I decided at the last minute to check out the lineup at the 501 Club last night, and boy, am I glad I did. I left this show with a new favorite local band! (Sorry Idle Hands, no hard feelings, right?) But we'll get there eventually. Let's start at the beginning.
The first band was Guzzlemug. I think their entire set consisted of three very long songs - or maybe I just stopped paying attention. The first song, Dallas, TX, gave me the impression of excellent '70s jam-rock; the music flowed easily, and struck me as very Pink Floyd-esque. The second song, called The Moon, was similarly jam-band rock, but with a harder aesthetic. This was the point where they started to lose me; some of the song I liked, but then it wandered around the harmony and I couldn't keep up. Some could argue that it might have also been because at this point, I was on my second Premium. But who's counting? I think that my tastes are too vocally-driven to really appreciate their music - either they don't have a singer, or the singer didn't show up - but all in all, not bad. I would also like to point out that the incredibly hot drummer had his shirt off after the first song, and the guitarist had a super sweet 'stache. In my book, these are excellent signs.
The next band was Dylan Posa & Three Cheers for One Dead Man, from Chicago. Dylan Posa's website says "Dylan Posa is not ready for the 21st century," and frankly, I think the reverse is just as true. Or rather, there is simply no century ready for Dylan Posa. I didn't enjoy the music, the lyrics, or the singing. And was there some kind of off-key spoken word thrown in there? Or is that just how my brain interpreted the monstrosity of noise that was hitting my ears? I really enjoyed the commitment of the trombone player - she was working it pretty hard - but in my opinion, trombone does not for sweet rock music make. But then again, no one in the band was making good music, so it wouldn't be fair to single her out. A class of 3rd graders playing the recorder out of sync would have been a better booking.
10w40 followed, and although it wouldn't have taken much to sound better than the group before them, they were pretty darn good. I fell back into the let's-have-sex-in-the-back-of-my-van kinda vibe with the dirty, sexy, '70s rock music they were playing. They reminded me of ZZ Top or AC/DC, and they had some wicked lyrics comparing a woman to whiskey. At one point the phrase "rock my panties off" crossed my mind, and I think that sums up my experience of 10w40.
Now to the finale of the show - the goondas. I'm still coming down from the many orgasms this band gave me last night. I don't even know if I can express the heights of enjoyment that I reached as they played, but I'll try. Their music struck me as a cross between Nashville and Velvet Underground - does that even make sense? Maybe I should say that's how I felt while listening to them. They were fast-paced, had great guitar, amazing drums, expressive but simple lyrics, and were really really fun to watch! If I wasn't trying to take notes, I would have gotten up and danced like a happy fool for the entire set. As it was, I gave my chair a run for its money with all my booty shaking. However, the lead singer deserves an entirely separate review for his bizarre, intoxicated antics. What was up with the fuzzy lady coat he wore for about 10 seconds, before beginning to strip almost entirely naked? Did he briefly pass out in the corner while trying to pull off his mesh shirt? Was he merely drunk, or on some kind of opiate? Or perhaps a unique blend of drugs that he will never be able to replicate? Whatever the answers to these questions may be, he obviously isn't the most critical element in the band, as I still had my socks rocked off while he was busy doing whatever the hell it was he was doing.
Ultimately, the goondas put on an extremely fun show. Did drinking enhance the experience? Without a doubt! If I can see these guys play on a regular basis, I might not have to move to Nashville after all. They're playing this Friday the 27th at Sauce Soundbar, and there are more dates on their myspace page. I highly recommend checking them out!!
