It is a rare occurrence that I miss out on Porn.

The band... but you knew that right? Riiiiiight.....

Ok, so in spite of a minor setback previous to the show, I arrived in time for Big Business. If you know me, you know I love me some Big Business, and they did not disappoint this time around. They played a lot of material from their debut record, Here Come The Waterworks, and 3 songs from their latest tour ep... which happens to include a cover of Shocking Blue's 'Send Me a Postcard'. Not what you'd expect from a band as punishing as Big Business, but the results are kind of hard to argue with. It also seems that Big Business is no longer a 2 piece, as Toshi Kasai has taken on the role of full time guitarist. This time around, his parts seemed to gel a bit better than the last time they came through town, a trait that more touring and practice has obviously strengthened.

Although Chicago probably endured the most ferocious storm of the summer about an hour before the show (and a killer all-night lightning display that was quite incredible), the real thunderstorm came when The Melvins took the stage. The Melvins and I have a strange history that dates back to 1996, and it involves the Rosemont Horizon and Kiss. Yes... Kiss the band with that annoying douchebag bass player Gene Simmons. I saw Kiss on their first reunion tour with full makeup and the original lineup, and The Melvins happened to be the opener. At the time, I had heard the name but never any of their music, and I may have had the chance to hear a lot more had the effin' Kiss Army not booed them right off stage after 3-4 songs.

Now, even as a 17 year old kid, I said to myself, "ok, you idiot 'fans'... if Kiss has an opener on the bill... don't you think they are probably fans of the band and/or obviously had a say in who was going to be opening such a historic tour?" In my opinion, that pretty much gives a band the right to be heard. You can disagree, but I think you're flat out wrong. So I was left with a very faint glimpse of what The Melvins were all about that night, and even though Kiss completely blew my mind that night, The Melvins never escaped my conscience, and I'm glad they didn't.

So fast forward back to 2008 and 7 or 8 Melvins shows later (they are pretty good about coming around once a year and I always try to catch them). The Double Door feels like its 100 degrees and 99% humididty, the place is overrun with dudes (whadja' expect?) sweating their collective asses off, and the bartenders are even spraying water into the crowd (which, on any other night, I'd probably be super pissed about, but this was a welcome relief). The Melvins open with the title track to their new record, Nude With Boots, and continue to bring the Double Door to its knees over the next hour or so. This was by far the best Melvins show I've ever seen, and probably makes its way onto my top 20 shows list of all time. The new(er) additions to The Melvins, aka the Big Business Rhythm section, coupled with King Buzzo and Dale Crover are an absolute force that, pardon my french, cannnot be fucked with. It's perhaps the best example of how old and new school musicians have joined forces to create music that far surpasses their individual talents. Most of the set consisted of songs from their 2 most recent records (Nude With Boots and A Senile Animal), but they broke a few hits out of the vault from Houdini ('Honey Bucket' sent the crowd into a frenzy), Stoner Witch, and I swear they did something from Ozma that I couldn't quite put my finger on and quite honestly still haven't been able to (my memory sucks sometimes). Another highlight(lowlight?) came when King Buzzo called for a 'heat break' in which he recalled a totally tasteless joke about Billy Corgan's mother that I didn't find really funny, but most of the crowd seemed to. When the show ended, The Melvins left the stage, walked behind the bar, and disappeared. No curtain call, no bullshit, just an hour or so of a complete musical education. I left the Double Door having soaked through my shirt and pants completely with sweat (not piss... come on now)... and couldn't have been happier. You wanna play in a kick ass band? Go see a Melvins show, take notes, and practice your ass off.

Posted by pete croke at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

wheezywaiter.com is the brainchild of the one and only Craig "Joong Boo" Benzine. In addition to his relentless posting this month (I highly encourage taking the 30 minutes or so to check out his videos from the month of July), he also finds time to front Driftless Pony Club, a group that originally began in Madison, Wisconsin but now calls Chicago home. Take a little Archers of Loaf, mix in some Built To Spill, and the better/louder moments of The Moon and Antarctica-era Modest Mouse, and you have yourself Driftless Pony Club. If you ask me, that's a pretty sweet combination. In this video, Benzine lets you in on a typical DPC practice session. If I can find whatever commitment and enthusiasm Craig has tapped into for the month of July, perhaps you can count on more than 3 doubletimefeel.com entries a month (for shame, Pete).

Gosh, that drummer really seems like a dick*...

* just kidding, Nate.

Posted by pete croke at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Another year, another Chicago music festival... yea yea yea maybe I'm feeling a little jaded, but this year's Pitchfork Music Festival had some memorable moments. Here's my top 5:

5) Mission of Burma - After all these years, Mission of Burma still have it. Performing Vs as part of Friday night's ATP "Don't Look Back" series, the guys nailed the record from front to back. The band looked to be having a lot of fun, which always makes a set that much more entertaining to watch. They were a tad self deprecating when it came to the whole age thing, but I've seen kids half their age play shows that have been completely uninspiring... so at least MOB still has the energy and passion on their side.

4) Dinosaur Jr - If you were there, I'm sure you noticed the 4 full stacks for J. Mascis. Yep... 4. He even had one on Lou Barlow's side of the stage (my guess was in case Lou had trouble hearing what J was playing). Joking aside, how can you not like what Dinosaur Jr has done over the years? Heavy distortion, riffs awash in their fuzzed out glory, Murph back on the kit, and J's signature solos made for a set that reminded me just how much ass this lineup kicks.

3) Extra Golden - Of all the bands playing over the weekend, Extra Golden was the set I wanted to see the most. Although they played on the smallest of the Pitchfork stages, the people who were there all seemed genuinely interested to listen. Lately I've become borderline obsessed with African music, so I was particularly interested in seeing how this collaboration between American and Kenyan musicians would transpire live, and the results were fantastic.

2) Torche - Ok, so this show wasn't officially a Pitchfork sanctioned event, but it was an excellent way to cap off the weekend. The Empty Bottle hosted a Pitchfork Afterparty where Torche pretty much took my face and melted it off. It kinda bums me out that there isn't more "aggro" type music at these festivals, but that is neither here nor there. At some point, when metal becomes even more fashionable than it seems to be right now... perhaps my wishes will come true. Until then, I should probably just stick to Milwaukee Metal Fest, right? Ok, where was I? Oh yea, so Torche pretty much ripped through a set comprised of songs mostly from their new record, Meanderthal. As of now, this record is my frontrunner for best of 2008, but we are only in July and the new Melvins record is still growing on me. I also hastily purchased a tshirt at the end of their set, which at the time, unbeknownst to me, has a rather noticeable silhouette of a penis that I happened to completely not see... and then wore to work a few days later. Ooops.

1) Public Enemy - Public Enemy was the reason why I bought tickets for the entire weekend. To me, the cost of the weekend would justify itself, even if I didn't go back for another second after Public Enemy was finished playing It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back. I can't even begin to explain how much influence this record had on me as a kid growing up in the suburbs, with no sense of where hip hop was coming from, or no easy way to identify with just about anything most rappers of the 80s and 90s were singing about. Although I still probably don't have much of a personal perspective on it, Chuck D did more to at least grab my attention and let me know that he was pissed off, and do it in such a commanding and, more often than not, poetic way. That being said, I had one great fear... as I'm sure many others who probably came out did, and that was the chance that Flava Flav was going to come out and completely make an ass of himself (ala his completely sad/whack VH1 tv shows) and ruin the reputation of a once mighty machine that was Public Enemy. Other than the fact that he showed up late and completely missed "Bring Tha Noise", Public Enemy completely killed it. I've heard conflicting reports that Flav was lip syncing on a few songs, and while I definitely did notice some of his vocal tracks from the record were present, I don't think it was done to cover his live track up... but what the hell do I know. I do know that he completely nailed "Flavor Flav Cold Lampin'", and the way they switched up "Black Steel in The Hour of Chaos" (maybe my favorite Public Enemy song ever), was completely amazing. I'm glad that those who stuck around expecting to see a train wreck were shown why Public Enemy is perhaps the most important, and still relevant, groups in rap history.

Posted by pete croke at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

No doubt about it, Head of Skulls have some serious Chicago rock n' roll pedigree. Singer/guitarist Chris Hansen also fronts Pinebender, bassist Allison Hollihan played in Atombombpocketknife, and Noah Leger (also in a band I'm in, if that means anything) has played in Milemarker, Challenger, Hurl, Taking Pictures, Thee Speaking Canaries, and World/Inferno Friendship Society. Their music is a healthy dose of each of their other bands, and also reminiscent of Hot Snakes/early-era Unwound. If you are into the louder sounds of the Chicago music scene, look no further than Head of Skulls. Word on the street says they just finished mixing a full length, but no release date has been scheduled yet. I bet if you come to the show tonight you'll hear a good amount of what the record entails. They'll be opening for Memphis' own Lover!, and Pittsburgh spazzos Modey Lemon.

Posted by pete croke at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresh off the heels of their sophomore release Into the Trees, on Absoltely Kosher Records, Sybris has released a video for their first single, "Oh Man!" This song is catchy as all get out and qualifies as something you'd include on a great summer mixtape. The song also contains my favorite lyrics of 2008 (so far):

"Where'd you get those drugs, from a pusher? Where'd you get that pussy, from a hooker?"

Yes, Angela Mullenhour, you went there... and more power to you. Anyways, this video is one of the better music videos from a Chicago band that I've seen in quite some time, so lets get to it:

Posted by pete croke at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think the last arena-rock show I attended was pre-2000, featuring Pantera, Anthrax, and Sebastian Bach (yea, that dude from Skid Row). With outrageous ticket prices, even more outrageous merch costs, and the general douchebaggery that is often associated with a 10,000 seat arena, I think I made an unconscious decision a long time ago to avoid big rock shows at all costs (hey, you stick 10,000 people anywhere, you're bound to have a few personality conflicts so don't just take that as a dig on the general rock concert-going crowd). I guess I'm trying to say I'd take my chances with a small club any day of the week. Unfortunately for me, that means that I've probably missed out on some awesome high profile acts that I still believe to kick a lot of ass.

Imagine my surprise when I learned Anthrax was playing at The Double Door (capacity 500...give or take a few). To sweeten the deal (or sour it, depending on your take), this was to be their first show in almost 2 years, and also featuring a new lead singer. Given my aforementioned predisposition, I totally jumped at the chance to check them out once again. After all, Anthrax played a major role in my love for heavy metal in the late 80's, and I'm sure there are millions of others who feel the same way. Previous to last night, I'd seen Anthrax on 4 other occassions, so maybe I'm not what you'd call a super fan, but their records definitely find their way into my rotation on a very regular basis. Before I get into this show review, I'll make it known I'm definitely more of a fan of the Joey Belladonna era of Anthrax over John Bush, but it's not something I'd argue about or am extremely passionate about one way or the other (unlike DLR/Sammy Hagar).

So the band opens up (almost 1 hour past the 9pm stated on the tickets, but no biggie... they are Anthrax after all...they can take the stage whenever they damn well please) with a brand new song... strike one. Yea, this is a new lineup and they have been writing new songs for a new record... but come on... you gotta open with a barnburner that people know, especially since you made 'em wait around for so long. However, almost immediately I was struck by the band's new singer, Dan Nelson. Now most new singers are held to the fire when it comes to comparisons between themselves and their counterparts, but honestly I didn't think Nelson sounded much like either Belladonna or Bush. He had his own style that most reminded me of a younger Phil Anselmo more than any Anthrax frontman. Any way you put it, Nelson can flat out belt it out. His range was great and managed to make some of the later era Anthrax songs sound way better than I remember them to be ("Safe Home", for example).

Musically, I thought the band was completely on point. There were a few technical glitches here and there, but nothing that was a major detractor to the set. Its pretty obvious that the show was more or less a warm-up for their dates with Iron Maiden, but the energy on stage was intense throughout the night. I've always admired guitarist Scott Ian, and to have the opportunity to see him play in a setting that most people would never get to see Anthrax in was incredible. His banter with the crowd seemed very down to earth and genuine, and given that he is probably the most recognizable face in the band, it's a breath of fresh air to see that some "rock stars" don't act like complete dickheads. Bassist Frank Bello was also fun to watch, as he'd pace back and forth on stage, frequently beckoning and gesturing to the crowd to get into it. I got to see him play with Helmet at the Empty Bottle a few years back, and it seems to me like he's very much at ease with playing in a club setting. Charlie Benante continues to be an insane force on the drums, and his technical prowess after all these years was really something to behold. Rob Caggiano was back on lead guitar, and he seemed the most restrained of the bunch, but had his moments in the spotlight where he delivered some blistering guitar solos.

Anthrax powered through about 14 or 15 songs (I can't remember the exact set list), and featured 3 songs from their upcoming record record. The new jams didn't strike me as particularly amazing, but that is pretty typical with most bands I see anyways. Its difficult to fully appreciate a new song when you hear it live for the first time, at least I believe it to be. To their credit, the new stuff was pretty heavy sounding, which seemed like a direction the band was steering away from on some their more recent studio efforts. They didn't reach too far back into the discography, which was kind of a head scratcher for me, but they did play some of my favorites ("Indians", "Antisocial", "Got The Time", "I Am The Law"). What actually impressed me the most was hearing some of their later-era material and thinking that the songs sounded way better this time around, a definite credit to the band and their new singer.

I'm not going to make any predictions on how the new lineup is going to fare, but I definitely hope the best for them. I think Anthrax has never fully received the credit they are due, and many of the big name metal bands of today owe a huge debt of gratitude to bands like Anthrax, and are nowhere near as good if you ask me. They have forged on in spite of the various opinions, trends, and bullshit within the music industry (I can't believe i just used that term, guuuuh), and more power to them for doing so.

Posted by pete croke at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

If I could somehow figure out a way to enforce it, everyone I know would be required to hear the Shipping News record, Save Everything. Ever since my first listen, they've had a fan for life. The six songs contained on that record really hit me in a way that very few records have ever been able to do. The last time I saw them was at the Hideout Block Party in 2006, curated entirely by Touch and Go Records for their 25th Anniversary. Shipping News kicked off that amazing weekend, and I remember walking up to the stage just as they started into "Books on Trains", the opening track on Save Everything.

I don't know what the official status of the band is these days, but they are playing tonight at The Hideout with The Poison Arrows. They haven't released a proper record since 2005 and Chicago shows are very scarce, but regardless... seeing them live is an opportunity you shouldn't pass up, especially at a venue like The Hideout. In addition, here is a free mp3 the band is offering though the Touch and Go site.

This is a clip of Shipping News at the T&G 25th Anniversary, along with some interview footage of the band.

Posted by pete croke at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)