Kermit’s Finger – “Grudge”
In keeping with the current throb or pulse of modern life, TNB strives to be on the cutting edge of what’s happening now and relay it to our audience. Those folks, our readers, who are the happening people with the cutting edge of the guillotine of corporate life poised, perilously over their neck. Knowing that one wrong turn and the swipe of life descends, and your remains add up, in worth, to equal-the total moral values of the powers that be. (Current residing government).
Yes, we are in the know, they are in the now, and the now has been transported using Star Wars technology, dislocating us back to the fifties- where racism, sexism, homophobia were not only accepted, but rousing-ly cheered.
So to fault me for reviewing an album that’s seven years old, by a band that turned in the very best set I’ve seen this year- well, tell your leaders to get in step from seventy years ago! Tell all those worthless, decrepit old white men to off themselves or, at the very least, check into their local retirement home and let the young, live their lives free- multi-cultured, multi-sexually orientated and fed up with the poisonous, fat frogs of society sticking out their tongues to grab one last frail fly.
Kermit’s Fingers name involves a juvenile joke about what Kermit might do to Miss Piggy. But the youth of America deserves to give the finger to a lot of the old people running America. DEPORT ALL OLD FAT, MALE FROGS.
Which brings us back to a band, that’s seventeen years old now, and are still playing live shows.
They play in a hardcore style, heavily influenced by punk- no metal/angst ridden/hardcore here. But a style that draws on Black Flag, Husker Du, The Dictators, Angry Samoans and many of the original punk and hardcore bands who had little to follow so had to, adroitly, forge their own way.
And that’s what is great about this album. Equal parts garage, punk and hardcore- but totally punk in feeling, original in content and completely fun and wild and powerful in results.
Let’s pop it into the car deck:
“You spilled my drink and everything’s fine, three hours later it’s all I got on my mind…I hold a grudge.” Well, who can blame him? I’d rather my blood be spilled than my alcohol but then, with my normal alcoholic content- it’d be about the same. But what is special is this rockin’, garagin’ number with slashing guitar chords, psychedelic bent notes and slammin’ beats that add up to a great tune.
“Et Tu Brute” starts with a simple, guitar lick and three beats declaiming the drama of the scene. This song scurries along like an old Black Flag song. “When they say they hate you, I have to agree. Still don’t know what that has to do with me.” Great, charging, poignant hardcore punk tune.
With some funkin’, chunkin’ guitar chords,”Too Old Too Young,” comes busting out with a Husker Du like vibe. “She was far too old to live that way. She was way too young to die.” Instead of elaborating too much on the story, the song stays concise and pure and true much like a great, The Feelies or Wire song, and succeeds equally great.
“Faux Hawk Man,” is like a theme song for a cartoon show, done in punk style, that totally works.
“If Not Now,” is a crushing, hardcore tune that blasts away with a discordant note, every eighth beat. “If I am not myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?- Rabbi Hiller. Those are the complete lyrics, this is a completely awesome song.
I recognize, “I Need Destruction,” as one of their strongest songs from the recent live shows I’ve witnessed. A kind of supercharged, punk/hardcore song that reeks of Iggy Pop & The Stooges, with driving rhythm and call and response vocals. This is also the song that Pete Pasted, the guitarist, plays his guitar like a Ginko knife sushi chef, going over and under the bridge of his guitar to grab notes in awesome display. “Gotta stay focused, gotta stay stable… Gotta be reasoned and able.” Instead of “I wanna drink all night…I wanna hurt my brain and go insane…I wanna take some pills and I wanna kill…I wanna do something that’s so fucking wrong.” This is the self-destructive side of creativity turned into a postively great tune. “I wanna punch a wall and I wanna wreck it all and I’m sick and tired of being so strong.” And I wanna write words, one tenth good as this (my favorite) song.
“House Party” is an awesome cover of the J.Geils Band song that was, actually a cover of a sixties R&B song by The Showstoppers! This version is so over the top, wild and passionate that it is beyond musical criticism. It also exceeds any recorded work by mankind.
I hope Kermit’s Finger continue to thrive. I think another release is due.
But maybe they don’t give a fuck about that, though I do. Maybe they just want to play some kick ass shows, which is very fine with me.
But I’d also like some more material as great as this. If you give a listen to them.
I think you will, too.
(Slimedog)
