Spectre Hawk / Great American Cookout / Death Cloud
Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA 10/17/15
So I was hoping to see The Martians, who dropped off the bill, a new band I heard good things about. Ray Finkle alerted me to them, said they were old-school punk and I would like them. I guess, in some way I never got a passing grade so I’m still stuck on or still stuck in that old school. Let’s just say I have a weakness for the sweetness it imbues.
But for all the disappointment of not seeing real Martians playing real punk rock is dissolved with the appearance of the first band- Death Cloud.
I, also, have a weakness for punk inspired experimental rock and also for women who get involved in such manly, masculine endeavors.
So this is a band with three females on guitar, bass and drums who play, “post-punk/ experimental/ riot grrl” music. Which is pretty definitive and it sounds pretty great to me.
The bassist sings so there’s minimal bass, the drummer plays simple jungle/surf beats, the guitarist plays sustained, distorted fuzz guitar with chords that frequently slide slowly up or down the strings, depending which side of the equator you’re on.
The bassist/singer either speaks poetic lyrics or shrieks in an angry scream.
This is music like Unlisted play, no wave music, a reaction then to the general pop-iness in new wave music of the late seventies, early eighties when this style first existed.
This is raw, rough, honest music that feels like it could fall apart at any moment. These are not seasoned pros. But when the music grooves and shimmers at certain points I feel the hair stand up on my arms.
“Euphoria”- “you bore me, you thrill me, you kill me,” is a favorite song along with a song about drinking poison called “Summer Joys.” I was inspired but I think I’ll stick with Bud Light.
This is their first show and I’m afraid that the noise crowd will steal them away.
But as far as I can see this is another slice of the most creative side of punk and I hope they can continue to cut and stab away at our sensibilities and let the blood fall where it may.
Great American Cookout is the next band and in their facebook they mention punk and hardcore. But I hear none of that, what I hear is progressive metal with two singers singing in a black metal style.
Though the rhythm section is excellent, as well as the guitarist, they play a style of metal I’m not interested in.
The metal I mostly like now is short, brutal and hardcore influenced and that’s not the case here.
And the two singers singing the same thing, though enthusiastic, don’t add anything by doubling up. More confusing is they end with a ska song.
Good points- humor and proficient playing. Bad points- just not what I’m into.
Spectre Hawk is scheduled next to play led by Tommy Somerville, a man more well known than I, for sure.
Before their set I compliment him on their choice of covers, which seems to be one a set but then never repeated again. I’ve seen them cover Generation X and Alice Cooper to name a few.
Tommy says their version of “Black Diamond” by Kiss was their best and that leads to a discussion about how Kiss is often looked down upon by folks who like some great things but are put off, prejudiced by their image (we both agree).
He refuses to tell me the cover tonight only hints that it will be Halloween related.
But I haven’t explained who Spectre Hawk is yet. They are a band that is probably more garage rock than punk but you could call them garage/punk and be about right. They’ve been around for awhile and at first, their playing was a bit rocky (the pug) but now sound tighter and tighter each time I see them.
They are a mix of young and old players and Tommy looks quite majestic today. He has a silver headpiece that creates a mask around his eyes as silver bolts shoot out from the sides of his head; as well as a suit jacket with added material under his arms that he lifts at the end of songs that suggest a flying bat.
He looks kind of like a mix of a super hero and a bad guy wrestler.
It turns out the cover is from The Rocky Horror Show soundtrack and they have a sax player sit in to boot!
Besides the visuals, besides the covers, this is a band that is Fun! Fun! Fun! (even after your daddy takes the keys to your T-Bird away). And this set was Fun! Fun! Fun! from start to Finnish (Netherlands).
Paid Vacation is supposed to be the last band to play but as I confer with Derek the Midway’s soundman/doorman, and he relates he hasn’t seen anyone from the band we can only assume it’s the end of the show.
It appears that Paid Vacation took their name to heart and decided to use up a vacation day.
(Slimedog)
