Review: The King Khan & BBQ Show, Bloodshot Bill, Aykroyd @ The Sinclair (4/10/13)

05/07/2013 by Leave a comment

APRIL 2013 013

Bands: The King Khan & BBQ Show, Bloodshot Bill, Aykroyd
Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Venue: The Sinclair (Cambridge, MA)

First time at the Sinclair, place gives me the willies! What is this monstrosity before me? I almost feel like I’m at some quasi House of Blues. For a few moments, I forget where I am, I think I am in some other city, some foreign land. Then I see King Khan and Mark Sultan/BBQ at the merch table and all is well. I am in the right place, it’s April 10, 2013 and The King Khan & BBQ Show are back in Boston! Last time, we  saw these two on stage was way back in October 2009 at the Middle East Downstairs. Great times! One of the finest shows we have ever witnessed. Since then, we’ve seen King and Mark separately several times as King Khan & The Shrines and Mark Sultan solo, respectively and those were all kick ass shows, but KKBBQ is superior. After saying some hellos, we make our way to the stage.

Aykroyd plays first and you may remember them as The Needy Visions, y’all know. The one from that Maine Coons song, “Fast and Easy Livin.” Maine Coons, you know, one of the greatest bands of all time. Quick, here’s their bandcamp page: http://themainecoons.bandcamp.com/album/s-t We’ll just act like this never happened. But, enough of those dogs, I mean cats, I mean that dude, ehhhh, Aykroyd/Needy Visions is the topic of discussion and they totally rule, looking like mighty beings on top of this massive stage in front of me. I look up and see lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Shea making bizarre faces and awkward, uncomfortable, high pitched shrieks that are oddly appealing. The whole band sounds top notch, like a blend of 90′s “college rock,” right cause everyone who plays music goes to college – err like Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, and other bands of that era that didn’t hail from our great state of Massachusetts mixed with classic rock.  It’s ginormous  Sam Potrykus flails about and passionately rocks out on bass, whilst he boogies around in his funky, unusual dance style. With all of this eccentric behavior in mind, it brings me back to nearly three years ago when I first saw The Needy Visions opening for No Age. That was a sick performance, but I enjoy this one even more.

Sam and Dan are the masterminds behind Bodies of Water Shows, Boston Hassle, and the Boston Counter Cultural Compass. They represent the Boston underground better than anyone else and best of all they have a killer taste in music. Dan name drops the Compass, which is available at the merch table and the band expresses their gratitude for being on this bill tonight. Dan says, “We love King Khan & BBQ, A LOT.” So, do we, Dan!  You guys rule and promote so much great music around here that I probably would have never heard of otherwise. In fact, any Boston garage/punk slime KKBBQ fans reading this, if you haven’t heard of Boston Hassle or B.O.W.  check it out. I’ll bet you a PBR that you will dig at least one if not numerous fun loving rebel rousers making plenty of punk slime noise in your very own backyard. Here’s some links:
http://www.bostonhassle.com/
http://bowaac.blogspot.com/
http://www.bostoncccompass.com/
http://theneedyvisions.bandcamp.com/

And then there was Bloodshot Bill… Bloodshot Bill has appeared on my list of people to see live for at least two years now. Much like King Khan and Sultan, who he has collaborated with in Tandoori Knights and The Ding Dongs, respectively, Bill is no bullshit, real, old school, greasy rock ‘n’ roll. No trendy, mindless fluff; it’s not a haircut band to paraphrase one, Ian St. Pe. Though he does slick his hair with his own brand of grease known as “Nice ‘n’ Greasy!”  But, greasy hair aside, also like his Canadian comrades, he is an incendiary performer, and tonight is a blistering, steamy show.
Bloodshot Bill has the Mark Sultan set up: stomping the drums with his feet, clutching his guitar real, real close, and melting everyone’s brains with an incredible voice. It’s an obvious comparison, considering both men are collaborators, they play solo, and they play this raw, original style of rock ‘n’ roll. The original rock ‘n’ roll as it was meant to sound. But, the comparison should end there, because they are actually quite different. Bill channels Chuck Berry, Elvis, country, and rockabilly with a nasty, fiery punk edge. Dude sweats and spits unlike any other performer. He spits more than that lady in Heavy Cream!

What I love about Bloodshot Bill is his interaction with the audience. He can hold a crowd real tight and when he wants to let them loose, he can. When he tells them to shout “YEAHHHH!” They do it on command. It’s hard not to obey Bill, with his enigmatic, unique sounding voice. His range is unbelievable and he switches back and forth from high to low, low low. Sounds like an animal at times. How is a human making these noises? It’s not just Bill’s voice, however, that entices me. The musician sounds like a full band all by himself and he puts his entire body and soul into his performance. He shakes his hair violently and taps on his guitar, banging on the strings. You can tell he’s having fun, everyone’s having fun, that’s the idea. One woman even throws her black bra up on stage haha. Definitely one of the more distinct and skilled performers I have seen to date. Catch Bloodshot Bill live or on record. Check him out here: http://www.bloodshotbill.com/

The King Khan & BBQ Show is one of the original KLYAM beloved bands. King Khan and Mark Sultan/BBQ are legends, responsible for much of the music I have come to love over the years. As usual, the duo come out on stage, dressed up in some wacky, colorful attire. King Khan stands towards the front of the stage, on guitar and vocals, while Mark sings, plays guitar, and plays drums with his feet. Together, the two rip through three albums worth of rock ‘n’ roll classics, getting everyone in the Sinclair to dance and mosh in the process. KKBBQ represent the fun spirit of rock ‘n’ roll as a whole. Their mixture of punk and doo wop is unmatched. Some bands may be able to master these styles and combine them in an effective way, but this duo’s music ranks up there with the best of the best themselves. Sultan’s crooning is comparable to that of Sam Cooke, while King Khan’s deep, doo woppy voice harkens back to 50s groups like The Five Satins.

In between songs, there is constantly inner band banter in which the pair crack jokes, amusing themselves even more than the crowd itself. You can tell these two are good friends and there’s a sarcasm to them that is pure entertainment. The set tonight is not too different from the one we experienced three and half years ago, which isn’t a bad thing, because the band plays most of the songs a die hard KKBBQ fan would want to hear. Some of my favorites include fast, punk driven bohemoths, “Fish Fight” and “Zombies,” sing a long, doo wop anthems, “Waddlin’ Around” and “Invisible Girl,” or soft, gentle, love songs such as “Into the Snow,” which display Sultan’s vast, intimidating vocals. Then there’s the straight up funny songs like “Tastebuds.” I love screaming out the filthy  nonsensical lyrics to this song (“Tastebuds on your cunt/So you can lick my booty from the front”), but I get an even better kick out of hearing most of the kids around me completely fucking up the words. They also play one of my favorite songs from Invisible Girl, “Truth Or Dare,” a great, heavy punk number with some of King Khan’s best vocals tonight. I don’t recall this one from the previous Boston show, so it’s a pleasure to finally hear it live.

The moshing is fun, definitely a sweaty, beer flying frenzy, but not nearly as chaotic as I expected. I never lose my sense of place or whatever. Per usual, King and Mark are exciting, lively performers, but I feel like King is more animated when he is performing with The Shrines. Mark, on the other hand, seems to be more fervent in this setting than when he plays solo. That’s just my reaction anyway. I’ve seen Mark Sultan only a few times and he’s just as passionate, but I feel like he is more entertaining when he interacts and plays beside King Khan. In some ways, they bring out the best in each other. At the end of the day, these two are legends and they bear their souls for rock ‘n’ roll. This show is a lot of fun, but not nearly as marvelous as that initial KKBBQ performance I experienced several years ago. Still, I’m always grateful to see one of my favorite bands live and I look forward to the next show.

Set List (in no particular order):
“Fish Fight”
“Zombies”
“Too Much In Love”
“Waddlin’ Around”
“I’ll Be Loving You”
“Into the Snow”
“Pig Pig”
“Hold Me Tight:
“Treat Me Like A Dog”
“Dock It #8″
“Invisible Girl”
“Tastebuds”
“Truth Or Dare”
“Shake Real Low”
“Why Don’t You Lie”
There may have been more…

KEWL CATS: This is the latest segment in KLYAM live reviews. A shout out to the new and old pals we encounter at shows. It was terrific seeing Eric and Kelly from the Atlantic Thrills, Ryan from Fagettes, Justin from Earthquake Party!, Dan from Aykroyd/Needy Visions, and of course Kiyal, the KLYAM guardian angel. Y’all rule.


This was the first song I ever heard by The King Khan & BBQ Show!

Filed under Art, Bloodshot Bill, concert review, Honorary KLAYMERS, King Khan, Local Music, Mark Sultan, Music, music video, pictures, Punk, reviews, The King Khan & BBQ Show, Video Tagged with , , , , , ,

Concert Review: The Orwells @ TT The Bears (2/27/13)

03/03/2013 by 1 Comment


Bands: The Orwells, The Kingston Springs, Nice Guys
Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Venue: TT The Bears (Cambridge)

TT The Bears is one of those venues that hosts some real solid local shows on a regular basis that we often recommend, but for whatever reason, it is just not a place that I often find myself going to. The shows I have been to at TTs have been memorable, though. There was that sparsely attended Sunday March 29th 2009 War on Drugs show, an even emptier Tuesday night Growlers show back in February 2010, and finally a more populated event on September 17, 2010 that featured the choice threesome of Those Darlins, Gentleman Jesse & His Men, and The Strange Boys.

On this chilly Wednesday night in Cambridge, it was one of my favorite bands of the past few years – The Orwells – headlining a gig at ‘The Bears. The cool thing about running a site that operates like a fan zine is that the shows we go to and end up reviewing usually feature a favorite on the bill. Well, as it turns out, the power of informing others about bands that rule went full circle on this night. A little more than two years ago, The Orwells reached out to KLYAM, seeing if we would check them out. At that juncture,  they were a little known band from Elmhurst, Illinois without much deserved press coverage. Not to mention that they were still far away from graduating high school. Well, KLYAM gave them the ole Spotlight (http://klyam.com/2011/01/31/band-spotlight-the-orwells/). Not that this did much in the way of introducing shit tons of people to a really great band; it was more of a damn, how are these guys not being mentioned alongside some of the garage greats of the day? Their debut album Remember When, self-released a year before the Autumn Tone backed vinyl, is an insane album that definitely stacks right up with some of the best of the past couple of years and I would say that is a testament to the way these guys achieved a stand-out sound that is probably more the result of extensive listening to Black Lips and Ty Segall than the stuff (’60s garage/psych) that those same dudes were influenced by. It was great to finally meet the band after a long ass waiting period of simply listening to their music. On to the show:

Starting things off were Nice Guys, who I had seen on a few different occasions prior to tonight. Those times contrasted this occasion in more than one way. The last time I caught them was at the Wilder Zangcraft in Lowell with Nice Guys being Nice Whips (all Coachwhips covers) due to the untimely illness of drummer Cam Smith. Well Cam was back behind the kit tonight, and damn right he was, given that the show I mentioned was many months ago. At any rate, the point is that up until this point I had only seen Nice Guys play teeny basement spaces with rampant moshing, oozing beer, and broken instruments. There wasn’t any of that mayhem at TTs, but there were fun times and a fine display of musicianship from the foursome. Their set, the list of which I’m really pissed to say I lost…the one that was personally given to me by always friendly guitarist Matt Garlick, mixed up a bit of Mean Songs material with newer works like the recently recorded jam “Cop Walk”. Dueling guitars, extended shredding and pounding, and a pretty consistent nod to the work of Mr. Jon Dwyer, resulted in nice vibes, some dancing, and simply a good start to a good show. They fooled me a few times at the end of their set with some ‘we’re not done yet’ teasing and – hey – that’s fine by me. [http://niceguys666.bandcamp.com/]

Second in order is The Kingston Springs, a group from the South. Tennessee. I had not heard any music from them, prior to the first chords that blared from their amps. They were polished and tight, but not overwhelmingly so as in a Kings of Leon clean boy trying to be “dirty” kind of way, no, not really. The Kingston Springs’ bigger, pop-rock sound was differentiated occasionally with by some more rough around the edges country and garage twang. They definitely seemed to impress the audience as I looked around and noticed a lot of people were really into these guys. I’m not about to say The Kingston Springs’ take on southern rock/blues rock is something I find/found myself extremely into, but for what it is worth, I could see firsthand their passion for their material and how easily they got a whole bunch of people excited to be witness to their performance. Their faster stuff I definitely got behind, namely ”Sweet Susie,” which I’m listening to now and enjoying. [http://thekingstonsprings.bandcamp.com/]

Back to the main band, the dudes themselves, The Orwells. Seeing them on stage, doing incredible renditions of tunes from Remember When like “Halloween All Year,” “In My Bed,” “Hallway Homicide,” and “Mallrats (La La La)” – just to name four – there were OTHERS – brought back the memories of when I first heard them and I could literally feel the energy of The Orwells. But there is nothing like seeing singer Mario Cuomo knock down the microphone stand while frantically pacing around the stage (and nearly off of it), all while singing/screaming at the top of his lungs. He’s a character for sure, a naturally manic front-man who never takes a minute off. None of the members take a minute off, though, and hey that’s probably why this was one of the best things I’ve seen all year. Their live pace is more frenetic than on record and with that said, they only played for about a half an hour. But in that time, they jammed in all those aforementioned classics and a smothering of new songs that we should see later this year on a new full-length that is nearly complete. The new songs I can tell are going to be special and why wouldn’t they be? With Orwells being one of the more distinct bands out there today. Some bands are great performers without necessarily having individual songs that are instantly recognizable. The Orwells got both of those things going on. Of course I would loved to have heard another half-hour worth of jams, but in due time. Maybe on a different stage. Maybe on the same. But it shouldn’t be a surprise why these guys are touring a shit load and playing some choice venues around the country. This isn’t 17 year old pop punk Warped Tour shit, this is passionate rock ‘n roll that can be enjoyed by all ages – hence why it was and yeah, the middle aged dude perpetually rocking out next to me seemed to know what was up. See you soon Orwells. [https://www.facebook.com/theorwellsband]

Filed under concert review, Music, Nice Guys, The Orwells Tagged with , , , , ,

Concert Review: Ravi Shavi CD Release @ Firehouse 13

01/28/2013 by 1 Comment

Bands: Ravi Shavi, Atlantic Thrills, The Rice Cakes, Napoleon
Date: Saturday January 26, 2013
Venue: Firehouse 13 [Providence, RI]

IMG_1182
Act I – Napoleon – Things get started right with Napoleon from Brooklyn. This four piece played a dark and danceable set that included some memorable tracks from their latest record, Success. They had their act together, showing some nice moves that ought to be appreciated by more than New York basement attendees. The songs themselves are very New York, which is sort of a weird thing to say, but if you are familiar with dudes like mid 2000s Walkmen, Interpol, and their oversea counterparts, Editors, you might get what I mean. There also was some upbeat jangle in there – so I’m not talking a totally dark experience; I enjoyed these clingers a bit more than the rest. And the hi-hats were nice, as testified by an enthusiastic man who related his feelings to the drummer after the set. I used to be way more into this style of rock and roll, but I found myself really appreciating this young group and the way that they played since it is not really what I hear often at shows I usually attend.

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 Act II - Atlantic Thrills - The Thrills, I will state off the bat, are the kind of band that makes me always want to drive down to Providence. Providence/Boston, not too far apart, but only for truly special bands do we like to go out of our way. The Thrills are special – I mean they are not musically unique by most measures, but they’ve held the torch of messy, fuzzy, fuckitall r n r pretty high since it was handed to them by wild teens from Peru. Seeing them on the stage tonight brings to mind some great show moments, a handful now involving these guys. I’m going nuts the whole time and hey, fellow KLYAMer Chris seems to be enjoying himself a good deal as well. The increasingly packed crowd gets more and more into Atlantic Thrills as the set progresses.  The Thrills’ set nowadays is as impressive as ever – there are the perennial classics, “Acid Rain” and “On My Mind,” a re-energized “Ain’t Enough,” and a handful of newer songs that I am sure will find their way on the Thrills upcoming LP. The energy of these guys is outstanding, climbing on amps, spewing mouthfuls of Jim Beam on the crowd, spilling more than half of that bottle of Beam on the ground. Not caring.  If you live remotely close or far from Providence – it is well worth a journey to see the Thrills. Do it!

Set-List
Ain’t Enough
Holy Mountain
Booze
Beach
On My Mind
Try & Try
Blindfold
Lies
Light Shines
Drugs
Shotgun
Acid Rain
Hold Your Tongue

Act III – The Rice Cakes – I didn’t know what to expect from The Rice Cakes, but certainly they made good with their output! Their tunes tended to be lengthy and melodious. A more folky take on rock and roll. A cover of Pixies “Gigantic” surprised me as they certainly put their own three-piecy sspin on it. Another tune that particularly remains with me is “Magma”. It drew a more than pleasant response from the crowd and like I said – it’s memorable!

IMG_1193
Act IV – Ravi Shavi – At last, we see the arrival of Rafay Rashid and his three band-mates onto the stage. This ain’t no ordinary show for Ravi Shavi – it’s their record release show. A big deal for a band that’s certainly been making a name for themselves for some time now. They have a very strong following of devoted fans, at least from what I’ve witnessed each time I have seen them. And the reason is clearer than ever this evening. They play pop rock that is loose and messy. While their references might be more along the cleaner side of power pop and garage rock, Ravi Shavi created a raucous and positioned themselves far from safety. I wasn’t really expecting a mosh pit of any kind, but it happened and it was awesome. Everyone reacted to Ravi in some way… how could one not? I can’t really pick any one highlight, it was just one of those situations where I felt extremely satisfied throughout.  Everyone can agree.

Filed under Atlantic Thrills, concert review, Music, Ravi Shavi Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Atlantic Thrills, Ravi Shavi @ Great Scott (12/4/12)

12/04/2012 by Leave a comment


Bands: Atlantic Thrills, Ravi Shavi, Yale Massachusetts
Date: Monday, December 4, 2012
Venue: Great Scott (Allston, MA)

Act 1 - Atlantic Thrills – The Atlantic Thrills, damn, yo! I was blessed with the opportunity to see the Thrills for the sixth time last night. I always reflect on the very first time that I saw them, opening for Black Lips. I was blown away by the fact that they were just a local act. They channeled quite nearly the same energies of the headlining Lips. I couldn’t believe what I had witnessed and really hoped that they would open the next night in Boston. It didn’t happen, but I kept up with them and flash forward to now and yes, here we are a handful of shows deep. There are just a few bands out there that I get to stand in front of on a semi-regular basis. Atlantic Thrills are one of them. Tonight was a night of newness for the band. They kicked off the set with two new songs “Come On,” and “Holy Mountain”. Each had its own catchy hook, sometimes sounding surf, other times more of the garage punk fascination. It was awesome. “Beach,” which they’ve been playing for a while now, is becoming a staple, in my opinion. We got a fine taste of the lead vocal abilities from all three guitarists, a load of sweet solos and ‘meat’ playing from Dan Tanner, and the steady percussion/background vocals of drummer Josh Towers. After some fresh middle of the set jams, the Thrills really turned things up with “Shotgun” and frankly never relented. I’ve seen some fine “Acid Rain” performances in the past, but tonight’s included what seemed like a lengthier jam filled with various noises, knob turning, and simply rocking out. A fast “Give It Back” and the perennial dancer “Light Shines” followed THEN ya-ya-ya cover “Salvaje,” Kelly Riley crooning “Foreign Lands,” and a ‘what you should do with your drink right now’ “Drugs In It”. Was that all? Yes, it was. Some funky dancing, too. But yeah if you like rock and roll old-school style (with Peruvian jolt and small state shenanigans), the Thrills are your band. Or if you just like rock ‘n roll any variety. Word around the street is that more Thrills recordings will be making their way to us soon. I’m excited. Here’s their current stuff: http://www.reverbnation.com/atlanticthrills

Set-List:
“Come On”
“Holy Mountain”
“Booze”
“Beach”
“White Blindfold”
“Hold Your Tongue”
“Shotgun”
“Acid Rain”
“Give It Back”
“Light Shines”
“Salvaje”
“Foreign Lands”
“Drugs In It”

Act Two – Ravi Shavi – This was my second time seeing Ravi Shavi. The first time was an ultra energetic set a few weeks ago. They were a three piece, drums-guitar-vocals. This time they had a little bit less restriction with the addition of another guitarist and a duo on violin and cello. One thing that struck me about Ravi Shavi first time around was their familiarly distant sound. I thought Lovely Feathers, King Khan and the Shrines, and Adam Green. Just very eccentric, but like the aforementioned…very pop. Frontman Rafay Rashid played some on guitar and then put it down, dancing always. Part of what is really awesome about them is their random nature, at least to a relatively new fan such as myself. Anything is possible, it seems. Soulful. As one man next to me commented in the audience, “Ravi Shavi needs a Rafay in the audience.” They’re just that kind of band. The greatest moment of the set came in the latter half with the sunny, unpredictable power pop of “Accidental Mental”. The chorus could have went on for 20 more times and nobody would mind at all. I was really impressed by the dynamics of the band as a six piece, it was fun to see how well the string instrument players connected with the other instruments, especially during the faster joints. So yeah, this sounds like something you’d want to see? Many did on this night. Listen: http://ravishavi.bandcamp.com/

Act Three – Yale, MA – Wasn’t able to stay to catch them :(. Check ‘em out: http://yalemassachusetts.bandcamp.com/ 

Filed under Atlantic Thrills, concert review, Music, Ravi Shavi Tagged with , , , , ,

Concert Review: Sic Alps, Fat Creeps, Bent Shapes, The Migs @ Radio (10/25/12)

10/28/2012 by 1 Comment


Bands: Sic Alps, Fat Creeps, Bent Shapes, The Migs
Date: Thursday, October 25, 2012
Venue: Radio (Somerville, MA)

This is a Bodies of Water (B.O.W.) Show- http://bowaac.blogspot.com/
Way to go Dan and Sam, you fine, heavenly gentlemen.


Act I: The Migs- Performance wise, this is easily the best Migs show I have seen and Glen concurs. Five Migs shows deep, you know what to expect, but it never gets old. Migs Keven, Lukas, Craig (and special guest Travis Hagan on drums!) have a real solid presence on (and more appropriately off) stage. It’s nice to watch Keven, Lukas, and Craig playfully fight for control of the stage, practically knocking one another off- they appear to be having more fun than everyone else, which is awesome. Like, I said a real presence every rock ‘n’ roll fan should see; if these guys expand their cross country voyages they could take America by storm! I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m not.  What I do know is that this band has that classic, soul/blues psych/garage yeah, yeah, yeah (even I get sick of using these words to describe music, seriously if you counted up the amount of times we have said the words ”rock ‘n’ roll,” “punk,” “garage,” in this year alone you could fill up a fucking dictionary, but let it be known here, exclusively, for the record that I mean it from the bottom of my heart and I/we don’t use those words lightly) – they got that whole damn sound, we’ve all come to know and love, down pat. They got it. But, what is more significant about The Migs is that they take that lovely, orgasmic sound and turn it up to eleven. Like every great band, The Migs possess an infectious personality- these are dudes you could shotgun a beer or six with and/or take home to mom and dad. I know my dad would love The Migs. Hell, “You and Me,” one of the band’s finest offerings and a personal highlight tonight, is such a sweet ballad that it could make my dad’s limp dick plop right up and pace around the room. YEESH. On that horrifying note, I think the sound system definitely amplifies the group’s rocking performance, fleshing out the tunes even more. All in all, another show for the books. Not as fun as my preferred Migs setting: a dirty, beer reeking basement, but equally impressive.

P.S. Keven remember to wear a shirt (not a sweat shirt) when you play on stage, it gets hot up there. And if it’s chilly, wear a sweater. I don’t want you to catch a cold son. I want my Migs happy and healthy.

The Migs may or may not have played the following songs, well they certainly played some of them, but I’m not sure on a few.

“Cosmonauts 1/2″
“We’re The Migs” written as ” “We Dah Migs” and “We’re The Pigs”
“666′s Request”
“You & Me”
“Rock N Roll Stole”
“When She Says My Name”
“Fuzzy Sun”
“Follow Me Home” also written as “Follow Me Dome”
“Gravestone”
“Take 3″
New Song?!#$

Yo, have you heard this sheeet? http://themigs.bandcamp.com/


Act II: Bent Shapes- If some tourist yahoo asked me to name the best bands around Boston, the three opening acts on this bill (The Migs, Fat Creeps, and Bent Shapes) would definitely appear on that list. In fact, Bent Shapes were probably the first local band I really got into, about a few years back now. It’s not hard to see why this trio sticks out- they are able to blend Weezer/Blink 182 esque pop punk with garage rock. The thinking man’s garage perhaps. Haha, actually that reminds me of something Glen said earlier in the evening, that Bent Shape have this “college” quality to them. I agree with him on this point, and that’s funny because their music to me shares a similarity to another jangely pop, “college” band: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Both bands unleash simple, catchy songs with strong pop hooks. Personally, what I love about bands like Bent Shapes is that a lot of the music they seem to reference (pop punk) is not particularly to my liking, yet I seriously dig these guys. I kind of like it that way, I almost have a greater appreciation for them. Regardless of tastes, all three members are exceptional. If you’re reading this and haven’t heard of this band, click the link here, Do iT! http://bentshapes.bandcamp.com/

Set List:
“Boys to Men”
“Public”
“Leave It Till You Need It”
“Bites”
“Brat Poison”
“Wut?”
“Behead”
“Big Machines”


Act III: Fat Creeps- Fat Creeps rock right into “Blitzkrieg Bop,” which I totally don’t expect. The leather jackets should have given it away. A couple of weeks ago, the Creeps delivered a killer set of Ramones covers at a Rosebud Halloween show, here’s a review, if you missed it: http://klyam.com/2012/10/16/concert-review-halloween-show-featuring-fat-creeps-earthquake-party-fedavees-fagettes-rosebud-101312/ and tonight they are reprising their roles again as the seminal punk band aka greatest band of all time.  Admittedly, I am craving some original numbers, but with that being said, the band is still captivating with their Ramones set as they were before. My favorite cover is definitely “I Don’t Want to Walk Around With You,” I especially love Gracie’s vocal parts in this tune. Overall, a fun set per usual.

Set List (not sure of the exact order):
“Blitzkrieg Bop”
“Beat On The Brat”
“Judy Is A Punk”
“I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
“Havana Affair”
“Loudmouth”
“I Don’t Want To Walk Around With You”
“53rd and 3rd”
“Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”

Check out Fat Creep’s music here: http://fatcreeps.bandcamp.com/


Act IV: Sic Alps- San Francisco’s Sic Alps are garage/psych legends and it is a pleasure to finally get to see them on this wonderful evening. You can tell, these dudes are veterans when they play. Despite the wacked out, chaotic nature of their brand of rock ‘n’ roll, they have an undeniable finesse to their craft that only a seasoned pro could produce. I’m sure this is said all of the time, but it is worthy to note that the Sic Alps have lineage with Mr. Ty Segall or Ty Segall has lineage with Sic Alps. I mention this for two reasons. Firstly, if you regularly visit this site, then you know how much we love Ty Segall, he is one of our top guys. So, seeing his musical kin in a live setting is an extra treat. Secondly, you can see a lot of Ty’s music in the Sic Alps’s performance, leaning more towards the extensive jam quality of his sound and less concerned with pop influence. At times, this is not always my bag, but I can still dig it. Also, I need to be more familiar with their songs, so I can truly appreciate their set in the future. In any case, I recommend you give em’ a listen here: http://www.sicalps.com/

Filed under Art, Bent Shapes, concert review, Fat Creeps, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, The Migs Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Nobunny, Bad Sports, Xray Eyeballs, Liquor Store @ Living Bread (9/21/12)

09/24/2012 by 1 Comment

Artists: Nobunny, Bad Sports, Xray Eyeballs, Liquor Store
Date: Friday, September 21, 2012
Venue: The Living Bread Deli (Brooklyn, NY)
Comments:

Preliminary Activities: We wandered the desert for forty years and somehow we wound up in Brooklyn, destined to see Nobunny. “There it is, the Living Bread Deli!” That’s right Glen my boy, we have arrived and we are hungry for some rock ‘n’ roll, well actually we are just plain hungry. Alas, the Living Bread will not open its doors for another two hours :( As foreigners, we wander some more, careening through the streets of Bushwick with our stomachs rumblin’ and tumblin’,  fortunately stumblin’ upon Darrel the “Tour Guide,” as he is known to no one. “Darrel, my main man, where is a good place to sit down and eat and grab a few drinks?” Darell looks at us as if we have five heads, and proceed to exchange our heads, playing a game of musical decapitation. According to Darrel, you can either eat at one of the delis or drink at the bar, but you can’t do both. You can, however, bring your grub into the bar and chow down while you drink. In fact, Darrel’s next mission in life at this moment was that very act itself. Deeming this as suitable behavior, we follow in Darrel’s footsteps, but the menu is not to our liking. We are nomads once again, starving nomads. Walking down the street, I notice a big ass chicken wearing boxing gloves, and I point this out to Glen and Papa KLYAM. When we reach the chicken, a young woman standing next to him asks us if  we would like to witness a chicken death match. Sure, why not? As long as we can sit down and eat, and we do! More importantly, the man behind the mask is Dylan, bassist for Robot Death Kites- a band I have never heard until now- catch them if you can son- a band that has shared a bill with the likes of Boston behemoths Guerilla Toss. We discuss both the Boston and Brooklyn music scenes and both Glen and I can say it is of great pleasure to have made your acquaintance Dylan. Rock on brother! Alright, let’s get to the show….


Act I: Liquor Store- Since the Living Bread is a deli, it is a small space, and tonight the place is packed. Liquor Store kicks off the show and they do it with incredible finesse. They blast away with loud, roaring guitars. I dig how they epically strum their guitars with almost this windmill like force a la Pete Townshend. Similarly, I find some classic rock elements in their sound, but it does not seem generic in any way. This is my first time seeing these Jersey boys, but Glen saw them a couple of months ago at the Great Scott opening for Natural Child. Lucky bastard. But, now I too have experienced Liquor Store, YEAH BUDDY!!!


Act II: Xray Eyeballs- Last time KLYAM ventured out to New York we caught Xray Eyeballs opening for Black Lips and Davila 666 at last year’s Hell At the Hall Halloween show. Good times! Once again, Xray Eyeballs are one of the more visually memorable bands I have come across. Tonight their stage show features various bright lights, giving their psych garage sound some extra flavor. Alas, I miss some of their set because there is one helluva line for the bathroom! Fortunately, whilst waiting in this monstrosity of a line, I bump into “teacher’s pet” the drummer for Hector’s Pets, a Brooklyn band I saw open for King Khan & The Shrines at the Brighton Music Hall a couple months back. It is awesome to see you again dude! Anyway, check out Xray Eyeballs, if you have not yet. http://xrayeyeballs.bandcamp.com/

Set List:
Dejaw
Die Little Love
My Strange
Sundae
Gator
Derailed
NY Strip
Four
Crystal
Pill Riders


Act III: Bad Sports - Bad Sports is a name I have seen pop up every now and then, but I honestly have never sat down and listened to their music, so I came into this performance with an open mind, curious to see what will happen next. Bad Sports certainly earned their privilege to be on a tour with Nobunny. These guys don’t fuck around, they create chaotic noises in the midst of power pop. The crowd seems to get more pumped up during Bad Sports’ set with few outbursts here and there. Safe to say, Bad Sports will be kicking it for a while as they have for the past few years. http://badsports.bandcamp.com/


Act IV: NOBUNNY!!! -Nobunny=rock’n'roll. It’s as simple as that. Surely, Nobunny is not rock ‘n’ roll unto himself, but he represents what is amazing about all great rock ‘n’ roll: building a connection between the performer and the fan and everyone having fun together. On this tour, Bad Sports serve as Nobunny’s backing band, and I must admit I miss the Nobunny regulars but at the same time, Bad Sports are fantastic, providing the bunnyman with a killer sound. Tonight the name Nobunny is to be taken literally, for our hero in disguise is seriously not wearing his typical bunny mask. Instead, he is decked out in a black tape robber’s mask with some branches at the top. Well this transformation from bunny to branchman must have done the trick because No No is on top of his game more than ever (5th KLYAM show), moving and shaking like a maniac, as if he doesn’t have even two seconds to spare. As soon as the band hits the stage, our hero and gang burst right into “Hippy Witch” and as soon as that ends they immediately thrash right through to “Mess Me Up,” sending all the horny bunnies in the room into a frenzy. This set features so many classics: “I Am A Girlfriend,” “Chuck Berry Holiday,” “Boneyard,” “It’s True,” “Tina Goes To Work,” (which I have never heard live before) “Blow Dumb,” “Live It Up,” “Motorhead With Me,” and there’s even a brief rendition of the Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant,” putting a strong emphasis on the CUNT! My favorite moment is without a doubt “I Can’t Wait” (a Sneaky Pinks cover). Nobunny says “this is an all ages show” before kicking into the classic tune, with everyone screaming “EIGHTEEN YEARS IS A LONG LONG TIME!” That’s the greatest thing about Nobunny, it’s an interactive event, as all great shows should be. But, Nobunny has it down pat, he’s a quality performer, in many ways unlike anyone else in the game today. As I said earlier, the greatest aspect of Nobunny live is how he communicates with his audience. He is just as much apart of this show as you are, a Nobunny show relies heavily on how much energy the audience gives, it’s back and forth. It’s terrific to see kids bashing around and shouting out all the words to their favorite Nobunny tunes, and Nobunny knows this, so he holds out the microphone at the most opportune moments, allowing fans to join in. Naturally, this is commonplace in rock, but with Nobunny it’s a recurrent feature amongst other bunny antics that amount to pure entertainment making everyone feel included in the show. Nobunny is part punk, part bubblegum- sweet, sweet, sugary fucking bubble gum pop, part dirty, grimy garage rock, and simply part circus, pro wrestling actually. The set closes oddly enough with Love Visions opener, “Nobunny Loves You,” which simply makes you want more and more! Final thoughts? Nobunny is one of the best live shows around; him and his band put their balls into it and transcend conventional, boring rock band behavior. If your just sitting at home listening to the records alone, playing with your dong, then you are not getting the full experience! Why would you do such a thing to yourself?! In short, GO SEE NOBUNNY!

Filed under Art, concert review, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, Nobunny, pictures, Punk, reviews Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, K-Holes @ The Well (9/22/12)

09/23/2012 by 5 Comments

Bands: Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, K-Holes
Date: September 22, 2012
Venue: The Well (Brooklyn, New York)

Comments: Heading far away from Beantown to see show isn’t a frequent occurrence for us at KLYAM, but when we do, it always ends up being a fun time. When I first saw in June that Ty and Thee Oh Sees were playing in Brooklyn, but not in Boston (or Portland or Providence), it was a no-brainer to make the voyage. Not to mention that Nobunny shortly thereafter announced a date in Brooklyn for the night before. So yeah, what a nice weekend.



Act I – K-Holes – By the time the K-Holes hit the stage, The Well had filled right up. I could tell the crowd didn’t want to miss any of the action, and why would they? K-Holes are what I call mainstays as openers for some of the rock ‘n roll underground’s bigger bands. I’ve seen them open for Black Lips twice in New York and once for King Khan and the Shrines in Boston. They’ve certainly built up a reputation as a band that brings all they’ve got to the stage. On this night, the stage is quite large for them (“I feel like I’m at the Emmys” singer/guitarist Jack Hines informs us), but this of course doesn’t change their performance. They plow right through several dark, saxophone crazed songs, which to me sound even better than in the past. Also, I’ve never seen a band with their set-up (saxophone, vocalist/tambourine, guitar, bass, a drum kit with three floor toms). They are interesting. I enjoyed closer “Rats,” off their most recent LP Dismania [Hardly Art], the most. It’s a full steam ahead ass-kicker, fitting in perfectly with what’s to come.


Act II - Thee Oh Sees – Finally! It took me three years (approximately) to see these guys and finally I can say it…I saw them. Seeing a lot of live footage on YouTube and hearing people rave incessantly about the live shows – not to mention my very many listens to the records – all of this is awesome, but you’ve got to be there. So I was there along with about a thousand others and we witnessed the same thing. A band that truly has it together and quite easily engages the audience’s attention to something that makes blue shirted security guards want to join in on the fun. Thee Oh Sees got it started with “The Dream,” which is an insane tune, but there’s so much more build-up in the live setting that it is really hard to describe to be honest. After that we were blessed with “Lupine Dominus,” a stand-out off just released Putrifiers II. Then came that song that sounds like “Have Love Will Travel” — oh yes — “Tidal Wave,” which is just as cool as it sounds. They also got in “Carrion Crawler/The Dream,” the wild and quintessential sing-along “I Was Denied,” the superbly lengthy a-a-a-a-a-ah-ah-ha-ha-ha-a-a-a-a of “Contraption/Soul Desert,” and some others which I can’t quite remember right now. Either way, this was one performance that I will surely remember and I can not wait to see them again. It would be cool to catch them in a littler place, but they are at the point where they’ve got a pretty sizable and energetic fan base so I’m not sure what’s to come. No one does.


Act III - Ty Segall – Ty (and band) – if you read this site, you know there is a whole bunch o’ coverage, so disregard the obvious – are near the top of the charts as far as the kind of music I really love. It’s not even one sound – it’s more of the experience and variety of selections that gets me pumped. Whether it is the cuts from Slaughterhouse that they opened with, a throwback classic like “Standing at the Station,” or the many Melted jams “Imaginary Person,” “Finger,” “My Sunshine,” “Caesar,” “Girlfriend,” the current Ty set is all over the place categorically, but it’s all marked by an unbeatable combination of loudness, fuzz, and pop. It is no wonder why more and more people are being turned onto Ty and his band. And they’ll continue to be. The heavy rains that came during “Finger” seemed to coincide with the intensity of the song and they never really stopped. I was pleasantly surprised by “My Head Explodes,” my favorite from Goodbye Bread, which the band hasn’t really played too often. You could say more surprises came with a little “Sweet Home Alabama” and an encore of The Doors “The End”. It should be said that the first couple of rows represented a danger zone for crowd surfers. There was one fan who took a particularly gruesome fall near the stage that drew the concern of Ty, who requested medical attention for the man. We all hope he is okay. Ty shows shouldn’t be dangerous and apart from that incident, everything went pretty smoothly. There were also several photographers and a cameraman on hand – and they were having just as great of a time as the crowd. It was a cool sight!  Back to the songs. Closer “Wave Goodbye” and oldie “Skin” bear mentioning along with the finale of all finales, “The Drag”. Hope to see these guys soon in Boston, but you know, if New York is the only option, New York is the only option. That’s easy.

Filed under concert review, Music, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Ty Segall Band Tagged with , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Fat Creeps, Radio Control, Wet Nurse, Vacation, Ex-Planets @ Starlab (9/14/12)

09/19/2012 by Leave a comment


Artists: Fat Creeps, Radio Control, Wet Nurse, Vacation, ExPlanets
Date: Friday, September 14, 2012
Venue: Starlab (Somerville, MA)
Comments:
Act I: ExPlanets-  Let me start off by saying, how nice it is to be back in the Starlab! This is KLYAM’s second time here, with our last venture being wayyy back in April 2011- seeing The White Wires from Ottawa, Canada. Great show! I love the look of the Starlab- arcades, couches, and Boston Counter Cultural Compasses hanging around to boot! Check out the KLYAM plug in this month’s compass btw, thanks again guys! http://www.bostoncccompass.com/ The basement itself has to be one of the nicest looking basements I have ever seen. So when the ExPlanets start their set I am feeling pretty good, remembering the fun times I had hear about a year and half ago. For the first few minutes of the band’s set the lights are on, which seems kind of odd, because I have never seen a band perform in a fully lit basement, an intriguing sight, I suppose. The lights begin to dim and everything is back to normal, so to speak. ExPlanets are fun to watch and their sound (at least tonight) reminds me of the aforementioned White Wires as well as the legendary garage rock band The Spaceshits. And no I am not just name dropping Canadian bands I know! They share similar pop sensibilities as these bands, but with a louder, faster delivery. In any case, I plan on further exploring the work of the ExPlanets. http://explanets.bandcamp.com/

Set List:
Can’t Wait (3 Count)
All You Want
Punch Line
Don’t You
Close The Door
Gutter Blind
Not Going Away
Mary
Free To Go
Wrapped Up
Catching Up
Talk About It

Act II: Vacation- Vacation voyaged all the way from Ohio and I am applauding them for making the trek to Boston for this evening’s show. They are a solid band, a lot of fun actually. The spirits amongst the attendees seems to increase during their set as people pogo and chant along to their catchy pop drenched punk tunes. Everyone is having a gay olde time and then suddenly the lights go out and the room is pitch black. I can’t see anything. Next, I hear the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!”  The lights flicker on and one of the Vacation’s guitarists is plastered with a nice l’il birthday cake. Happy Birthday! Fun set! http://vacation.bandcamp.com/

Act III: Wet Nurse- Florida’s Wet Nurse is the perfect band to follow Vacation and ExPlanets, for they share their predecessors’ taste for balls out, rock ‘n’ roll fun! Their songs are short and catchy; straight to the point, no filler, the way it should be. They definitely appeal to the garage side of me, which is a large chunk of my musical tastes as if this web site could not be further evidence of that. As I am writing this now I am listening to Wet Nurse’s latest offering, Daily Whatever and I am totally digging it! Check it out here: http://wet-nurse.bandcamp.com/

Set List:
Peace
Cig
Ill
Girl
Sassy
Stranger
Nature
Wasted
Whatevs
Personal
Backwards


Act IV: Fat Creeps- The one and only Fat Creeps, one of my favorite bands. NO WAY REALLY?!! I can only imagine someone that visits this site frequently must be thinking that. SHUTTT UP! Anyway, before I drift, it is cool to see these Creeps in a basement again, since I usually see them perform at clubs/bars, I appreciate the change of setting, it’s good to switch things up. Tonight, the trio opens with “Horoscope,” a fine tune from the Fat Creeps EP released last month and a fan favorite at that. Most of the set contains various Creeps classics like “Secrets,” “Nancy Drew,” and my personal fave “700 Parts.” In addition to these vintage tunes, the band unleashes some fresh material in the form of the relatively new “Dad Weed” and a totally new song I am not familiar with at all. Then, the group starts to play a song that seriously fucking rocks and I think to myself “damn, this new Creeps song sounds like The Stooges.” As soon as I recognize the lyrics I realize it is in fact a cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Impressive cover to say the least. Speaking of old school punk, my favorite moment in their set is the mini trivia session held in between songs. Vocalist/Bassist Mariam Saleh announces that they are giving away a free beer to anyone that can name Joey Ramone’s real name. Without any hesitation I holler “Jeffery Hyman!” Naturally for providing the correct answer Mariam prestents me with a delicious Narragansett. Thanks again! Moral of the story, go see (and listen) to the Fat Creeps and you can one day be a winner just like me. http://fatcreeps.bandcamp.com/


Act V: Radio Control-  This fun filled evening of no bullshit punk rock and roll is capped off by one of Somerville’s sweetest bands, Radio Control. Radio Control is Matt (vocals/guitar) and Kristina (vocals/drums) and together the two create a mish mash of garage, post-punk, and undeniable pop hooks. I hear a lot of The Replacements, especially in Matt’s vocals. In many ways their music feels like it’s a full band, at least to my ears. This is the second time I have seen these cats, with the first being an epic show at the Great Scott on April 2 of twenty twelve, opening for Hunx and His Punx and Heavy Cream. Great show! I dug the pair that time, but this show is even better. An excellent way to close tonight’s festivities.

P.S. RC are super cool people and it is a pleasure to have made their acquaintance, hope to see y’all in the near future! Keep on rockin! http://weareradiocontrol.com/

Filed under Art, Boston Counter Cultural Compass, concert review, Fat Creeps, Honorary KLAYMERS, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Empty Phrases @ unchARTed (9/10/12)

09/12/2012 by Leave a comment


Artists: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Empty Phrases
Date: Monday, September 10, 2012
Venue: unchARTed (Lowell, MA)

Comments: Tonight is my first time stepping foot into the unchARTed gallery in downtown Lowell and I am impressed by its small, but cozy and enticing atmosphere. The walls are covered with various, intriguing portraits, I don’t know much about art, but I can recommend art enthusiasts and purveyors to check this place out! Though, this is my first unchARTed show, I have heard of the place for a while now, so I am glad my introduction is with one of my favorite artists, Colleen Green!

Act I: Empty Phrases- Ahh my boys, the Empty Phrases, a budding four piece fresh out of Lowell and ready to take on the world. Alas, tonight they are missing guitarist Evan Walters :( next time brother! Fortunately, the group manages more than fine as a three piece and I can honestly say this is the finest performance I have experienced from these gentlemen. Tonight, they display a much more aggressive, almost a hardcore/noise rock possessed version of Empty Phrases, giving their summery, dream like sound an oddly  enchanting, sinister touch. All in all, a fun, loud, rocking set from one of Lowell’s most promising bands. http://emptyphrases1.bandcamp.com/album/empty-phrases%20

Act II: Plateaus- Plateaus were sick last night when I saw them at the Middle East Upstairs, but I prefer them even more tonight. The PA at unchARTed is a motherfucker, making all the bands sound quite loud, I love it! This is definitely the case for Plateaus, for their power pop sounds even better with the thunderous volume added to the mix. I don’t know if it’s just me, but their set tonight hit me like a ton of bricks and leaves me with an even greater impression of their music.  Check out this badass band! http://plateausband.bandcamp.com/

Act III: Colleen Green- Wooooooo! Night 2 of my Colleen Green extravaganza. KLYAM has the whole Colleen Green coverage as Empty Phrases vocalist/guitarist Ben Raymond puts it. Indeed, the Massachusetts coverage anyway. It has been a privilege of mine to see one of my favorite singers and her glorious backing band two nights in a row. I say this not to sound like a kiss ass as I am sure it may come off that way haha, but I love her music so as a fan the pleasure is all mine, and who wouldn’t want to experience something they love two nights in a row? Masochists that’s who. Anyway, Colleen and crew delivered a fantastic set last night at the Middle East Upstairs, so going into this performance I was ecstatic, rightfully so. The unchARTEd gallery truly is one of the best venues for a Colleen Green show in all of MASS and definitely the DIY atmosphere of this place feels fitting. Once again, I have to give props to the sound system here, I definitely think this is the best way to experience Colleen. When the bands gets their thing on, Colleen introduces the whole band as “Colleen Green,” which I think is awesome. Just like the previous night they rock into the Descendents tune “Good Good Things,” and transition into the fast, punk, Ramones ode “I Wanna Be Degraded.” The PA is nasty here and from what I am told it often unleashes some unpleasant noises (though tonight everything I have heard has been awesome), but the Colleen Green band is able to make everything sound great; nothing sounds harsh; in fact it’s all very soothing to my ears, which at this point are horribly damaged. Seriously, Colleen is one of my favorite singers, her vocals are so soft,  yet powerful, it’s incredible and I cannot think of anyone else that compares to her. Overall, the Colleen Green band destroys and I am a happy camper. I can’t wait to see her and her band again! KLYAM loves you! http://colleengreen.bandcamp.com/

Filed under Art, Colleen Green, concert review, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews Tagged with , , , , , ,

Concert Review: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Bent Shapes, Bugs and Rats @ Middle East Upstairs (9/9/12)

09/10/2012 by 1 Comment


Artists: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Bent Shapes, Bugs and Rats
Date: Sunday, September 9, 2012
Venue: Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA)

Comments:

Act I: Bugs and Rats- These motherfuckers diminish what is left of my eardrums, which is great. Bugs and Rats are a powerhouse band, a three piece that is LOUD and guaranteed to wake up the neighbors. They would serve as a terrific alarm clock, I must say. I’ll admit much of the music I listen to is of the “wimpy” variety so I’m not as big into Bugs and Rats, but damn they are a solid band and they rock pretty hard. Their music is easy to head-bang to – in fact I would find it hard not to. Though it’s not necessarily my cup of tea, I can definitely recommend it. I also admire the band’s overall enthusiasm, which makes this performance even more fun. The drummer looks like he is going berserk! Lastly, I notice there is a picture of Anne Frank on the guitarist’s guitar, I do not know why, but I find this interesting. I mean I think it is Anne Frank. Either it is her or I am a fucking idiot.
Go nuts http://bugsandrats.bandcamp.com/


Act II: Bent Shapes-  So, y’all know Bent Shapes were formerly known as Girlfriends, right? Alright good. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen this band since they opened for Harlem at Great Scott back in April 2010, so it is a real pleasure to see them tonight.  I was always struck by their music before and I have been meaning to see them again for quite some time now, but for whatever reason it just never worked out. Fortunately, tonight is my night and I get a chance to see this excellent band.  Bent Shapes definitely has some outstanding pop hooks and they remind me of one of my favorite bands, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.  I also hear a lot of pop punk a la Wavves in their music. Glen concurs on this point. Without a doubt my favorite moment is when they play “I Was Here, But I Disappear,” a favorite of mine. Not just a favorite from the band, but one of my favorite songs of all time. I did not expect them to play this song at all, so this is a real treat. Admittedly, I need to listen to more of their material and I plan to. You should too! http://bentshapes.bandcamp.com/

Set List:
Public
Brat (“Brat Poison”)
Panel (“Panel of Experts”)
Bites (“Bits and Scratches”)
Big M (“Big Machines”)
Space
Bhead?
Disappear (“I Was Here But I Disappear”)
Hex (“Hex Maneuvers”)
Leave (“Leave It Till You Need It”)
Boys (“Boys to Men”)


Act III: Plateaus- Before tonight’s performance I have never heard of Plateaus, but now I am convinced they are a sound band and I plan on checking out their music. Their songs are not as stripped down and catchy as those of Bent Shapes, but they keep up the same power pop/ pop punk sensibility. I am also feeling some strong garage vibes and in this way I can see them fitting well with the kind of music we typically champion on KLYAM. Their set is definitely fun and gets me pumped up for Colleen, even more so than I already was. http://plateausband.bandcamp.com/


Act IV: Colleen Green- Before I start my little babbling, I am going to take a mini trip back to April 2011. April 29, 2011 to be exact. Glen and I had had little exposure to basement venues (a couple of shows in Lowell and that was about it) and so when we arrived at the Starlab in Somerville to see one of Ottawa’s finest, The White Wires, we were a bit perplexed. As I recall we paid the seven bucks or so for admission (which included a stamp of the word “fuck” on my hand) and then we left the venue momentarily to smoke a bowl. One of the dudes running the show caught up with us and said that it was cool for us to smoke inside. So, we did. More importantly, why am I telling this story?! What I forgot to mention was that Colleen Green was headlining this bill, but at the time we had no idea who Colleen Green was, we came to see White Wires as I had mentioned earlier. I remember sitting down Indian style in the basement of the Starlab, waiting for the band to play- actually the dudes from Luau (also on the bill that evening) were setting up their equipment and I began to aggressively converse about G.G. Allin and Charles Manson the way I often do when I’m left unsupervised. Around this time, Colleen approached Glen and me, oh and Dan, damn I forgot that motherfucker came with us, he’s the man! She sarcastically said something to the effect of “You aren’t those guys that are smoking weed are you?” She then politely introduced herself as Colleen and within seconds I began vigorously raving about my favorite bands as I tend to do if given even the slightest opportunity. I stated that my top three current favorite bands were/are 1)Black Lips 2)Deerhunter, and 3) Hunx and His Punx. This led to a brief discussion of the Hunx tune “Cruisin,” a fabulous song indeed. Alas, we weren’t able to stay long enough to catch Colleen’s set that night, but I remember thinking anyone that appreciates greats like Hunx and His Punx is worth checking out. So, I YouTube’d a few songs and live vids and I was instantly hooked. But, between 21+ shows and lack of transportation we KLYAMERS missed out on all the remaining Colleen Boston gigs :( Until now! Ahh shit, it’s 4:20 (I didn’t plan this btw) why am I still writing this? Why am I still up? I need to be awake and alert in a vapid classroom setting within four hours. Oh well. So yeah, tonight is very exciting on the account that not only do Glen and I get to see Colleen Green live for the first time, but with a whole band including members of Plateaus. The Colleen Green Band opens with a cover of the fine Descendents tune, “Good Good Things,” before moving into what may just be my favorite Colleen number “I Wanna Be Degraded,” goddamn that song is catchy! The whole set is spectacular. Colleen can be pure rock ‘n’ roll and totally mellow all at once. It’s like she doesn’t have to shout, but you can hear every little nuance of her vocals. I don’t know what I’m talking about- to quote a friend of mine-”I don’t know art, but I know what I like!” One of my other favorites is “Dance the Night Away,” a killer tune that surely stood out as one of 2011′s finest. Colleen and crew close the set with “Nice Boy (I Want A),” another classic that leaves me in great anticipation for tomorrow night’s performance in Lowell. I can’t wait! http://colleengreen.bandcamp.com/

Filed under Art, Colleen Green, concert review, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , ,

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