| So, no
shit, there we were at 10 p.m. on Saturday night, wondering what to
do with ourselves that wouldn't end in jail time or shame (but mostly
jail time), when my partner in restlessness came up with the idea
to hit the Continental
and see who was playing. I met this idea with some apprehension, because
it has been my experience that unknown bands in alternative clubs
can be hit or miss. Either: a) the first band is great, and the rest
suck, or b) you have to sit through five sets of tone-deaf would-be
bards, only to get fed up and leave before the end of the show. Invariably
in this scenario, somebody is obnoxious enough to call you (early)
the next day and tell you that you missed a great band, or c) they
all suck.
Of course the upside to this approach is that every so often, you
are pleasantly surprised. If I said this wasn't one of those times
just for the sake of humor, I'd be lying.
The Continental had an $8 cover and a line-up of three bands, of
which we managed to hang around for two before my sleep-deprived
partner felt the urgent need to crash. The first band up was Psychocharger.
Now, with a name like that it could go either way, and usually it
goes down the toilet. Uh-uh. These guys were great. They had the
best sense of showmanship I've seen in a loooong fucking time. First
of all, they understand that clothes make the man. The bass player
was dressed in a high school band uniform, and still managed to
look cool. Even better, the lead guitarist/vocalist was dressed
as a professional wrestler, complete with the spandex mask that
you wish more people would be kind enough to wear. The drummer was
pretty low-key and only had on a pair of devil horns, probably because
these guys wanted to make sure that everyone was properly represented.
I was still pondering their shtick until they got going. Man, I
couldn't hear a word the guy was singing, but it didn't matter.
The music pulled it all together beautifully. Surfer rock that you
just don't hear anymore. You see, I've noticed that coming into
the late 90's, most musicians have gotten too wrapped up in having
a "message" and have forgotten how to be fun. Not these
guys. They were fun. A lot of it. [They sounded a bit more Rod
Zombiesque to me, and their Web site does say they're hardcore hellbilly—but
they did have that surfer kinda bottom —ed.]
The second band, L.E.S.
Stitches was pretty kicking, too, although they were
a little southern cal hardcore for me. But that's not their fault.
They were actually very reminiscent of Murphy's
Law, one of my all-time favorite bands. I really liked
their lead singer's kinder, gentler Sid Vicious vibe. [They seem
to be popular with the kids, too, to tell from the crowd of high-school
age punkers who packed the Continental. Who knows, maybe Lower East
Side Stitches is the Next Big Thing… though, Sex Pistols references
aside, I didn't appreciate the swastika the bass player sported
on his T-shirt —ed.]
About
the writer: If Alexandra Prats told you about some of her rock
'n' roll adventures, you'd probably wet yourself.
Got
a band you want to turn us on to? E-mail editor@corporatemofo.com.
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