| HOTTER
THAN BLAZES The Bands of Summer by Terry James Now that summer is fading, I find myself looking back upon this past season and some of the great music that made it burn. On what turned out to be three of the hottest days of the year, I found myself first at Warped Tour’99, then This Ain’t No Picnic, and finally Ozzfest. All of these shows featured Big Name Acts that gave their respective audiences everything they came for, and more. I don’t feel the need to talk much about them. Their shows have been talked about, reviewed, and aired on tape all summer - ‘nuff said. What I enjoyed most at these shows, besides the odd patch of shade and a cold beer, was hearing sets by some of the less hyped bands. At each event, at least one of these bands gave my head a good kick, and scorched my ass! Warped Tour had an excellent array of bands representing several musical genres. Although they took a lot of flack for diversifying the musical base, I, for one, applaud this. Anyone who complains about variety must have a very narrow perspective. The folks around me who feasted on this "sonic salad" were certainly thankful for the mix. Early in the day I was treated to a set by Dropkick Murphys, a band I had heard a bit about, but hadn’t yet seen. These boys hail from one of Boston’s toughest working-class neighborhoods, The Irish South Side (or Southie - which also gave us the late, great House of Pain), and their music shows it. Their explosive brand of electrified Celtic drunk-punk ripped through the crowd with the force of an epic bar fight, a strange collision of folk and fury. They fired off tunes from their album "The Gang’s All Here" at a relentless pace, wasting little time with kiss-ass small talk and just serving up the jams. The crowd was obviously impressed with the set as well, working themselves into a fine frenzy, despite the searing heat. The last band that evening was Sevendust, out of Atlanta. The crowd had dwindled considerably by that point, most probably due to heat exhaustion, but those of us dogged few who remained behind were definitely rewarded for our tenacity. These guys ROCK! Essentially a metal band, they slam down all the solid punch and crunch required, then lay a gliding melodic vocal line over the top. The effect is smooth, almost elegant, but absolutely hardcore. They’ve finally begun to get some local airplay, and I’m thinkin’ it won’t be long now…. A week or so later I found myself in the Irvine hills at an event called This Ain’t No Picnic. This event featured several bands from the college radio circuit and drew a large collegiate crowd, particularly from the San Diego area. Many of them may have been there to see headliners Sonic Youth and Sleater-Kinney, but I was most impressed by Rocket From the Crypt. This is by no means a novice outfit, these guys have been rockin’ S.D. for the better part of 10 years now, and they are not letting up any time soon! They hit the stage wearing matching black and leopard-skin suits(considering the weather, probably a poor costuming choice) and even with the 100+ degree heat frying their brains out, they still kicked our collective head in with their very distinct punk-a-billy slamma jamma. I’ve seen these boys twice now, and they’ve only gotten stronger. 1 part Gene Vincent + 1 part Sex Pistols + 1 pint of vodka tonic = Rocket fuel! The side stage at Ozzfest featured two excellent bands. Static-X went on early in the day, and got things off to a wicked start. Wayne Static’s surreal presence on stage combined with the full-tilt roar of the musical engine made it easy to forget it was only eleven-thirty in the morning. With just a short set, these guys proved why they are one of the most talked about acts in new metal right now. They’re just starting to get some airplay on LA radio and even some soundtrack work, so we’ll be hearing plenty more from these guys. Also on the stage that afternoon was Puya, a Latin-rap-core band from Puerto Rico. For me, this band was the most delightful surprise of the day. These gents have concocted a bruja’s brew of Santana-like groove with fully-stoked metal punctuated by a crispy horn section. Everybody was diggin’ the conga-colored rhythms, and the muy cooool arrangements had listeners doing a strange new head-bopping hip grind. Lead singer Sergio was obviously pleased with the response, and thanked the crowd repeatedly, both in English and Spanish, for giving their stuff a fair shake. When they walked off the stage they definitely left us all wanting more. These are just a few of the many, many terrific acts I witnessed this summer. Venue shortcomings and overcrowding may have affected comfort levels, to say nothing of the Saharan weather, but as always the music prevailed The sun may have been merciless, but it couldn’t possibly compete with the inferno raging across live stages this summer. I know, I was there and I’ve got the blisters to prove it! |