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Issue # 47 March 2003 thewigwambam.com |
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| Ignoring Objectivity Since 1998
WIG WAM BAM “Albuquerque zine of music & nepotism” |
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| Black Maria, Pimpin’ Gin, Neko Case,
the Mindy Set , Fukrot, Abandan All Hope, Pere Ubu, the Tattersaints,
Mr. Spectacular, Black Maria, the Friendly |
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2/1/03 @ some dude's house in Santa Fe submitted by Marvel Girl |
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| THE
L.A. SHAKEDOWN Los Angeles, California submitted by Marvel Girl and Apache Chief |
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| Piss Ant, Psychobilly Idol, the Weaklings,
the SuperBees, the Dragons, Bluebird, the Blazing Haloes, the Kings,
Guitar Wolf, the Epoxies, the Upper Crust, the Demolition Doll Rods, the
Muffs, One Man Army |
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| LOCAL
RELEASES NM bands, any label |
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| Inerex (stat) CD 2001 |
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| LOCAL
ZINES title & number precede page count, size, print frequency; price |
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| Fixed Resistor #2 2 pp, 11x 17,whenever; free |
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| LOCAL
SHOWS |
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BLACK MARIA, PIMPIN’ GIN 1/25/03 @ Joe’s Pimpin’ Gin was tight (there’s that back-handed compliment again) and well-played but were mostly nondescript heavy rock. You know the type: lyrics about flying free or some poetic aspiration by dudes who look badass but are actually forklift operators in real life, guys who smoke pot from bongs. Now, Black Maria on the other hand, who gives a shit what they do. These guys rip. They’re the most together five-piece I’ve ever heard. I’m not sure what impresses me more: the fact that they’re so good or the fact that they’re so good that a hard-rock hater like me loves them. It was a bit touch and go there in the back corner of Joe’s, a joint that was never designed to hold a live band, never mind the shoulder-to-shoulder throng thrashing to the music. There were some big dogs from the rez who were seriously upset about some of the little pups moshing on them. A coupla skins looked like they was ready to throw down and bust some heads. I was situated behind the railing two steps up and so safely watched the proceedings, even banged my head a little, along with the best of ‘em. It was a great Black Maria set as always, torching everything in sight. But please spare me the excuses when you refute the Christian right’s claim that this sort of music incites people to aggression and mayhem. Of course it does; that’s why you like it. NEKO CASE 2/12/03 @ Launchpad It was unsettling to show up by 10 and the place packed all the way back to the merch tables. I’m glad she’s finally getting her due but after waiting about three years to see Neko Case, I knew I had to have a plan to get up front: hang by the bar away from the suffocating crowd, have a couple of drinks and then stake out a spot at the stage as soon as the opening acts finished (low key twang and not much to distinguish themselves to me although both have good cred, Catherine Ann Irwin from y’allternative indie darlings Freakwater and Carolyn Mark from Case’s side-project the Corn Sisters). Even though Case kept saying she couldn’t hear anything in her monitors, it sounded terrific stage-side. She, the bass player and stringed-instrument virtuoso John Rahouse all came across perfectly at just the right levels. The best news of the night was Case telling me that the other band she’s in--the New Pornographers-- are coming through here in a couple of months in support of their new release. As much as I love Neko solo the Pornographers are an incredible pop supergroup, an aural confection that shines and refracts brilliantly. I caught them in Boston just as their debut CD Mass Romantic (2000) came out. It’s at least as perfect and deserves as much (or more) praise as the other ‘pop record of the decade’, the Shins’ Oh, Inverted World (2001). The Pornogs are more upbeat with a wall of sound, brimming with hooks that slap you left and right repeatedly. Don’t dare miss their show or either CD. All we need here now is a Maow and Cub reunion show (with Neko drumming) and her entire career will be covered. the MINDY SET 2/22/03 @ Burt’s D’oh! You mean to tell me that all this time I’ve been seeing the Mindies I didn’t realize that frontman Matt Dickens was in UV Transmission years ago? That his guitarwork, that was what I liked best about the UV sound? Of course it wasn’t me that figured this out, old coot that I am, but a comment I overheard from Xav Mistletoe. So that’s where all the Mindy Set’s smooth Manchester stuff comes from! In any case I have nothing bad to say about this band especially now that Isaac is playing keys. I could barely ever hear what’shername (the old keys player) but Isaac was mixed perfectly tonight even though the keyboard kept ending up in his lap, excitable boy! This is the sound that modern psychedelic bands like the Warlocks lose in their promiscuous space-jams, just as it happened in the late 60s when pysch experimentation by good ol’ rocknroll bands like the Yardbirds or the Small Faces led to wretched sonic excess of Cream. Plus you can dance to the Mindy Set. If you can’t dance to it, it ain’t rocknroll, not really. FUKROT, ABANDON ALL HOPE 2/24/03 @ Smooches Abandon All Hope have added a second guitar since the last time I saw them a few months back. They're tight, blazing thrashcore with a solid rhythm section which means you can actually find a backbeat to dance to instead of just jumping up & down and hitting people in the pit. Of course any band that has Eben drumming will automatically have power-plus. Roger (guitar) told me that 21st Century Garth's brother's new label will be releasing a split 7" of Abandon and another band whose name I’ve already forgotten. Fukrot plays out all too rarely anymore but still are the happiest grind you'd ever like to hear. The shit just cheers you up. It was interesting to watch Eben play two sets in a row and see the stylistic difference of how he drums with the two bands. Abandon All Hope isn't melodic by any stretch of the imagination but in comparison to Fukrot, maybe. Miles' guitar and Greg's bass were punishing as usual. Greg says they’ve got some new songs --maybe something a little different than before--up their black sleeves. Oh boy! PERE UBU, the TATTERSAINTS 2/26/03 @ Launchpad History lesson: Just about the time the Ramones were getting up and the New York Dolls were breaking down, over in Cleveland a landmark group formed in 1974. Half of them influenced by Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, the other by T. Rex and the Stooges, Rocket From the Tombs were among Ohio’s top-rockin’ bands (along with the Mirrors and the Electric Eels). A constant rotating line-up and “artistic differences” led to the 1975 splintering of the Rockets into the raw punk rock of the Dead Boys and the more art-oriented Pere Ubu. Artistic rock has never been an easy selling-point (nor should it--look what atrocities later happened in the name of Art Rock: Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rick Wakeman, Yes…) By 1980 most everyone had forgotten about Pere Ubu and their commercially inaccessible music; that is, everyone except original Rocket From the Tombs member, Crocus Behemoth now just known as David Thomas, keeping Ubu alive in his no-compromise way. They’ve taken breaks but never really stopped, releasing records ever since, although many of them might take some work to listen to. Just a few nights before this Launchpad show, a combo Rockets reunion/Ubu show took place in California; I sure hope somebody got the fucker on tape because if this night’s set is any indication, it must’ve ripped. Our own chameleon-like Tattersaints kicked things off in fine form, reminding me of Lou Reed backed by Wayne/Jayne County and his/her Backstreet Boys circa 1974. Drummer Heath was singing up a storm--too bad no one stuck a mike in his face. Everyone involved including Heath himself said that would have been a bad idea, but still… Frontman Mancel tried to stomp Jeffrey’s guitar pedals across the stage but was foiled in the attempt. I don’t know the bass player’s name but he did an admirable job although he isn’t as much fun to look at as ex-bassist Rhonda who’s busy pulling kid-duty full-time. That really rocks; kids are the greatest invention in the world… The ‘saints played early because David Thomas insisted on taking the stage no later than 11 o’clock and who’s gonna argue with Crocus Behemoth? Not me. Right off, the newest line-up of Pere Ubu put out some seriously good sounds, each member of the band a musician rather than someone who merely plays music. It was rock, it was jazz, it was beat, it was an invincible combination that hit the spot right where you need to be hit. I was particularly impressed by Michelle, the happiest bass-player alive. And why not, with that rock-solid but fluid-spine groove she had going from start to finish? Drummer Steve impressed me too (but not as much as my escort [let’s call her “Claudia”] who attempted to celebrate her recent birthday by sticking her tongue down Steve’s throat after the set. Apparently a one-woman man, he was having none of it, the poor fool. Admirable, yes, but a fool just the same). It was a seamless performance that ratcheted up notch by notch until it was full-on rocking by set’s end. The crap part was the unfortunate attendance of a few vociferous a-holes in the crowd who obviously had better things to do than listen to true musical genius in action, like screech about their pathetically boring little lives all night long. I mean, we’re in a bar, of course you expect people to talk and laugh and have fun but these shit-for-brains were audible above the formidable music. What th’…?! I’ve been at shows full of bonehead mohawk mosh punks who had more manners. A few of these idiots tonight felt their ten-buck entry entitled them to heckle Thomas repeatedly. One thing you can say about the man is doesn’t suffer fools gladly. To his credit, he got off a few choice comments but unlike some big shot rockstar Thomas, a real gent, didn’t let it interfere with the quality of the show, thank christ. Musically speaking, this was one of the best shows ever at the ‘pad, especially in light of recent lackluster revival sets by other old rockers of the period like Wayne Kramer (ex-MC5) and Exene (X, Original Sinners). Oh and make certain you’re not confused by the deplorable similarity of the name Rocket From the Tombs to the crappy trashpunk of Rocket From the Crypt. The two bands couldn’t be further apart in style and talent. MR. SPECTACULAR, BLACK MARIA, the FRIENDLY 2/28/03 @ Launchpad Who knows where the heck I been ‘cause I’ve never heard or heard of the Friendly before. Not that I’m worried, they’re not really my thing but the concept of indie rock with bass as a lead instrument is rare. Let’s see--there was the Ponies here a few years back with two basses but they were closer to the mathrock spectrum and then there was, umm…hmmm… can’t think of any others… Well, anyway, the Friendly had some solid bass action right out front backed by jazz-time drumming and a jingle-jangle rhythm guitar, the kind of stuff that music magazines like Magnet will give good reviews. At first I was reminded of a little Versus and old Built To Spill before went all emo. Soon after that I wasn’t sure where the Friendly’s direction was. Actually, their next direction is east a little, to Austin TX for industry sleazefest SXSW where I’m sure they’ll get a good reception, certainly one better than mine. Next, Black Maria carved out another dense and groove-heavy doom set. So what else is new? Not as powerful as their last show, they’re still almost too good. It’s frightening. Mr. Spectacular are indeed spectacular in a boogie-buzzrock way, some of the best crude & rude cockrock swagger around. Their drummer’s kit is about the most punkrock- fucked-up kit ever, even more than the dumpster set used in Cowboy Up! and TNA and that’s saying something. Mr Spectacular and Black Maria are the best heavy shit to come out of this town for many years, a great double-bill. |
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CONTRIBUTOR |
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HOMEWRECKER 2/1/03@ some dude's house in Santa Fe submitted by Marvel Girl Some Santa Fe scenesters do Jawbreaker style poppunk/ emo-core. Pretty neat actually, alot better than I expected it to be. Both guitarists have that solid Les Paul sound and the drummer can't go wrong in his Motorhead t-shirt and minimal kit. The singer mixes screams with the singing and had a crowd-pleasing sense of humor. |
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| THE L.A. SHAKEDOWN |
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A variety of circumstances prevented me from attending the Los Angeles Shakedown (like not being fuckin’ cool enough) but to mine and your great fortune two intrepid rock and rollers from here in the Dirt City made the journey and submitted the following report; Aye, a couple o’ poets, they are, just like Mary Wollstonecraft and Percy Bysshe Shelley --ed. THE L.A. SHAKEDOWN Los Angeles, California submitted by Marvel Girl and Apache Chief SATURDAY 2/15/03 PISS ANT, the Grand After not one, but *TWO* last-minute venue changes...after waiting an hour and a half for the line to start moving ...after being searched heavily ...after being told the Rezillos cancelled... after finding out that Bud costs $4, real beer $5 and mixed drinks $6, Piss Ant just didn't cut it. Their schtick: the "singer" has large fake breasts and bleach blonde hair. The guitarist sports a goatee that protrudes straight down eight inches from his chin and uses a dropped D tuning to give everything that heavy hardcore sound. We tolerated only a few minutes then decided to take off to the "third stage" a venue across town called the Garage. PSYCHOBILLY IDOL, the Garage Now that we've arrived at what appears to be a real venue (rather than an abandoned, condemned hellhole) with reasonably priced drinks we're feeling much, much better and ready for some rock. Apparently the garage used to be some sort of bondage- themed hot spot. Then Psychobilly Idol climbs onto stage. They sucked. To give you an idea some of their songs are entitled Saddle Up, Truckers, White and Lazy and 10-4. C'mon. Not to mention they covered Dirty Black Summer by Danzig. At best the members of Psychobilly Idol deserve sterilization, at worst death. However, during this ordeal we were able to entertain ourselves with the movie at the bar: Animal Nocturna, a Mexican film with awesome 70's style endless cop cars driving around. Cops getting out and shooting a guy for several minutes without killing him. Cop car explodes in almost every scene. Couldn't decipher any plot, but who cares? I just wish I coulda heard the music. the WEAKLINGS, the Garage Now these guys rock! They opened strong with a good rock beat and pulling guitar licks. The steady thumping bassline laid a solid foundation for the rock and the singer could actually sing. Tying it all together with their natural performance energy. The Weaklings really got us in the rock and roll spirit. Also quite appealing-- they had the nerve to mock Ralph Carrera for doing a "great" job organizing the Shakedown. the SUPERBEES, the Garage Yay! The Superbees graced the stage with powerful, energetic, harmonic mix of leads and rhythm, complemented by "sexy" basslines and just-enough-drums. The singer has vocals that scream without failing to sing. Keeping the human fly attention span from buzzing away they kept their set short and sweet. The Superbees epitomize rock at its finest. Now we decide to head back across town to the Grand to check out the bands on the first and second stages, only to find that the fire marshal has shut the whole thing down and only the people who are already in the venue are allowed to stay. So, we have no other choice but to retire to our kind host Jonathan's lovely abode until the next day. SUNDAY 2/16/03 In lieu of quality entertainment, we decided to skip the first few bands. Instead we spent our afternoon skateboarding and eating some fabulous Indian food. This meant we were lucky to walk right in the door as San Diego's Dragons were in full force. The third stage had finally opened at the Grand. Apparently the night before it was being used for a hip hop show, but tonight it was all ours. It was absolutely lovely. Huge, several bars, a balcony, bathrooms… all the trimmin’s. the DRAGONS Anyway, The dragons had both guitarists strumming Gibsons, which lent an assured solidity to the overall sound, which was enhanced further by vocals that were both rockin and melodic. All members had donned leather pants and sported black hair, if that might give you an idea of their pure rock sound. It was apparent that the dragons love to perform and that fun-loving exchange with the audience is what really set them apart from the other rock bands on this bill. I'd have to say that they're probably among the top two bands at the L.A. Shakedown. BLUEBIRD With screeching crust-core style vocals and a Primus-style slap bass we can't admit sticking around for very long. However, when we happened to be passing through a few minutes later this crap had evolved into slightly less crappy metal. the BLAZING HALOES Okay, I'd admit that I'm not absolutely sure whether I was seeing the Stitches or the Blazing Haloes but the singer didn't look like the Stitches guy. Yet...I was pretty trashed the one time I witnessed the Stitches. Whoever they were, this band had snotty, fast vocals reminiscent of MDC (Millions of Dead Cops). They had a basic three-chord punk style laced with a few catchy progressions that were punctuated with shouts of “Hey!”. Lots of fun. the KINGS It's all like, "Let's do the time warp again". The Kings, of Brooklyn, were cursed with weak, distorted vocals. In their favor, they had a strong horn section (don't think ska even for a minute here, it was nothing like that) more like solid, well-written1950's rock and roll. they also featured a pretty female bassist who moved back and forth between a jazzy walking bassline an a steady 4/4 rock beat. She was dressed tastefully and modestly, setting herself apart from the majority of the shakedown "cock hungry whore" fashion sense. They covered something like Jailhouse Rock, but I don't think the soundman was on their side, so I couldn't quite make it out. Apache chief spotted Jello Biafra wandering around looking lost as he had just entered the club. I would have never recognized him as he is old and fat. Nevertheless, he was extremely friendly and as we tried to steer him in the direction of the Epoxies (reviewed sooner), he countered our taste by trying to steer us to see Upper Crust (reviewed later) who he was clearly very excited about, "They're the whole reason I came down here". After Jello cleared some debris from his hiking boot, Apache Chief helped him sort out which stage was which and we left him to enjoy the show. GUITAR WOLF Honestly the appeal of the Epoxies, even though we've seen them twice already, kept us from sticking around very long for Guitar Wolf although they are very good at rockin’ (it seems like a Japanese gift; either that or you have to be the best in town to tour out of that tiny volcanic island of squid-paste consumers and fire-breathing moth worshipers).Still, they didn't live up to the rumours of diving into broken glass and other dangerous insanity. the EPOXIES Portland's Epoxies are absolutely wonderful! They rock like few other bands today. Their keyboardist pumps out some amazing stuff with dead-on timing and accuracy without sequencing a note. Also, they get the Indomitable Spirit award for having lost no enthusiasm throughout the guitars cutting out and shit. They also get credit for a merch table conversation with Apache Chief and Marvel Girl in which they admitted they would miss their drummer very much but they respected his decision to leave (he's got a kid & doesn't want to be away on tour all the time). No shit-talking, imagine that. Still more credit for their modesty. In response to compliments on their performance, FM Static (the amazing keyboardist) says "the goodness is all an illusion". the UPPER CRUST We had to rush over to see Upper Crust (of Boston) on the illustrious Mr. Biafra's recommendation. We'll just quote him for the review: "Four guys dressed in Louis the XIV style powder wigs playing AC/DC style anthems about hating peasants". They were freakin' awesome! They even had period authentic between-song banter. Seeing an old Jello shaking his thing surrounded by clueless kids really made my night. Please go see these guys if you like rock and have a sense of humour. the DEMOLITION DOLL RODS Almost naked women (drummer and guitarist) play stripped- down blues with male vocals. Their minimal style made Marvel Girl believe they were of pure blues/ rock roots and a good band to watch (even though they weren't particularly nice people). Apache Chief felt they had a cool sound and good singing, but couldn't stay in time with each other. He hated them and thought the singer would have been a good solo act with his one-string two by four and excellent singing ability. the MUFFS Eww. Shitty female vocals again. Sadly, one of the few bands able to get a good sound on that stage. Too bad they were boring and stupid. Whiskey For Dinner. Cool, dude. Boo. ONE MAN ARMY Shitty cliche punk. Left after being smashed by moshers. As we were leaving, we saw Texas Terri giving her guitarist a motherly scolding for "not having eaten earlier." We were sad to have missed her performance that afternoon, which we heard was even more outstanding than usual, but hey.... next time around. --Marvel Girl and Apache Chief. |
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RELEASES |
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Inerex (stat) CD 2001 inerex@ ritualdocument.com www. ritualdocument.com/inerex Its fun in that by doing this zine strangers turn me on to their recordings, especially when it’s a genre I know little about, like this minimalist ambient CD. One guy behind the counter at Newsland sees me monthly picking up piles of rock rags like Ugly Things, Big Takeover, Garage & Beat, Venus and other assorted ephemera while dropping off a few Wig Wam Bam’s to add to the mountain of periodicals this shop carries (something for everyone! Even Barbie Collector Monthly!). So anyway me & C. Archuleta (damn! I don’t even know the cat’s first name) always have a few words about music or shows and one day he hands me this Inerex CD which is him from a couple years back. Can’t say I have a lot of (OK, any) experience or background of the genre to build a review on but I found myself liking most of it in that even the most minimal click beats are in reality pretty darn fast. Although the minimalism of the sound might deceive one into thinking Inerex is laid back, turn the volume to 10 at a crowded club full of sweaty dancers and this in actuality rocks. I’d personally prefer a fuller sound but I don’t think that’s the point, like maybe you have to bring something to the table too and complete this in your own headscape. |
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ZINES title & number precede page count, size, print frequency; price |
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FIXED RESISTOR #2 2 pp, 11x 17,whenever; free fixresist@ bonbon.net http;//fixresist2ya.com Subtitled “your #1 source for shit no one cares about”, Fixed Resistor is like the Abbott & Costello of local zines, tossing off jokes scattershot throughout its densely packed double-sided page, taking neither itself nor you at all seriously. And why should it? Zinesters tend to think that just ‘cause its in print, readers are hanging on our every word when in fact most people can barely summarize the last paragraph they’ve read, let alone keep an attention span for a whole page. This zine is like a pie in the face and about as sophisticated which makes it refreshing like lemon meringue on a summer day. Splat! Now that doesn’t mean Fixed Resistor editor Dr. Doom hasn’t got anything to say; he’s got plenty and mainly takes you to task for doing as you’re told instead of exercising your wet lump of grey matter more often. Feel the burn! |
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Wig Wam Bam (by Captain America PO BX 4865 Albq NM 87196 captainamerica1941@hotmail.com) |
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| Wig Wam Bam is written by Captain America |
po box 4865 | albuquerque, nm 87196 |
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