Full Blown Chaos / Departed / The Struggle / Distressor / Honest John
Firehouse 13, Providence, RI 4/30/16
Well, I got picked up hitchhiking to the Firehouse once again by Mike Dowd. I wouldn’t advise hitchhiking to anyone, it can be dangerous. Me, I’ve been hooked on it since being picked up by the Charlie Manson clan in California back in ’69.
And look! There’s Ray Finkle with his thumb out on the side of the road as well. Well, at least I think that’s his thumb, though it’s more at waist level. We pick him up, too, seeing he did put this show together and it’s his birthday to boot!
The Firehouse has long been my favorite venue in Providence. It’s a funky place with either art or photography hanging on the walls. And it hasn’t changed much except now it serves hard liquor along with cheese sandwiches. And Ray has always been our favorite Providence promoter and he hasn’t changed much, either, except for the cheese sandwiches.
Honest John is the first band and I, honestly, don’t think I’ve seen them play since the TNB Xmas party in December. They seem as sharp as ever with their dissonant, abrasive, challenging hardcore and their ample doom-y rhythms.
Experiencing their songs is like getting caught in a whirling tornado of sound, a ferris wheel of confrontation. Their songs are short, strong, hard and intense. Many songs are strung together with short drum interludes leading onto the next nightmare or, depending how you look at it- dream come true.
They play a great opening set that during Dan, the singer, reveals- that like their former guitarist, Jay Genoa, that he, too, will soon have his first child!
Distressor is the next band to take the stage. They have a tiny, female singer but what comes out of her mouth is large and threatening, meaning- death vocals that suggest an impending doom!
I mention to Mike that I would call this band metal, not hardcore, and he agrees. And then we both agree that we’re being blown away by this bands music and sounds. The songs have a more moderate beat but are passionate and driving and as they go along the set picks up in speed and intensity.
This is a hard drivin’, headbangin’ band with an excellent front person and great tunes and I look forward to seeing them again.
Now, this is my third time seeing The Struggle. And I know I’ll be reviewing their first release the same time this review goes on-line. They consider themselves straight-ahead, old school hardcore but there’s a lot of hard rockin’ beats as well. I consider them a mix of hardcore and high-energy rock and in this, they remind me of another great local band, Words Of Truth.
I’ve enjoyed them each time I’ve seen them but they are by far the best tonight. Though I loved the two sets before this one I think this one will win the night. I express this to Mike and he totally agrees.
And tonight they do a cover of “Alcohol” by GangGreen and what is also known as the main element of Slimedog’s bloodstream.
After their set, their guitarist Chad, from the Beantown Booszehounds, tells me he told the other guitarist, the straight-edged Bill, who was once in The Stagmatics- that the line, “you’ve got the coke give me a line” is actually, “you got the coke give me a lime.” And he got this from a review I did of a New Years show that GangGreen played a couple of years ago.
I disavow any knowledge of this as court cases are still pending.
The next band hasn’t left but they are Departed. They’re a New Jersey band that plays in the heavy hardcore style with a lot of metal influence. This band is tight and intense with great, growling death/hardcore vocals.
Though this style doesn’t often connect with me, which is the case tonight, but they certainly play a fine set. I believe this is a band that Mr. Bang would be more at home with.
Now, Full Blown Chaos is the last band to play and they play the heavy hardcore, also. They do describe themselves as “hardcore, thrash metal, death metal etc.” But I feel they fall more on the hardcore side as I do relate to them more. They are a New York band and I guess they’ve been around for awhile.
And they play their style extremely well- no bluster, no bullshit, just a bunch of guys laying it down right.
Unfortunately, a little fight did break out during their set. But when I think of how many shows I see and how, infrequently this happens, I’m kind of amazed.
This band tops off a night of good music. Like a nightcap completes a night of fun.
Now it’s time to head back to Boston. I always marvel at how it seems there’s so few rules in Providence while back home there seems to be so many. I mean, people are walking outside tonight with beers.
And I’m told there’s a “Swingers Club” upstairs from the Firehouse. Now that I see what looks like sexy, scantily clad nurses descending, like angels from heaven, down the stairs. I’m told they are the bartenders.
And it would appear I’ve missed my ride back with Mike- he’s nowhere in sight. I’ll just have to hitch. Thankfully, I’m in the nice part of Providence.
Time to stick my thumb out on the road and hope for some friendly strangers to give me a ride…or the experience of my lifetime…or maybe,… the last experience I have.
(Slimedog)
