Oct. 24th, 2009 - Jesus Lizard, Black Elk @ Neumos
Oct. 25th, 2009 - Fu Manchu, It's Casual, Witch Burn
Oct. 25th, 2009 - Fu Manchu, It's Casual, Witch Burn
I knew this was gonna be a heavy weekend. With Sleeping bag in hand, I headed to Neumo's on Capitol Hill, these 2 shows in one weekend were enough to drive any music fan to the brink of insanity. 2 Very heavy bands in 2 nights, I began with THE JESUS LIZARD.
Last time i saw them was in the early 90's, wedged between THERAPY? and HELMET, they absolutely stole the show. Quite a rep to live up to as i ordered my first of several drinks to prepare me for the evening. First up was BLACK ELK, who if I had never heard Jesus Lizard, would be my favorite band. But alas, they sound just like their heros, and one JL is enough for me, thanks.
As JL took the stage, you could feel their mighty presence, the 5ft tall David Yow, creep up to the mic, and it begins. The insults, the non stop stage diving, crowd surfing, nakedness, hilarity turned fear all with the amazing pulsebeat of a band so tight, they could do this in their sleep. Puss, Gladiator, Mouth Breather, Boilermaker. The tunes came non stop, relentless. Bassist David Wm. Sims Jerking forth on the upbeat, Drummer Mac blowing minds with his Dextrous passion, and guitarist Duane Denison's cool demeanor all rounding out the strange swirl of emotions this band conjures up. As the main set came to an end, Yow and cohorts stumble off stage, leaving Mac McNeily just finding his groove on a 5 minute drum solo, ever moving and passionate, as if his band mates were still up on stage playing. 1hr and 45 minutes gone, as the lights come up, the only word I can muster up.
Fuck.
Awaking the next day, covered in Bum urine, Cigarette butts & Pigeon shit, I prepped myself for day two of this rock extravaganza. This was FU MANCHU night, my favorite contemporary Heavy Metal band. Stoner rock to be exact, and nobody touches these guys. Nobody.
Opening the night was WITCHBURN, a local Black Sabbath inspired act, who if they lose the 80's Hair Metal band attitude, could be pretty damn good. But too much personal growth talk between songs, stick twirling & hair flailing was a major turn off from what could develop into a decent band. Next up, the duo IT'S CASUAL, came up with one thing in mind: TO ROCK! They did, short & sour bursts of punk-metal, that would be easily forgettable, except for the fact that they were So damn fun! Lead singer/guitarist Edward Solis flew around the stage like a distraught mother hailing an ambulance for her child, just struck by a semi. Drummer W.C.E. pounded furiously to the bursting grooves Solis laid down. All the while, these two kept pumping the crowd up for FU MANCHU, as excited themselves to see the band as the crowd was.
When the FU's hit the stage, as in the previous 4 times I've seen them, they deliver like nobody's business. Blasting through crowd favorites like King of the Road, Evil Eye, The Falcon has Landed, Pigeon Toe, Boogie Van and Hell on Wheels, these guys are so confident on stage, you would think they were the biggest band in the world. They also peppered the set with tunes from the new record "Signs of Infinite Power". Bionic Astronautics, El Busta & the title track provided the crowd & myself with more reasons to love this band. This is truly a band that has to be seen to be appreciated. They pack so much power live that it's hard to imagine anyone coming close, except Black Sabbath circa 1972. This raw power & heaviness stayed with me as I headed home, amidst the crowd of others who frantically spent their last energies during this truly amazing set. Speechless after night two, I dust off my keys, throw my sleeping bag in the nearest homeless persons shopping cart, and headed back to the suburbs.
Last time i saw them was in the early 90's, wedged between THERAPY? and HELMET, they absolutely stole the show. Quite a rep to live up to as i ordered my first of several drinks to prepare me for the evening. First up was BLACK ELK, who if I had never heard Jesus Lizard, would be my favorite band. But alas, they sound just like their heros, and one JL is enough for me, thanks.
As JL took the stage, you could feel their mighty presence, the 5ft tall David Yow, creep up to the mic, and it begins. The insults, the non stop stage diving, crowd surfing, nakedness, hilarity turned fear all with the amazing pulsebeat of a band so tight, they could do this in their sleep. Puss, Gladiator, Mouth Breather, Boilermaker. The tunes came non stop, relentless. Bassist David Wm. Sims Jerking forth on the upbeat, Drummer Mac blowing minds with his Dextrous passion, and guitarist Duane Denison's cool demeanor all rounding out the strange swirl of emotions this band conjures up. As the main set came to an end, Yow and cohorts stumble off stage, leaving Mac McNeily just finding his groove on a 5 minute drum solo, ever moving and passionate, as if his band mates were still up on stage playing. 1hr and 45 minutes gone, as the lights come up, the only word I can muster up.
Fuck.
Awaking the next day, covered in Bum urine, Cigarette butts & Pigeon shit, I prepped myself for day two of this rock extravaganza. This was FU MANCHU night, my favorite contemporary Heavy Metal band. Stoner rock to be exact, and nobody touches these guys. Nobody.
Opening the night was WITCHBURN, a local Black Sabbath inspired act, who if they lose the 80's Hair Metal band attitude, could be pretty damn good. But too much personal growth talk between songs, stick twirling & hair flailing was a major turn off from what could develop into a decent band. Next up, the duo IT'S CASUAL, came up with one thing in mind: TO ROCK! They did, short & sour bursts of punk-metal, that would be easily forgettable, except for the fact that they were So damn fun! Lead singer/guitarist Edward Solis flew around the stage like a distraught mother hailing an ambulance for her child, just struck by a semi. Drummer W.C.E. pounded furiously to the bursting grooves Solis laid down. All the while, these two kept pumping the crowd up for FU MANCHU, as excited themselves to see the band as the crowd was.
When the FU's hit the stage, as in the previous 4 times I've seen them, they deliver like nobody's business. Blasting through crowd favorites like King of the Road, Evil Eye, The Falcon has Landed, Pigeon Toe, Boogie Van and Hell on Wheels, these guys are so confident on stage, you would think they were the biggest band in the world. They also peppered the set with tunes from the new record "Signs of Infinite Power". Bionic Astronautics, El Busta & the title track provided the crowd & myself with more reasons to love this band. This is truly a band that has to be seen to be appreciated. They pack so much power live that it's hard to imagine anyone coming close, except Black Sabbath circa 1972. This raw power & heaviness stayed with me as I headed home, amidst the crowd of others who frantically spent their last energies during this truly amazing set. Speechless after night two, I dust off my keys, throw my sleeping bag in the nearest homeless persons shopping cart, and headed back to the suburbs. Review by QuitterDan
0 Comments:
Post a Comment