Two shows in one weekend is a lot for an old dude who still has something fucked up with his back, as well as a book to write and a shitload of Chinese homework to do, but it got accomplished, and it was a hell of a lot of fun. Katon needs to start having better judgement about promoters so that Hirax can stop having 60% of their tour cancelled, so that everyone can get a chance to experience something like this.
Of course, the show didn't start out nearly as smooth as it finished. This was a Sunday show, and not everyone has the ability to just take the next day off and rock out, so the hall (downstairs, there were some punk/core/emo [no idea] bands playing upstairs) wasn't completely full, and most of the openers played to pretty much a handful of fans. The overall turnout for the openers was similar to Saturday at the Skybar, but with the vital difference that many more of us in the audience here, in both absolute and relative terms, were not in bands on the bill.
Reverend Grundarr and the Unholy Trinity [5/7]:
Maybe it was the better sound from the music-hall (as opposed to bar) PA, maybe it was because I wasn't half as drunk, or maybe because they were opening up the show rather than following Swashbuckle, but these guys sounded a lot better here than they did at O'Brien's two weeks ago. Unfortunately, this is somewhat restricted information, because the number of people in front of the stage watching them was somewhat desperately limited. After I got down to the front, becoming the fifth audience member, I was going to say something about it being okay to start, now that there were more people in the audience than onstage, but didn't, because I don't really know any of the band members personally, and the only thing worse than playing to a next-to-empty floor is when the next-to-empty floor is also making smartass comments. They persevered, though, showing off the diversity in their writing and composition that often tends to get fuzzed out by the sound equipment of the venues they normally play, even some Bay Area touches that I didn't recall being able to pick out on their CD, and we responded on par with the complement of Henry Rollins' old maxim: if a band, no matter how small, is there playing a show and rocking out, you have a responsibility as an audience to rock hard as well, to show appreciation for their hard work. More people came down during the set, and it had to be counted as a success, but this isn't really the kind of band that's best seen behind a huge metal railing; despite the debits to sound clarity, it's probably better to catch them somewhere where they can set up on the floor in the middle of the audience.
Hirudinea [5/7]:
I could say that this band put together a strong set of blackened death/thrash, but then someone would certainly say that this statement actually doesn't carry any information at all. Both parts of the above are certainly correct; Hirudinea's sound is mostly thrash with a few death metal turns and some black metal shadings, but just saying so doesn't really give any indication of what this makes them sound like. It probably helps to note that their current release is the A side of a split with Watchmaker, and that they covered the Cro-Mags and some early Mayhem in this set with about equal power and punch. They have good execution and intensity, and their overall sound is plenty cool, but they seemed to need just that little more on their original stuff to make them really stand out. Maybe it's on the CD (which I haven't listened to yet, that's on the plate for tomorrow), or maybe it's still ahead; regardless, these guys are playing good brutal thrash right now, and it's quite worth going up front for if they're opening a show you're at. The only disappointment was that they had to stop right after doing "Deathcrush"; it felt like they were only just getting fired up.
Random Acts of Violence [6/7]:
These guys have played a lot of shows with My Pet Demon, but I somehow hadn't managed to actually see them before this show. In contrast to the rest of the bill, including the headliners, they showed off a much more melodic thrash style, more "North Shore" than "South Shore", which has got to be one of the silliest scene splits out there. It wasn't just the change of pace that set these guys apart; there were some serious skills being shown off here, in the context of a bunch of good music. Their CDs are also on deck for tomorrow, at which point I'll have made a significant knowledge turnaround on yet another "should know more but don't" band; if you don't know these guys yet, you should also do likewise.
Mouth Sewn Shut [5/7]:
Abstractly, these guys were pretty cool; brutal hardcore changed up with reggae, which at least is different and which in this case was executed pretty well. Concretely, though, you really have to wonder what the HELL they were doing on this bill, as they had almost nothing in common with either the headliners or the other local support. They were a nice oddity and had some good music, but they felt a little out of place here, and didn't really endear themselves to anyone by running over their scheduled timeslot and pushing Hirax later. This is a band that you really have to see yourself to decide an opinion on; their mix of the intense and the laid back will appeal to some people, but others will hate it with even greater intensity.
Hirax [7/7]:
If you've got an illustrated dictionary (to pull out and mock people with when they go back to that old stereotype of metalhead == retarded), and it doesn't have a picture for AWESOME, Aaron has plenty of pictures from this set that you can print out and just paste in next to the definition; almost anything will do. Seriously, this set was something to behold; not as packed down front as this hall was for Vital and Dismember last month, but this just gave the pit more room to be absolutely insane, and the front row was still so thickly stuffed that Katon was able to surf out off the railing on several occasions. The band's intensity and firepower was further amplified by some deft showmanship; the thrash metallers were full up for a rare Hirax date from the start, but they lit a royal fire under the hardcore segment with a punishing cover of "Hostile Territory", and in doing so got everyone's energy up even further. The end of the set -- until the encore, where we had to stop and roar the band back onstage -- was kind of a blur mostly from that point, as I was banging around, throwing moshers -- including this little ~40-year-old-guy who could teach any dozen Palladium tough guys a thing or two about totally insane thrashing -- back into the pit, and much more feeling the music than listening to it. Still, AWESOME. Opeth, you lean back and listen; Hirax, you charge forward and feel. Rumor is that the band will be coming back around "soon", or maybe just "next year", and it's not totally impossible that someone in Rhode Island could get a backline and some axes together for the band and get the Providence date on the 16th uncancelled; whatever the opportunity that avails itself, you should take advantage and check these guys out.
My stack of patches that I still haven't put on my jacket increases; I got one of Hirax's good (as opposed to the more common "crummy plain cloth") patches in addition to the Barrage of Noise EP, and may have time to sew it up on Friday before Hypocrisy (yes, Suffocation and Fear Factory are nominally above them on the bill, but my jacket should speak amply for my mind on the matter), if I'm not doing Chinese homework or typesetting the book. This'll be the only show next weekend; someone's getting up a gig at Mark's on Saturday, but there is officially No Fucking Way I miss Michigan battle Ohio State effectively for the national title. GO BLUE!!!
Showing posts with label rgut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rgut. Show all posts
Monday, November 13, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Swashbuckle with Deathamphetamine, Revocation, and Despotic Robot (plus Reverend Grundarr CD-release) [O'Brien's Pub, Allston, 10/29/2006]
Even though this was booked as a single show (Thrash Till Fucking Death part II, may or may not make it to Somerville in 2 weeks for part III), it was really more of two shows, because it's not reasonable to expect that a normal band could headline over Swashbuckle on a show like this, as the scores will bear out.
This was a matinee show, so I was able to make a whole bunch of gin chicken (recipe later) and do up some sandwiches to take in on the T. Not knowing the lay of the ground, I didn't wear my kutte in, though I probably could have, and will in the future. Taking public transit is always preferable, because metal is better enjoyed with beer, but seldom possible in this country. Interesting point walking up Harvard Ave from the Green Line stop: "Varg Lives" graffiti (with a burning church graphic) on some cafe or another. Of course Varg lives, n00bz, he still gives interviews from jail every so often.
I got to the venue right about doors and held 'em open for Despotic Robot's load-in; O'Brien's, for people who haven't been there yet, is a smallish pub that has become a smallish concert venue by putting in a stage and removing almost all signs of tables or chairs. When pressed, it might hold about 50 people, but this was not an issue with this show; even by the end, there were only about 20 or so people there who were not in bands on the bill -- and 22 who were. This is kind of endemic to local music, but in Boston a little more might have been expected. Beer prices were decent, with Stella flowing at $4 -- I could have been drinking PBR for half that, but I also could have punched myself in the face for free. You gotta watch the slippery slope.
Despotic Robot [6/7]
For the first band out of the gates, and despite what the vocalist described as a fairly long layoff (don't follow them, so I dunno when their last gig was), they were pretty impressive, and definitely set the thrash tone for the night. The board sounded really well-tuned for them, though this may have been an artifact of their fairly melodic sound, which was heavily rooted in Metallica's first three discs with a few hardcore touches. Fun music in good humor, but also thoroughly competent and it got everyone up and moving around.
Revocation [6/7]
The sound board wasn't as good to these guys, who mimed along to Death's "Crystal Mountain" during their soundcheck but presented a sound much more in line with Atheist or Imperium as regards technical thrash. The guitars were a little buried at times, but they still had a strong share of good music, and the bassist is fuckin' sick. Still a good show, but they need a second guitarist or just better guitar amps to really move up.
Color me totally retarded, but I didn't realize that Revocation is Cryptic Warning under a new name, modulo a new drummer. Of course, this is probably because it's been 4 years since I got their first demo, and spent most of the intervening time either out of state or out of the country. I got both CDs and a shirt from them, for coolness and to support the scene, not just because I felt guilty for sticking that early demo with a 3/7 score.
Also between Revocation and Deathamphetamine, I saw on the bar TV that Green Bay had defeated the rapidly self-destructing Cardinals. Go Pack Go!
Deathamphetamine [6/7]
If I had to put this band in a national nutshell, I'd have to go with Nevermore for their mix of the brutal and progressive. However, they don't really-really sound like Nevermore at all. They were the first band to spill off the stage, probably because their guitarist's effects board wouldn't leave him anywhere to stand if it had to get sandwiched in between their cabs and the front monitors. This set was ambitious as well as thoroughly well-delivered, and their overall total tightness got them a lot of extra style points. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to score a CD from them, as they'd sold out, so I got a shirt instead. They're going to do another pressing, and it's not like I'm never going to see them again; a band this good in an area as rich with metal shows as eastern New England will never lack for local-support slots.
Swashbuckle [7/7]
These guys were ready from the get-go, changing into their pirate costumes almost as soon as they got to the venue and not taking too long to get their heavily prop-laded stage set up and ready. However, the stars weren't the oar or the inflatable pirate ship, but Admiral Nobeard and crew as they tore through song after song of Running Wild-flavored brutal thrash and got the crowd churning, both on normal pit dynamics and an actual circle pit (which I took a single mostly non-voluntary turn in, though without injury) around one of the supporting poles in the middle of the floor. We raised our pirate hooks (do the horns, put your pinky back in your fist, then hook the first finger) and got both taunted and praised for buying into the gimmick -- sure, gimmicks are gimmicks, but there ain't nothing wrong with them when they're backed up by pure undiluted AWESOME. It's difficult to describe how cool this set was to someone who wasn't there, other than to tell people to go see this damn band's shows, and buy their damn swag. Their Crewed By The Damned CD is great, and I also scored a "Wooden Legs and Emptied Kegs" shirt -- which another showgoer picked up for his roommate, who recently had to have a leg amputated and chose a peg leg over a normal prosthesis. Now that's fuckin metal.
Reverend Grundarr and the Unholy Trinity [5/7]
Though this band took an egalitarian tack by setting up in the middle of the floor -- which had previously been serving as backstage for everyone else as the stagefront emptied over to the bar area between songs, they still came off as a little flat. Maybe it was the setup, maybe it was the fact that they empasized the grind in grind-thrash and grind bands really have to almost be Napalm Death or Nasum to really get my head turned, but most likely it was the fact that they were following Swashbuckle and everyone was just leaning on one of the bars or supports resting up. They played a good set and executed well, but the necessary falloff in awesomeness level was still apparent. Their new CD is better than they were live, so maybe this was an off night; I'll see in a couple weeks how they do building up energy for Hirax.
After picking up the CD and a patch from Grundarr et al, I hit the road back -- giving a YARRRRR! to Swashbuckle as I passed their van in the parking lot. Fun times and an awesome show; this sort of gig should be an obligato every time the Patriots play Monday night and the Bruins don't have a Sunday night game. No pics from the Rev on this one, which is too bad, but he was covering a festival in NYC on Saturday and can be kind of excused -- though other people will have a harder time.
How to make gin chicken:
-----
This is a newly developed recipe that is now officially out of beta. It combines stir-frying and boiling to create tender chicken pieces that can be used in just about anything. I can't wait until I have the leisure time (and non-moldy steamer trays) to do some Chinese steamed buns around these. For the sauce you need hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water, and a clove or two of garlic. In your wok you'll need a shot or so of cooking oil and a shot or so of shochu (or Chinese cooking wine, or Han vodka, or some other mostly-taste-neutral spirit of your choice). These can be extended over a basically arbitrary amount of chicken.
Dice up the garlic real fine and put it in a small bowl. Add about 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 heaped teaspoon of hoisin sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly.
Take your chicken breasts and thoroughly remove all fat and gristle. Slice 'em as thin as you can get, with the grain; about 1/4 inch should be a good thickness.
Put the oil and booze in the wok and get your heat up; start adding chicken slices until the area covered by liquid is full. Pour the sauce in over them.
Turn the chicken periodically to make sure both sides of the slices are cooked. As soon as one batch of pieces is done, take them out and put new chicken in. Continue until all that you've cut is cooked.
The resulting chicken has a slight Chinese taste, but not overly strong, and it can be used in just about anything. I've had it with pasta, couscous, on sandwiches with various kinds of cheese, the works. The secret of its extensibility is that the sauce has no thickeners, so it cooks into the meat rather than onto it, and can be easily washed right out of the wok once the cooking's done. This dish is also stupidly easy and quick to make up; I went from 'no cooking gear or ingredients out' to 'finished making the sandwich and washed up' in 15 minutes on Saturday, including all cooking and prep. If you can keep the sauce ingredients in stock, there's really not any excuse any more for not fresh-cooking stuff.
This was a matinee show, so I was able to make a whole bunch of gin chicken (recipe later) and do up some sandwiches to take in on the T. Not knowing the lay of the ground, I didn't wear my kutte in, though I probably could have, and will in the future. Taking public transit is always preferable, because metal is better enjoyed with beer, but seldom possible in this country. Interesting point walking up Harvard Ave from the Green Line stop: "Varg Lives" graffiti (with a burning church graphic) on some cafe or another. Of course Varg lives, n00bz, he still gives interviews from jail every so often.
I got to the venue right about doors and held 'em open for Despotic Robot's load-in; O'Brien's, for people who haven't been there yet, is a smallish pub that has become a smallish concert venue by putting in a stage and removing almost all signs of tables or chairs. When pressed, it might hold about 50 people, but this was not an issue with this show; even by the end, there were only about 20 or so people there who were not in bands on the bill -- and 22 who were. This is kind of endemic to local music, but in Boston a little more might have been expected. Beer prices were decent, with Stella flowing at $4 -- I could have been drinking PBR for half that, but I also could have punched myself in the face for free. You gotta watch the slippery slope.
Despotic Robot [6/7]
For the first band out of the gates, and despite what the vocalist described as a fairly long layoff (don't follow them, so I dunno when their last gig was), they were pretty impressive, and definitely set the thrash tone for the night. The board sounded really well-tuned for them, though this may have been an artifact of their fairly melodic sound, which was heavily rooted in Metallica's first three discs with a few hardcore touches. Fun music in good humor, but also thoroughly competent and it got everyone up and moving around.
Revocation [6/7]
The sound board wasn't as good to these guys, who mimed along to Death's "Crystal Mountain" during their soundcheck but presented a sound much more in line with Atheist or Imperium as regards technical thrash. The guitars were a little buried at times, but they still had a strong share of good music, and the bassist is fuckin' sick. Still a good show, but they need a second guitarist or just better guitar amps to really move up.
Color me totally retarded, but I didn't realize that Revocation is Cryptic Warning under a new name, modulo a new drummer. Of course, this is probably because it's been 4 years since I got their first demo, and spent most of the intervening time either out of state or out of the country. I got both CDs and a shirt from them, for coolness and to support the scene, not just because I felt guilty for sticking that early demo with a 3/7 score.
Also between Revocation and Deathamphetamine, I saw on the bar TV that Green Bay had defeated the rapidly self-destructing Cardinals. Go Pack Go!
Deathamphetamine [6/7]
If I had to put this band in a national nutshell, I'd have to go with Nevermore for their mix of the brutal and progressive. However, they don't really-really sound like Nevermore at all. They were the first band to spill off the stage, probably because their guitarist's effects board wouldn't leave him anywhere to stand if it had to get sandwiched in between their cabs and the front monitors. This set was ambitious as well as thoroughly well-delivered, and their overall total tightness got them a lot of extra style points. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to score a CD from them, as they'd sold out, so I got a shirt instead. They're going to do another pressing, and it's not like I'm never going to see them again; a band this good in an area as rich with metal shows as eastern New England will never lack for local-support slots.
Swashbuckle [7/7]
These guys were ready from the get-go, changing into their pirate costumes almost as soon as they got to the venue and not taking too long to get their heavily prop-laded stage set up and ready. However, the stars weren't the oar or the inflatable pirate ship, but Admiral Nobeard and crew as they tore through song after song of Running Wild-flavored brutal thrash and got the crowd churning, both on normal pit dynamics and an actual circle pit (which I took a single mostly non-voluntary turn in, though without injury) around one of the supporting poles in the middle of the floor. We raised our pirate hooks (do the horns, put your pinky back in your fist, then hook the first finger) and got both taunted and praised for buying into the gimmick -- sure, gimmicks are gimmicks, but there ain't nothing wrong with them when they're backed up by pure undiluted AWESOME. It's difficult to describe how cool this set was to someone who wasn't there, other than to tell people to go see this damn band's shows, and buy their damn swag. Their Crewed By The Damned CD is great, and I also scored a "Wooden Legs and Emptied Kegs" shirt -- which another showgoer picked up for his roommate, who recently had to have a leg amputated and chose a peg leg over a normal prosthesis. Now that's fuckin metal.
Reverend Grundarr and the Unholy Trinity [5/7]
Though this band took an egalitarian tack by setting up in the middle of the floor -- which had previously been serving as backstage for everyone else as the stagefront emptied over to the bar area between songs, they still came off as a little flat. Maybe it was the setup, maybe it was the fact that they empasized the grind in grind-thrash and grind bands really have to almost be Napalm Death or Nasum to really get my head turned, but most likely it was the fact that they were following Swashbuckle and everyone was just leaning on one of the bars or supports resting up. They played a good set and executed well, but the necessary falloff in awesomeness level was still apparent. Their new CD is better than they were live, so maybe this was an off night; I'll see in a couple weeks how they do building up energy for Hirax.
After picking up the CD and a patch from Grundarr et al, I hit the road back -- giving a YARRRRR! to Swashbuckle as I passed their van in the parking lot. Fun times and an awesome show; this sort of gig should be an obligato every time the Patriots play Monday night and the Bruins don't have a Sunday night game. No pics from the Rev on this one, which is too bad, but he was covering a festival in NYC on Saturday and can be kind of excused -- though other people will have a harder time.
How to make gin chicken:
-----
This is a newly developed recipe that is now officially out of beta. It combines stir-frying and boiling to create tender chicken pieces that can be used in just about anything. I can't wait until I have the leisure time (and non-moldy steamer trays) to do some Chinese steamed buns around these. For the sauce you need hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water, and a clove or two of garlic. In your wok you'll need a shot or so of cooking oil and a shot or so of shochu (or Chinese cooking wine, or Han vodka, or some other mostly-taste-neutral spirit of your choice). These can be extended over a basically arbitrary amount of chicken.
Dice up the garlic real fine and put it in a small bowl. Add about 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 heaped teaspoon of hoisin sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly.
Take your chicken breasts and thoroughly remove all fat and gristle. Slice 'em as thin as you can get, with the grain; about 1/4 inch should be a good thickness.
Put the oil and booze in the wok and get your heat up; start adding chicken slices until the area covered by liquid is full. Pour the sauce in over them.
Turn the chicken periodically to make sure both sides of the slices are cooked. As soon as one batch of pieces is done, take them out and put new chicken in. Continue until all that you've cut is cooked.
The resulting chicken has a slight Chinese taste, but not overly strong, and it can be used in just about anything. I've had it with pasta, couscous, on sandwiches with various kinds of cheese, the works. The secret of its extensibility is that the sauce has no thickeners, so it cooks into the meat rather than onto it, and can be easily washed right out of the wok once the cooking's done. This dish is also stupidly easy and quick to make up; I went from 'no cooking gear or ingredients out' to 'finished making the sandwich and washed up' in 15 minutes on Saturday, including all cooking and prep. If you can keep the sauce ingredients in stock, there's really not any excuse any more for not fresh-cooking stuff.
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