Jay Genoa’s New Blood Showcase
Livver / Crab Legs / Honest John / Danny Greene / BDSX
Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA 8/17/14
This is a show that took place in my office. Meaning, this is where I get my work done.
I don’t have a desk and I don’t have any doors. I have to bring my own coffee. I take no breaks but stay stationed inside.
This is not your office, you may say, this is the Midway. But this is where I get most of my material from. What I decide what I’m going to write about, what I’m going to recall from verbal exchanges, all notes taken in my head.
This is a show that took place in my office. (Please hold my calls).
This first band, BDSX, is one of my favorite local bands and today some people, who hadn’t seen them, got to see why. I got a text from someone earlier today and she asked me what type of music did they play? “I don’t know”, I had to text her.
This is loud, heavy intense rock that doesn’t fall into any if the genres we cover, or in fact, that I know. I wished they fit in with my new genre “garage metal” and maybe that’s as close as I’ll get to describe them.
They do a cover of “Who Do You Love” by Bo Didley that sounds like if Iggy & The Stooges were covering it while Iggy was riding a bulldozer demolishing everything in his path.
The last song is my favorite by them, “I’m A Record Player, Baby,” during which M. Colts, one of their singer/guitarists, drags the mike onto the dance floor giving an intense, wild performance.
This is the best I’ve seen them and I’d say they win best set of the day already.
Now, when I hear the next performer is Danny Greene I think, “Oh, joy, another lost soul with a banjo here to strum and yodel his songs of sorrow.” But, in fact, it is a band with nary a Danny or Greene amongst them. And, in fact, they are a straight ahead hardcore band from Southern Illinois.
And they play pretty darn good. This is hardcore that is a little less fast but more intense with a bunch of jumping around on stage by the boys not named Danny or Greene.
They have an excellent front man, good songs and a drummer who swings. And they end their set with a song my mother would love. It’s about the football player who went to prison for torturing and killing dogs- the song is called, “Fuck Michael Vick.”
Now, the next band is Honest John and I’ve failed to mention that this show is one of Jay Genoa’s New Blood Showcase and it would be impertinent of me not to add that Jay plays guitar in this band. That’s right- blatant corruption right in front of our eyes!
After I calm down and take a sip of my high blood pressure medicine dispensed by Dr. Jill, I can enjoy the bands great set of abrasive and sometimes dissonant hardcore as I have, many times before.
They’re progressive without being pretentious, serious without being ponderous and fun to listen to without pandering to the masses.
That’s right- no pretentious, ponderous, pandering punks here!
Now, we’re left with Crab Legs and Livver and what did the band Danny Greene say about getting hungry looking at today’s line up?
Crab Legs are another traveling band. They’re a trio from Fargo, North Dakota. (I’m thinking Fargo might not be the easiest place for a punk band to be from). They say they play in the style of “Face To Face and Jawbreaker,” meaning, they play pop/punk but without the slickness or vapidness that can spoil that genre.
This song plays with enough grit and passion to make me think of Husker Du and I don’t think it’s just because they come from the same region.
Favorite song title by them: “You Were An Elitist Fuck When You Were A Punk And Probably Still An Elitist Punk Now That You Listen To Dubstep.” They play a great set that only makes me hunger for the main course.
Livver is a metal band that consists of three excellent musicians and a singer who prowls in front of the stage with effective death vocals. They play music that is a bit on the progressive side but they never get too complicated and lose the heart of the song. And they are concise enough for even myself to follow.
What’s surprising is to hear Robin, who I know as a bit of a goofball, playing some seriously great guitar. And Livver is a seriously good metal band, one of my favorites on our site, with some great songs. And they don’t seem a bit out of place playing on a bill of hardcore/punk bands. They play an awesome set.
So another day at the office, hopefully a job well done.
Let me pull down the blinds, turn the lights off. Put my key in the door and walk outside.
(Slimedog)
