Are you WITH ME!
If you aren't yelling in all caps, you aren't excited enough.
There are a few bands out there that, while I enjoy their music, the live show is what really makes the band. Cowboy Mouth is one of those bands. If you listen to an album, and say "meh" or even "that was pretty good" or, in as in my case, "damn, this is good stuff" ...it doesn't matter, go see them live anyways, and come back with a big silly grin on your face, because a Cowboy Mouth show is just a guaranteed Good Time TM.
First off, it a rare beast indeed to see a band where the lead singer is the drummer. When he is also a very good drummer, it gets even stranger. When he sings, drums, and is a wild, rollicking, tear off into the crowd type of frontman, well.. then it must be Cowboy Mouth's Fred LeBlanc. They came out with a very egalitarian stage setup with all 4 members spread out at the front of the stage, and perky redheaded bassist Regina Zernay bouncing circles all over the place. By the middle of the first song, LeBlanc already decided to make his move, letting the band rift, with guitarist and vocalist John Thomas Griffin at the helm, he rushed off the stage, greeting fans in the crowd on his way to... the stairs. This is a Cowboy Mouth show dammit! And even though the crowd was already pretty big, good, and ready for a New Orleans style party, it could be better! LeBlanc charged up the stairs to the balcony seating area at Ex/In and shooed everyone sitting up there off with a string of expletives and friendly coercion until every single person at the show was standing in the crowd in front of the stage ... now they can start!
They didn't waste any time bringing it either, coming straight on with a great set of their loud, fun, Cajun-spiced street rock
n roll. Breaking out "Everybody Loves Jill" for the third song of the night, the customary barrage of red spoons from the audience came out perfectly, even that early in the set, with every band member catching at least a few of the spoons, with the vast majority pelting LeBlanc, but not even slowing down his drumming and wagging tongue, red spoons settled on the drum skins only to go bouncing off a second later as he hammered them regardless. An extra special note has to be taken for the hand control he has as a drummer. It's all part of the show, and while a fat man who favors short shorts and constantly has his tongue wagging is inherently fun, and funny, said fat man who can spin the drum sticks between each strike, and is continually "losing" a stick bouncing it off a drumhead to go flying into the crowd and picking up a new one seamless (seriously, he must go through 30 a night, all for the crowd) is both impressive, and entertaining as hell.
The rest of the show went pretty much according to plan, tight, fun songs of a mostly classic (live) set, with tons of stage banter and a crowd that was jumping and sweating and grinning constantly. These shows are a communal experience, makes you want to just throw your arm around the shoulders of the person nearest to you as you all jump around like kids, since you believe Fred when he tells you "I don't care about the past, I ain't thinking about today, and I sure as hell ain't worried about tomorrow. All we care about is right here, right now, so jump and scream like you're 5 years old!" Yes Fred, I am the "guy with the facial hair" and yes, I am with you 100%! There's a smile and a nod, you shouldn't even have to ask. Then there's a jump! And when they perform a rock and roll exorcism during "Jenny" (the only Cowboy Mouth song you just might know since it has a chance of being on the radio sometimes) and he manages to get the entire crowd to drop down to their hands and knees.. and then all at the same time JUMP as the chorus kicks back in and you all take your troubles and "LET IT GO LET IT GO LET IT GO!" well... for one night, we don't have to worry about how cool we look, or what we do at our day jobs. Cause Fred don't look cool either, and Cowboy Mouth was never cool, but dammit... you can scream and jump like you were 5, and for one night at least, it makes you glad to be alive. Which is why I will be there to see them every night I can.
Now this is what I love about Nashville. Third show in 3 nights, Metal, Folk, Punk Rock.
How can any music fanatic get bored here?
But this is what I do, a true punk rock show, in a small venue, to a small crowd, if Loud Love is an animal, this is the natural habitat.
I'd actually never been to foobar.too for a show before, and liked what I saw quite a bit. For a small room, there was a large stage, plenty of room for whichever position you felt like being in, and a hastily-prepared, rickety bar with choices ranging from bottles of beer to... cans of beer. Home!
Up first was Misplaced My Zombie, if you listen to the show, you've probably heard them played a good deal, pretty excellent ska/punk with the emphasis on the punk of late, they debuted their newest album, Jesus
Drove a Chevy, live on the show, and it has since made it's way into rotation at the station and others around town as well. These guys can definitely play, and it's the kind of fun punk rock that should have kids moving and a pogo going and all that good stuff, not to mention when they break it down to a ska song like, well, You're Too Fat to Skank, there should be people skankin! Unfortunately, this show was way out in East Nashville, on a night with a bunch of other stuff going on, and there was a very light crowd in attendance. But don't worry, I'll let you know what you missed out on, cause gdam. This is Nashville, I know punk rock isn't exactly popularity contest chart-topper, but there's plenty of you out there! Saw a few out tonight, tons out whenever the Queers or Agnostic Front or the like come to town, the Jay Reatard crowd was amazing, the kids mobilized and sold out the Against Me show a few months ago in no time.. come out! Support the local acts, cause seriously, this is good stuff. MMZ played a short but energetic set here, and everyone filed in from the back porch immediately to get to bouncing (a little) as they broke out most of the Jesus Drove a Chevy material, closed with one of my personal favorites, a heavy hitter off the previous, No Hit Wonders, release and broke out their newest punk cover, of Runaround Sue which they have up for free download on their myspace site at myspace.com/misplacedmyzombie. The band is currently writing songs and transposing old classics into punk tunes looking ahead to an August 29th show at the Temptation Club in Murfreesboro, where they promise to play for a helluva long time and break out everything they've got. Show up, don't let the boro show you up.
If MMZ plays fun punk, the Hand-Me-Downs, touring out of Detroit, are straight ahead balls to the wall gutter punk. Loud, young and snotty, as it goes, they absolutely blistered a set down to the very small, but appreciative crowd. Beer cups flying, riffs in the air, frontman hanging on the edge of the stage, and then charging down to let the crowd shout the choruses, this is the show you know you would still be talking about, if you all showed up, it deserved a way bigger crowd. Hopefully they will make it back into Nashville soon, so everyone else can get to see it and hopefully we can get the type of pits that should be prevalent here going on, be a much more fun experience, although was still great hearing them tonight. A tight set from a touring band with old-school gutter punk style, and a great choice of covers to throw in as well to get the crowd shouting, as they broke out even faster versions of the Op Ivy classics Knowledge and Unity.
So we went from ska/punk, to gutter punk, and now the last band.. well, only makes sense that its a Hardcore band to finish the night out. Gotta stress again how this had the potential to be an absolutely asskickingly memorable show if only there were enough people out to give the crowd some decent size, punk rock people in nashville, mobilize dammit! MMZs Stik Man labelmates, and name contest winners, Vonnegut closed the night out with a cold blast of metal-bordering hardcore straight to the face.. or at least they did for one song, during which both guitarists managed to break a string, that's how hard it was hitting. Facing a lengthy delay at the end of the night, a sparse crowd thinning out even more, and half their set getting cut to restring 2 guitars, we got a close up look at another prime exactly of how you meet the nicest people in mosh pits. Anyone who doesn't go to these shows says, "I don't know why people thinks its fun to run into each other, and bruise each other up, and get so violent." That's because they don't know, a good pit, hardcore kids, punk kids, will be a rowdy bunch indeed, and yeah, we'll all come home with new bruises, but that's everyone getting into the music, and in any pit, the second someone falls, everyone else down to the meanest skin, will block them off and help em up right away, with a slap on the back to make sure they're good to go before flying off into someone else cause dammit, the music just makes you want to move. So yeah, where else do you think this would happen? With th
ose 2 guitars down, Misplaced My Zombie guitarist Chad James opened up his cases, and lent Vonnegut both his guitars he had with him, getting the show going right back up with minimal loss of momentum besides tuning and much needed strap adjustments (Chad is freakin tall.) So there, more kindness in the fraternity, as lending your two performance guitars to some sweaty, shirt/shoeless hardcore rockers who tore their own strings one song in isn't exactly something I can see some brooklyn indie band doing. And hey, apparently the Vonnegut guitarist "always wanted to play a Fender Jaguar" ...dreams do come true! But it was worth it, as Vonnegut continued to absolutely tear it up, and by the time the set was over, I felt almost as drained as if there was a big pit going on.
This is what we need more of in this town. This was a helluva punk/hardcore show. In a small place, with great bands and some real people out there. Get to it Nashville.
I've always enjoyed getting down to Edgehill Studios Cafe for a show.
It's just a super relaxed atmosphere, perfect for an acoustic show, or a solo show, or anything along the softer, laid back type of music that you wouldn't exactly hear ever on Loud Love.
The beers are cheap, the chairs are comfortable, and you can stock up on pretzels if you're so inclined (and saving your cash for beers, like me.)
But that wasn't exactly the case tonight. Sure, heading out to a folk show at Edgehill, I knew what I was heading there for, a night of real good music, but basically a night off when compared to the usual concert M.O. Having never heard opening act, Sisters Grimm before, it was real interesting to see another bonafide americana act with classical chops on the bill with Young Republic. Nominally a duo of banjo and fiddle, they brought in a bit of support in the form of a conga drum and bass player and turned the bluegrass up a bit here in Nashville. Very impressive fiddle playing from Jordana Greenberg laid the foundation for most of their songs. It was real obvious from the start that her and banjo plucker and fellow vocalist Rebecca Reed-Lunn have been playing together for some time and real knew how to complete each others styles, forming a mostly frenetic twang that kept pace for most of their set, broken only for violin solos and delicate vocal harmonies. A bit heavy on the twang for this yankee bred city boy whos seen more gray pavement than blue grass and is happiest covered in sweat in a good mosh pit, but very impressive stuff, good song selection, and a real nice way to get the night started before the Young Republic's set.
If you know me at all, you'd know that Nashville based folk-rock group the Young Republic is one of my favorite local bands. Blending together influences ranging from classical to indie rock and classic country, and especially major influences and oft-covered greats such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, they make very professional, very polished songs that still provide a kick. And that's what was most in evidence at tonight's show, as they seemed focused on the rock half of the folk-rock equation, and played what was certainly the heaviest show I've ever seen them perform. (I like to think that was a nod to Loud Love, but then again... I concede there's always a small chance it was coincidence, coupled with the build up to the release of their new, more hard edged album Balletesque, due in a couple months now.) They really seemed to unleash guitarist Bob Merkl tonight, letting his riffs and slides come to the forefront as they tore through a set of newer songs, a few old favorites, and even an unreleased track or two. Really coming through was the energy from the show, and the volume, a bit higher than usual, as frontman Julian Saporiti was able to let loose, yelling out choruses and getting into the theatrics as a vocalist and adding his guitar to a set dominated by the instrument as well. What really sets this band apart and gives them their unique sound though is the amazing violin work from Kristin Weber, who had to work especially hard tonight it seemed. With the rock turned up, and the guitars taking center stage, she looked as if she would tear all the horsehair from her bow if she had to in order to get those notes heard, and it worked. A supremely talented instrumentalist in a band full of them, they ripped into the give and take heard on many of the newer songs, and let the audience sway a bit with the folksier tracks, including a perfectly executed duet take on the infallibly touching and romantic Harvest Moon. Between the way this band can just play the hell out of their instruments, and Saportiti's textured and powerful voice coming in from every range angle, except the ones where Weber's soft and delicate vocals turns the powerful into the pretty, this is a band you need to get out and hear.
Just a real nice way to spend a night, in a relaxed atmosphere with good people and very, very talented musicians putting on a great set. Definitely just what the doctor ordered after the pummelling my eardrums took from the Torche show last night, and with a punk show coming up tomorrow night. Sorry about the lack of pictures in this update, I was too busy getting into the sweeping tunes both bands put out. Oh, and drinking, yeah that too, as the night moved on to more booze-charted areas after the show ended, Happy Birthday Juice!
Sometimes, like the bards once said, you gotta get out and bang your head. For your metal health.
That said, was real excited to get out to Exit/In for 2 bands, Torche (pronounced Torch, they are not a french electro-disko band), and Athens sludge legends Harvey Milk, out for a very rare appearance.
That said, I haven't been as disappointed by a band's performance in quite a while as I was after finally getting a chance to see the much discussed but rarely heard Harvey Milk play. For lack of a better word it was... incredibly boring. A very weak crowd didn't help at all, making sure to stay a good distance away from the stage and trying to move as little as possible, but.. I know the Milk boys have moved on to bigger and better things for the most part, but when you're trying to pump up a weak crowd, 3 minute tuning breaks between songs with an occasional monotone attempt at "make some noise" "move on up" ...isn't gonna do it. As for the songs themselves, well... when they bore down and actually played, it was great! Gloom and doom sludge metal is always fantastic to see live, it vibrates around inside you and makes you feel like you're somewhere else, somewhere darker and more ethereal, where anything can happen. Unfortunately, they didn't spend nearly as much time playing that as they did hitting a chord and holding it as long as possible while the drummer beat a couple pounds every 3rd measure. Yes its sludge, yes its slow, that's kind of the point. But when you reduce an estimated 2/3 of your set to a held and distorted note and to tuning breaks, you don't even give the crowd a chance to get into it. It's real easy to tell if a band is having fun playing, and that joy filters out and affects the crowd in very tangible ways. To start with a weak crowd, and then project it being completely miserable and motionless on stage, well, no one else is going to have fun either.
Torche proved that they've already learned that lesson, and showcased the polar opposite of Harvey Milk's performance. Recently down to a 3-piece, they used every bit of the extra room on the stage afforded them, moving everywhere, jumping, yelling, and most importantly, keeping up a constant stream of blaring, hook-driven doom metal. By the time their opening song ended, this crowd was pressing the front of the stage, this crowd was yelling it out, this crowd was reaching for guitars and backslaps. Singer/guitarist Steve Brooks was everywhere. Playing from his knees, running into the crowd to play, going back-to-back with bassist Jonathan Nunez, and doing it all with a huge grin and his tongue out. The hooks grabbed and the amp-exploding volume of the heavy basslines, huge riffs, and blurringly fast drums swept everyone up, and the performance, energy, and joy coming off the stage got this depressingly quiet, immobile, and sparse crowd to make the stunning transformation into a (still sparse) mass of people slamming their heads around with big grins and the noise of a real crowd. The sound really didn't lose too much going from a 4 to a 3 piece band, they sounded fantastic and took everyone along for the ride, headlining the same venue they supported last year, they put on an even better show.. all the way to its devastating aftermath.
What I came into expecting to be a wild night of two fantastic metal bands, well, it still was. But it was really a tale of two bands at opposite mindsets and points in their careers. But, you come for the music. And you can't really go wrong listening to bands this good. Although I'm pretty sure I lost a bit of the low end off my hearing for the next 12 hours or so. Everyone needs some every now and then, it's good for you, go out and enjoy that metal health.
Wow.
A real punk rock show with a real punk rock feel in Nashville.
And with a decent turnout and amped crowd at that.
Whoda thunk it?
Hopefully a bunch of you made it out cause this was impressive.
Was a bit worried at the start as the crowd looked real sparse, and I spent a while over at Gold Rush killing time, knowing it was an End show and wouldn't start anywhere near on time anyways, and I guess most people thought the same way, as by the time local favorites JEFF The Brotherhood started the set off, it was turning into a pretty decent turnout. JEFF always puts on a fantastic show, with a ton of energy and this really makes its way out to the crowd as well. The best p
its I've found in Nashville so far are usually at JEFF shows, as it may a while, but eventually everyone starts moving and it just happens naturally, the way it should. Jake and Jamin blasted out a solid set of their stuff, and even brought along a limited edition 7" with Heavy Damage on it. Must be by request as that's easily one of my favorite live songs of theirs, along with Bone Jam, which they also recently released on a split 7" with Screaming Females. Was pretty excited to pick that up, and will be giving it a spin for sure on the show next week, hopefully along with some new Jay Reatard and TV Smith stuff. But they started this night out right thats for sure, got the crowd psyched and moving and sweating and served notice that this night would be no joke.
After a cooldown break outside, made it back in for the start of TV Smith's set. Wasn't quite sure what to expect from him, as I absolutely love the Adverts, and they were a fairly huge and influential band. Of course, more so in England than here, didn't quite cross over like the Clash, but pretty important in punk rock history none the less. But co-founder TV Smith has been touring on his own for 15 years now, and well.. is quite old. And does his set by himself, with an acoustic guitar. Seemed like a good chunk of the crowd didn't know him or was turned off by the acoustic guitar, but that was a huge mistake. I was incredibly impressed with both the man and his set. Older and thin, with full gray hair, he still dressed like Johnny Rotten and belted out songs about fighting the system at punk rock speed with punk rock virulence. Very, very cool. He even did a few of the Adverts hits in this style, like New Church and The Great British Mistake. A break from the pit. But still stirring punk rock that got ya moving, and a very impressive way to transition over to the nights headliner, Jay Reatard.
Jay Reatard and his band came out real fired out. The pit formed almost immediately, and again, I have to say how great it was to be in a real mosh pit in Nashville. None of that circle bullshit, or push pit bullshit. People were into it, and knew what they were doing, there wasn't even that one asshole who always tends to show up and just flail fists around wildly cause he saw that one time on a grainy video of an old Sex Pistols concert or something. This was fun! And sure people got knocked down, but they got cleared around and picked up again real fast. Thoroughly enjoyed myself. True to form, he blew through a set consisting of mainly Blood Visions stuff and tracks from the soon to be released album, Watch Me Fall. Wild, fast, and fantastic. But even that was just a set up for the grand finale. After a brutal Jay Reatard show, and sweaty, tired mess in the pit, TV Smith came back on, and sang a few of the Adverts biggest songs with Jay Reatard and his band pounding it out at light speed with the crowd immediately matched. Getting to hear Gary Gilmore's Eyes, Bored Teenagers, and One Chord Wonders by TV Smith himself with Jay Reatard in a great pit was straight amazing. Just a brutal, perfect end for a serious punk show in Nashville.
After the show, stuck around to speak with the bands a while. JEFF is going out on tour in the fall with Shonen Knife, which is pretty damn exciting. Made sure to pick up their new 7". Jay Reatard was even in a good mood for once, said this show was way more fun than last years Mercy Lounge show. But getting to speak with TV Smith was a while was really a highlight. Against his reputation, he was super nice, talked about touring for so long while maintaining his punk rock morals and mindset, and ability to rock of course, and then even did 3 takes cutting a bumper for me. You'll be hearing that on the show next week too for sure, and a bit after that, really fantastic stuff. He mentioned it was his first time in Nashville ever, and first time in the states at all for a while for this tour, and he really enjoyed the energy and feel of the crowd.
That made two of us, fantastic punk show indeed, and probably the first one I've been to since I've lived here that made me think I was at a CBGBs show. Fast, loud, sweaty and dirty. The way punk rock should be. Thanks guys.
*Photos by The Nashville Scene (I was too busy slamming around)
n roll. Breaking out "Everybody Loves Jill" for the third song of the night, the customary barrage of red spoons from the audience came out perfectly, even that early in the set, with every band member catching at least a few of the spoons, with the vast majority pelting LeBlanc, but not even slowing down his drumming and wagging tongue, red spoons settled on the drum skins only to go bouncing off a second later as he hammered them regardless. An extra special note has to be taken for the hand control he has as a drummer. It's all part of the show, and while a fat man who favors short shorts and constantly has his tongue wagging is inherently fun, and funny, said fat man who can spin the drum sticks between each strike, and is continually "losing" a stick bouncing it off a drumhead to go flying into the crowd and picking up a new one seamless (seriously, he must go through 30 a night, all for the crowd) is both impressive, and entertaining as hell.
