The Rich Hands, Meth House Party Band, 1d and Rollersnakes @ the Crux; A Seasonal Disguise @ the Red Room (1/26/13)

I had fond memories of the Rich Hands' performance back in July, so I jumped at the chance to see them again on this joint Duck Club Presents-Manor bill.  I was also looking forward to seeing Meth House Party Band, who hadn't played a gig since last year's Evil Wine Carnival, and Rollersnakes, a local act I hadn't encountered before.

I counted about twenty people when I got down to the Crux.  The crowd would build to about fifty as the night progressed.  Not bad at all, considering that there were three other shows going on around town.

Rollersnakes kicked off the night.  I may not have heard of this duo before this night, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for them from now on.  Nimble drumming, catchy surf-metal riffs, pretty smart lyrics.  Their stage presence was a little on the wooden side and their groove came slightly unglued at points, but some more gigs should loosen them up and tighten them up.

1d played next.  Their bash bash bash, riff riff riff and bark bark bark had the same glimmers of promise--a sharp noise solo here, some rubbery bass there--that I saw at the State of Confusion show last September.  Those glimmers didn't seem as bright, however, considering that I could only make out one lyric: "F*CK YOU!"  I wonder when/if they'll take the hint from their "Rise Above" cover and recognize that more often than not, great punk rock requires intelligibility.  At least the younger guys in the crowd got into it: there was plenty of cheering, moshing, stomping around and grabbing the mic to sing.

Meth House Party Band played next.  If you're gonna be indecipherable, this is the way to do it.  Their poppy tunes and snarled vocals sounded so playful and articulated that even when I couldn't quite understand the lyrics, I was willing to take it on faith that they made sense.  They sounded a little ragged in spots--their guitar player told me that they hadn't played live since the Evil Wine Carnival--but overall, I was more than happy to hear their viscous basslines, manic drumming and terse, noisy solos again.  The crowd seemed happy to hear them too: there was quite a bit of playful jostling, moshing and crowd-surfing during this set as well.

The Rich Hands closed out the night at the Crux.  Their groove sounded more tight-assed and their songwriting just a touch less distinguished than I remembered.  Still, their simple tunes, peppery drums, buoyant basslines, jangly guitar and rough vocals proved immensely enjoyable a second time around.  The original song that they busted out for their encore sounded like some lost 60's pop classic, and they punked up Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" very nicely.  Maybe some Motown would help make 'em a little more limber.  Anyway, the ladies in the crowd took this set as an opportunity to get their kicks in.  I mean that literally: a handful of them kicked, danced, leaped and ran around.

After the Rich Hands finished, I swung by the Red Room in the hopes of catching at least part of the show down there.  I counted about forty people when I arrived.

I missed Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars and CAMP, unfortunately, but I did manage to catch all of A Seasonal Disguise's set.  This night's lineup featured Jumping Sharks' Reggie Townley on guitar and Z.V. House's Cerberus Rex bandmate Jake Hite on drums.  Thanks to the new personnel, the band sounded fuller and heftier than they ever have before.  Hite's drumming provided a Gibraltar-like foundation for the ever-smoother keyboard, bass and xylophone.  Meanwhile, Townley's howling distortion and elegant soloing served as an ideal foil for House's gnarled, forceful guitar work.  Very impressive.  Very promising too.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.

Twin Falls Invasion @ the Red Room (6/30/12)

When I heard about this show, I thought that it sounded like a great idea: a night showcasing up-and-coming bands from Twin Falls.  Some readers will know how impressed I've been with some bands from that region, so of course, I was eager to check this out.

Regrettably, attendance for this show was far lower than I or probably anyone else expected.  Most likely, this was due to much of its potential audience blowing its wad at last night's show at the Red Room, Neurolux's Valient Thorr show or the VAC's Delicate Steve show.  Some folks just gotta work on their stamina, I guess...

First up was Bear Refuge, a punk-folk duo.  Look this group up on Facebook and you'll find this self-description: "i play shitty music" [sic].  I'm tempted to let it go at that, but that wouldn't be altogether fair.  Their songs weren't without their rhythmic, lyrical and (even though they all repeated the same basic pattern of chord changes over and over) melodic appeal.  Still, the hint of smugness that I detected in Ehron Essig's deadpan stage act and snide, whiny, quavery singing got on my nerves.  He reminded me of every snotty little brat I've wanted to throttle since kindergarten.  In the end, this set got over on the electric guitar player's laconically expressive fills.

Next up was another acoustic-electric duo, Jimithy Feeds.  If the guy playing acoustic guitar looks familiar, that's because he played electric guitar in Bear Refuge (apparently, that happens quite a bit among groups in Twin Falls: folks pitch in and help each other out with their respective projects).  You could imagine Bear Refuge sounding a bit like this group when it grows up: they had more forthright singing, flashier guitar, more distinctive songwriting.  A better sense of humor too: they kicked off their set with a nice deconstruction of the 60's pop chestnut "Barbara Ann."

After Jimothy Feeds came Meth House Party Band, whose set this night was a vast improvement over their Atypical Tuesday performance back in May.  Sturdy tunes, funny lyrics, high energy, strong riffs and groove (well, as much as hardcore will allow), impressive guitar noise.  "Don't think that our shitty bands are all there is in Twin," their bass player said at one point.  "There really are some good bands out there."  Some people are just too hard on themselves.

Surf-punk trio Holograms were up next.  I held very fond memories of their Atypical Tuesday performance, but that didn't prepare me for the raw power of their set this night.  Screeching metal guitar, fierce drumming, winningly harsh vocals.  A nice little mosh pit formed during the middle of their set, and not without good reason.  RAWK!

Hardcore quartet Bad Carb played next.  Their songs suffered a bit in comparison with Holograms', but they still delivered an entertaining set.  And boy, did that lead singer have some energy!  He hopped down and moshed with the crowd, jumped onto one guy's shoulders and rode piggyback, rolled around onstage, jumped around, headbanged and never stopped singing the whole time.  This was doubly impressive when one considered that he'd already played drums for Meth House Party Band and bass for Holograms.

After Bad Carb came CAMP, whose lineup this night included horn player Shane Cox once again and, in a brief cameo, Katie Vant from The Gunfighters.  Cox's trumpet and trombone sounded a little out of place early on, but as the set progressed, it started feeling like it had always been there.  Cameron Andreas's guitar sounded a little out of tune at a couple points, but that didn't prove too bothersome.  Meanwhile, their drumming was as strong as ever, and the bass sounded even more fluid than usual.

Hedtriip closed out the night and sounded as rousing and danceable as ever.  I'll take this guy over a DJ any night.  Well, except maybe Kathy O (who else would dare follow Black Sabbath with the B-52's?) and Doug Martsch (I never thought I'd live to see a dance floor full of people grooving out to "White Light/White Heat").

You can find info about most of these groups on Facebook.

The Hand, a.k.a. Belle, Holograms and Meth House Party Band @ the Red Room (5/1/12)

A $1 cover charge, 2 for 1 drink specials, three Idaho bands that I hadn't seen before and one of my favorite local bands?  How could I not go see this?

Tuesday night's show at the Red Room was the second of what I hope will prove a long-running series called A Typical Tuesday.  It's organized by Evil Wine, a gleefully vulgar and subversive local internet/video comedy show.  I was disappointed to find that two of the advertised acts, Badcarb and A Seasonal Disguise, would not play this night (I was especially eager to try to wrap my head around ASD another time, having fallen hard for Z.V. House's other band, Like A Rocket).  So it goes, I guess.  I can't complain too much, considering that I got to see four fair-to-great bands for $1.

First up was the Hand, a local band who played their debut gig just last week at the first A Typical Tuesday and features Evil Wine co-host Dustin Jones on bass.  You know a band's good when the audience applauds after their soundcheck.  These guys combined the best of the Stooges of Fun House with the best of the Nirvana of Bleach.  Scott Schmaljohn complimented his unvarnished, Cobain-esque howl with some blistering guitar solos that would've made Ron Asheton proud.  Jones's rumbling, elastic bass and Andrew Viken's energetic drumming kept the tank moving forward and made sure that it demolished everything in its path.

Next up was a.k.a. Belle.  The band was clearly in a good mood as they sipped whiskey and traded banter between flawlessly performed songs.  Their casually confident set went a long way toward confirming two suspicions that I've held for a while: 1) that this is one of the best bands in town and 2) that Catherine Merrick is the greatest singer in town.

After a.k.a. Belle came Holograms, a surf-punk power trio from Twin Falls, ID.  I kinda wonder if coming from such a predominantly land-locked area added an extra level of aggression and drive to their music.  In any case, their sharp riffs and grooves and harsh, ironic vocals struck just the right balance of tight and ragged.

Closing out the night's music was Meth House Party Band, another Twin Falls punk power trio.  I don't mean to put them down too hard when I say that the best thing about them was their name.  Their sludgy hardcore was decent enough to warrant the playful moshing that some members of the crowd engaged in, but I couldn't really hear much to differentiate them from a truckload of other Black Flag and Germs descendants.  Still, I found signs of promise in some solid guitar work and their Fear cover, and the band's set as a whole got over on their evident delight in being young and able to make all this racket.

You can find info about Evil Wine, a.k.a. Belle and Meth House Party Band on Facebook.  And if you'd like to check out Evil Wine's show, go to www.evilwine.com.