Reviews – Page 94 – 7th Level Music

Gang of Four – Live…in the Moment

Recorded live on November 06, 2015 at London’s Islington Assembly Hall, Gang of Four’s (Jonny Finnegan – drums, Andy Gill – guitar and vocals, Thomas McNeice – bass, John “Gaoler” Sterry – vocals) Live…in the Moment is a fine documentation of the edgy, post-punk legends’ raw power.

It begins with the fuzzy, almost frightening “Where the Nightingale Sings.” Gill’s guitar seems to double back on itself at points, and McNeice’s bass pounds out a killer beat. One of their biggest (and still truest) hits, “History’s Not Made by Great Men,” follows. McNeice and Gill get it off to a great start, and Finnegan puts down that slick groove that makes the song so good. Sterry sings to the back of the hall, urging the attendees and the rest of us to step up and move things forward instead of letting political opportunists get the best of us.

The squeaky and sultry sound of “I Parade Myself” is like something you’d hear as a bunch of strippers decided to beat up a rude customer outside the back of the club. The great beat on “Paralysed” is dub-like, but Gill’s guitar and vocals are almost shoegaze style. Sterry’s vocals on “What We All Want” are sharp and Finnegan’s groove is so good that he sounds like a human drum machine.

It wouldn’t be a Gang of Four show without “Love Like Anthrax,” one of the greatest post-punk songs of all time. Gill begins with guitar chaos that threatens to dissolve into madness before the rhythm section moves in to keep us and the song grounded. “Do As I Say” has Gill on lead vocals and he soon has the crowd chanting the chorus. “Stranded” is a modern post-punk gem, and “Damaged Goods” is another classic. Finnegan’s beats are dance floor-ready, and the rest of the band cooks like an Iron Chef right behind him. “Isle of Dogs” is a favorite with the London crowd, and you can’t go wrong with “At Home He’s a Tourist,” a classic song about man teetering on madness. Gill’s guitar is as bonkers as the song’s main character, and Finnegan beats his snare like it cut him off in traffic.

Gang of Four’s “To Hell with Poverty” is still one of the best post-punk songs ever written. McNeice’s bass work is especially good on it. Gill claims “Why Theory?” is his “feminist masterpiece” and “totally stolen from other people,” but that squelching, distorted guitar belongs to no one else but him. The album finishes with the solid rocker “I Found that Essence Rare.”

Live…in the Moment also comes with a DVD of the band’s performance in New York City in March of 2015. It’s a great bargain and a fine addition to Gang of Four’s discography.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Dead Meadow – Feathers (2005)

I’ve seen Dead Meadow (Steve Kille – bass, Mark Laughlin – drums, Cory Shane – guitar, Jason Simon – guitar and vocals), twice in concert – once opening for the Black Angels in 2011 and then again at Levitation Austin (when it was still known as the Austin Psych Fest) in 2014. They put on a heavy, trippy show that I enjoyed both times, so why it’s taken me so long to pick up Feathers is beyond me.

Feathers is not only heavy on riffs and percussion, but also themes of heaven, life, death, and reincarnation. “Let’s Jump In” is a great start, inviting us to jump into their heavy psych sound as they sing about springing from “the face of the Almighty” and jumping into life with both feet (often literally at our births).

The lyrics in “Such Hawks, Such Hounds” sound like something out of a Tolkien story, which isn’t a surprise since Tolkien is an admitted big influence on them. “From the boughs of the oak tree, three ravens wail over his cold bones lying as they are.” It’s a haunting story of a warrior’s death and his hawks, hounds, and maiden protecting his body from scavengers.

“Get Up On Down” is a lament about being caught in the wheel of reincarnation. “If I’m back again, I’m done after the next one,” Simon sings. The guitar work swirls around like incense smoke and builds to a soaring send-off. “Heaven” is more cosmic psych and a retelling of the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac. “At Her Open Door” is Lovecraft-like prose (“From the heights of the town her handmaids will announce her undying presence within her seven-pillared house…”) as guitars swell and fade with near-surf rock touches before smoothly cruising into Eastern Indian rock, and the drums are great all the while.

“Eyeless Gaze / Don’t Tell the Riverman” is a great example of the “Dead Meadow sound” – ethereal vocals, mantra-like cymbal work from the drummer, and breaking dawn guitar work that almost overwhelms you at times. Like early Pink Floyd? You’ll love “Stacy’s Song.” “Let It All Pass” is another dreamy psych track about fading from this life to the next (“All things in time when nothing will last. Lord, I don’t mind. Let it all pass.”).

The CD version of Feathers ends with a 13:44 untitled bonus track that is nothing but epic cosmic psychedelia. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wrote it after walking out of a sweat lodge. The guitars come at you from all angles, the solid drums keep you from floating away into the ether, and the vocals are like distant chants you hear on the wind.

It’s a spiritual record, a psychedelic record, and a bit of a haunting record. You have to be in the right mood or have the right kind of weather for it, but it’s perfect when you need it.

Keep your mind open.

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Deap Vally – Femejism

Deap Vally’s (Julie Edwards – drums and vocals, Lindsey Troy – guitar and vocals) Sistrionix was my favorite album of 2013. I bought it for three different people and turned on at least one other to it. It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that Femejism, apart from having the greatest album title of the year, is one of my favorites of 2016.

With production help from Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Femejism is full of swagger, sweat, and shredding. The first single and track, “Royal Jelly,” demands you crank your stereo volume to 11. It’s a power anthem / warning to others who want to live the rock life. “If you wanna be queen bee, then you better make honey. If you want to be miss thing, then you better start hustling,” they sing. Don’t whine and bitch about it. Get out there and do it.

“Julian” is a send-off to an ex-boyfriend who missed his chance at something great, and it has some of the fastest guitar work from Troy. “Gonnawanna” has Troy planting a flag for riot grrls everywhere, declaring she’s going to do whatever she damn well pleases and no one’s going to stop her. It’s powerful, near-stadium filling rock (Favorite line: “I’m on a psychic safari, and I’m not sorry.”).

Speaking of powerful rock, wait until you hear “Little Baby Beauty Queen.” It’s frantic post-punk madness with John Bonham-style drumming from Edwards. “Smile More” brings back the distorted blues rock Deap Vally does so well and deserves to be on every woman’s mix tape from now until eternity.

Zinner’s touches can be heard on “Critic,” as it sounds like an early Yeah Yeah Yeahs track (and that’s not a bad thing) with Troy lambasting critics, Internet trolls, and haters. “Post Funk” is layered with reverbed vocals as the band sings about getting out of dodge (both in terms of places and relationships) before things get stale. It has some of Edwards’ best percussion on the whole album. She absolutely cooks, and I’m sure this song hits even harder live.

“Two Seat Bike” has Troy willing to get it on if her lover would just turn off the damn camera and quit insisting on shooting amateur porn. “Bubble Baby” has that crushing guitar sound I love so much from Lindsey Troy. It’s full of chugging riffs, alarm-like squeaks, and blues chords (and her vicious vocals) blasted to the back of the room. “Teenage Queen” has the band going after more haters who ask them if they plan to live their lives the way they do into their golden years.

“Grunge Bond” is as grungy and grimy as you’d hope, complete with call and response vocals, Edwards’ go-for-broke drumming, and Troy apparently playing a Hammond B3 organ by beating it with her guitar. That’s how it sounds to me at least, meaning it sounds great. Her guitar on “Turn It Off” is loud yet distant, much like her lyrics about not wanting to succumb to her attractions. On “Heart is an Animal,” it’s so heavy and fuzzy that it feels like Sasquatch breaking down your door.

Femejism is a strong record that buzzes with power. Listening to it is like meditating next to a power substation – dangerous, thrilling, and possibly illegal.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Early Indiana Punk and New Wave: The Crazy Al’s Year(s) 1976-1983 (2014)

I’m a Gen X’er, which means I grew up in the 1980’s, and I was among the first and last true punk rockers at East Noble High School. I was in a garage band (Stranger Yet) and spent my Sunday nights at a punk rock club (after which this blog is named) in a dive bar attached to a seedy hotel on the east edge of Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, the Early Indiana Punk and New Wave: The Crazy Al’s Year(s) compilation is right up my alley.

It’s a stunning collection of rare singles and live cuts from bands that mostly played in the Bloomington, Indiana area (the location of the short-lived club Crazy Al’s). Where Time Change Records found some of these cuts is beyond me, but I’m guessing they had a lot of friends involved in the punk and new wave scenes back then who contributed some of the recordings. I’m also guessing Time Change Records employs some of the best crate diggers of all time.

The two-disc set has many standouts. The Jetsons’ “Genetically Stupid” sums up how many people felt about us punk freaks back then, and Dow Jones and the Industrials’ “Can’t Stand the Midwest” sums up how us punk freaks felt about everyone else back then. Your Grocer’s Freezer’s “We’re All Gonna Die” is a perfect example of the nihilism that was always on the edge of the scene, especially when we all thought nuclear war was coming any second.

Want pure punk? Repellents have two solid punk cuts on the collection – “Technorama” and “AFC!” – and the Slammies’ “P-U-S” is another good choice. Cheeses from France’s “Heart of Gold” is wonderfully weird and almost a krautrock track. The Gizmos proudly display their love of the New York Dolls on “Mean Screen” and “Mommy’s in the Kitchen.” Joint Chiefs’ “I Hate Pretty Girls” is an anthem for awkward guys who were spurned or insulted by the cute girls in school.

It wouldn’t be an Indiana punk collection without the Zero Boys, and they have two fine tracks here – “Commies” and “I’m Absent.” We’re Jimmy Hoffa were a punk band that loved John Carpenter movie soundtracks, and their song “Rock ‘n Roll” is something you’d expect to hear at a club in Carpenter’s future NYC as Snake Plissken cracks heads on the dance floor.

I can’t help but think that the parents of the lead singer of the Panics were laughing as he sang “I Wanna Kill My Mom,” because the song is pure snotty punk hilarity. Dancing Cigarettes’ “Pop Doormat” sounds like the Kinks if the Kinks decided to become a new wave band. Last Four (5) Digits bring in a goth touch on “Don’t Move” that is somewhere between Bauhaus and early Wall of Voodoo. Cast of Thousands brings an angry Brit-punk sound on “War Maker.”

Amoebas in Chaos bring back the fun with “Have You Slugged Your Kid Today?” and “Ronald Reggae” (which is live punk chaos with saxophone and plenty of guitar feedback). E-in Brino’s “Watch Alarm” is fine post-punk with heavy synths and and near-frantic vocals. Vibrato Fetish rounds out disc 1 with the rocking “Surf Bandits.”

Yes, all that’s just on the first disc.

There are plenty of prime cuts on disc two. The New Avengers’ “Mary’s in a Coma” is a lost 1980’s track you swear you’ve heard before and is even better than you remember it. The Positions’ “Follower of the Space Race” is great new wave, sounding like a mix of Devo and the B-52’s. Your Parents’ “Whiplash” is heavy post-punk, and “No Substitutions” shows their Ramones influence. The Race Records’ “Baby Take Me Back” brings rockabilly into the mix.

Lip Service’s cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” is full of skronky guitar and peppy organ, and MX-80 Sound’s cover of “Paint It Black” is a slick instrumental. The Obvious’ “Feelings of Love” sounds like an early Blondie track. Hugo Smooth’s “Won’t Play Bumpum Cars” is so new wave that it wanders into a jazz lounge hosted by Frank Zappa. Club Pressure’s “Slinkin’” is fine punk-reggae, and the Shouts’ cover of “Gloria” (which seems to have always secretly been a punk song) is outstanding.

It’s an essential mix of Midwest punk and new wave acts, and God bless Time Change Records for putting it out there for us old schoolers and new fans alike.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Buzzcocks – September 22, 2016 – Chicago, Illinois

Buzzcocks make things better.

I’d planned to make it to Chicago an hour before show time so I’d have a chance to meet with a friend and grab a leisurely bite to eat with her. That plan was dashed, however, when the Lowe’s appliance delivery service showed up nearly two hours late with our new washer and dryer. My wife had to come home from work early so I could leave for the show.

On the way to Chicago, I chose the slowest moving toll road booth lane nearly every time. Once on Sheffield and near the Vic Theatre, I thought my luck had taken a good turn when I found a sweet parking spot just a block from the venue. I then discovered it was only for people with the “383 permit sticker” on their cars. That wasn’t me, so I ended up parking eight blocks away. I walked to the venue and was turned away by security due to me having a digital voice recorder I’d brought in case I had a chance to interview Buzzcocks before (if the delivery drivers had arrived on time) or after the show. I had to walk back to my car to leave the recorder in it. Of course, there is a voice recorder app on my cell phone and every other cell phone in the building, but apparently security didn’t realize or care about that.

I managed to grab a sandwich before the show and breezed into security without issue. I walked in and immediately spotted the merchandise table. A wavering drunken man was looking at the shirts with his buddy. I heard the woman behind the table ask the drunk guy, “So you came to see a band you hate?”

“I didn’t always hate them,” he said. “I liked them before they sold out.”

I chuckled. Buzzcocks have never sold out, no matter how you define that.

I met up with my friend and we got a nice spot on the main floor about five bodies back from the front of the stage. Buzzcocks came out and immediately broke into one of their fastest, hardest hits – “Boredom.” The show was anything but boring, as it turned out.

They tore through classic cuts like “Fast Cars” (a personal favorite), “Totally from the Heart,” and “I Don’t Mind,” and cuts from their newest album, The Way, like “People Are Strange Machines” and “Virtual Reality.” Unfortunately, some of these songs were drowned out by the bass mix being too loud, but the sound board guys corrected it by the time Buzzcocks got to “Why She’s a Girl from the Chainstore.”

This was also about the time two girls tried to get a mosh pit going. They finally succeeded, bringing in two people, then four, then six, and finally up to about ten or twelve. This was about the time someone made a bad decision.

An old school British punk rocker, probably in his 60’s, decided to walk from one side of the main floor to the other, along the edge of the mosh pit, with a full cup of beer in each hand. He was surprised and angry when a young man in the pit accidentally bumped into him and caused him to spill half of each beer on his shirt. Again, why he thought something like this wouldn’t happen at a punk rock show is beyond me.

The old schooler was instantly pissed. He chugged one half-cup and poured the other on top of the young guy’s head (who thought that was great). The old schooler then stepped to the back of the pit and waited, right fist balled up and ready. This poor guy missed Buzzcocks tearing through fun cuts like “Last to Know,” “Unthinkable,” “Autonomy,” and “Breakdown” while he waited to get within arm’s reach of the young guy. He eventually slugged him (a glancing blow) and four of us pulled them apart. The old schooler kept yelling about his shirt being ruined as he walked away from the pit. Security never showed up. It was up to us to break it up and keep the pit civil. That’s a punk rock show for you.

I got in the pit for the finale, which included “Orgasm Addict,” “What Do I Get,” “Ever Fallen in Love?,” and “Harmony in My Head.” I was the oldest guy in there, and I was able to keep up with the young’uns.

Steve Diggle getting us to sing “Harmony in My Head” with him.

Buzzcocks were more than able to keep up with them, too. They played hard, fast, and loud. They reminded everyone there that they haven’t sold out. I hope that wavering drunk was paying attention.

Thanks, lads, for keeping it 100, as the young kids in the pit say.

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to John for setting up my press credentials for the show.]

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Comacozer – Astra Planeta

One of the best parts of writing this blog is when a band asks me to give them a listen and they turn out to be as good as Australia’s Comacozer.

These three psych / doom / stoner rockers have crafted a fine piece of work with their album Astra Planeta. It’s five tracks (the shortest at 6:21) of instrumental spaced out riffs that range from solar wind trippy to asteroid impact heavy.

“Saurian Dream” starts off like a slippery salamander wriggling out of mud atop a fresh grave but then morphs into wavy heat mirages seen by a goanna sunning itself on a hot outback rock.

The guitar on “The Mind that Feeds the Eye” sounds almost like something from a spaghetti western score, even with the heavy delay pedals. The bass is as crisp as a bullfrog’s croak, and the drum beats snap by you like telephone poles as you cruise down a lonely road. The title reminds us that most of what we see is illusion, but what you see will be altered if your mind is altered. All great holy men and women have known and professed this. Comacozer add another page to the sermon.

I’m a sucker for ancient Egypt, so I’m not surprised that I love “Navigating the Mandjet.” The mandjet was one of the Egyptian sun god Ra’s solar boats (“The Boat of Millions of Years”), and the song would be perfect for the sound system on it. I dig the rock beat that runs through it, and the guitar and bass have a perfect Middle Eastern groove for the track.

The bass on “Illumination Cloud” sounds like something Les Claypool dreamed once. The song builds to a great cosmic rock track with some of the best guitar shredding on the record.

I don’t know if the Apophis named in “Hypnotized by Apophis” is the Egyptian snake demon of chaos with a magical gaze or the charted 325 meter-wide asteroid that might hit the Earth in 2068. The song’s perfect for either case, as it swirls with cosmic riffs ideal for flying through an asteroid belt and bass and drums ideal for battling a giant snake with a lance.

Astra Planeta is a solid record of excellent cosmic psych rock. These guys need to play at a Levitation festival, and you need to buy this album.

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone – Ship of Fools

Canadian psych trio Elephant Stone’s (Rishi Dihr – lead vocals, bass, sitar, and keys, Miles Dupire – drums and vocals, Gabriel Lambert – guitar and vocals) newest record, Ship of Fools, brings a new element to their fine mix of psychedelia, power pop, and Eastern Indian music – electro.

“Manipulator” comes out with strong guitar, groovy bass, and both electronic and traditional percussion. The guitar squelches on the bridge as Dihr and his backing vocalists soar, and then it turns into a bit of an industrial electro song. “Where I’m Going” continues this light electro touch with deep bass and dance floor drums, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of reverbed guitar to keep us psychedelia fans happy (and how about that great synth solo?).

I love how Dihr’s bass turns up the fuzz on “The First Stone.” I don’t know if he did it to challenge Lambert in a fuzzy guitar contest, but Lambert gleefully accepted the challenge if he did because his guitar solo sounds like it was pulled out of a beehive. The second half of the song pops open your third eye with psychedelic madness.

“Photograph” isn’t a cover of the Def Leppard hit (although that would be an interesting choice), but it is a lovely song highlighting the band’s Beatles influence with its piano work, beats, and vocal styling. Dihr’s bass takes lead on “See the Light,” and the song encourages us to look past material wealth and pettiness so we can experience the divine. The ship mentioned in the album’s title is the planet Earth, and we are the fools who spend most of our time stumbling around it instead of enjoying all it has to offer.

“Run, Sister, Run” is dreamy psych, with Dihr’s sitar floating around it like autumn leaves before it blooms into body-moving bhangra beats. After that, I can’t help but think that the wheel mentioned in “Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel” is the wheel of reincarnation. “Andromeda” is appropriately spacey. The song cuts in samples of space launch commands and seems free from gravity. It’s a wonderful track.

“The Devil’s Shelter” brings back the electro bass (so Dihr can play more sitar) and has some of Dupire’s hottest chops on the record. Alex Maas of the Black Angels provides backup vocals and they bring a cool, slightly creepy vibe to the song. It’s only right for a song that mentions Old Scratch.

The title of “Silence Can Say So Much” is one of the truest statements I’ve heard on a record. It’s lush with sitar, tabla, and chant-like vocals. The vocals on the closer, “Au Gallis,” are heavily synthesized, to the point they sound robotic as the band builds a powerful electro track behind them.

I like this new addition of electro touches. The answer to Dihr’s question on “Where I’m Going” might be “to more fans who will groove to this record and spin it in dance clubs.”

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Bully – Feels Like (2015)

In case you missed it, Nashville’s Bully were the breakout hit of the first Middle Waves Festival. Bully (Alicia Bognanno – vocals and guitar, Stewart Copeland – drums [not the guy from The Police], Reece Lazarus – bass, Clayton Parker – guitar) flattened the Maumee Stage there, which shouldn’t have surprised me since their 2015 album Feels Like is so hard-hitting.

Starting with the sizzling “I Remember,” the band comes out with fury Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers would envy and vocals Jennifer Finch of L7 would love. If you can imagine Joy Division being a power pop band instead of goth overlords, you might be able to imagine how they could’ve made a song like “Reason.” Parker’s guitar work on it is superb.

“Too Tough” evokes the good kind of 90’s alt-rock. The kind that made good hooks and mixed them with heavy riffs and discernable vocals instead of the just screaming about how much he hates his father. Lazarus’ bass line holds the song together. I think he’s the band’s secret weapon. “Brainfreeze” follows this trend and is one of the catchiest songs on the record. “Trying” bounces back and forth between cool catchy verses and growling, shouting choruses like a forgotten Pixies song.

Lazarus’ thick bass is front and center on “Trash,” and Bognanno’s vocals are both heartfelt and even a bit frightening. I love the way the band seems to collapse into madness during the chorus, yet holds it together with expertise. Copeland’s cymbal fills are like alarm bells going off while Parker and Lazarus’ instruments run around in near-panic.

“Six” seems to be a love song sung to someone who’s depressed over the way they’re perceived by others. “Fuck those jerks,” Bognanno sings. “They don’t know you like I do.” “Picture” has great fuzz from everyone, even Bognanno’s vocals and Copeland’s drums seem to be filtered through half-broken amplifiers.

“Milkman” was Bully’s first single (released in 2014), and I still don’t know why it didn’t race across the nation like wildfire (Screw you, corporate radio!). It’s a sharp debut that captures the band’s live energy (and tight instrumentation) well. “Bully” is another wicked cut that has some of my favorite guitar work on the record. It goes from angry fuzz to pop-punk and dips its toes into the psychedelic reverb pool now and then.

“Sharktooth” is a kiss-off to an ex that brings Copeland’s drums to the front almost like a Who record and then the rest of the band builds a wall of sound like a line of War Boys cars from Mad Max: Fury Road.

It’s a fine record, and one that was being blasted in a Ft. Wayne record store the day after their Middle Waves performance. People were buzzing about them the entire second day of the festival, myself included. They and this album do what any good band or album should, make us hungry for more.

Keep your mind open.

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The inaugural Middle Waves festival was an inside-the-park home run.

Fort Wayne’s first “destination” music festival, Middle Waves, was last weekend and a big hit with the crowd. Future festivals will only be better judging by how well the first one went.

I knew it was going to be at least an interesting festival when I walked into “The Village” area (where all the vendors were) looking for my press pass and saw this.

Deep fried chicken on a stick. I didn’t eat there. For my money, the best deal and food there was from the Vietnummy food truck. A bahn mi lemongrass chicken slider for only five bucks? I’m in. I’m in all day long.

Bahn mi slider in hand and press pass around my neck, I went to check out my first band of the festival – Nashville’s Bully. I’d only heard a couple tracks, and I liked their mix of heavy rock and post-punk.

They killed the Maumee Stage with a fierce performance that won over the crowd within minutes. Seeing them might be the closest I get to seeing X-Ray Spex in concert. It was full of wild guitar and drums, Cure-like bass, and frantic vocals. People were still talking about them the next day.

I finished Friday night like many others – by seeing Best Coast on the main (St. Mary’s) stage. I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard a lot of their material before this, but there were many in the crowd who sang to everything they played. I liked the blend of surf-psych with dream pop. The gay man going nuts next to me when they played “Boyfriend” was one of the highlights of the crowd for me.

Heavy rain hit the area overnight and through most of Saturday morning. I hoped it wouldn’t keep the crowds away, and I’m sure the Middle Waves staff was watching local weather radar like a hawk the entire day. One band was playing on a makeshift stage in the covered food vendor area when I got there due to the Maumee Stage being rained out that morning.

Luckily for all, however, the rain cleared around 3:00 and the sun came out bright and happy. The St. Mary’s stage field had straw scattered all over it to prevent massive mud pits from forming, so it soon smelled like a wet barn out there. You didn’t notice the smell once Jeff the Brotherhood began playing, because their sonic assault almost knocked us flat.

They played several tracks from their new album, Zone, which I need to get soon. A lot of it has a great stoner rock vibe that borders a bit on doom metal. It seems heavier than some of their previous stuff, which is fine by me.

I took a break after their set to drive down to Neat Neat Neat Records (profile coming soon), and they were playing Bully. The clerk and I raved about their set and I was soon walking out with three used CDs. I made it back in time to see Ft. Wayne’s hometown psychedelic heroes – Heaven’s Gateway Drugs. They put on a fine set of their sun-soaked psych on the bank of the Maumee River to a welcoming crowd. I hadn’t realized until this set how some of their stuff sounds like early New Pornographers (which is a good thing).

I took an extra long break to get in a full meal (Smoked pulled chicken, cole slaw, and potato chips for eight bucks? Sold!) before seeing The Flaming Lips. People had been camped out all day to claim spots for the show. My favorite ones were these two.

I thought, “That’s my wife and I in twenty years.”

The Flaming Lips didn’t disappoint. It was a party from the very first song.

The confetti came from cannons, but I still don’t know from where the giant balloons emerged.

The crowd was jumping, singing, smacking around balloons, and cheering for lizards in yellow suits and boat captain catfish.

That’s an inflatable Santa Claus in the background.

Their light / stage show is something you have to see to fully appreciate. Strings of lights, kaleidoscopic gongs, confetti cannons, and glitter are all thrown into the mix.

Everyone loved the rainbow. Who wouldn’t?

Lead singer Wayne Coyne kept the crowd cheering and moving, especially when he came out in a giant bubble during the band’s cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

It was a great performance under a full moon, and a good omen for future festivals. The early afternoon rain was the only thing keeping the first Middle Waves festival from being an out-of-the-park home run, but that’s nothing the promoters and staff could control.

I’m sure the number of national touring acts will grow in the future, as all of the ones there this year praised the festival and the crowds. A master stroke by the festival is having two free stages. The Maumee and St. Joseph stages were free for everyone. The St. Mary’s main stage was the only one with paid admission. Anyone could’ve come to the festival with no money and still have seen twenty bands (including that jaw-dropping set by Bully, mind you).

Here’s to the future, Middle Waves. It looks good for you.

Keep your mind open.

[Many thanks to the Middle Waves staff and crew, and especially to Emma and Maggie for setting up my press credentials for the festival.]

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Rewind Review: Gravel Drag – Sly Fox (2014)

I love a good instrumental, and Gravel Drag‘s (Chris Bowyer – bass, Ben McKinney – drums, Steve McKinney – guitar) Sly Fox EP has four of them. All are tight stoner rock tracks that each clock in under four minutes. Gravel Drag doesn’t have time for spacing out for long stretches. They’re too busy making hard-hitting swamp metal.

“War Beast” sounds like Helmet and Sleep met in a dark alley and got into a fight. Ben McKinney’s drums remind me of classic Helmet fills and Steve McKinney and Chris Bowyer supply the heavy Sleep-like riffs.

“The Legend of Sly Fox” is peppier than “War Beast,” but it’s no less heavy. I love how crisp Ben McKinney’s snare is in this. “KnockoutKing” is a knockout. Loud, squelching guitar, one-two punch combo bass, and mosh pit drums all equal a great tune.

The closer is “Radio Curse,” and I wonder if the title refers to the lack of radio play for instrumental riff rock like this. Bowyer channels his inner Peter Hook with his bass at first and then drops stuff heavier than Hook ever did in Joy Division.

It’s a shame this is only a four-song EP because it’s heavy enough to be a full album. An LP from these guys would probably have the mass of a dwarf star.

Keep your mind open.

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