Last Saturday the second-best record store in New England,
Armageddon Shop, had their 6/6:6 anniversary show at
AS220. I met up with some of my schoolmates after an ill-fated "couples picnic" with my lady and our friends from Marblehead, Mass, only to be bombarded by the past- a handful of old and close friends that I hadn't seen in years that for some reason had all come out to see
Pissed Jeans,
The Body,
Snake Apartment, and
Rusted Shut, now that's the noise I wanna hear when I'm trying to play catch up! After several $2 'gansetts and an eyeful to look at in between bands thanks to the Gay-Pride night parade cruising by the next block... things started to get a little rowdy, i'd say right around Snake Apartment's set. It was the first time that I'd ever seen these guys before because half of them live out west, but the proud sludge that I've been hearing since I picked up their
Parts Unknown record a few months ago was even more powerful live. I don't know if theys considered a local band, but if they are, they're by far the best. Perhaps the band I was looking most forward to seeing was Rusted Shut, as their
Rehab disc was a top-choice in my fall semester studio "midnight slot," but I wasn't feeling their set that much. It's awfully hard for a guitarist/singer to incite the same riot as an uninhibited frontman, especially sandwched inbetween two savage frontmen but if that's your game than let it roll! I have to admit that I've never seen anybody use a microphone to "strum" a guitar but it sounded like complete shit in the greatest way! Now to Pissed Jeans- I've never been much of a fan, but
Pop:Doug's always tried to get me on to
Shallow, claiming that it's "as good" as that
Clockclean er album (Top 25 of 2006 Material, there), and after seeing them live i'm definately feeling like there's some truth behind the words. Their frontman played a sour-faced Iggy Stooge, and the band was energetic (but not in an annoying way)... heavy on the bass groove, and with guitars that edge on metal and punk not unlike my boy
Bob Petric of
TJSA. Nice, but I'm still not crazy for this year's
Hope For Men, revisiting
Shallow is enough for me for the time being.
Church Police Gilligan's Wings (Skulltones, 2007)
I picked up an sneak-peak copy of this, the latest release from one of my favorite new labels
Skulltones. Now, I got this after Rusted Shut played, so I am pretty amazed that this was still playable after the Pissed Jeans' incited beer-showers, dudes with rat tails and moustaches moshing outside of the ring and the occasional drunk "I can't believe that your here too!" hug,
BUT IT DID! I had no idea what it would sound like so I put it on Sunday morning while
Meghan was in the shower (I was in the doghouse that morning after stumbling up the stair piss drunk at 3am, clutching on to a beer-soaked 7" like my life depended on it, so the last thing I wanted to do is be caught listening to what could've potentially been a black turd pressed to vinyl). I was really pleased with what I heard, soaring one-note lead guitar leading the slowly descending punk jam- sounding like something off of
Slanted and Enchanted, but undoubtedly one of the many sounds that inspired the landmark album. The most obvious comparison would probably be
Flipper, but I think that they're more in the company of
The Puddle. After a bit of searching I found out that these guys have another EP that was put out on RRRecords but I have yet to track it down, but give me some time and you can bet your two cents that it'l end up in my bins eventually. This is a usual Skulltones editon of 300, I'd say to move quick, but it'll sell out even if this ain't your bag, what's a recommendation anyways? I'll be back tomorrow.
