Written By Joanna Trachtenberg

Stopples were mandatory tonight. Opening the mini fest was Negative One, a band containing Mr. Boston Hassle himself Sam Potrykus. They were led by former Weirdo Records owner and fiery front woman Angela Sawyer who before starting the first song armed herself with a sharpie and was marking members of the crowd. This continued throughout the 10 minute or so long set. Their songs were short maybe one song was over a minute long. They were quite tight for a band that has only been together for a few months. A few of their songs were about fingers.

Next were Vehement Caress. He was one guy and a whole lotta equipment including synths, Tone imodulators, cables, buttons and switches. He created a lot dirty drone complete with screams, beeps, buzzes and other little aural knickknacks. He ended with a church educated on deliverance and the power of the devil. It was now time for Worcester’s own Eaten.

They kept the death grind alive with songs that I can only assume we’re about butterflies, fairies and rainbows (or maybe not) I wasn’t sure because I couldn’t make out the words. I guess I’d say they reminded me of bands like Napalm Death and Cannibal Corpse but with a teence bit more hardcore punk.

Mayor Daley were next to scorch your delicate ears. They started with a white flashing warning light placed right under the drum kit. They weren’t quite as in your face as the three previous bands. They did have the heavy riffs going but they were the first band to not have a screaming lead vocalist. Her voice was hypnotic, almost tribal at times. I liked that. It certainly fit their music well. They came all the way from Chicago to rawk. I hope they come back.

Next was the bubblegum pop of Demon Brother. Oops did I say bubblegum pop? What I meant to say was powerviolence. I didn’t see any mosh pits at all throughout the night. I guess that the Elks Lodge doesn’t allow them or the crowd was too scared and intimidated by the crushing noise to move much. Like Vehement Caress they also had weird talking at the end of one of their songs. I couldn’t really understand what it was saying. If there was ever a tv show or movie of Buffy the Demon Slayer, these guys would probably kill Buffy in the first episode.

Closing up shop was Sissy Spacek the only grindcore band fronted by a famous actress. The whole place just filled with white hot noise. I think I heard a few guttural screams through the sonic wall. Them and Demon Brother were probably the most brutal bands of the night.

This write-up is a necessity because I’ve just listened to a life-changing record. It’s The Hunches final album Exit Dreams released in 2009 on, here goes, my favorite label: In The Red Records. I ordered the CD a few weeks ago (no mo’ vinyl, at least not through the label) and it arrived last week. My previous experience listening to The Hunches was sort of here and there and I’m thinking Pandora had something to do with that. I’ve heard of their reputation as the greatest band, not really sure from where. That is pretty accurate though. Listening to this comes at a perfect time ’cause I’ve been absorbing plenty of bizarre noisy pop. I’ll credit this recent spell to finding the band Eat Skull and buying their record.

The situation with Eat Skull, The Hunches, and Girls of the Gravitron (can’t name drop this no-more Memphis group enough, one of my very very favorites) is that the music and the instrumentation is mad expansive and not ya average rock ‘n roll or garage. These crews make even the greatest of the greatest that we KLYAMers champion seem a bit dull. And yes, that sentence creeps me out as much as you’re probably thinking. The Hunches and the other bands I just mentioned have some slow movers in their catalog with overt pop elements – these usually are standouts and favorites. But the harder to digest distorted multi-layer guitar and feedback explosions sound like perfect accidents to me. Exit Dreams is filled to the brim with these moments where I’m like yo this could be Pixies, Pavement, Velvet Underground and I love all three of those so that’s great. BUT there’s much more subversive playing and truly unexpected change-ups with The Hunches here. There’s no sympathy to any style and ‘garage’ is a tag that probably does this a bunch of disservice given the terrain this disc covers. I also can’t really identify a lot of unity in how this was recorded; some tracks are really brutal and upfront (this is a way positive comment), others sound comparatively immaculate. So, major props to how this was mixed and mastered.

If you want to listen to a record that is the opposite of stale and safe, this here Exit Dreams is choice. I’m not saying it’s the most experimental record, but I really love it for its playfulness. It’s not happy or optimistic really, sort of the opposite. It fits where the band was at its time, for whatever reason, on the brink of collapse with not a care in the world. I listen to this and get that feeling that ya, we can move beyond present or past uncertainties and situations. the noise and clutter are haunting and personal, but the catchy and familiar vibes win out and save the day. All is well, but it’s a trip for sure.