Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs
Follow The Big Takeover
The Gerunds with The Negative Zeros – Tritone (Philadelphia, PA) – September 11, 2009
The much-anticipated debut performance of The Gerunds, featuring vocalist PETER CORTNER (formerly of DAG NASTY) and guitarists SAL CANNESTRA and JOE IACOVELLA (both of the also excellent Philly band THE THIRTEEN) as well as keyboardist/backing vocalist MICKEY LYNCH, bassist BEN GOLDBERG and drummer PAUL COLUCCI (that’s right, somehow all 6 of them fit on that tiny stage) exceeded every possible expectation. Far from sounding like a band playing their first show, they sounded like seasoned veterans, tearing apart the tiny stage with renditions of Gerunds original co-written by Cortner and HUNTER BENNETT (formerly of the short-lived but excellent and already much-missed DC combo JULIE OCEAN) as well as some unexpected Dag Nasty tunes (the B-side “Never Green Lane” and “Dag Nasty”, which was preceded by a mellow reading of THE UNDERTONES‘ “Teenage Kicks”). Having listened to those Dag Nasty records since I was a teenager and having never seen these songs played live, I was incredibly happy to witness it first-hand. I just can’t wait to hear what the recorded versions of those originals will sound like with this full-band lineup. Wow!
Also on the bill were THE SPADES, who we missed, and a promising ’77-style punk band called The Negative Zeros that mined very familiar territory (NEW YORK DOLLS, HEARTBREAKERS, DEAD BOYS, et al.), but did it fairly well and since I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff, I liked it.
Naked Raygun with Paint It Black, Shot Baker and Leather – First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) – September 10, 2009
Man oh man. I’ve waited to see Naked Raygun since I first found a cassette of Jettison at the mall when I was 17 and they didn’t disappoint. Despite being visibly sick (word has it that he suffers from Parkinson’s Disease), singer JEFF PEZZATI and the rest of the band played a super-tight, great-sounding, ultra-catchy set that had almost everyone in attendance dancing, slamming, stagediving or singing along. While I’m not much for that sort of stuff, I got up front for “Treason” to shout the incredible chorus. The setlist was very heavy on material from 1985’s All Rise and 1984’s Throb Throb, but less so on the later material (though they did play 4 songs from their penultimate album Understand?, their best IMO). At the end of the set, we got an encore (despite the show running until almost 1 AM) with Paint It Black’s DAN YEMIN singing a super-charged version of “New Dreams”. What else can I say? I loved it.
As for the openers, Paint It Black and Shot Baker are both super tight, energetic and got the crowd going, but the brand of hardcore that both of them play just isn’t my thing at all. Sorry. The first band, LEATHER, were a last-minute addition (replacing a band I’d never heard of called BRAIN HANDLE, who may or may not be named after the great RORSCHACH song) who had tons of energy, but the material wasn’t there yet.
Kevin Seconds with Ukebox – First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) – September 4, 2009
Perhaps because another, much more well-attended show was happening in the church’s basement along with a Fringe Festival activity happening in the sanctuary, this “acoustic punk” double-bill only drew about 8 people. That’s a shame, but it did have a great vibe as everyone who came seemed to be a big fan and/or know Kevin personally. You want intimate? This was about as intimate of a show as I’ve ever attended in my life. We all had our own rows and this was in the church’s side chapel, which holds 50 people or so!
Ukebox, which is just a guy named JUSTIN B who just plays a ukelele (as the name implies), was terrific and put forth a lot of energy into his performance and into the funny stories he told between songs, too.
I have to admit that I didn’t recognize any of the songs Kevin played as there was only one 7 SECONDS song (a later song called “Satyagraha”, the opening track on 1989’s Soulforce Revolution) and since I wasn’t familiar with any of his solo material, I walked in totally cold. However, I definitely came out a fan. The solo material is much quieter and much, much more personal and reflective than say, The Crew or Walk Together Rock Together, but it’s easy to see how Kevin could get from New Wind to his more recent material more than 20 years later.
Scott Walker: 30th Century Man (PG)
As the title implies, this is a great documentary that focuses on Scott’s now almost 50(!) year career in (or more accurately, outside of or at least on the fringes of) the music industry. Filmed while he was making 2006’s haunting, challenging and terrifying The Drift, attention is paid to all facets of his career from THE WALKER BROTHERS and their mid ’60s UK stardom to his revered 1st 4 solo albums up through a Walker Brothers reunion that later turned into 3 solo albums (one per decade in the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s) of increasingly challenging, difficult yet mesmerizing material. In addition to Scott himself, we get everyone from JARVIS COCKER and NEAL HANNON to BRIAN ENO and DAVID BOWIE chiming in on their love of Scott’s music.
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs (Matador)
They just keep going. This album, like their last four dating back to 1997’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, is astounding.
Rodriguez – Cold Fact (Light in the Attic)
I definitely missed the boat on this 1970 lost classic when it first got reissued last year by the great Light in the Attic label, but boy am I glad that I finally heard it. This album has the best elements of mid ’60s BOB DYLAN, LOVE and the street poetry of mid ’60s proto-punk acts like THE FUGS rolled in one! That’s not to say that Rodriguez sounds like anyone other than himself. It’s late ’60s/early ’70s folk-rock with incredible vocals, great songs and a punk rock attitude that songs like “Rich Folks’ Hoax,” “Crucify Your Mind,” Inner City Blues” (not the MARVIN GAYE song) and of course, “Sugarman”, which rivals anything on CURTIS MAYFIELD‘s Superfly (or the aforementioned Fugs or for that matter, DAVID PEEL AND THE LOWER EAST SIDE) for its explicit drug references.
Visqueen – Message to Garcia (Local 638)
Beck – The Velvet Underground and Nico (Record Club Version) (no label)
For fun, Beck decided to form a “record club” where he and his friends decided to record a classic album from start to finish and stream it on his site as the recordings were done. Well now he’s covered every track from the 1st VELVET UNDERGROUND album and though I normally dislike cover and tribute albums, I liked this one much more than I was expecting to. Beck tweaks with the arrangements a little, but not enough to make the songs unrecognizable or unlistenable. It won’t make you miss the original, but it’s a fun reinterpretation.
Ukebox – Ukebox EP (Starcleaner)
Unlike his live show, this untitled five-song 7” has Justin backed by a bassist and drummer. Make no mistake, though. This is still rough hewn, ramshackle, lo-fi stuff. Most important, though, the songs are good, though, and I like this release.
Railway Children – Reunion Wilderness (Virgin)
This is over twenty years old now, but new to me. It’s beautiful stuff, like a wonderful mixture of THE GO-BETWEENS, THE SMITHS and PREFAB SPROUT.
