New York where were you on Saturday night? A lineup of of DIY Punk and Indie-Rock capped by one of the fiercest touring bands today was hardly close to selling out despite its cheap ticket price down at Bowery Ballroom. Maybe it was the NOFX show at Irving Plaza keeping the punks away but those who did come were treated to some riffage for the ages.
The half full Ballroom did nothing to dampen the spirits as a set of duo's opened with Hilly Eye and Shellshag presenting their two person back and fourth wails. Hilly Eye played up a mid-nineties noise vibe while Shellshag is happy to roll around in fuzzy 80's rock even covering "The Promise" by When In Rome.
(From a show earlier this year)
The six piece rollicking group The Underground Railroad to Candyland played a party like set of their upbeat punk rock as well, but the main event was the headlining, power packing, trio from New Brunswick New Jersey.
Coming onto the stage with zero fanfare and little in the way of speakers or background Screaming Females proceeded to do what it simply does finest...rip a whole through its fans (and unsuspecting newcomers) chests with thunderous drums from Jarrett Dougherty, pogoing bass line runs from Mike Abbate, and six string arrows shot from Marissa Paternoster's axe. The opener "Sheep" from their most recent album Castle Talk started the completely energizing, engrossing set and the group didn't let up until the encore.
"Fall Asleep" found the drums tapping and slamming down into a groove while Paternoster sang up and down the scales. While her guitar playing is an obvious focus the vocals constantly enchant and can off set the continual driving of the tunes, playing with the dynamics of each song the lone female in the group does much more then scream. The monstrous "Skull" had the walls shaking with it's huge cymbal crashes and epic hair raising riffs, this song alone begs to reverberate around arenas (and with the talent this band possesses it won't be long before that goes down, next year perhaps?).
It is the fullness of the bass and drums that allow Paternoster to take guitar flight and the synergy of the band was on display all night with "Starve The Beat" being one blinding example.
"Bell" was chunky and professional a sign of the three Screaming Females being completely lock-step with each other from their constant touring, in fact the group was incredibly tight all night, so much so the show at times lacked that wild-abandon feel.
Then again there was an utter rawness to "Buried in the Nude" with it's slashing changes and "I Don't Mind It" excited the eardrums and got the crowd to start moshing away. Some new tunes were on display tonight, one had some sweet low end and a metal hook not unlike early Black Sabbath. Speaking briefly with Abbate pre-show he mentioned the band was about to enter the studio and start up a new album in November which is very exciting news.
The night closing "Lights Out" is a standout tune in their catalog as it breaks from the driving punk formula and allows all members of the band to spread out and explore. Tonight Paternoster sonically painted the room as the beat was laid perfectly behind, a clear highlight and hopefully an exciting omen of things to come from this band who have mastered the taut simple tracks and could explode to great heights with more unique tunes like this one. As it stands there are few better groups playing any kind of rock today, don't sleep on them when they come to your town.
In this ongoing Monday
Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan
song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Nick Cave, Kylie Minouge and Shane McGowan of "Death Is Not The End"
Thoughts on Dylan Original:
Released on the disappointing (worst of his career??) album Down in the Groove "Death Is Not The End" is actually an outtake that dates back to the Infidel's recording sessions, but plays like it is from his Born Again phase, and it may be. Dylan said of Infidels that those songs sat around too long, and this may have been one, which is surprising it was released in 1986...siting around even longer. Dylan keeps the structure very simple with straight ahead harmonica and just a few backing vocals to spruce it up. The simple tune is not offensive (unlike say "Ugliest Girl In the World" from the same album) but it doesn't stay with you too long after it leaves...
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Well looky here we got a few of them to play with, the first being Nick Cave who covered this song in 96 on his cool album titled Murder Ballads. I am of 2 minds on Nick Cave, I first heard about him and actually saw him live in 94 on Lollapalooza and was underwhelmed to say the least. I dig his voice, and he has a few good songs, but his style overall has never really been my cup of tea. I know people like Grinderman, but I have yet to get into them. Kylie Minogue I know next to nothing about, she does a nice job here and I see she had a few dance hits in the late 90's 2000's, no complaints about her so far. Shane MacGowan on the other hand...what is there not to love?!? Thankfully he is keeping alive and it was fun to catch him again this St Paddy's day....
Thoughts on Cover:
Fantastic, a bit theatrical but that works for this song. The blending of 3 distinct styles of singers is something that could backfire very easily but somehow this motley crew pulls it together and the final product rings in the ears wonderfully. Taking a lesser known Dylan tune and making it something larger then life is what I dig the most in this series and these three (plus the Bad Seeds) do a bang up job of this...well done.
Grade: A
Quick back story last year I didn't produce a separate post of my favorite shows from 2010, (this year I am so, put down those flaming torches) I am not sure how or why, but one that was certainly in the running was Phish's 12-30-10 show that was simply rocking at MSG.
So imagine when my surprise when I noticed THE FULL SHOW professionally shot and cued up to the soundboard recording just hanging out on youtube...pure Boosh!
This is a Columbus Day Miracle!!! The energy is just as high as I remember it being and the playing is super tight. Strap in, grab a beverage and enjoy 2 sets of pumped up Phish:
Set 1:
Cities, Chalkdust, Gumbo, Quinn the Eskimo, Halley's Comet >
Camelwalk, Maze, Driver, Gin, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Timber Ho, Golgi,
Zero
Set 2, complete with Jennifer Dance's Pump Fake Opener
Tweezer > Light > Theme from the Bottom > My Friend My Friend > Axilla, Fluffhead > Boogie On > 2001 > Suzy
Thanks uploader, skriddler, you are the man or woman!
This review is part of the "Over Flow" Review Series. For
various reasons these past reviews were not published
anywhere else. I am tagging them as Overflow Reviews
and may add some extra information after if needed but I
will keep the ratings and reviews just as I originally
wrote them. Enjoy:
Piss Ant
I Know Your Type
** out of *****
I Know Your Type starts with a straight ahead motoring cover of the Dead Boys punk classic "Sonic Reducer" and instantly states its riffing intentions. Filled with singalong punk thumping and industrial flourishes the album is never afraid to shout into your face but it's glossy production helps soften the blow of the attack.
Piss Ant are aLA 4 piece that are fronted by fetish model Josi Kat which adds that extra dimension to the shock vibe tip (to go along with that great cover art). Where the group finds the most success is in its rockers like "Hey Hey" via its AC/DC like simplicity and "Wake" which possess a huge chorus to go along with its sludge bass. The bands industrial side such as "So Close" is interesting but seems more of a sidebar then a full on embracement of the style.
The band seems to get caught in-between genres for a few tracks with the road rage smirking "Killing Time On The 405" having some "Oi's" dropped in while "Lights On" plays like a pleasant hair metal main stay. Both have their upside and are fun listens, but when the band gets political ("40 Million Dollar Party", "Change It") there seems to be a lack of real angst which the songs desperately need. It is hard to pinpoint but there just doesn't seem to be the same zeal behind the political tirades as there are during the pseudo-sexual ones, even the bonus remix of the groups older song "Sexxx Junkie" seems more vibrant.
Overall the musicianship, performance, production, and vocal presence sounds tight and professional and the bonus cover of "Tainted Love" is a hoot that speeds by too quickly.
_________________________________________________________________
I love NYC, it is amazing how many nice people you can meet in just one night. After a group of my good friends got together to see Primus last Friday night we went to a favorite sports bar of mine to catch what we thought would be the end of the Yankee game. We came to find out it had been suspended due to rain, so we just hung out and drank a few cold ones. While hanging out my friend Glen and I got in a conversation regarding music (big shock there) with the bouncer of the establishment named Mark.
It was a pleasant conversation and that was that...until the next day I went back to the same place for a full slate of baseball games. Mark was there again when I was leaving and gave me this CD, so I gave it this review. It is some fun stuff from the LA band Piss Ant, but it is their old album, I hope to get my hands on their newest and will give that one a proper going over. Until then you can check out the group here.
