I was lucky enough to see Channel 3 last week at a small “old man” bar called Memories. From front door to the stage, the joint is maybe 20′ wide X 40′deep. I’ve seen shows there before (and played there) and as you’d figure, the sound is generally too loud & out of balance – but last Friday the sound was freakin’ great!
Anyhow, the line-up was different from the advertised line-up & like any show started late … but that’s nothin’ new in Chicago. The first band was The Clorox Girls – at first I thought they were “ok”, but as the set went on I liked ‘em more & more. I’m sure they get compared to The Briefs (I believe they’re from the same area) but I heard more influences & sounds … like Radio Birdman and early Replacements. Anyhow, I’d say check ‘em out if they roll through yer town. I missed the name of the second band, but it was basically The Clorox Girls minus their singer. They were fun, but less dynamic – more “Ramones beat up the Beach Boys”-ish.
Then Godzilla hit the stage with a hooligan anthem titled “Drink Beer Tonight” (er something to that effect) and it was a great “beers in the air” sing-along. Their set was aggressive & impressive. The drummer deserves a raise – holy crap was he “ON”! The whole band was “ON” … but at the velocity that the drummer was playing, he was tight & solid. I guess if ya gotta categorize Godzilla they’d end up in the hardcore category but they’ve got some great Oi melodies goin’ on and it isn’t all speed. Based on the show I saw, they are a balls out live band that I’d see again.
Local boys Destroy Everything played next … I had heard good things about them so I was excited. They have that Malcom McClaren inspired punk look and they’ve got a few years under their belt so I was looking forward to a ‘77-O-riffic set. Well … it was more Blanks 77 than 1977 … and when you’re playing that fast there’s no room for “push-n-pull” on the drums. The guitar & bass raced away from the drums on a handful of songs so maybe they just couldn’t hear the drums … I dunno – it was dissapointing. Who knows – it could’ve been the room, like I said earlier the sound usually “so-so” (but the other bands sounded good so what happened?) and maybe at a different venue they’d sound better or maybe it was just an off night … I’ll just have to check out another show.
Up to this point I had been having a great evening. Ran into some folks I haven’t seen in 12 or so years … the beer was cold … the music was rockin’ … I figured things couldn’t get any better. DOH! I was wrong … so wrong …
Channel 3 hit the stage & charged into a slew of songs that I couldn’t tell you the names of, but I knew the melody, I knew when the chorus was comin’ up, I even shouted out a line or two … I kept saying to myself, “Shit! that was CH 3?”. Ya see, The only CH 3 stuff I owned was a collection of comp tapes from friends that featured a song here & a couple songs there (maybe 12 in all) … that was a lil over 20 years ago. Well, those cassettes died in the great basement flood of 1992 and since then I haven’t thought alot about CH 3. Well that all changed about 3 weeks ago. Anyhow – back to the set …
So, they played all the shit that made me dig ‘em back then as well as more recent songs. I liked the new stuff, so I downloaded it from eMusic the next day. It’s got balls and isn’t a buncha “punk rock mid-life crisis” songs, or as those big time critics would say, “It’s a mature album … blah blah blah”. Anyhow – the singer was hysterical … crackin’ jokes, havin’ fun, playin his ass off. Hell – the whole band played their asses off but had this relaxed confidence that you’d swear this was the 5th night of a week long stay at Memories – it was simply fantastic.
If you get a chance to see Channel 3 … do so. If not, keep your eyes open for an upcoming documentary called One More for All My True Friends – it looks like it’ll be a good flick.
Filed under: Blogroll, critic in training | Tags: chicago, congress, iggy, live music, stooges
A week away from turning 60, and Mr. Pop is humping Mike Watt’s bass amp, rolling cross the floor, leaping into the crowd & floppin’ around like he stepped on a utility cable … DAMN! He makes me smile!
So, last night … The Congress Theater was the site of The Stooges Chicago performance. It’s not the greatest sounding venue in the world, but it’s the right capacity. The show was sold out, and we arrived in the middle of Shellac’s opening set, so we cruised up to the balcony and found a surprisingly good spot.
The stooges opened up w/ “Loose” & tore the Congress a new-one. They stuck w/ stuff from the first two albums for 4 or 5 songs and then started mixing in new material here & there. Overall it was a kickass show – but I woulda liked to hear more of the new album.
They played “My Idea of Fun”, “She Took My Money” & “I’m Fried” as well as “Lil’ Electric Chair” & “Skull Ring” … ummm, and maybe one more new one … arghh I forget. Anyhow the rest of the set covered majority of “The Stooges” & “Funhouse” albums and they played their asses off! I’m hoping performance from this tour end up released as DVD +/or CD.
A few years back, my wife & I honeymooned in Honolulu. I love it there … it’s so beautiful and you can emmerse yourself in the tranquility of nature or the hustle & bustle of Waikiki … it’s up to you. We had a wonderful time exploring Oahu, dining on awesome fish, being tourists and we got addicted to this drink at Tiki’s Grill & Bar called a Tikirita – martini version of a top shelf margarita with Li Hing Mui powder on the rim instead of salt (oh GOD those were good!) – Anyhow …
We planned a day where we’d hit the Aloha Tower Marketplace to visit Don Ho’s restaurant and hopefully have the chance to see him perform. Well, Don wasn’t performing that week because he was in Vegas for vacation (at least that’s what the hostess told us). We were bummed, but figured there’d be another chance to see him. And, besides … the Mai Tai’s were goin’ down so smoothly that we were feelin’ fine without his velvety crooning.
Well … that chance is now gone … Don Ho passed away on Saturday (04-14-07) from heart failure. Although I can’t say I listen to him alot, I really wanted to see him perform. He was one of “The Great Showmen” of our time. He was the type of singer that talks with the audience, flirts with them, makes them laugh and sing along … he was a true performer and will be greatly missed.
It seems like every 3 or 4 years I search out what Nick Cave is doing. No reason for the time lapse, it’s just that I sporadically think, “Hey, I wonder if Nick Cave has anything new out there?”. So about a week back I “googled” Nick Cave and discovered his new project – GRINDERMAN.
Just from the band’s name, ya know that yer in fer somethin’ that ain’t bunnies & butterflies. It opens with a pontificating Cave … a howlin’ buncha hooligans … the sound of urgency … and about halfway through the first song, you realize that you’re in for a long night of drinkin’. This album rocks, creeps, laments and sways through relatable tales of pride, aggravation, desire, love, loss … y’know – all that crap that makes us human.
This is a great sounding, captivating record. The production puts you right there in the middle of a high-ceilinged breezy room along with the band. It sounds organic. The driving distorted bass and searing guitars get your nerves buzzin’, the drums sound big & natural, Cave’s vocals are rich and at times frantic, the piano & organ capture dark (good & bad) emotions & a group of shouting derelicts in the background egg the band on to an album that is one helluvan experience!
There are so many great lines on this album that I don’t want to spoil it for ya. The lyrical tone of “Get it On” is bad-ass like watching Danny Trejo walkin’ into a crappy little adobe bar – not sayin’ a word – and seein’ all the hardass guys kinda sink into their stools. “No Pussy Blues” is middle-age aggravation at its finest. “Decoration Day” is beautiful but hopeless. And “Go tell the Women” conjures up childhood memories of being at a big family function … y’know, seeing those “wake-n-wedding” relatives all dressed up & drinking – laughter, crying, hugs, handshakes – kids running around – Aunts trying to set couples up – Uncles and your Dad crowded round a table solving all the world’s problems … yeah, it’s such a cool song.
I got a feeling this disc is gonna stay in my cd player for a couple weeks and I’ll be subjecting all my friends to it … repeatedly … hee hee hee.
My love affair with bacon started thirty some odd years ago. Breakfast just wasn’t a “meal” unless bacon was on the plate. Sausage or ham was good but it was never as wonderful as bacon. It really is a magical meat. Everything about it screams Rock-n-Roll.
When the bacon hits the pan it’s showtime! Like a tight roll on the snare you hear the sizzle. Then rhythmic pops & loud cracks like the kick & toms. Then the sizzle gets loud like an open hi-hat along with some cracklin ride. It’s all part of the build up.
Then a lil’ smoke starts rising from the pan, and as you wave your hand to clear your vision you see the once pinkish pieces of meat emerging as crisp, edgey strips of bacon. Hey, they’re the headliner for this breakfast gig … gotta make a grand entrance. Then the whole place is filled with the sweet smell of bacon. Not just the kitchen … I mean the whole joint! That cloud of bacony goodness rolls through the house and compells you to come to the kitchen. That’s when ya know ya better get in there quick cuz ya don’t wanna miss out.
Sitting next to the fluffy scrambled eggs & the uniform lil’ tater tots, the pile of bacon looks all crazy. It’s crisp on one end & chewey on the other. It’s wavey & curled & no piece is exactly the same. You wonder if you should eat it because there’s a small pool of grease gathering below the pile. Crunch! Awwww yeahhhhh – that’s the stuff! All doubt is gone at this point – the tater-n-eggs are simply the supporting acts.
Bacon gets a bad rap, it gets blamed for people’s behavior. “The Bacon made me do it”, yeah right! If it had a cousin, it’d be some fiberous grainy mixture that preaches the evils of bacon …”It’s the meat! the meat! ask any teenager what drives them to bacon and they’ll tell you – it’s the meat! the meat!”. Like anything in life, knowing your limits is important. And like Elvis’ swingin’ hips, bacon fryin’ on a griddle stirs up those carnal feelings that make ya wanna go wild! G’head … cut loose … just watch yourself.
I could go on & on about how bacon can make anything better, but I realize that bacon means something different to each of us. Maybe it means “family”, like a group of loved ones gathered together to share a meal. Or it could be your “spice of life”, pulling you out of the doldrums of lunch. And then it could represent the “bad-ass” in you, “%*^#! C. Everett Koop … I’m chompin’ on a pound a bacon today … fried in BUTTER no less!” Bacon nourishes, comforts, excites, and brings people together.
Once, I nearly witnessed a “bacon conversion” … I saw Cash Money (now called Cash Audio) and during the set they fried up bacon sandwiches on a hot plate to hand out to the crowd. Well, this gal next to me had a look of desire on her face that you could probably see clear cross the room, anyhow, she turned & said, “Ya know, I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years now, but goddamn do I want one of those sandwiches”. That, my friend, is the majesty of bacon.
