Links:
Jabe

Tonight was no different, as Jabe leveled a crowd packed like sardines in the neighborhood Irish music hall with a country rock/bluegrass hybrid, played with the velocity and high fever pitch of good punk. Manic, yet faultless drumming provided the combustion and infectious mandolin playing and fervent vocals supplied the color. Songwriter and frontman Jabe Beyer directed the barnstorming quartet through a collection of roots-driven, runaway train-like workouts, building chords into songs on his electric guitar and bursting forth with vocalized emotion, although Sean Staples' mandolin playing and on-stage theatrics stole the spotlight from the barroom bard more than once.

Jabe Beyer, relocated to Boston from upstate New York in the mid-'90s, began playing solo acoustic shows around town at cafes and small bars, developing a style all his own along the way. Eventually he formed his own band, named it after himself and has been touring like a madman ever since. Earlier in the year, Jabe released their second album, Outback Country Vampire, a fertile collection of songs worthy of the widespread local praise it received, but not totally representative of the live sound heard at The Burren.

The album features ten different musicians alongside Beyer and showcases a fast and furious fiddle and a resonant banjo on many of the tracks. Staples' mandolin is suspiciously absent from all tracks but one. After seeing what this man can do with that little cousin of the guitar, I'd have to say that it's not only suspicious but quite unfortunate as well. If Jabe can pack this much energy into a live performance with four instruments, I must wonder excitedly at the possibility of seeing them with Staples plus a fiddle player and banjo picker in tow--Pure rockin' bluegrass action!

-Dan Cullity
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Links:
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

In my view, TKK are a great band. Their music is highly unique, very much their own, and no other band really sounds like them. You either love them or hate them. As an avid fan, I tend to fall in the former category.

Tonight was no different. The stage was a giant skull with headlights for eyes, and a lot of smoke. Evil was definitely rampant in the air, and the drug-infested sleaze sound was ever present. This show primarily featured the tunes off their latest CD, The Reincarnation of Luna, which, by the way, is definitely worth picking up. There were a few sound glitches and mixing problems at the start, so the first three songs were a bit muddied and imbalanced. But after that, with the assistance of the Bomb Gang Girlz, lead sleaze artists Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy cranked into the classic TKK groove, and the sultry slut-fest started.

They played mostly off of Luna, with an excellent rendition of "The Untouchable Class," which was much better than the CD version. They played several old classic TKK standards as well, like "Day of Swine and Roses," "Kooler than Jesus," and "Sex on Wheels." Of course, they always throw in some more obscure tunes, such as "Burning Dirt" as well as newer hits like "Sexy Sucker." They played three encores, and unfortunately we had to leave after the second. I always try to hold out to see if they¹ll play "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan," because I love that song, but this time around it was not there (unless played in the last encore). But, I do know the next time I see them I'll likely hear it, along with all the rest of the finest sex trash. For a great ambience and show, check out My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult next time they play in a brothel near you.

-Jennifer Johnson
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The Quick Ones
@
The Kendall Café
September 22, 2001
Cambridge, MA

The Quick Ones settled naturally into a sustained groove on the upstairs corner stage in this tiny Cambridge sweatbox. It seemed like business as usual for the trio. Singer/guitarist Chris Roussin paraded a collection of chord-driven, electric love songs, as the workhorse rhythm section of Howard and drummer Jim Alden supplied the groove. With a wealth of supple bass runs, Howard, who also contributes songs to The Quick Ones' catalog, deftly held the rousing vibe together on the speedier numbers.

Occasionally the band opened up their decidedly urban sound to include country western flavors and struck gold with the honey-soaked ballad "Jessica." Former Mudhens songbird Carla Ryder--now flying solo with her own burgeoning, modern folk blend--joined the band for a couple of numbers, harmonizing beautifully with boyfriend Roussin. The Quick Ones paid homage to The Who's early days with a romping cover of "Substitute," a fitting choice to end a set of simple, spirited rock 'n' roll. The performance was a celebration of the universal power of music to bring people together.

-Dan Cullity
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Links:
The Strokes
Moldy Peaches

There is the old chestnut of a saying: "If it is too loud, then you're too old." In return, I have to offer this alternative: volume is a poor substitute for quality. The Strokes went for broke, lashing the audience with their seemingly simplistic arrangements. The bulk of the melody for each song was supplied by Julian Casablancas' vocals, but the "biting" quality of his lyrics were pretty much lost in the shriek of sound coming out of the stacks. Which certainly didn't seem to stop a gentleman a few rows down from totally rocking out with the band, but then, when you've already memorized all the lyrics, I guess intelligibility is no longer required for your enjoyment. Possibly the only person more miserable than I is Nikolai Fraiture, the bass player, whose own personal Hell seems to be playing eighth notes--budda-budda-budda-budda--on the same chord for all eternity.

In retrospect, the Moldy Peaches--the opening band, a Haight-Ashbury version of Sky Cries Mary who have spent way too many hours listening to old X and Sex Pistols records--were actually the highlight of the evening. Sporting a boy/girl combo on vocals, they deftly tore through their repertoire, delivering a punchy set of adolescently-themed joke rock (yes, that is the definition of any song whose chorus goes: "Do you want to fuck [pregnant pause] me?"). Poised for the big time? Well, their shows are selling out, but I just can't quite see the allure of the name. It just doesn't run off the tongue. Maybe they could work out a swap with the Strokes, a swap which would certainly be more endearing and a propos for the Peaches.

-Mark Teppo
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U.K. Subs/Undisputed Heavyweight Champions
@
The Breakroom
October 5, 2001
Seattle, WA

Links:
U.K. Subs

This night was no different except that bass player and drummer were different. Slack could not make this tour and was replaced by Bri Slutcher and a young guy from California on drums named Jason Willer.

Tonight the opening act Undisputed Heavyweight Champions picked the pace up with very tight hardcore that impressed both eP's editor Craig and myself. I own their CD, and it did not move me that much. But seeing them live changed my interest in them. If you are into good hardcore [hey, and who isn't. -ed.], they are a band to catch.

The U.K. Subs came out to a roaring crowd to light up the night. Charlie, well into his Fifties, still can kick it out. He has more energy then any musician his age. The Subs blasted through a set of early classics like "Countdown," "Endangered Species," and "I Live In a Car," along with songs from the more recent records, giving the crowd a good mix of old and new. These recent songs are from a three week writing binge that Charlie and Nicky went on in 1997. I guess the magic is still there.

I have only been to three U.K. Subs shows with Nicky on guitar. Bouncing around, diving real low into the splits and then snapping himself straight up, the man has the energy of someone half his age. Nicky also ties together the early songs he was apart of. Others have played in his place, but none of them can bring out the early Subs sound as well as he can. I have never been to a bad U.K. subs show, and no matter which band Charlie has with him, the listener is guaranteed their money's worth.

-Steve Weatherholt
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