Cross My Heart roots, but all in all, Liar’s Academy showcased a new direction for him. In all fairness, Smith and Tanner more than ably backed Shelkett up as a rhythm section, with Tanner’s pounding drums and Smith’s thumping bass actually outshining the frontman on a few tracks. The last two songs of Liar’s Academy were certainly the highlight of the band’s set – two wonderfully pristine ‘should’ve-been-on-the-radio’ tracks with as much ‘nasty snarl’ as ‘catchy bop,’ both delivered in under five minutes combined.

From there, Brandtson took the stage, and when they did, they completely rocked as expected. Surprisingly enough, the band’s 45-minute set wasn’t really very top heavy with material from their latest release, Dial In Sounds. Instead, the band spread out their setlist to include a few numbers each from 1999′s Fallen Star Collection and 2000′s Trying to Figure Each Other Out EP. Early in the show, singer/guitarist Myk Porter drew a laugh from the crowd when he talked about the last time Brandtson had played The Shelter, when guitarist Matt Traxler thrashed himself over the top of his cabinet and ended up pinning himself between the cabinet and the back wall of the stage. Traxler just laughed, of course, but he whirled around the stage with even more reckless abandonment during this set, seeming to draw a certain amount of ferocity for his guitar playing through his crazy antics. Traxler and Porter’s guitars were loud and tight with each other, making even more restrained material like “As You Wish” sound much more full and strong live.

Traxler got some of his boundless energy returned to him as the crowd rose to life during the set’s lone track from 1998′s Letterbox, “Blindspot,” with Porter telling the audience, “Let’s see if we can flip Matt over his equipment again with this one.” The newer material was easy to pick out, as Dial In Sounds has a bit more of a pop sensibility to it that this Cleveland quartet’s previous material. Still, everything came across loud and strong on this night – even the band’s psuedo-heartbreak anthem, “Boys Lie,” which saw the crowd almost out singing Porter and co-vocalist/drummer Jared Jolley. The band also dropped some previously unheard material into the set, with bassist John Sayre anchoring a quaint little pop-punk number called “Optimist Club,” an outtake from the Trying to Figure Each Other Out sessions that will soon be featured on a Deep Elm compilation of unreleased tracks. After a blazing rendition of “Sig Transit Gloria” and a hilarious exchange between Jolley and some fans up towards the stage, the band wailed away with “Shannon Says” to close another great night of indie rockin’ at the Shelter.

… But I swear, if I ever find out who’s responsible for making us poor folks stand out in crappy weather before these Shelter shows, there’s gonna be hell to pay. We indie rockers will not be denied our right to enter a warm building on time, dammit.

The Kids of Widney High – Insects

It is easy to capitalize on the novelty of a bunch of retarded high school kids singing songs. The thing is, The Kids of Widney High are not a “novelty” act, along the lines of Leonard Nemoy anti-drug tunes. While developmental disabilities clearly effect the ability of some young people to communicate, it does not negate their abilities for musical and lyrical creativity. The majority of the lyrics they sing are penned by the children themselves, even though the backing music is pre-arranged by their instructor or by other musicians who they work with (e.g. Mike Patton from Mr. Bungle/Faith No More/etc). Laugh all you may, the sheer pathos of some of these songs will knock you on your ass just as sure as Wesley Willis will incapacitate you with one friendly head-butt. Take for instance “Doctor-Doctor,” which as the kids unfurl their list of indictments about the pain of modern medicine, the song ends with revenge as the doctor is left “lying on the slab” screaming in turn. Other singers have offered brief glimpses of their lives and experiences living with these disabilities. Some reveal great joy, while others talk about the difficulty of their limitations, and how they are often exacerbated by the daily challenges of Los Angeles style urban crime and poverty.

“Insects” is notable as a single in that the contributions of the singers add a great deal to the mix, not just in terms of lyrics, but musically as well. The bland textures of 80s pop are augmented by the multiple yelps and calls of children as they recite the chorus together: “You’d better watch out or the insects will get you!” Its clear that the kids are having a lot of fun with the song, but at the same time there is an element of paranoia which is heightened by the fervor of the vocal delivery. Spiders coming for you, and mosquitoes watching you may as well be a reference to Big Brother. “Flies will try to steal your food, we don’t like them, they’re disgusting…” The outro features all of the kids breaking out into screams as insects apparently begin to attack them.

The Kids of Widney High offer only a fleeting glimpse into what it might live with a disability, but what is offered is honest, open, and moving. This stuff grows on you. While it may be music by a bunch of retarded kids, it is infinitely smarter than anything you hear on the Billboard charts today.

Menthol Hill – Letter

I like people who are not embarrassed to externalize their childlike inclinations. Some of the strangest and most beautiful music I have encountered has come from everyday people who are often hardly aware of themselves. For instance, I was once on the last bus coming out of downtown Portland early in the morning, where the bus driver did not seem to realize that there were any passengers remaining – and after what I’m sure must have been a long night, the driver broke out into an intense yodeling session. The strange and jubilant melodies rising above the din of air breaks and engine noise is more memorable than many rock concerts I’ve been to. Children love to experiment with their voices, but if you continue into adulthood – at least in public – you clearly have lost touch with “reality,” as that is no way for a rational person to behave. Not surprisingly then, most of the really honest and innovative improvisation comes from people living on the street – who, crazy or not, have lost touch with the everyday citizenry. Thankfully, there are those who have not lost the ability to play with sound and apply their findings to their musical output. Menthol Hill is one such group, and while at times they suffer from the problem of their music coming across as an inside joke, their “immature” approach often reveals complex emotive content with greater ease than more accepted forms of indie rock.

“Letter,” unlike their more haphazard adventures (e.g. “Hooter on the Pooter”), is pop perfection with their own personal touch. The opening statement “…so I’m writing you this letter, come home soon” comes across as a mere formality, introducing us to Kedron Parker’s voice. As this sentence is elaborated on, there is the entrance of a bass, and then a backing vocal … a pause … and then the whole band kicks in, this time with generous overdrive. The tone of the song is exacting, full of growing anguish with subtle crescendos and vocal power – but also teary-eyed desire with oddly placed major chords chiming in. The backing vocals create a double-meaning as the same words are sung as the lead, but the emotions driving them seem at times to be quite distinct. A simple yet very powerful technique, it imbues “Letter” with a creepy intensity to the mood, which is at once difficult yet still very engaging. The song ends in the same way it began, except now after the catharsis of the body of the “letter,” the words have garnered emotional attributes not present in their initial meaning.

Menthol Hill have worked with everyone from Iggy Pop to Dolly Parton and have spent time performing in groups as varied as the Motels and the Frogs.

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