Whoopi Sticks / Some Kind Of Nightmare / The Guilloteenagers / The Labor Pains / The Knock Ups
Opus Underground, Salem, MA 4/24/17
Opus is another club in Salem, Japan that caters to Americans and American’s wildly popular taste in punk music. Hosted by Asian promoter, Hazee Sowdoolam, his shows match the exquisite cuisine of the musical delights that Koto has, also.
The Knock Ups are the first band to play and they show right away that this ain’t gonna be no tame, lame, first set concession to the other bands.
This is a kick down the doors, full blastin’ rockin’ one that begs the question, “You keep a knockin’ but you can’t come in!”
But you can enjoy this riot grrl, traditional and garage rock influenced trio with gutsy playing and great songwriting to boot. Two grrl’s, Gretchen and Cat, both sing and play guitar but Cat’s guitar has two less strings on it though more claws. And they have a member of the fairer sex on drums, who certainly plays great for a guy.
They start out with “Knock You Up” into “Busted”- two of their best and lively songs and the grrl’s do some “rock moves” together, that with guys would be pretty cliche but in this case is new and exciting. Their fourth song is my favorite, it’s a song about Charles Manson that reminds me of the great song by Hole “Malibu.”
So, no just “getting you ready” for the next bands, meek ram-o-lama set. This first set was like when you win a game at pinball and the machine clicks.
The Labor Pains are next. Gretchen mentioned towards the end of their set how appropriate it was to have a band named Labor Pains follow the Knock Ups. I recently became aware of this New Hampshire band and reviewed their great cd.
They’re a punk band that doesn’t try to hide being influenced by The Ramones. With a song title like “I Don’t Wanna Be Good,” the drummer wearing a Ramones t-shirt and the band doing a great cover of “Havana Affair”- nothing is being hidden.
And I feel that’s good- why not be inspired by one of the greatest punk bands of all time.
They play a cheeky little number, “My Little Masochist,” a favorite of mine and break the set up with a strong, surf instrumental- something like Link Wray might’ve cooked up.
But near the end of the set the guitarist/singer, Kyle, breaks a string, and several bands are running around offering him their guitars. Another reason why our scene is so great.
They end with their favorite song, “Go Fuck Yourself” that I, unreasonably, take personally and start to approach the stage. Thankfully, cooler heads prevail as I was about to clean house. But really it’s a pretty, great song and they just played a pretty, great set and I hope to see them again, under less violent circumstances.
The Guilloteenagers are next to rock’n’roll! I first saw them at a Roslindale Porchfest, next to my hometown, and it was there that I became aware of their humor filled, hard rockin’ punk’n’roll style that levels buildings- much like Godzilla did Japan. But hopefully not tonight at Opus.
They have a kick ass tight drummer, a female bassist Ali who offers vocals support as well to the guitarist/singer, Matt, who tries to screw things up as much as he possibly can.
But really they all create a fun, powerful sound and rip through some of my favorites like “50 Seconds” and “Kirk Cameron” which Matt explains is a tune about a “homophobic asshole.” And they conclude their great set with a new song called “Danzig” which involves a funny story about running into him at an airport. “Danzig is short!”
Some Kind Of Nightmare is the only band that I was unfamiliar with before tonight but I received a great recommendation from The Lost Riots, one of my favorite bands. They are a trio from San Diego with a female singer who also plays bass, and they’re a constantly touring band so it’s no surprise that they are, by far, the tightest band playing tonight.
And I’m not disappointed. The singer, Molly Mess, has a somewhat lower voice that recalls Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics. They play a high-energy, explosive set with the song “American Slave” sticking out to me.
But they also have a song about breast cancer, that is lyrically and musically superb, one that encourages young women to be diligent in care.
Molly also proclaims Mexican food to be much better in San Diego than New England, but also mentions that Salem is their favorite town to visit in the country!
After the set I tell Molly my mother is a twice survivor of breast cancer, Salem is indeed a great town and most importantly- being a huge Mexican food fan and being in Southern California before, that she is exactly right!
Whoopi Sticks is up to take it out and it’s my first time seeing my punk daughter, Lindsey, playing were her new bandmates. Namely, Kyle on guitar and Paul on bass. They’re also involved with her side project of punk songs for kids called Lindsey Loogie & The Sewer Buddies.
They do a lot of old songs like a favorite of mine, “I Don’t Want To Be A Person No More”, but also add a couple of great new ones that are more streamlined in rhythm. Their music is a great amalgam of punk,surf, riot grrl and the future and they play a wonderfully,fun set.
I’m very proud of my “punk” daughter and tonight, I feel I fulfilled my most important task today as a father. That is, of course, embarrassing her in front of her friends.
It is now two days in a row I have traveled to the Orient in my quest for the perfect punk rock. And though most would seek spiritual enlightenment in the wisdom of the Far East, I’m more than satisfied just to get drunk and listen to some punk music.
You see, it’s all about the yin and yang, the tai and chi, the balance of mind, body and spirit.
But I wouldn’t know anything about that.
(Slimedog)
