July 2005 Live Reviews

(scroll down to read all of them)

PUSSY COW
THE ELECTROLITES
THE AVACADOES
June 3, 2005 @ Mr. T's Bowl (Highland Park, CA)

I missed the other bands on the bill on purpose because Mr. T's shows have a way of trying my patience, especially recently. I didn't know that I'd end up reviewing this show, so you'll have to forgive me for that. But the main event for most of those in attendance was the second show ever (and the first non-secret show ever) for L.A.'s newest up-your-ass rock band, Pussy Cow (www.myspace.com/pussycowtheband). Fronted by former DESTROY ALL MONTHLY writer and local punk-rock gadabout Joe Dana (think Rodney Bingenheimer meets Sam Kinison) and comprised of seasoned members of L.A.'s burgeoning Kiss or Kill scene (www.kissorkillclub.com), Pussy Cow's secret premiere show at Canter's Kibbitz Room last month under the name Street Meat was a hotly anticipated event among Kiss or Kill's regulars. That show was a glimpse into Pussy Cow's direction, but tonight the band had more confidence, more experience, and a bigger audience. It was a glimpse into their true potential. The self-explanatory song "Hope We Don't Suck" kicked off their set. and the crowd was already cheering. In case you couldn't guess from the name, Pussy Cow's songs are mostly humorous affairs, with titles like "Asshole Colossus" and lyrics like "Baby I'd be your stalker / But I'm afraid of commitment." But what makes Pussy Cow worth the ink on this page is their instrumentation, which is actually quite admirable-not to mention catchy. Influenced by '50s rock, country, and punk, Pussy Cow drinks from the same illustrious trough as Dead Milkmen-a comparison I DO NOT make lightly. Further, Pussy Cow thrives on a complete lack of image. In a world of eyelinercore, the obviously unplanned "average Joe" look of Pussy Cow ain't gonna get them their own clothing line, but it offers some refreshing reassurance that this is one band that's in it for the music (and maybe just slightly for the chicks). The audience slurped up Pussy Cow's performance through a crazy straw, singing along and cheering wildly between songs. People's hips were swinging with abandon to "Do the Clap", a song about STDs. People laughed heartily at the lyrics to "Dishonest T.V. Personality", a song about L.A. electronics discount maven Crazy Gideon. At the end of the show, Pussy Cow was hounded for an encore. Having had already played every song they knew, they launched into "Louie, Louie" and Joe freestyled the words. When they'd had enough, they threw their instruments to the ground (drum kit, kazoo, and all!) and made their escape.

Pussy Cow's performance may have been a hint of the beginning of something that may soon become legendary. I have never seen a crowd embrace a new band as tightly as this. They are a band with a very promising blend of talent, humor, and personality, and I wouldn't be surprised if they became local favorites in very short order. They're not the greatest band in the world yet-but give 'em two weeks. After their set, Joe handed out free buttons to all those in attendance. The phrase on them sums it all up: "I Believe in Pussy Cow."

Martyr Plot
Showbread
Kiev
June 3, 2005 @Chain Reaction (Anaheim, CA)
Photos and text by Richie Wu

DIG ON THIS: Kiev puts on a show that is inspiring and moving in every way imaginable! I was incredibly impressed with this Orange County outfit. After blasting their CD from my car for about a week now, I'm realizing just how versatile they are. However, their live show was completely different from their CD. At this particular gig, many new songs were being tried out. Tunes like "The Dog" and "Whale", which are not even on their CD, were quite impressive. Moreover, the whole set was stuffed full of groovy bass lines galore. I was so into it. Too bad I can't even mention their bass player's name because there's no info on him anywhere. (Believe me, I investigated.) Anyways, check Kiev out-it's worth it! They'll be back at Chain Reaction in July, which no one should miss. If you can't wait, jump on over to My Space and take a listen to some of their tunes: www.myspace.com/kiev.

Savannah, GA, band Showbread definitely commanded attention when they stepped foot on the Chain Reaction stage. Even though they weren't headlining, it seemed like everyone was there to see them. A small army of seven dudes jumped on stage, all of them dressed in red pants and black T-shirts. The black T-shirts all have a musical note on the left pocket with a line through them. Already this is like nothing I've ever seen. It was suddenly apparent to me that tattoos, colorful eyeliner, black hair dye, and nail polish were favorites among these guys. If that wasn't enough, singer Matt Davis did differ from the rest by chopping his red Dickies off into shorts and then rocking a pair of (full-on THE DUKES OF HAZARD style) cowboy boots-to go along with his already fabulous ensemble, of course. Strange? Well, the chicks in the front row with the lunchboxes and capes were highly into it. The music starts, and all seven members start moving violently as if they were all on fire and franticly trying put out the flames. They had their own thing going on, that's for sure. They would break into covers in the middle of their original tunes, which was pretty cool. They played snippets of "Head Like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails and "Big Bang Babies" by Stone Temple Pilots. But the cool moments managed to get lost in between the insane antics and miscellaneous racket. And even more bizarre, the two singers in the group had choreographed dance moves on stage. What? You heard me: it was sort of like Milli Vanilli meets Warrant...in a Marilyn Manson sort of way, of course. But really, most of the time it was like a male exotic dancer duo. All I can say is that it was WAY over the top. I guess they were keeping it real...Georgia style.

By the time Martyr Plot went on stage, the only people left were a Marilyn Manson impersonator, a mom and her 11-year-old daughter that had driven all the way from Oregon to witness this gig, a handful of Ginger Fish loyalists, and myself. Believe me, it was turning out to be a bizarre night. Regardless, being a Manson fan and digging Ginger Fish's previous work, I definitely wanted to check out what Martyr Plot was all about. I'll tell you right now: they did not disappoint. However, they're much different from Manson. Less theatrical and gothic and more straight-ahead rock-with a little bit of The Beatles thrown in for good measure. Now, check this out: apparently, this 11-year-old girl I was talking about is a HUGE Ginger Fish fan. She had been talking to him online, and he told her about this gig. She then coaxed her mom to drive her all the way from fucking Oregon to see them play at Chain Reaction. Unbelievable, to say the least. As they played, the little girl could not hold back her tears as she mouthed the lyrics to each and every song. I must admit, it was pretty awesome to see someone that moved by the band. By the way, this was Martyr Plot's first real gig. The band was tight and delivered a bunch of great rock tunes. Songs like "Let It Go" and "In the Red" are melodic and evil all at the same time. All of their songs were memorable, and the whole band gave a 110%. Really, what more could you ask for?

The Get Up Kids
Limbeck
Punchline
June 5, 2005 @ the Glass House (Pomona, CA)
By Joe Licavoli

All good things must come to an end. Such a simple phrase that has been used for ages, but it seems to be a profound statement in the independent rock music scene in the last year or so, with influential bands like Face to Face and now indie-rock greats The Get Up Kids breaking up. Well, I was not about to miss the Kids on their last tour. With direct and honest lyrics, The Get Up Kids were one of leaders in the indie-rock explosion (alongside Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring). Before the release of 1999's big-selling SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT, The Get Up Kids jumped ship from Doghouse Records. Major record labels clamored for the band's attention, but they stayed true to the independent music ethic and signed with the phenomenal and independent Vagrant Records, staying there for ON A WIRE and GUILT SHOW. I will always have the utmost respect for The Get Up Kids, who consistently put out strong albums while exploring different zones of rock music. The band always had tons of energy live during their 10-year existence. Now, The Get Up Kids are saying goodbye to friends and fans with a sold-out U.S. tour that made one of its Southern California stops at the Glass House in Pomona.

Bursting with energy and charisma, poppy rockers Punchline warmed up the crowd. One of the best aspects of this show was that all the bands are on fairly well-known but independent record labels-Punchline's on Less Than Jake's label Fueled by Ramen, and Limbeck is on Doghouse-so right off the bat I had some high expectations. Punchline definitely delivered. A highlight of the set was "Heart Transplant" (off 2004's ACTION). It will be interesting to see what's in store for this upbeat band's future.

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The Get Up Kids

Looking like they may have hit up the small local bar across the street from the Glass House, the boys of Limbeck hit the stage to spread some alt/country gospel. I found the fact that frontman Robb MacLean seemed a bit intoxicated very humorous and engaging. MacLean usually shows a somewhat serious demeanor onstage, while guitarist Patrick Carrie can be seen tipsy and shouting, clapping his hands and ferociously jamming live. Unfortunately, I could not be on the same level, as my buzz wore off in the great non-drinking establishment that is the Glass House. Regardless of the band's slight intoxication, Limbeck pulled together a hand-clapping, upbeat set consisting of songs old and new. Song highlights included "Julia", "Silver Things", and "On Ohio on Some Steps" (from 2003's HI, EVERYTHING'S GREAT), as well as an upbeat rocker "People, Don't Change" (from a new album, LET ME COME HOME, set to be released this August). Be sure to check out Limbeck when they play a show near you, and get ready for the new effort.

As the packed crowd eagerly awaited The Get Up Kids' set, a guy in a hooded sweatshirt came out to announce the band. I am guessing the guy was from Vagrant, because he joked about the band having to break up to sell out shows. As the crowd booed and heckled the brave but not too bright man, the guys from The Get Up Kids hit the stage, pelting the man with plastic water bottles. Blasting through many songs off SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT, they delivered an upbeat and crowd-pleasing performance, playing "Holiday", "Red Letter Day", "Close to Home", and my personal favorite, the rocking "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel". Songwriter, guitarist, and chief vocalist Matt Pryor did not have to strain his voice for this show, as the crowd was singing almost every song. I thought it was hilarious and astonishing that the fans knew the words to the songs and could sing along with them in harmony. There was a problem in the set when bass player Robert Pope had some technical difficulties, but that did not keep the guys from keeping the crowd entertained. Pryor busted into "Eternal Flame" by the 1980s divas The Bangles, as keyboardist James Dewees (also the mastermind behind Reggie and the Full Effect) showed his synthesizer skills. Pryor also told a story of how back in the boys' hometown of Kansas City, MO, the band would sit around and make Dewees play almost every song they could think of on keyboards. Aside from the offbeat stories and spontaneous covers, The Get Up Kids definitely rocked its last Southern California show. A highlight of the set was two amazing oldies, "Woodson" and "Mass Pike". It was a great sendoff for a band that worked hard throughout its career. The Get Up Kids will be missed, but the music and experience of the band's show can live on with the band's last release, LIVE @ THE GRANADA THEATER.

GO BETTY GO
BAD RELIGION
JUNE 8, 2005 @ the House of Blues (Anaheim, CA)
By Manda-Dex-Punk

Go Betty Go is not one of my favorite bands, but their definitely not the worst I've ever seen. The first time I saw Go Betty Go play was at some dive in Hollywood not that long ago. Honestly, I hated them the first time I saw them play. The sound was horrible, the songs weren't that good, and the singer kept bitching about there being beer instead of water for her to drink. "We're good girls-we don't want beer!" Fine-don't drink the beer. This time they sounded was A LOT better. Then again, I've never heard a bad mix at the House of Blues. The only way you could sound like shit there was if you were playing out of a literal piece of shit (although it's possible that they could make that sound good in the mix). The band put on a good show, flashing a lot of girlish charm and charisma while on stage. The only thing I couldn't get over was the fact that not one person was moshing or crowd-surfing-even though there was only ONE security guard on the floor during their set. After they finished, I had to ask the security guard what was up! I know that the House of Blues is strict about moshing and crowd-surfing (if you injure someone in the pit or get too violent, you're out; if you are caught crowd-surfing twice, you're out), but I never thought they would have banned it all together. Well, it turns out that I was right: moshing is still allowed-it's just that no one started a pit while Go Betty Go was playing. If I were them, I'd be offended, because they deserved a pit this time around.

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Bad Religion

After a nice half-hour getting shoved around (I hate being short) in-between sets, I got myself another drink at the bar while I waited for my favorite band to take the stage. Quick bit of trivia for all those Bad Religion fans out there: Why does Bad Religion play Southern California shows so often? It's simple, really: they love us and hate all other parts of the country. Hell, even the world. Especially Australia. Okay, not really. The real reason probably is because the SoCal venues always sell out and get packed full of fans who know every word to every song-like me. Enough with the teaser. It's time to move onto the main event. After a wait that was much too long for my taste, Bad Religion finally took the stage and rocked the house with their melodic brand of punk rock. They busted out such classics as "21st Century Digital Boy" (I believe a tribute to King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man"), "Man with a Mission" (in which the lyric "Passing through you're town today..." was changed to "Passing through Disney today..."), "Generator" (the "fast" version for all us "insiders," as the singer put it)...The list just goes on and on. Greg Graffin, being the wonderful frontman that he is, did what he always does before one of my favorite songs, "You", and dedicated it to...you. I'm just thankful he didn't do "the mic trick" he did last year. But this show wasn't all about fun and music. At this show Greg Graffin did something very special, something I've never seen the band do before: he dedicated the space BETWEEN the songs to one Michael Jackson. It was a very touching way to show his support of this miscarriage of justice. Of course, the rest of the band members couldn't leave that alone, so guitarist Brian Baker busted out with some classic MJ, then Jay Bently and drummer Brooks Wackerman followed suit. After a false ending (which they do at every show), the band returned to the stage with not one but THREE encore songs. How sweet of them. They played one of my absolute favorite songs off of their album 80-85 (which is all of their early EPs from 1980 to 1985 on one CD), "Along the Way". The band played for about a total of an hour and 20 minutes, and it was an amazing show-like always. If you've never seen Bad Religion live, then you don't know Bad Religion. Be sure to check them out at www.badreligion.com, and be sure to keep an eye out for when they come to your neck of the woods.

LOST CITY ANGELS
June 12, 2005 @ Chain Reaction (Anaheim, CA)
By Manda-Dex-Punk

First and foremost, reader, let me tell you that this was by far the most spectacular show I've ever seen at Chain Reaction. Not that all the other shows at Chain Reaction suck; it's just that the boys from Lost City Angels brought something special to the mix. Was it their special blend of hardcore and punk? Was it their charming tattoos and black clothing? Could it have been that bottle of Jack Daniel's I saw them passing around after the show? It could have been all three of those things, but it wasn't. What it was was their incredibly well-written music, their wonderful sound while on stage, and a great and enthusiastic stage presence.

The band took the stage a bit sooner than I thought they were going to, so I missed the first song. I was standing in the alley of the club talking to some friends when I heard them playing and said, "Hey, that band sounds really good. Let's go check them out." Lo and behold, it was LCA (Lost City Angels, for all those who can't figure out abbreviations). I was able to get right up front against the stage to watch the set. Some people have described LCA's sound as Green Day meets Pennywise, but that in no way does the band justice. If I had to define their sound, I'd say they were Rancid meets Hot Water Music-but that's still not even coming close. I was blown away. Never have I heard harmonies done so well live, and the bass was so booming that you could feel it shaking deep down inside of you (which is, of course, superb). I found myself singing along to every song. I especially loved it when they played my two favorite songs off of their new album BROKEN WORLD, "Liberation" and the title track. On yet another wonderful song off the album, "Hardly Seems", bassist Duggan did a great job singing the first verse. Although his voice is rough, it can still carry a tune wonderfully. Guitarist Nick Bacon hopped down into the audience to play a solo with the crowd, which absolutely ate it up. Sometime during the show it seems as though singer Ron Ragona split the back of his pants, probably while leaning down into the audience or while rocking out on stage. I could be wrong but that's what it looked like. I wasn't staring at his butt the whole time or anything like that. He's a married man and all.

I had only one regret at the end of the night: missing that first song. Drummer Adam Shaw happens to have my screen name and IMs me every once in a while. The other day I told him that there was no way Lost City Angels couldn't make it big-and I meant that. Watching them live only reinforced that belief. Never before have I believed in a band as much as I believe in these guys. If they are ever playing a show in your area, do yourself a favor and go watch them. It's worth the eight-dollar ticket.

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