Snacking/CHEW/SAHE/Poultry
Tuesday, November 17th 2015
The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg FL 

Originally published at Suburban Apologist 

“I like food, food tastes good!” - Descendents, ‘I Like Food’ (1981) 

Poultry, added to the bill last minute, are playing in a lesser used and small corner of the venue.  Without even enough room to turn around, spread their wings or see sunlight at any point during their set, it shouldn’t be surprising that new director Emmy Lou is trying to get the place rebranded The Vegetarian Compound.  These seem to be paltry problems for Poultry however, with a floating post-rock co-op (or coop) of soft guitar and dominating drums, that are relaxing despite their volume.  It seems only right to mention that the chickens of the sea, the other fake meat, the fish, make an appearance on singer Sam Wolter’s shirt.

The lone non-culinary act tonight are SAHE (sage, maybe?)  Now that Eagles of Death Metal are likely to leave a bad taste for a while, you’ll need to get your hard rock, punk ‘n’ roll blues fix elsewhere, and SAHE are ready to step in.  Vocalist and guitarist Nick Ehas not only steps but dances, struts and bounds around the floor space, no doubt making any hens in the audience envious.  The band fill silence as effectively as he fills the space, providing a non-stop melody of entertainment.  At one point when there threatens to be a moment of calm Nick emphatically implores his brother Pat on the bass to get into the next song “Faster faster faster!”  Often a good approach in music, normally bad in eating. 

CHEW from Atlanta are visiting St. Pete for the first time.  Their name might imply some sort of necessary effort on the consumer's part, and that’s arguably fair; the genre-buffet that is served up here simmers a lot of different ingredients.  The result thankfully is filling, with no particular elements drowning out the rest and impressive nuanced technique.  Brett Reagan utilises synths effectively without just throwing them over the top of the conventional rock band tools.  Bassist Brandon Pittman’s dancing adds something in the often-stiff world of instrumental performance.  The only voice outlet is an awkwardly angled mic for drummer Snare-uh Wilson, but there’s tempo changes and other interesting stuff going on, a pleasant soundscape against the Venture murals.  CHEW’s last song is a snaky little groove à la Stereolab, a comparison made not just because of the spoken French sample. Bon appétit.

The fourth round of any eating adventure should give pause for thought.  Maybe your other courses weren’t satisfying enough, or you’re being coaxed by some crappy taco franchise against your better judgement.  None of that is the case here though, with St. Pete emo darlings Snacking rounding out the meal like an after-dinner mint.  Danny Piechocki is the sandwich bread for the night (he’s the drummer in Poultry).  I’m just formulating the thought that Snacking are in the Texas Is The Reason echelon of emo quality, when they announce they’re playing a song “about a house in Texas” (‘It’s a Spring Thing’).  If you value good music and viable food supplies, say Snacking not fracking in 2016.

You should support The Venture Compound art space going into the new year also!  Attend the events, and consider a membership.  The new Venture TV can give you some compelling reasons why.  Feed them funds, and they will feed your soul.  I am now going to make a pizza.

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat/Piss Ghost/Taxer
Monday, November 9th 2015
Mojo Books & Records, Tampa FL

Originally published at Suburban Apologist

This past Monday at Mojo Books & Records there were three bands playing with as much variety and deliciousness as the store's offerings.  Members of Permanent Makeup and Velma and the Happy Campers brought us an early performance from Taxer, a mad and improvised jazzpunk merry-go-round.   Also new on the scene (and with Permanent Makeup credentials) was Piss Ghost, taurine-ripped and pissed-up and playing old school punk.  Finally at this Savage Beat show was Ed Schrader’s Music Beat.  This light-up-drum and bass powered Baltimore two-piece lavishly entertained all present, bringing sharp shards of humour and vocals where Mark E. Smith gloom meets Yasuko Onuki pitch.  Also fuck New York City and microphone chords.  Have a mojo at this photo from Brian Mahar that captures members of all three acts.

2018 note: I can't find the actual photo this bonus cup was written to accompany, but you can see Brian's awesome photos at his instagram here.

Savage Beat Promotions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/127944510594921/

Awful People/Raging Nathans/Wonk Unit and more

Sunday, October 25th 2015

Xtra Medium Video Productions, Largo FL

Originally published at Suburban Apologist

It’s been 15 years today since I went to my first gig.  It’s also my first official day of unemployment in a long time.  These occasions are to be marked in an unlikely venue in humble Largo, smothered in an international punk atmosphere that I aspire to have in the rest of my life.  Xtra Medium is a venue within a business inside a living room. Just two nights earlier, they showcased the band Carb On Carb from New Zealand, and tonight's event is something of a pre-Pre-Fest for bands that have travelled from Europe to Florida.  If this keeps up the warm-up shows will keep moving south until Hot Water Music are playing spoons in my kitchen.

The lineup has a geographic trajectory too.  Überyou from Zürich have already been on tour for over ten weeks, starting in Cuba and going throughout South America.  They don’t need any tax-free rides bankrolling their ventures.  Their solid punk set comes with a gravelly singing voice and a thin Zach Galifianakis on bass.  “Let’s have some beers later,” says the hardworking vocalist, sounding like he could do with one now.  Or maybe the lack of alcohol license in a video conversion shop should be considered a blessing after some three months on the road.

From Lodi, Italy comes Red Car Burns.  Another burned voice soothes us (it’s ironic, how that works), right in the Stubbs sweet spot but with pretty hard backing music.  Their backup-singer/guitarist moves gingerly from foot-to-foot as they perform, hinting at the delicate souls underneath the hum. Even though Red Car Burns appear to write primarily in English they speak very little in their set, but that’s okay.  I sure as fuck can’t write their review in Italian.

Power-poppers Personal Best have a singer from Wales (Newport), an English bassist, and an English touring drummer who lives in Brooklyn.  They are also fantastic. I love simple songs about buses and work, and if John Peel was still around he’d be having them in for a session.  A flowery purple amp that may well have been there all night comes to my attention and fits perfectly. Singer Katie’s voice stands atop the melodies just right.  Listen to ‘If You Meet Someone In Love’ and try not to love it. I dare you.

When you’ve lived over here for a while, it can be easy to forget just how laughable certain aspects of American culture are.  Londoners Wonk Unit (new album here) remind me, telling us how they drove all the way from Alabama, praying to the baby Jesus as the billboards no doubt instructed them.  The last laugh might be for the theists, though: Alex has lost his voice en route, resulting in an unwanted gravelly delivery. Coincidentally, many of Wonk Unit’s songs are about laying gravel, plastering, and the like.  Alex explains it all in spoken word intros, apologises for his state and gently lambasts the drummer for not doing the “woos” in ‘Nan’. It’s a rubbish shame but still a pleasure to see a band associated with the scenes back home, and that’s saying nothing about guitarist Benny’s Stone Roses hat.

Wonk Unit are on tour with Ohio “No Coasters,” Raging Nathans.  They connected through Wonk Unit’s current label -- Drunken Sailor Records -- which is funny, as The Nathans bear a most positive resemblance to Wonk cohorts Revenge of the Psychotronic Man and the associated TNS Records.  The three-piece play what might accurately be called “lightning fast” punk live (with perhaps Kris Roe on vocals) and run a distro/label (Rad Girlfriend).  I picked out a 7” by a band called Couch, though I’ve yet to confirm whether it’s the group that were a big influence on fellow-Fest performer Andrew W.K.  These friendly Ragers tell us how unfortunate we are to have missed the full Wonk Unit experience, as this is the first night on tour where “they’ve made us look good.”

There’s a nice poetry and holisticness to having the newest, most local act play last after all of this. Awful People are a tight and melodic Pinellas band with former members of Arm The Poor, Feral Babies and Criminal Culture.  They pay it backwards, suggesting support of all the touring acts, as they “don’t have anything.” Nothing except a chugging punk sound and much potential.  

This daring, unique and globe-spanning event was made possible by the accommodating and friendly Savage Beat flyer-drawing company.