All photos by Sammy Braxton-Haney
Day two at Mosswood Meltdown in Oakland saw a more diverse and varied lineup, and possibly no other band epitomized this better than opener, Gumby’s Junk.
If you are a music fan of a certain age, you would not be out of place if you closed your eyes and heard what sounded like King Crimson, albeit a post-punk version of King Crimson. From the Robert Fripp-influenced guitar tone of Jas Stade to the Bill Bruford-inspired drum fills of Eli Streich, Gumby’s Junk’s staccato and stop/start rhythms were a great beginning to the day.
Speaking of music fans of a certain age, you may have seen Space Lady performing on the streets of San Francisco in a variety of neighborhoods back in the day, either playing accordion or her beloved Casio keyboard. In one of the most transcendent performances of the day, Space Lady (Susan Dietrich) proceeded to play cover songs on her Casio, ranging from “Major Tom” by Peter Schilling to “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf to The Seeds‘ “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night”. In a trembling, tenuous voice, Space Lady held the audience rapt in the hot sun for 30 minutes. When she turned her eyes up to the sky and sang “Earth below us/Drifting, Falling” she was truly beatific. It was a rare treasure to see this Bay Area legend.
Austin, TX Die Spitz are certainly tipped for greatness and they were in top form at Mosswood. Punk, metal and grunge intertwined seamlessly in their capable hands, and it got the audience on their feet. The song “Slater”, one of their best, lept out of their amplifiers and was only topped by lead singer Ava Schrobilgen climbing out on top of the PA cabinets to close their show. Its no wonder that Amyl and the Sniffers asked them out on their tour, as they have really developed their stagecraft.
Bush Tetras are considered a key part of the No Wave scene in New York in the late 70’s, and, paired with drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, they were a force to be reckoned with under the hot sun. Opening with the funky “Cowboys in Africa”, it was magnificent to hear them in top form decades after their inception. Lead singer Cynthia Sley was in fine voice and guitarist Pat Place delivered shards of jagged rhythms that kept their set interesting all the way until closer “Too Many Creeps”.
Egyptian Lover brought the hip hop beats and got the audience participation flowing. An artist who was key in the early 80’s West Coast hip hop scene, Egyptian Lover (Gregory James Broussard) was clearly having fun with call-and-response chants with the crowd and helped bring some energy back in the hot afternoon.
Founding member of Butthole Surfers, Gibby Haynes teamed up with Paul Green and his Rock Academy to present ten teenage musicians playing an eclectic mix of rock, punk, and stoner music alongside Haynes’ sound manipulations. It was awesome to behold all the talent on stage, and when the group did a cover of the Surfer’s cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Sweet Leaf”, it was made complete by their choreographed kicks. Proud parents jammed the front of the stage, as the musicians closed with George Michael‘s “Careless Whisper”.
Big Freedia, from New Orleans, LA absolutely owned the stage in her early evening slot. Performing with a DJ and 3 superb (and dexterous) dancers, over a juggernaut of beats, Freedia rapped original songs while sampling such disparate sources as Bill Haley‘s “Rock Around the Clock”. At one point, audience members were invited on stage to shake it with Freedia’s dancers. With a commanding stage presence, Big Freedia was one of the day’s highlights.
Philadelphia rock royalty, Pure Hell came out ready to spread the gospel of punk. Guitarist Preston Morris fired off riff after riff, while lead singer Kenny Gordon spat out lyrics in a gravelly voice. Often cited as one of the first all-black proto-punk bands, Pure Hell were a little unstable a few times during the night, but managed to finish strong and really shone on their cover of “These Boots Are Made For Walking”.
What can you say about The Mummies? The band, originally from San Bruno, CA, plays a rabid strain of garage rock while terrorizing themselves, each other, and sometimes the audience. The provocateur of all this mayhem is usually lead singer/keyboardist Trent Ruane. Trent humped his keyboards, knocked them on the ground, and later did a handstand with his head in a bucket of water. Arms, legs and torsos were in constant motion and, amazingly, the band pumped out some really driving punk flavored garage rock. Needless to say, it was a fitting end to a great weekend of diverse music at Mosswood Meltdown, 2024.
