Imagine
being run over by a steamroller. Ouch,
right? Yes, that would suck. Okay, now imagine that steamroller is a
topless buxom blonde. Ah, now it's not
so bad, yeah? Well, that's exactly what
you can expect to experience standing at the front of the stage during a Narrows
set! In fact, Dave Verellen is perhaps
the greatest blonde steamroller this town has ever known, and, lucky for all of
us, his (increasingly topless) antics have been appearing in local venues with
more frequency than we might have deserved over the past year. Good thing it never gets old.
Having
spent his formative years unleashing those unmistakeable bellows upon the
hardcore denizens of this grayscaled burg in the bygone and beloved band,
Botch, Verellen is proof positive that old habits die hard. Since joining forces with the the spazzed-out
guitarwork of Ryan Frederiksen, who served his time rending minds and space
with the sadly-departed These Arms Are Snakes, as well as Jodie Cox from
Tropics, Rob Moran of Unbroken and Some Girls fame, and drummer Sam Stothers,
the quintet has released two superb albums, 2009's New Distances and Painted
released in February of this year.
Here's
a fairly horrific video that doesn't really encapsulate their flashy dynamics,
driving brutality, or their most recent output, but whatever...
The
live show is just like that, but with more grins, less skin-peeling, and a
cavalcade of fearless fans leaping headlong into the warm and inviting crowd
who are communally living out, or reliving their recalcitrant youth and
reveling in a heavy catharsis. There is
no way to properly express on the pixelated page just what these five gents can
do to a tightly-packed crowd of hungry showgoers. Let it be said that it is nearly as enjoyable
to witness from the fringe as it is to experience in the middle of the
maelstrom – a choice that must be made based on how many friendly bruises your
body can still sustain comfortably.
As
is becoming commonplace in Seattle rock nightlife, the opening acts this night
are just as noteworthy as the one following them. Rising from the dying embers of last decade's
local screamo darlings, Kane Hodder, the dudes in Grenades have solidly
put their past behind them and have found themselves in the happy position of
being able to (paraphrasing one of the members) play the crazy, heavy shit they
never had a chance to in their previous inception. And boy, do they bring it. Guitarists Eric Christianson and Jerome Sauer
frenetically flank bassist Aaron Yost in an aural wave of beefsteak; all three
lending their throats to the barrage of guttural vocal mauls that somehow rise
over the massive string amplification and balls-out flailing poundage of
drummer, Trent McIntyre. If there was
any kind of organized struggle to claim the throne as Kings of the new Seattle
heavy, these guys would have a formidable army mounted and in formation.
The
doomy, though pretty, Old Iron, is one of the more exciting new projects
to come out this year. Featuring Jesse
Roberts of Sandrider and The Ruby Doe, as well as Jerad Shealey of The Helm,
this three-piece is one you will probably see on this blog more and more in the
future. Likewise, Mass Games,
featuring members of Das Llamas and Absolute Monarchs, clearly come from a
hearty stock and are just cutting their teeth in the local scene.
This
is easily the most solid bill of the month, and it's all going down at The
Highline on Saturday.
To enter the drawing for a pair of tickets to this show simply send an email to nik@seattlerockguy.com with "Narrows" as the subject and your full name in the body. Winner will be drawn Friday at 3pm, so act fast. Good luck!
Sat. September 29th – The Highline 21 + Only Infinite Productions Presents NARROWS, Grenades, Old Iron and Mass Games. $10.00 adv. @ www.etix.com,
The Highline, Zion’s Gate, Singles Going Steady and Sonic Boom. Tickets
are on sale now. Doors: 8:00 p.m. Show: 10:00 p.m. Curfew: 1:30 a.m.
To enter the drawing for a pair of tickets to this show simply send an email to nik@seattlerockguy.com with "Narrows" as the subject and your full name in the body. Winner will be drawn Friday at 3pm, so act fast. Good luck!
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