Music review: Shouting Thomas Torment/Wolfboy Slim

Slave For My Cave/On the Prowl!

Shouting Thomas Torment/Wolfboy Slim

Slab of Fury Records

I'm desperately trying to think of a way to use "White Stripesesque" as a descriptor in some kind of way that wouldn't result in anyone reading it immediately writing off the band. Slave For My Cave, by Ohio Shouting Thomas Torment is a pretty rad song. It straddles rockabilly and garage rock, with a resulting rock 'n roll, blue collar, bluesey feel. Like a good Sonics song, but less crafted. But still, there's something about the guitar sound that's just unfortunately similar to early White Stripes songs. The White Sripes being lame is not a reason to ignore a pretty solid tune.

On the Prowl, by Ohio on piece Wolf Boy Slim, is much more in my vein. It basically sounds like a long-lost Hasil Adkins single, and I mean that in the most positive sense. Hillbilly, living-in-a-shack, painting-pictures-of-children-with-no-eyes-eating-corn-on-planks-of-wood, just-finished-my-manifesto, crazy person rock 'n roll. Stripped down to its barest and most essential elements, this is an anthem for amphetamine powered, whiskey crazed shitheads looking to fuck. This band would be a great candidate for a deal with Norton Records. I'd love to see them tour with Bloodshot Bill. 

Shouting Thomas Torment

Wolfboy Slim

Show review: The Blood W The Brood + Dopestroke

The Blood

w/Dope Stroke + The Brood @ Voltage Bar

This show was a landmark in my ongoing process of becoming Not a Meathead. 

Let me explain. Five or six years ago I saw The Circle Jerks when they played the Starlight Ballroom. The show ruled. However, before the show is what's critical. During the opening bands me and the boys wandered around outside the show Romper-Stompered the fuck out, getting fucked out of our minds on shitty whiskey and harassing long hairs and hipsters. 

I saw a great target for abuse. Some goddamn hippy faggot was turned around, with his back facing me. Goddamn hippy faggot dreads were all the way down his goddamn hippy faggot back. "Hey nice shitlocks, you goddamn hippy faggot!"

Anyone who's a fan of the Circle Jerks knows where this is going...the guy turns around and, oh shit, you guessed it, it's goddamn Keith Morris. King of Punk Rock. The Good Singer of Black Flag. The Guy Who Wrote Wasted,Greatest Song Ever, You Shithead...the coolest fucker ever. 

Show review: Belgrado W The Brood + Bad Energy

Belgrado

with The Brood and Bad Energy @ Mama Yolandas (Bathaus)

This was my second Bathaus show and so far I’ve been really impressed by the whole production. The space looks like the set of an interior scene in Blade Runner and the sound system is literally the best I’ve ever seen in a semi-DIY setup. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a punk band do a sound check before. 3 bucks for a 12oz PBR is bullshit, but that has nothing to do with the bands.

Music review: Git Naked, Coffin Fly

Git Naked

Coffin Fly

This is exactly the kind of rockabilly I like. High energy, demented and bizarre- like Hasil Adkins, The Phantom (i.e. "Love Me) or Crazy Cavan. And not a single song about fucking cars or fucking zombies!

No, this is not some greasy, love-lorned, lip curled crooner moaning about his...baby...or whatever.

It's more like the soundtrack to some great Golden Age comic book: Fly Men and the Teen Girls Who Love Them!

Music review: Bright Lights, Wade Curtis & the Rhythm Rockers

Bright Lights

Wade Curtis & the Rhythm Rockers (CD)

Norton Records

Don't you love Norton Records?

They're like the archeologists of rock 'n roll, if archeologists only excavated the remains of freaks and weirdos. 

And how fucking weird is Wade Curtis? Pretty fucking weird. But I'll let the man speak for himself:

Show review: Cult of Youth w/ Night Sins

Cult of Youth

with Night Sins, Rosenkopf and Hot Guts @ KFN

Edit: Apparently the second band wasn't Rosenkopf, but a last minute addition. Rosenkopf didn't play. 

I went into this show pretty blind; I was nearly 100% unfamiliar with all the bands. It was interesting because very rarely do I see bands that I don't have at least some sort of pre-formed opinion regarding. 

So some context before I jump into the review: I like punk. And not "smart kid" artsy punk like Husker Du or the Minutemen, I came up on retard bro-anthem shit like The Last Resort and The Casualties. I'm a recovering Street Punk and Oi! kid. I also have a pretty conservative outlook on music: I like verse-chorus-verse, I don't think "noise" is a real genre and I like hooks.