Boston band Static of the Gods is making their new CD, Knowledge Machine, available as a free download but just for this week only. You’ll have to wait to read my full review in the spring issue of The Big Takeover but I will say that of the 18 reviews I did, this was one of my 3 favorite CDs. In short, think “Gwen Stefani fronting Arcade Fire”.
DOWNLOAD: Knowledge Machine
Bang Tango’s been touring off and on since 1987, the only mainstay in the band being singer Joe LeSte. I’m not sure the last time they played Columbus although I do remember the last time I saw them – 1996 at the Alrosa Villa with Warrant and L.A. Guns.
So – if for no other reason than to hear “Heart of Stone” and “Someone Like You” – there was no way I was going to miss Bang Tango’s show at Slapsy Maxie’s even though reviews from the band’s recent tour have been mixed at best (supposedly one night the set was mostly covers with just one or two originals; there have also been reports of sloppy and drunken performances).
Slapsy Maxie’s has only recently started booking national touring acts (Dirty Penny has played there twice; Tesla’s guitarist Dave Rude has an upcoming show) and it’s a bit hidden in a strip mall off the beaten path, but it’s an ideal venue for bands like Bang Tango that don’t have the draw they may have once had. And for those like myself who live for nostalgic moments, Slapsy Maxie’s delivered last night, not only with the selection of bands performing but also with the conversations I overheard (people were talking about the Bulletboys and Great White) and the music being played on the jukebox (Jackyl, Zeppelin, etc.).
Bang Tango hit the stage close to midnight with a lineup that include Alex Grossi (ex-Quiet Riot) on guitar, Lance Eric on bass, and Trent Anderson (ex-Muchacha, Rockit Girl) on drums (damn, I wish I had known about Anderson’s Chicago rock background before going to the show!).
LeSte traveled through Bang Tango’s back catalog playing a set of mostly familiar songs. I’m partial to the band’s first album, Psycho Cafe, and was happy to hear tracks like “Attack of Life”, “Don’t Stop Now”, and the previously mentioned “Heart of Stone” and “Someone Like You”.
Bang Tango did play a new song (“Suck it Up” from an album that has been in the works for a few years and still isn’t done) and tossed in a couple of standard covers (T-Rex’s “20th Century Boy” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”) for an efficient 13-song set.
Overall, totally worth the $6 cover charge. There are a lot of rock clubs out there like Slapsy Maxie’s that book bands like Bang Tango, The Bulletboys, Enuff Z’Nuff, D’Molls, Rhino Bucket, Broken Teeth, etc. Please make sure that if you dig these types of band, you go out and check ’em out so that these clubs continue to bring these bands around.
Photos after the jump.
Continue reading “Live review: Bang Tango @ Slapsy Maxie’s (3/10/10)”
Sitting here letting Kasey Anderson’s Nowhere Nights CD sink in so that I can properly summarize it in 100-150 words for the next issue of The Big Takeover. It’s a rather fantastic alt-country release, with reference points being Neil Young, Steve Earle, and Tom Petty. You’ll hear shades of all three in the track “I Was a Photograph”.
If you’re headed to SXSW, you’ll have a few opportunities to see Anderson as he kicks off his Nowhere Nights tour.
Continue reading “Video: Kasey Anderson “I Was a Photograph””
Rolling Stone is reporting that Mark Linkous, the mastermind behind Sparklehorse, took his own life on Saturday. This is terribly sad news and comes just months after Vic Chesnutt (who had worked with Linkous in the past) killed himself. And, as in Chesnutt’s case, just a look at song titles and a listen to lyrics reveal that Linkous made no secret about his sadness – “Heart of Darkness”, “I Almost Lost My Mind”, “Sick of Goodbyes”.
Linkous was one of the first musicians I ever spoke to for AtomicNed’s predecessor, Swizzle-Stick, and I found him to be a very interesting and enjoyable person to talk to. You can read that interview, done back in 1999, after the jump.
Pepper Rabbit – “Red Wine”
(twisted but tasty pop)
Jennifer Knapp – “Dive In”
(stripped back folk and country-tinged rock)
Woven Bones – “If it Feels Alright”
(the soundtrack to your screwed-up summer)
Riverboat Gamblers – “Robots May Break Your Heart”
(“if Against Me! had paid their dues opening for Faster Pussycat at the Whisky in 1984, they might sound something like this” – Spin)
Class Actress – “Careful What You Say”
(“sweetly spectral vocals over lush ’80s synths and dance beats” – Nylon)
Dinosaur Feathers – “Vendela Vida”, “Teenage Whore”
(“1960’s pop, surf-rock guitar, mild tropical flourishes, maybe the B-52s” – NY Times)
Summer Cats – “TV Guide”
(organ-driven bopper)
Kisses – “Bermuda”
(disco project)
Benni Hemm – “Retaliate”
The Young Sinclairs – “Tribe”
Yukon Blonde – “Blood Cops”
(compared to Midlake, CSN, Fleet Foxes, Fleetwood Mac)