In the grand tradition of end of the year music lists, here’s Save Vs. Poison’s contributions. Rather than try to tell you what the “best” music is, instead here’s a list of music that may have passed under your radar this millennium (so far). And since we’re in Baltimore just about all these bands are of Baltimore.
You haven’t heard it yet because it hasn’t been recorded yet. But it’s in the works: 20+ thrashtastic songs arranged as a ‘choose your own adventure’-style D&D campaign. Scheduled to debut in its entirety at next summer’s Math Fest in Pittsburgh.
Yes, it’s their old song, but it’s still my favorite. Muscle Twin is probably going to play at Twin Peaks-fest this year, and it might even be an album release party for their new disc! You may notice a slight Nirvana influence. Play it loud.
Posthumous candy sampler from Baltimore’s overtly futile mission to bring space rock to the masses. The soundtrack to the art–yarn-educational-DVD makes the show worth watching alone! One of the classiest things that SVP has ever been a part of: google that shit and be in awe of positive reviews from across the globe.
This band may or may not still be around. Sometimes they plan in Baltimore, but I think their members have been scattered by the seven winds. If you get the chance- see them. You’ll thank me. Seriously. [Swoon]
This lawsuit-waiting-to-happen only plays their tribute to Angelo Badalmenti and Twin Peaks once or twice a year. In 2010 it’s scheduled to appear at Twin Peaks-fest at the Windup Space in Baltimore on April 10th. And with a newly recorded live CD in tow. “Freshly Squeezed” is not just a straight forward jazz cover, but gets a little prog rock – as do some of their other covers. And why not?!
Abiku is constantly touring, so they may be near your hometown soon. If you get the chance you simply MUST see this stuff. Sure, you might hate it, but I assure you- you have never seen anything like this before. And the lady in this band plays THE “coolest” keyboard of all time: The Moog Liberation, a rockin’ keytar. They are MY American Idols.
This Baltimore band literally gets better every time they play. SVP is proud to continue to provide special effects and lighting for their exciting shows whenever we can. They offer a great mix of psychedelic blues and rock with impeccable timing and great presence. They have an album but should probably be experienced live. Headlining the Ottobar on Jan. 15th in Baltimore with a full SVP light show (assuming it works this time!).
SVP recently had the honor of providing special effects for an Avec video shoot. As the guy with his finger on the smoke machine/strobe light trigger, I can tell you that you know a song is good when you hear it 20 times in a row and never get tired of it. Watch for the video in 2010. Their album was produced by J. Robbins, and if you miss Jawbow this will make you feel better.
To be honest, I know very little about this band. But when SVP needed someone to fill a slot at our Halloween show these guys answered the call with a blistering rendition of Metallica. Fantastic show by a bunch of fantastic guys. Check it out.
The fact that Country Fried was once again passed over by Jazz Fest this year was a sizable tragedy. Their 2005 performance at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest was one of the most solid sets of acoustic rock I have ever witnessed. And it was before an enormous crowd on a gorgeous day – blissful! Maybe next year, when their new album is set to drop, they’ll be back at the Fest. “The Visit” from 2004’s Nowhere No More is the greatest unheard song of the decade.
So, get out there and so see some live local music!
Hope your 2009 was great and 2010 rocks even harder.
Three Inches of Blood and Children: not two things you usually want to hear about together. Unless, of course, it’s a Thursday night in Baltimore and two awesome metal bands are playing at the Ottobar with limited commercial potential. Then it’s the recipe for the kind of night we get once, twice a year if we are lucky these days…
Misinterpreting the demand for this event, I procured two tickets to the show via the interweb for myself and devoted Save Vs. Poison associate “Kali” James. We went relatively early because it was a 7pm show and I wanted to stick up some flyers for our Halloween show (the staple gun malfunctioned). We drank what I can only assume were the only two Sparks left in America while hanging out in the side alley with one of the opening bands. I think they were called Visionary, but apparently it was their last gig under that name. Now we didn’t actually HEAR the band, but the guy was wearing a Man-o-War shirt, so I can only assume it was some serious shit.We also conversed briefly with 3IOB drummer, Ash Pearson, and thanked him for daring to come to Baltimore.
We entered an almost-entirely deserted Ottobar and snagged primo seats in the balcony to watch the opening band, Children. You know how awesome it is when you see an opening band that you’ve never heard of and they blow your mind? They were incredible, despite their low-key demeanors and minimal audience. Children were spacey, but fast: what a wonderful combination! At times it was sorta like a faster version of Hawkwind at their fastest. It had moments of killer, heavy low-end stoner-rock ala High On Fire, but with occasional busts of incredible speed metal and some feedback-laden space outs too.They nailed it – repeatedly snapping back into a vicious groove out of nowhere. Highly recommend. I might not even call them a metal band: they are poised for some crossover success as a super-hard indie rock band. They are from Brooklyn (who isn’t?), so look for them around NYC or on a tour near you.
Finally, 3IOB took the stage to little fanfare.If their apparel was any indication we were on for quiet a night. The lead guitarist (who proved himself MORE than capable at rapid soloing) was sporting a Rush shirt – Hemispheres. Classic! The Dave Mustaine-looking motherfucker playing the flying-V guitar had on a Toxic Holocaust shirt. And lead singer, Cam Pipes, donned what has to be one of the greatest denim vests currently on the scene. The patches were a wonderful array of 3IOB’s influences; I spotted Iron Maiden, Municipal Waste, The Misfits, and Judas Priest in addition to a host of more obscure iconography. The band was good natured about the limited attendance, joking about their participation in “tonight’s battle of the bands.” The small crowd, however, was violently enthusiastic. The set was awesome, brutal, and highly entertaining. It consisted primarily of songs from the new album. They claimed to be playing new song “Executioner Tank” live for the first time, but I sure hope they continue to play it as it was fantastic and as instantly memorable as “Headbanger Facerip.” It was exciting to see that the songs I liked most from the previous album, Fire Up The Blades, were also the band’s favorites, as they only played the three best tracks. First they played “Trial Of Champions”; I love the funky organ on the album version, but alas no organist was present. Then they ended with “Goatrider’s Horde > Night Marauders,” a predictable but necessary choice. The small crowded screamed for more; 3IOB was hesitant but obviously had nothing better to do, so they offered a blistering cover that I did not recognize. I thought it was Maiden, I thought it was Priest, but I couldn’t figure it out. He even said we BETTER know this song. I looked online and apparently they have been covering “Not Fragile” (Bachman-Turner Overdrive), “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” (Blue Oyster Cult), and “Daytona” (Zeke), but it was none of these. (That’s right, they’ve been covering a SLOW Zeke song!) All in all, it was a completely satisfying evening of heavy music.Catch the tour if you can – they are on their way to Canada soon!
And remember: Chaotic Evil means never having to say “I’m Sorry.”
Photo by Kali James
PS – If you appreciate this sort of musical mayhem please consider attending Save Vs. Poison’s Halloween show, on Halloween in just a few weeks. The flyer is below and the details can be found under Events. If you don’t go who will?!
It was a busy weekend here at SVP Central: three shows. Aside from a smoke machine that never really worked and some other not-unexpected technical difficulties the weekend was a relative success! Let’s take a closer look….
Friday night The Flying Eyes played at the Ottobar once again. The Heroin UK played first and was followed by Bad Liquor Pond, Baltimore’s answer to Spaceman 3. Seriously though, Bad Liquor Pond is far more listenable than most Spaceman 3 material. And I couldn’t help but notice that THEIR fog machine worked –well. And they had a guy working the strobe too. For The Flying Eyes light show I brought our full lighting rig and was assisted by long-time SVP associate Gavin Elder, who was in turn accompanied by Mrs. Gavin Elder. Despite time and space constraints we managed to get several par cans, the smoke machine, and the super-bright strobes all set up in time. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons the light control board was unable to control any of these lights. Instead they would occasionally blink or glow ominously. According to attendee Jen Brock-Cancellieri, “I knew something was wrong because the light show was so boring.” At least the smoke machine DID uncontrollably spew forth its haze for a few moments. That thing’s got a mind of its own. Luckily, Gavin was able to do well with 2 different layers of strobes and a well-positioned Groove Wheel. Once we realized the par cans wouldn’t work a plain red light left in the box came off the bench for a simple yet effective addition to our light show. Lots of folks were there to see The Flying Eyes rock as hard as over. Next time I swear we will give them the FULL show – or at least we will try.
The very next night SVP co-hosted (along with www.maximumsciencefiction.com) David Lynch mini-Fest at The Wind Up Space. The event featured two live performances by Twin Peaks/Lynch tribute group Chug A Lug Donna that were aptly recorded for a forthcoming release. We were as surprised as anyone to see a guy in an Eraserhead shirt show up for scheduled obscure videos at the actual start time of 4pm. While he, and a few other early birds, mostly got to watch the band soundcheck there was plenty of rapt video watching throughout the evening. I think now we all know why On the Air got canceled. While The Wind Up Space never really filled up, there were plenty of people coming and going throughout the long evening. Needless to say, during the musical performance the smoke machine shit the bed again and only made an excruciatingly painful groaning sound. This despite the fact that it hard worked perfectly in the basement 2 days prior! Nonetheless, the live recording was a complete success and several people signed up for the SVP mailing list, so we must be doing something right. As further evidence, The Windup Space’s owner/operator, Russell, insisted on hosting future David Lynch-themed events for the foreseeable future. It is in that spirit that we are proud to announce the Twin Peaks 20th Anniversary Bash – to be held at The Windup Space on April 10th 2010. Save the Date! Details TBA!
And finally, it wasn’t an officially sanctioned SVP event, but I had the treasured opportunity to see SOME of the surviving Beach Boys at Wolf Trap in Northern VA with my wife and in-laws. And you better believe their industrial strength Hazer worked just fine, despite this being a show that started at 2pm. But hey, it’s the Beach Boys- you gotta see them in the SUN. (They didn’t play “Warmth of The Sun” by the way). Now, keep in mind that there are four surviving Beach Boys, but these guys are spread out over 3 different touring incarnations: Brian Wilson’s band, The Beach Boys Band, and The Beach Boys. I saw the latter, which featured an able-voiced Mike Love in the lead and Bruce Johnston on keyboards and vocals. I felt really bad for Bruce Johnston: not since Bruce Springsteen’s wife decided to strum along on stage to every song has a performer been turned down so low in the mix. The keys and all the other instruments were handled by new, younger recruits; theses guys definitely got their jobs by being able to imitate the Beach Boys singing style superbly. Oh, and did I mention that John Stamos was there?! That’s right, Uncle Jessie. It must have been weird enough for the young drummer dude to be playing with the 60+ year old original Beach Boys, but then for them to say, “oh by the way, John Stamos is going to be playing the drums right next to you tonight, playing the exact same shit.” Of course we in the audience didn’t know it was Uncle Jessie until he came up front to play guitar- and even then there was some question.Overall, the Beach Boys’ concert was not as bad as you would think.Sure, they played “Kokomo” (I remained sitting), but they also played “God Only Knows” and “Don’t Worry Baby.”I wasn’t really too keen on the montage idea (surfer songs medley, car songs medley, etc.) until they played the Pet Sounds montage – that was some good stuff. Still, the songs I liked the most seemed to be the songs the rest of the audience didn’t care too much about. I actually liked the concert fodder songs because I hadn’t over-heard them a million times. As Dr. Prida pointed out, an appearance by the band’s old friend Charlie Manson would have spice things up significantly, but I think we can do without.
Thanks as always for supporting Save Vs. Poison and putting up with our nonsense. Next up is a Halloween show at the Hamilton Art’s Collective. Stay tuned for more information to be announced shortly. Check back here or search for us on Facebook.
Yours in rock,
Mark Ultra and the SVP Team
PS> As some added bonus material, here’s some videos ofDavey G and the Keyboard rocking out live at Nerd Fest III. Once you get to the YouTube page you can also see Miltonius Prime & MC Diabeats playing live (they were “better than expected!”). Wow- were there really that many people enjoying Nerd Fest? They all left when Perverse Osmosis played…
After the enormous success of Lynchfest 2009, SVP and www.maximumsciencefiction.com decided to team up again to bring Baltimore another celebration of David Lynch’s work. This event should hold you over until Lynchfest 2010!
The Twin Peaks tribute band, Chugg A Lugg Donna, will be playing 2 sets and recording a live album. Plus there will be showings of some rare David Lynch material.
You may think we have gone insane, but we will kill again!
As long-threatened, Nerd Fest III will feature 33% MORE liberal arts.
Save Vs. Poison co-founder Dr. Jonas Prida (see CV below) earned his Ph.D. in English from Tulane University in New Orleans (glug, glug). His current research explores male fashion as a locus for intersecting values of republicanism, commodity capitalism, and gender. He also has a paper in the works on 1960s exploitation films. His Nerdfest talk will explore N.P. Willis’s role in disseminating fashion as a social leveling mechanism. And that’s Nathaniel *P* Willis from the 19th century, not the guy from Bene Gesserit Witch.
If a talk on 19th century fashion and literature doesn’t make you want to go to Nerd Fest than I don’t know what will!
Dr. Jonas Prida
Assistant Professor of English
College of St. Joseph
Rutland, VT
Education:
Ph.D. in English Tulane University
Dissertation: The Consumptive Republic: Cities, Cultures, and
Capitalism in Antebellum America
M.A. in English University of Maine, Orono
Thesis: Pragmatism in Frank Norris
University of Calgary
B.A. in English/ Philosophy
Recent Presentations:
2008 NJEAC Conference
Presentation title: Tailor’s Quill or Politician’s Pen: The Fashion of
Nathaniel Willis
2007 MLA Conference:
Presentation title: The Other end of the Curve: The Transformative
Power of Honors Programs at Two Year Colleges
2006 TYCA Conference
Presentation Title: If You Show it, They will Come: Television and
College Composition
The College of St. Joseph is not responsible for the contents of this event.
Our next exciting science presenter is Dr. Stephanie Larson, the most overqualified 8th grade science teacher you’ll meet this year. her PhD currently serves as slang for “Pre-teen herding Damsel.” Her vitae may not be as long as Dr. Look’s, but she keeps busy cooking non-dairy treats and finishing in 2nd place at this year’s Kinetic Sculpture race with her chemistry students and their periodic elements themed-contraption and team- Ella and the Elements.
Another Nerd Fest veteran, her presentations are as messy as they are educational. The first year we got DNA out of berries. I forget what the 2nd year was all about, but baggies were exploding all over the place. This year we will learn why electricity and magnetism may be the coolest things in the whole world. And we’re going to do great electricity experiments. This ain’t no 18th century electricity party!
Welcome to the first in a series of postings about the nerds behind the nerds: the presenters at Nerd Fest III. All three lecturers are Nerd Fest regulars, and all three received the doctorate in legitimate subjects from legitimate institutions of higher learning. And yet they choose to spend their time with us.
First up is Dr. Dan Look AKA Dr. Leanback.
Raised on Transformers and GI Joe, Dr. Look was a ward of the state until adopted by Texas Instruments. Dr. Look spends his days doing math and his nights playing Diablo. During the weekend he is either roleplaying or meta-roleplaying (that is where you role up a 6th level nerd and play him playing his 7th level ranger).
Dr. Dan’s talk is entitled To the Third Dimension…..and Beyond!
or Doctors Dan’s Adventures in Dimension
You think 3D is something? Wait until you see 1.78D.
Only at Nerd Fest III!
PS – Just to show we’re not fucking around, here’s a sloppy copy of the SHORT version of Dr. Look’s real vita:
Look under “Events” for more details.
