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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Meatmen
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The Meatmen are the oldest band I've written up to date, and no matter the line-up changes over their forty years playing hardcore punk rock, the band is completely electric. Most of us have seen bands phone it in after 20 years, sometimes even if they took a 10 year break, but there's nothing half-assed about a Meatmen show. They're all-in, they play hard, and come back out after the lights come up (even though they resent having beer cans thrown at them) to play a second encore.
“I'm a fifty-six year old man.
I'm like your dad... actually,
I'm nothing like your dad,
because that guy sucks.”
Introducing Pope on a Rope
I'm like your dad... actually,
I'm nothing like your dad,
because that guy sucks.”
Introducing Pope on a Rope
It's actually a little stunning to be on the floor in front of The Meatmen-- even the long-standing Down By Law played to a pretty lethargic crowd before The Meatmen went on-- but as soon as they came out, The Meatmen knocked the crowd over. Everything came alive when they took the stage.
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| Tesco Vee from TheresSomethingHardInThere |
This was actually a more entertaining show than their last Seattle visit at El Corazon and The Meatmen's first show a vegan venue. Define irony: The Meatmen at The Highline.
The crowd was smaller than the Meatmen's ElCo visit last year, but the show was nothing short of huge. Tesco, an ordained minister of the Church of Satan, married a couple on stage (with the only marriage vows I've ever heard that included a Rusty Trombone, and ended with “I may now kiss the bride” as our minister planted on one the bride). The bassist broke up a fight (“you with the stupid outfit and you with the lame haircut-- knock it the fuck off. We're playing songs about wieners and butts up here... it's nothing to punch each other over.”) Pretty much everything you could ask of a punk show.
Some of my friends called a few gaps in their setlists... but that happens at every show where the band has this large a catalog. I'm always gratified when I hear "Fuck the Beatles" with the updated lyrics. The new chorus is “two down, two to go,” which always makes me think of Carlin: the wrong two Beatles died first. Unlike the northwest locals I often describe on this site, I'm not going to try with these guys. They're classic hardcore... either you've heard "Toilet Slave" or you haven't. If you like punk rock and you don't know them, you need to do some homework.
As a final note, it was very cool to see these guys in the crowd during their four band bill (Tesco especially) because it's rare to see someone who's played shows in five decades-- his words-- that is actually on the floor listening to the opening local bands. When I talk about Legacy Bands, the kind of bands supported by a long history and reputation, some play great and some sleepwalk, but it's incredibly uncommon to find them watching the supporting bands. That's an extra level of engagement, a real dedication to being part of the entire show, that I almost never see.
The Meatmen on Facebook
Monday, August 27, 2012
On Stage 23 - Spin
A continuing series of insights from the stage at the local club level...
23.
People trying to get you to play their show will sell the gig in the most positive light possible. No one should put too much faith in proposed event attendance-- everyone from bands to realtors to tupperware parties ought to know that roughly 1/3 of the people who'll say they'll come actually show up. It's important to remember this when someone offers your band a show that will be packed, sell out, and earn you many hundreds of dollars at the door; the discrepancy between the crowd described to you and the actual show you play can be stunning. Bands with guarantees don't worry about this, but for everyone else: I'm not saying you shouldn't play the show, I just want everyone to keep their expectations realistic.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Aranya, Ix, and Cerebral Cortez
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ubik. left Beer Metal Summer Camp on Saturday afternoon because we had booked a show that night before we knew the dates for Beer Metal-- no one wants to leave half way in, but like I've said before, you play the shows you book and that's that. We booked this one well in advance because we played a good show with Aranya in Portland as the closer to our most recent tour, and wanted to return the favor and give them a good Seattle show in return.
Things just shook out that it was on Beer Metal weekend... so we rolled back into town a little exausted, not too sunburnt, and several days unshowered to meet up at The Rat & Raven. This was our first show there, and, though we felt a little unfaithful playing across the street from The Kraken (and popped in there for some food and the celebration of Iron Maiden day), the venue was cozy, accomodating, and well-set-up.
The pictures are going to be a little spotty and culled from the internet because... well... I never seem to have my cameras at shows I'm playing. Apologies for that; I ought to be more prepared.
On to the show...
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Highline
or The Funhouse-- lots of space for backlining, large drum kits, and most stage setups that a medium-level band could muster. An elevator is available to shuttle heavier gear to the second floor venue without lugging equipment up stairs. The monitors, floor wedges up front and a stand-alone for the drummer, are quality, and the PA system can more than fill the space. In a fairly large space like this, whether or not the cabs are mic'd depends on how loud the amps are, the sound guy, and the balance off stage. The sound in the crowd is usually pretty good (it does tend toward reverby, arena-style drums... but that's a personal preference thing) and it is one of the darker clubs in town.Bands get two complimentary pitchers for the night and are paid a cut of the door; shows are usually between $5 and $7, and a large crowd in a space this side will compensate a band well. There's table space along the wall between the stage and sound booth that can provide plenty of merch real estate, if needed (if not, on-deck bands will often have their gear there-- ask your booker or sound engineer about merchandise space.)
Addendum:
The Highline is really expanding as a venue, bringing in wider varieties of acts and bigger, national touring bands. This is fantastic, but if you're playing a show here, advertise the hell out of it. A lot of pretty big bands have had too small a turnout because no one knew they were playing.
Also, a variety of acts changes the crowd a bit, and while sludge and doom crowds don't move around too much, putting an energetic punk rock crowd on the polished hardwood floors in front of The Highline stage can be tricky. After that floor is soaked with beer and sweat, no one can walk across it without sliding around. Slamming is almost impossible-- it's like trying to mosh on ice.
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Rat & Raven
The venue portion of the building is cordoned off from the rest by a heavy curtain and whoever's working the door: you can enter the bar & grill without paying to see the band, but once you're through the curtain, it's a different space entirely. The stage area is dark, moody and theatrical. The main floor is wide open; booths start about halfway back.The stage is fairly large, too, with enough space for backlining of cabs, and a lot of room to set up (it could easily fit a 5-piece rock band with a large drum kit, or The Fabulous Downey Brothers at their most elaborate). There is a loading door by the stage, so gear can be carried in without going through the bar area.
Booking and sound are handled by the same folks who run The Comet; they're currently upgrading the sound system, but there's nothing particularly lacking with the PA they have now. The loudspeakers are solid in the crowd, and the sound on stage, both from the monitors and the general acoustics of the stage itself, is really quite good.Bands get paid from the door (and band members get drink tickets), but the space and staff are sort of "rented" for the night, generally for around $100. Check what's expected when booking and promote with that in mind: if you play to four people, the other bands, and a ton of guest list spots, you will be paying for the privilege at the end of the night.
Finally, it bears mentioning that the curtain between the venue space and the bar proper really separates two worlds. The bar area and upstairs game room have the style (and clientele) of the building's previous incarnation as The Irish Emigrant, which more closely fits the stereotype of "University District bar."
Thursday, August 9, 2012
On Stage 22 - ID
A continuing series of insights from the stage at the local club level...
22. Everyone has the internet-- choose a unique band name. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gone with a multi-word name that led searchers invariably to our band as their #1 result on Google... as it stands, not only are we named after a classic Philip K. Dick novel, we're not the only band called using “ubik” as a band name, either. We're doing fine, sure, but we could be easier to find... or harder: try finding videos of Lesbian, one of Seattle's best metal bands, I dare you (take a wild guess if the results might be NSFW).
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Crop
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I don't review demos-- I write up live shows; seen live, Crop are absolutely crushing. They're born of the thick, saturated density granfathered by Black Sabbath and grown into the vital and present Desert Rock and Stoner Rock cultures. Crop stomp, blast, and groove as well as any band I've seen.
And they do speed up-- Crop plays a lot of heavy, stoney, slow jams, from dripping southern rock to monolithic doom (Crop plays Sleep better than Sleep does; no one who's been to a Crop show disagrees with that statement)-- but they know that Loud is louder after Quiet, and they know that Slow is slower and heavier after Fast... conversely, Fast is almost unmoored and kind of threatening after the swampy, thudding heavy riffs that make up the main body of a Crop song. They can transition into anything from banging, straight-ahead Motorhead style speed rock to full on grind. Better still, the transitions are well built and perfectly timed: the fast parts are dropped right were the pit is most likely to explode. The slow riffs come in right where they'll knock a crowd down.
Most recently, I saw Crop out in the woods, and it was a hell of a show. Aside from their songs being awesome, it's a blast to see them-- they're fun, powerful, have a great time, and always play to the outside limit of their energy. They can have a powerful effect on the mosh-prone, so if you don't intend to get into the pit, you may want to stand back or to the side (or find an otherwise defensible position).
And-- time sensitive side note-- they're playing at the Josephine this Friday (they're listed on the show calendar at the bottom of this page). If you like heavy music and haven't seen Crop, you need to see Crop. There's not a lot of Crop on the internet; they don't do a lot of advertising, they don't have a band site (or even a Facebook page), and they don't have much recorded or uploaded. If you want to know Crop, you need to go out and find them. It's worth the effort, I promise you.
Crop on Bandcamp
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