ubik. - Nasalrod - Slave Traitor - The Vatican
September 19th, 2012 - The Funhouse - Seattle, WA
Having never been to the Funhouse before, I walked in with a laugh. It was small; a local bar with a tiny stage, and an outdoor patio section. I had been to smaller, but I wasn't sure about this place. Still, it was a local favorite, and many shows had been played there. So, I just put my jokes aside and waited. We were supposed to meet up with ubik. and Nasalrod to talk business and such, and as the night rolled on, we did, but we also got to enjoy a killer show. And, you really have to love a show where the bands, when not playing, are a part of the crowd, and friendly at that.
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The Vatican was up first. A small band with three not-so-small members (vocals, guitar, drums), they had a simple set up. I had talked with the drummer briefly, and found out that he was in a few other relatively popular bands (Chemical Castration, to name one), and found my seat and waited. At this point, the crowd numbered somewhere in the 30s, and they all perked their ears up when the band's samples started play over the system.
They came on heavy and a bit slow at first. As their set progressed, their music became more brutal, with a very high-energy/down-to-business vibe. They had good tempo changes, and there were some nice switches between vocal-driven and music-driven songs. It was an interesting, but impressive mixture of black metal, death metal, grind, and hardcore. They only played a few songs, but the crowd responded well, and I'd look forward to seeing them again.
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Slave Traitor was up next. I hadn't heard of these guys either, except for a catchphrase of theirs; "It's only racist if you are". Made me laugh enough to look forward to their offering. ST was a five-man band, and they were an interesting lot at that.
Their riffs were driving with moments of complexity. Their sound was BIG (I swore they were going to shake the place apart). Their songs were loud, forceful, and each had a really nice groove overall, and from time to time, a bit of power metal influence peeked through. The vocals were solid death metal vocals. There was definitely a formula/structure to their sound that grabbed the crowd. If their songs weren't so heavy, there were parts that would definitely be catchy, not that heavy is ever a bad thing.
Somewhere in the middle of the set, one of the amps broke, but the band seem to make do. Hell, I'm not sure that anyone would have noticed if it wasn't mentioned. At the end of their last song, a collision between guitarist and vocalist (who also played bass) happened and the crowd loved it. I'm not certain whether or not it happens a lot, but it was a great ending to a solid set. The crowd loved them.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Nasalrod was next. The lead singer, Chairmen, roamed through the crowd earlier almost unnoticed, just another fan. But when he got on stage, his odd vocal warm-ups and sense of humor immediately drew attention to him. Nasalrod, from what I had listened to, had the unbridled energy of early System of a Down, with something of Clutch's oddness peaking through. They seemed to be a weird mixture of eclectic spazz/punk rock combined with a bit of rabid indie music. They had some discordant, sonically dissonant, destructive yet fun energy pushing them through the set, almost as though four different acts were playing at the same time that somehow came together in a terrific way.
Then their set started. I still have a hard time finding the words to describe them, but what I wrote above will have to do. The crowd was tense with excitement waiting to be unleashed, and from the first chords of "Be Polite", the energy burst forth, both on stage and off. Nasalrod's odd timing structures kept me guessing where the songs would go (since songs are always so different live), but I was impressed that they made sense, and weren't just an anarchist collection of notes and riffs. Nasalrod frolicked (yes, frolicked) through their set, bringing tremendous energy to the crowd. It was a trippy return to punk attitude with the savvy of dirty jazz. I loved it.
Toward the end of the show, one of the guitarist's strings broke, and the band improvised with a really nice 'string repair jam session'. There set was supposed to be nine songs long, and I can't quite remember if they got that far, but it went by too fast, it felt, but not because of the band. Time just flies when you're having fun. The crowd was probably about 60 strong at this point, and the switch from the heavier music of the first two bands to this wilder, faster sound kept them moving.
Nasalrod is a band with a promising future, and I can't imagine that they'll ever be dull. Each album will sound like them, but will also sound like a new form of them. This is promising, as not enough music is that dynamic anymore. If they come around, you should be there for it.
(Set list: Be Polite, Hello Ello, What D'ya Say, It's Our Pleasure, Special Person, Discoke, Wired, Join, HYPE, Hellsboro)
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ubik. came on to finish the night off. It had been an interesting journey so far, and after fairly extensive talks (and a very goofy improvised photo shoot) with the band, I was excited. Very excited. Hell, the whole show had been good so far, and I knew ubik. would deliver. ubik. was another band I had only heard, but never seen. Like Nasalrod, they were an odd mix of metal, punk, hints of reggae, energetic independent music. At some points, there were elements of stripped-down grind. It was another curiosity of music, and in two ways; First, how did it all work together so well? Second, why hadn't I heard anything like this before? Well, the latter informs the former: I hadn't heard this before because this recipe of sound, strange but pure, did work, but only at the hands of certain bands, such as ubik. Don't get me wrong, Nasalrod and ubik. are among a large handful of musicians in eclectic rock (for lack of a better term), but they were different: They didn't let the nihilistic force behind the bands' sound break it apart. They have attempted to harness it, and have done well.
ubik.'s set was a journey to end a journey. The night was awesome so far, almost a soundtrack to some strange event, and ubik. was hear to deliver the final notes. They only played seven songs, but those songs demanded attention, especially in a few of the breakdowns. The music was methodical and purposeful, almost to the point of driving the listener forward to the night's destination. As we neared the end of our rhythmic, tumbling, persuasive odyssey, ubik. didn't quite 'hold our hand' but they walked beside us, setting the atmosphere for whatever lay ahead. They were communicating something, they were communicating a mysterious type of poetry. Melodramatic or not, they delivered a musical atmosphere that described a journey filled with dramatic, destructive importance. Sadly, if you weren't there, my words can't recreate it, but watching the crowd, I knew I wasn't alone.
The second to last song, "Hell Gnaw", was a mini-event, filling the room with musical lighting, as though we had reached the penultimate step in this journey, where fate was either about to be fulfilled, or dashed upon the rocks. "Cyclocosmia", the last song, was a slow, doomy grind that signaled the bitter truth of the the journey ending in a tragic, but open-armed failure. If there were a fallen hero, your heart would be reaching out to them as they wandered back home, disappointed and broken. Each step was crushing and caused a panic in the heart.
Again, this is all just metaphor, but ubik. provided what turned out to be an movie based on sound without sight. They grabbed at many different sounds and tempos and energies. They played for themselves and for the crowd. Having seen them construct their set list only minutes before, the sequence ended up working in a terrific manner, as it offered many of the bands facets. Every member of the band delivered a fantastic performance in their own right, and together, they delivered once hell of a performance.
ubik. delivered humor, talent, and very strong communication to the crowd. Each band shook the walls, made us move, and made our ears ring, and ubik. topped it off with one hell of a reminder that music, whatever the genre, is art; is communication, and can be very powerful.
(Set List: Father Grease, A Lie By Definition, Ticking, Totem Wolf, Bloody, Hell Gnaw, Cyclocosmia)
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The night was over, but nobody in the Funhouse wanted it to be. It started off brutal, and ended brutal, but brutal in such a way that you can't go back to 'normal'. It was a small show with bands who you don't here on the radio, with MUSIC that you don't here on the radio, but should, because it added something to our lives and perspectives. Again, call me melodramatic, but this is what music is for me, something in the atmosphere of life that changes the way life seems. Music touches just about every person on this planet, and there is a reason. Yes, some of us enjoy it more than others, and we all listen for different reasons, but performances like this aren't just 'concerts' or 'shows', they ARE *performances*. Interactive, ethereal, undeniable. You never know when or where they will be, or just who will deliver them, but it is another reason to continue searching for something new, because you know that you won't here them on the radio (perhaps once or twice, upon special request in special show's special segment), or see them at most mainstream shows. This night was $5 for 4 bands, and they gave the crowd something great. Make sure you are there for the next time that happens.
September 19th, 2012 - The Funhouse - Seattle, WA
Having never been to the Funhouse before, I walked in with a laugh. It was small; a local bar with a tiny stage, and an outdoor patio section. I had been to smaller, but I wasn't sure about this place. Still, it was a local favorite, and many shows had been played there. So, I just put my jokes aside and waited. We were supposed to meet up with ubik. and Nasalrod to talk business and such, and as the night rolled on, we did, but we also got to enjoy a killer show. And, you really have to love a show where the bands, when not playing, are a part of the crowd, and friendly at that.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The Vatican was up first. A small band with three not-so-small members (vocals, guitar, drums), they had a simple set up. I had talked with the drummer briefly, and found out that he was in a few other relatively popular bands (Chemical Castration, to name one), and found my seat and waited. At this point, the crowd numbered somewhere in the 30s, and they all perked their ears up when the band's samples started play over the system.
They came on heavy and a bit slow at first. As their set progressed, their music became more brutal, with a very high-energy/down-to-business vibe. They had good tempo changes, and there were some nice switches between vocal-driven and music-driven songs. It was an interesting, but impressive mixture of black metal, death metal, grind, and hardcore. They only played a few songs, but the crowd responded well, and I'd look forward to seeing them again.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Slave Traitor was up next. I hadn't heard of these guys either, except for a catchphrase of theirs; "It's only racist if you are". Made me laugh enough to look forward to their offering. ST was a five-man band, and they were an interesting lot at that.
Their riffs were driving with moments of complexity. Their sound was BIG (I swore they were going to shake the place apart). Their songs were loud, forceful, and each had a really nice groove overall, and from time to time, a bit of power metal influence peeked through. The vocals were solid death metal vocals. There was definitely a formula/structure to their sound that grabbed the crowd. If their songs weren't so heavy, there were parts that would definitely be catchy, not that heavy is ever a bad thing.
Somewhere in the middle of the set, one of the amps broke, but the band seem to make do. Hell, I'm not sure that anyone would have noticed if it wasn't mentioned. At the end of their last song, a collision between guitarist and vocalist (who also played bass) happened and the crowd loved it. I'm not certain whether or not it happens a lot, but it was a great ending to a solid set. The crowd loved them.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Nasalrod was next. The lead singer, Chairmen, roamed through the crowd earlier almost unnoticed, just another fan. But when he got on stage, his odd vocal warm-ups and sense of humor immediately drew attention to him. Nasalrod, from what I had listened to, had the unbridled energy of early System of a Down, with something of Clutch's oddness peaking through. They seemed to be a weird mixture of eclectic spazz/punk rock combined with a bit of rabid indie music. They had some discordant, sonically dissonant, destructive yet fun energy pushing them through the set, almost as though four different acts were playing at the same time that somehow came together in a terrific way.
Then their set started. I still have a hard time finding the words to describe them, but what I wrote above will have to do. The crowd was tense with excitement waiting to be unleashed, and from the first chords of "Be Polite", the energy burst forth, both on stage and off. Nasalrod's odd timing structures kept me guessing where the songs would go (since songs are always so different live), but I was impressed that they made sense, and weren't just an anarchist collection of notes and riffs. Nasalrod frolicked (yes, frolicked) through their set, bringing tremendous energy to the crowd. It was a trippy return to punk attitude with the savvy of dirty jazz. I loved it.
Toward the end of the show, one of the guitarist's strings broke, and the band improvised with a really nice 'string repair jam session'. There set was supposed to be nine songs long, and I can't quite remember if they got that far, but it went by too fast, it felt, but not because of the band. Time just flies when you're having fun. The crowd was probably about 60 strong at this point, and the switch from the heavier music of the first two bands to this wilder, faster sound kept them moving.
Nasalrod is a band with a promising future, and I can't imagine that they'll ever be dull. Each album will sound like them, but will also sound like a new form of them. This is promising, as not enough music is that dynamic anymore. If they come around, you should be there for it.
(Set list: Be Polite, Hello Ello, What D'ya Say, It's Our Pleasure, Special Person, Discoke, Wired, Join, HYPE, Hellsboro)
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ubik. came on to finish the night off. It had been an interesting journey so far, and after fairly extensive talks (and a very goofy improvised photo shoot) with the band, I was excited. Very excited. Hell, the whole show had been good so far, and I knew ubik. would deliver. ubik. was another band I had only heard, but never seen. Like Nasalrod, they were an odd mix of metal, punk, hints of reggae, energetic independent music. At some points, there were elements of stripped-down grind. It was another curiosity of music, and in two ways; First, how did it all work together so well? Second, why hadn't I heard anything like this before? Well, the latter informs the former: I hadn't heard this before because this recipe of sound, strange but pure, did work, but only at the hands of certain bands, such as ubik. Don't get me wrong, Nasalrod and ubik. are among a large handful of musicians in eclectic rock (for lack of a better term), but they were different: They didn't let the nihilistic force behind the bands' sound break it apart. They have attempted to harness it, and have done well.
ubik.'s set was a journey to end a journey. The night was awesome so far, almost a soundtrack to some strange event, and ubik. was hear to deliver the final notes. They only played seven songs, but those songs demanded attention, especially in a few of the breakdowns. The music was methodical and purposeful, almost to the point of driving the listener forward to the night's destination. As we neared the end of our rhythmic, tumbling, persuasive odyssey, ubik. didn't quite 'hold our hand' but they walked beside us, setting the atmosphere for whatever lay ahead. They were communicating something, they were communicating a mysterious type of poetry. Melodramatic or not, they delivered a musical atmosphere that described a journey filled with dramatic, destructive importance. Sadly, if you weren't there, my words can't recreate it, but watching the crowd, I knew I wasn't alone.
The second to last song, "Hell Gnaw", was a mini-event, filling the room with musical lighting, as though we had reached the penultimate step in this journey, where fate was either about to be fulfilled, or dashed upon the rocks. "Cyclocosmia", the last song, was a slow, doomy grind that signaled the bitter truth of the the journey ending in a tragic, but open-armed failure. If there were a fallen hero, your heart would be reaching out to them as they wandered back home, disappointed and broken. Each step was crushing and caused a panic in the heart.
Again, this is all just metaphor, but ubik. provided what turned out to be an movie based on sound without sight. They grabbed at many different sounds and tempos and energies. They played for themselves and for the crowd. Having seen them construct their set list only minutes before, the sequence ended up working in a terrific manner, as it offered many of the bands facets. Every member of the band delivered a fantastic performance in their own right, and together, they delivered once hell of a performance.
ubik. delivered humor, talent, and very strong communication to the crowd. Each band shook the walls, made us move, and made our ears ring, and ubik. topped it off with one hell of a reminder that music, whatever the genre, is art; is communication, and can be very powerful.
(Set List: Father Grease, A Lie By Definition, Ticking, Totem Wolf, Bloody, Hell Gnaw, Cyclocosmia)
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The night was over, but nobody in the Funhouse wanted it to be. It started off brutal, and ended brutal, but brutal in such a way that you can't go back to 'normal'. It was a small show with bands who you don't here on the radio, with MUSIC that you don't here on the radio, but should, because it added something to our lives and perspectives. Again, call me melodramatic, but this is what music is for me, something in the atmosphere of life that changes the way life seems. Music touches just about every person on this planet, and there is a reason. Yes, some of us enjoy it more than others, and we all listen for different reasons, but performances like this aren't just 'concerts' or 'shows', they ARE *performances*. Interactive, ethereal, undeniable. You never know when or where they will be, or just who will deliver them, but it is another reason to continue searching for something new, because you know that you won't here them on the radio (perhaps once or twice, upon special request in special show's special segment), or see them at most mainstream shows. This night was $5 for 4 bands, and they gave the crowd something great. Make sure you are there for the next time that happens.
