Razors in the Night / Tijuana Sweetheart / Sourpunch (RI)
Rosebud Bar, Somerville, MA 7/16
Tonight, we’re off to the Rosebud Bar in Somerville to do an interview and live show review. It’s my first time at the Rosebud and I’m looking forward to checking it out. There are two cool bands performing this evening; Razors in the Night and Tijuana Sweetheart. Joining them will be Sourpunch from RI, who we’ll be checking out for the first time. Slimedog is very excited to be interviewing Tijuana Sweetheart (look for it elsewhere on this site) and I’m gonna attempt to do justice to the live review right here.
Slimedog and I are very familiar with the Razor’s and Tijuana’s music, having enjoyed their performances in the past. So we knew it was gonna be a fun show. However, there’s fun, … and then there’s, … FUCKIN’ AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE, PULLIN’ YOUR SHORT HAIRS OUT, BLOW YOUR SHORTS OFF FUN (phew…I think you get the picture). And if you were at the show (… and wearing shorts), you know what I’m talkin’ about. If you weren’t at the show, then shame on you, you missed something very special.
When we got there, I found the Rosebud to be a very interesting bar. I liked how the acoustics set up. The room was small and intimate with a low ceiling. It kinda reminded me of the Rat and the Underground (two deceased, but great venues for viewing live music, … RIP). I was pleasantly surprised to hear the background music include Dead Boys and Dictators tunes (2 of my all time favorite bands). The lighting was kinda bright for a rock club, but no one seemed to mind (… actually made it easier to see all the cool action that was about to take place).
The girls from Tijuana Sweetheart took the stage first and got ready to perform. An excited crowd followed and stood directly in front of them. The crowd could get very close to the stage/band members which made for a cool, synergistic relationship. In fact maybe too close, since during their set, Julie (Tijuana’s bassist) was unfortunately sent reeling by a spectator’s foul smelling burp invading her space (…I won’t talk about the farts …).
At any rate, … it was one, two, three …. and Tijuana Sweetheart was off and running. Their unique brand of high octane rock n’ roll was immediately infectious. The sound was awesome and the crowd was lovin’ it. Everyone in the Rosebud was boppin’ to the tunes. The band was firing on all cylinders and LoWreck (Tijuana’s drummer) was layin’ down the drum track with high energy precision. She pressed the proverbial pedal to the metal and never let off until the set was over. By the time it was all said and done, Tijuana Sweetheart’s performance was rockin’ hot (…in more ways than one) and the crowd was very appreciative. If you didn’t make it to the show, you can watch them playing, No Mercy below:
Next up was a band from Providence, RI called Sourpunch. This was their first show ever. They consisted of a girl singer/guitarist with 3 guys backing (playing lead guitar, bass and drums). They played straight ahead, high energy rock n’ roll. The young lady vocalist had a wicked cool Janis Joplin-like throaty voice quality. Almost bluesy at times. It created an edgy vibe that meshed nicely with their high energy beat. Even though they basically only played about 6 songs (twice, … hey, they just formed), they more than kept up their end of the bargain by keeping the crowd in the same frenzied state of excitement started by Tijuana Sweetheart (…not to mention endearing themselves to all by saying, they liked nakedness and wanted people to put forty-five records on their nipples).
As Sour Punch was ending, Slimedog returned to the bar after finishing his interview with Tijuana Sweetheart. He says it’s the easiest interview he’s ever done. We decide to hang out at the bar and await the final band’s performance; Razors in the Night. For some strange reason, Slimedeog is getting all his drinks for free tonight, which is pretty cool. However, we were kinda bummed that the Rosebud’s drink menu didn’t include our favorite shot, Jägermeister. Even so, it didn’t stop us from sharing a shot with Razors’ bassist Swid and Chrissy Spoiler (… just a little something to help get the juices flowing…).
Finally, it’s time for Razors in the Night to cap off the evening. And cap it off they do in very fine fashion. To be more accurate, they didn’t just cap it off, they obliterate it with a tremendous performance.
The Razors’ take the stage and hang out for a few minutes while Swid works out some technical difficulties. The crowd waits restlessly in frenzied anticipation (… during the wait, guitarist Todd broke into a few bars of Sabbath’s Symptom of the Universe…unless, of course, I was dreaming…). Soon Swid et all are ready to go and the onslaught begins….
Razors’ lead singer, Troy says, “Let’s Fuckin’ Go” and leaps into the crowd as the Razor’s break into one of their most popular songs, Carry On. The crowd goes crazy. The sound and energy are amazing. The band rocks out on stage, while Troy drives the crowd insane with an amazing interactive performance.
After Carry On, the Razors’ continue their onslaught by playing an unrelenting, action packed set that never gives the crowd a second to catch their breath. Troy continues his incredible performance by belting out lyrics from every possible location in the crowd/bar. When the music finally stops and the smoke clears, Razors in the Night have given the Rosebud one of the best performances Slimedog and I have ever seen.
I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the Rosebud was totally blown away by the Razors’ performance. Hopefully you were there and saw it too. Slimedog mentions this is the Razors’ first gig back home since their very successful European Tour. By all accounts, it appears the boys are very happy to be home (….as Troy articulated several times during the performance). I certainly know Boston is very happy to have the Razors’ back home as well.
If you missed the show, you can still check them out in this video (“The Summers”) below:
In closing I’d like to reiterate what a great show this was and that all three bands were fantastic. I hope you saw it. But, if not, have no fear, just make sure you check them out next time they play.
Later
(Andy Bang)
