Uzuhi / Stray Bullets / Red Line Rebels / Empty Vessels
Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge MA 12/6/14
I wanted to be here earlier. I was detained by a Saturday afternoon matinee show at the Midway and this show has to be over by ten. But I knew that I couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t be late for the Red Line Rebels reunion set. They were one of my favorite bands when TNB started, decades ago.
But I did miss Empty Vessels. How are they being reviewed then, you may inquire? They are a band I like who I’ve seen many times before, but instead of bluffing it and making believe I did see them, I decided to ask a few of the musicians who did see them. Not telling them till after they gave their opinion what I was going to do with it.
“They started out slow but it picked up as they went along,” Josh the bassist for Red Line Rebels and now Hobo Chili tells me, “But, you know, with them it’s always like an art show. But I really like them and I thought they were great.”
After Josh pleading that he could think of something better to say I cornered Tommy Bee, the guitarist of Red Line Rebels. “They were dark and doomy. They played an excellent set.”
I can tell you the Empty Vessels are feeling a bit empty nowadays, as they were a four piece and now they are only two- a guitarist who has a lots of effect, doubles the bass and plays with dissonance and sings a bit and a drummer who’s wonderful with a lot of brutal energy and finesse. And they fall closer to Sonic Youth than Black Flag in their style.
And Josh and Tommy said they were great.
Now it’s time for the Red Line Rebels, as stated and sworn into testimony, one of my former favorite bands. A band I’d classify as skate punk or speed punk but that only tells half the story.
Their repertoire consists of very fast songs with some progressive, some humorous intro’s and endings that are closer to Frank Zappa than Minor Threat, truth be told, with a guitarist who plays more like an avante-garde jazz player than Johnny Ramone.
They have a very able rhythm section, one that can handle quick changes and play many styles. And a singer who stays on the floor instead of the stage, crashing into people during songs, exhorting them to circle mosh or throwing toilet paper or shooting silly string into the crowd. All this while the band plays their best: “Snot Rocket”, “Repo Man,” Skate And Destroy” and “Deported To Hawaii.”
After the set I figure- this is still one of my favorite bands!
Next is Stray Bullets, certainly one of the more popular local bands. Stray Bullets are a ska/punk band that is very polished and have an excellent drummer and front man. They’re style is not one of my favorites but pretty much no one locally plays that style as well as they do.
I recently reviewed the new, great cd. They seem to stick to mostly older tunes during their set but I do recognize, “Knife To The Pusherman,” a stand out song from the new album. What can I add but say an excellent set by an excellent band.
Now it’s Uzuhi time! This is, unfortunately, their last show in this area as the band is shortly, splitting up as two of the members are having a baby soon and are planning to return to Japan.
Uzuhi is an all Japanese band that is pretty much indescribable.
I think I’ve described them before as Queen and The Sex Pistols jamming on Japanese pop songs. I’ve also describe them as a Japanese Pop/ Show-tunes/ Hardcore band. And finally, what you might experience if someone put a tab of acid in your drink right before a hardcore band performed.
What makes them really special is the lead singer, Gosha, who kind of balances his role between M.C., comedian and philosopher.
He is one of the best front men I have ever seen with an incredible control of the crowd. His big word of wisdom tonight concerns “helping the young.” A great notion that I think this country has forgot.
Uzuhi is another band whose music style was not my favorite but was a whole lot of fun to watch. And I know of no one who will miss them as much as Julia, who came all the way from Dover, New Hampshire to see them tonight, once more.
Uzuhi turns in their usual surreal, fun set for our last time.
So it was a really great show with half the bands fading into the past after the show. It’s a shame but it was also a privilege and a pleasure to see them one more time.
(Slimedog)
