Battle
Of The Bands 2004 @ Sherlocks
Battle
3 - 02.12.04
1.
Coffin Bangers
The
Coffin Bangers hit the Sherlock’s stage in full costume
for a set of pure horror rock madness to kick off week three
of the Battle of the Bands. Veteran of the Erie punk scene
Bob Kellogg (you might remember him from such bands as My
3 Scum) looking dually menacing and comical in a top hat and
a all black get up led the trio through psychobilly rave-ups,
played at blistering speed with a wash of cheap reverb and
distortion. Add the super cool, original black Silvertone
guitar that Bob was playing and if it weren’t for the
obvious punk rock influences (and the atmosphere of Sherlocks)
you could close your eyes and imagine yourself downing beer
and other substances in a 60’s garage.
This was the
biggest crowd of the 3 weeks and fans of the ‘Bangers came out in full force and costume,
including a dancing Elvis (all dress in red…the old,
fat drug addict Elvis of course…who was always the
coolest Elvis in my mind) and the Wolfman who shows up
regularly at Coffin Banger shows.
Sounding
like some of the better Estrus bands, the Coffin Bangers fluidly
combine surf, punk, rockabilly and attitude for a mixed up
drag racing, B-horror movie hell raising good time. I mean
people really let loose and had a good time while they played,
dead on, Bob hardly moving an inch as he ripped through Dick
Daleish guitar solos and Cramps-esque rhythms…all with
smooth, uber-cool vocal delivery of an Elvis who grew up on
Black Flag rather than gospel. A cool band, cool sound and
a rockin’ great way to start the night!! -
photo by Rick
DiBello review by John
Johnston
2.
Kenny & His Backpack
I’ve
seen Kenny &
His Backpack twice now and if you watch the drummer really
closely, he plays with only one arm. I mean not all the time
and I don’t think there is some physical disability,
but it’s kind of like this “hi-hat, hi-hat, hi-hat,
snare, hi-hat, hi-hat, hi-hat, snare, repeat” but with
only one hand. I’m not ripping on him because he rocks,
it’s just unusual. I wonder if he grew up listening
to Def Leppard? Anyway, I’d sure like to talk to him
sometime and ask him about it.
OK, about the
set…An interesting contrast to the
60’s trash rock of the Coffin Bangers…modern
influences such as Nirvana, the Foo-Fighters and Creed
certainly shine through. And Kenny’s delivery (is
that the lead singers name?) is way enthusiastic, playing
to the crowd and whipping them into a yelling frenzy of
beer-drinking madness.
Highlights include
the Girls Don’t Like Me song
with a great Cobain-esque hook (even the jangly verse and
distorted loud chorus’ that made them famous) and
the song with the keyboard part that went da da da da,
da da da da right at each turn around (if you were there
you get this) that is still sticking in my head today and
the duet with the gal keyboard player that was more hippyish
in a way, but likable and laid back and a sounded good
in a sincere boy/girl sing songy harmony sort of way.
Overall
a strong night from this band…but who is Kenny? If you
guys read this give us the story! -
photo by Rick
DiBello review by John
Johnston
3.
Frog Tree Gorge Band
I’ve only seen this band once before, and I really
don’t remember it…could been the whiskey or
the gin or 3 or 4 six packs, I don’t know…but
anyway, they sure seemed to capture the crowd right from
the very beginning. And several of my cohorts kept saying
what an awesome guitar player they had (I saw they had
two).
Just a quick interjection, this was certainly a night
of three very different bands, not only musically, but
delivery. We had the almost stoic, pro-like Coffin Bangers,
the super-enthusiastic Kenny and the feel good happy vibes
of Frog Tree. Like the guys were smiling the whole time
and really looked liked friends and like they were having
a good time.
They
opened with a rollicking version of Janes Addiction “Been
Caught Stealing”,
a song that always annoyed me when it came out, but has
aged well and actually sounds really good 10 years later.
Then, into a set of kind of a heavy Dave Matthews or Phish
pop, hippie, jam thing. And I have to confess, it’s
getting late and I’m tired and the bass frequencies
are making me dizzy and then a Toadies song that I kind
of remember but didn’t really like and I’m
a little bored. I’m thinking about work tomorrow
and the girl in the way too tight sweater and what’s
in my fridge and if I should smoke more and all of a sudden
these guys freaking explode!!
I mean,
I was never into the post-Dead jam thing, I respected it,
but never got into it, but anyway, these guys are on fire.
Like jazz musicians who take Ecstasy rather then smoke dope
and there’s this completely rocking 15 minute jam and
I’m not bored at all and I’m way into it and then
they transition flawlessly into a rhythm section solo and
the guitarists say something to each other and they trade
off amazingly fast and flawless riffs and it's just really
fast and cool and rocking…like if Joe Satriani or Ynwgie
what’s his name or one of those other guitar guys rocked
rather then being all technical know how and then they jump
around, like Devo used to do in their videos…left, center,
right, left, center, right, center and stop on a dime. And
I’m thinking, man, my band can’t end a 3 minute
pop song together…and then walk off stage to an amazed
crowd…and that’s it…fantastic job (and good
choreography). -
photo by Rick
DiBello review by John
Johnston
The
standings after week 3 of Battle of the Bands are:
1st
Place - Ron
Yarosz
2nd - Frog Tree Gorge Band
3rd - Waiting For Never
Battle
1 - 01.29.04
Battle
2 - 02.05.04
Battle
4 - 02.19.04
Battle
5 - 02.26.04
Battle
6 - 03.04.04
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