Bomb Diggity (Hex Bombs set 3/13)

So if you read my post a few weeks ago, you might have known how excited I was about the Mustard Plug show on 3/13 (although I incorrectly dated it in that post... my bad). And, seeing as you already know that I am a fan (and, of course, that I left halfway through their set for a late-night jam session; that's a different story for a different day) it would be redundant to review their set and perhaps a bit annoying and what some Kalamazoo NOISE! anonymous commenters might find fellatious. Instead, I'm going to focus on a Kzoo band who played alongside them, one we know and love: the Hex Bombs.

 [Hex Bombs set, Papa Pete's 3/13/10)

     The first thing I notice is that-- 20 or 30 minutes late-- I am still awkwardly, embarrassingly early and there are awkwardly, embarrassingly few people. The crew I had agreed to meet at doors (9 pm) is conspicuously absent.... and now is the perfect time to observe (and, as always, eavesdrop). I'm in the middle of several groups, and am more or less camouflaged; with everyone assuming I'm part of at least one of these conversations, I am, effectively, not here at all, and simultaneously, a part of every single conversation. We they discuss details of their bands' recording progress, and collectively harsh Guitar Center, hipsters, and rockabilly kids while old-school Mitten Ska scene kids loiter and mingle over well-whiskey mixers. What sounds to me like Flashlight Brown is blasting from the speakers, which wait patiently beside the completely empty stage, before the mostly-empty room, like a well-meaning teacher trying to amp up an unenthusiastic class of mostly-present students. Building suspense? Winning them over? We'll see in... well, whenever Hex Bombs are ready. Because "[THEY] ARE ROCK'N'ROLL!!!!" dammit!
     The half-silence that fills the room makes my identity increasingly conspicuous-- an awkward girl with a cup of pop and a notebook-- I am, indeed, a writer. The Enemy. I shed my hoodie-- the other (5 or so) girls aren't wearing hoodies much at all-- and try to relax a little... quando a Roma.
     Beneath the hovering green lights above the pool tables, shaggy-haired misfits in Bush-era slogan t-shirts ("Not My President".. you're goddamn right he's not; get a new t-shirt) lean low over the tables and dreadlocked girls in too-tight pants look on.
     I impatiently tap my toes to Hex Bombs' soundcheck and wonder what happened to the ska scene as a boy nonchalantly and inexplicably moons the stage.
     They finish soundchecking; Social Distortion throbs through the speakers and I can sense that the time is near.
          I immediately realize it's going to be a great show as the Hex Bombs tear into their set with the anthemic "This is My Life," and the house comes to life with the Bombs' unique brand of proletariat punk. With a classic punk-revival attitude, Hex Bombs play with a Rancid/ NOFX-rendered swagger that is part passion, part defiance, part... pirate (?) and a whole lot of fun. And for all of you who miss the aforementioned skate-punkers-- as well as Mad Caddies, Dropkick Murphys, the Misfits and the rest of the crew-- rest assured: punk rock is alive and well. Their old-schoolishness is quite what I like about the Hex Bombs: half throwback, and half novelty; either way, props for stickin' with it. They have a legitimacy that you can't fake, even if you try: these guys truly fucking believe in what they do... bonus props for being real in a decreasingly-authentic world and a decreasingly-authentic scene.  
     Not to mention, I would like the Hex Bombs anyway if only for the fact that I can't get enough pirate in my life, being a landlocked Midwesterner and all. But, somehow, they pull it off. The mix between their inexplicable seadoggishness and their uniquely Michiganian brand of punk rock strikes a comfortably familiar and, at once, bravely novel, chord in all of us ex-teen-punkers out here.

     After Hex Bombs' whirlwhind of a set was the Cin-city ska band called The Pinstripes... if you're into soulful, reggae-influenced ska, these dudes are magically delicious... check 'em out here!

     Oh yeah, and Mustard Plug was good too...

Later days.
--thejunkie

Barking Tuna 2009 NIGHT TWO PREVIEW!

Night Two: Fri 10/09/09 at Papa Pete's

The Legendary Shack Shakers (Nashville) {folk punk} [http://www.myspace.com/legendaryshackshakers]
You might have noticed that I categorized this band as "folk punk." If that sounds strange, it's because it is. While I love a good experimental band, they kind of sound like this: a hillbilly and a Russian met in a traveling circus, had a child, homeschooled it, and only allowed it to listen to Dropkick Murphys and watch Tim Burton movies. Infer what you will.
Sidenote on Nashville: while it calls itself "The Music City," I did fairly extensive research on Nashville's music scene for this blurb alone, to try to get a context for this band, and honestly didn't find a whole lot that didn't fall under the country/ blues/ etc category. There are some indie bands but, otherwise, not a whole lot going on. So while I give this band props for stepping out of their crowd, and while I have a certain amount of faith in WIDR's music selections for Tuna (especially after Night One) I'm not real optimistic about this show. But I'm going, and I have an open mind, and we'll see.

Who Hit John? (Kalamazoo) {roots/ americana} [http://www.myspace.com/whohitjohn5]
So, you have to know that moments after I first listened to this band on Myspace, my internet browser completely melted off the screen and left me with that excruciating helpless panic that only a computer malfunction can bring. Regardless, their first listed track, "Till The Last Dog Dies" KEPT PLAYING without so much as a skip between jingly banjo-and-fiddle stylings. Because of this, I'm led to believe that this band has supernatural powers, and am expecting a supernatural show. I hope they live up to it. (Just kidding. But seriously. And does anyone know anything about computers? Because I think mine is broken.)
Anyway. With names like Hamdog and Django, I'm sure these folks know how to party, and you guys already know how I love a good bluegrass show. With character-centric, party-oriented jams about gettin' drunk and causin' trouble, Who Hit John? plays it safe: not unappealing, but nothing we haven't heard before. With the right energy tonight, I'm expecting this show to go over fairly well. Personally, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Papa Pete's-- a predominately rock/ metal venue-- full of skeletal vegans with dreadlocks and Peoples' Food Co-Op tshirts. I think it will be a more anthropological experience than anything. And hopefullly the music will be ok, too.

Michael Beauchamp and the Barn Roughs (Kalamazoo) {folk} [http://www.myspace.com/michaelbeauchampmusic]
After spending some time with Michael Beauchamp's music, I'm starting to think that what I took at first for a stripped-down, decidedly low-fi sound is actually just a bunk live recording. On one hand, I'm a little annoyed, but when I put my music snobbery aside and just pay attention to the music (when I'm not distracted by people coughing in the background [PS-- we're onto you!]) it's actually really good, pure, old-fashioned folk music. Like... old old-fashioned folk music. While he has the requisite Bob Dylan-influence-mention on his Myspace, there really isn't a whole lot-- if any-- 60's-folk influence that I can determine. I almost want to [please, let's not have the conversation about 'the impossibility of Bob Dylan NOT influencing an artist']. But Beauchamp has such an unbelievable backwoods purity to his songwriting-- and his voice itself-- that simply wasn't present in the 60s, when folk was so much more tense and aware; he seems to transcend this with a unique, reductionist take on music: letting it speak for itself. His warbly voice and wavelike strumming seem to lean against a beautiful croon of traditional fiddle, and the overall effect is simple, not overwhelming, but hauntingly pristine. Beauchamp, etc is probably my pick for tonight.