GO WEST: BONEHAWK & BLUE SNAGGLETOOTH

BoneHawk

Saturday night I drove out to Kalamazoo to check out the BoneHawk show, featuring Ann Arbor Rockers Blue Snaggletooth.  They played an incredible show at Bell's Eccentric Café!

Evil Deauxerz

I won’t lie, I made the drive for BoneHawk, and left a fan of the female fronted Evil Deauxerz.

I was not expecting to see a hard-edged melodic punk band open for a these fuzzy fellas, but the Evil Deauxerz more than held their own.  

Singer/bassist Janel Evil has a deep, sexy voice steeped in the tradition of Nina Simone. No big surprise to learn that her influences include L7, Seven Year Bitch, Mike Hard, just to name a few.  The band kicked through their set pretty quickly, I loved their song "Runnin'" best.  I hope to see them out in SE Michigan more; they’d be a great fit with Detroit’s Circus Boy.

Blue Snaggletooth

Next up was Blue Snaggletooth from Ann Arbor.  These guys always put on a great show.  They have stacks of gear and a solid, linear wall of sound.  Singer/guitarist Chris Taylor has a great vocal range from the melodic “Sleeping Mountain” to the wild ride “Transmutation.”  

Taylor and lead guitarist Casey O’Ryan have superb chemistry and keep the show alive with flying guitars and down-on-your-knees grooves. They ended the set with two songs from their first album Dimension Thule, “Star Flight” and “Fireball Island.”  It was nice to see the crowd sing along with the rock anthem “Star Flight,” as these guys are out of town and a lot of the kids knew that tune word for word.

BoneHawk

By the time BoneHawk hit the stage, the cafe seemed to be at capacity. I have been listening to their record for some time and checking out their videos online (Tonight We Ride), but this was my first time seeing BoneHawk live. Too many times bands put out a great record but just can't seem to deliver live. 

Not in this case, these fellas are absolute SLAYERS on stage. Guitarist Chad Houts and Singer/Guitarist Matt Helt are tight dueling guitarists, throwing down simple heavy riffs with great hooks.  It comes as no surprise that they've been playing together for well over two decades. Bassist Chris Voss offers a deep tone and has great stage presence while Jay Rylander holds it all down like a sacred anchor in the storm.  He is an excellent drummer, and kicks down some wicked backing vocals.  

BoneHawk

The crowd was way into these guys. It was an absolute thrill to see the ladies rule the first few rows in the front, as there was little to no sign of the XL dudes that generally saturate the genre.  I was trying to get a decent photo of Hout's impressive pedal board, but the hyper territorial cutie pies would not let me near him.

I had to slide a bit on stage in front of Helt in order to get a shot of Chad working his magic. At one point, I leaned over to touch one of his pedals (what can I say, I've got a thing for pedal boards) and Houts as my witness, I thought I was going to get torn limb from limb by the insatiable mob of Maenads at his feet - and hey man, that's alright! These ladies were fucking MAD for BoneHawk! Check out their Official Video “Hot Mary.”

BoneHawk

BoneHawk and Blue Snaggletooth were recently picked up by west coast Stoner Rock label Ripple Music, and plan to put out a split LP later this year. Thanks to the Internet, the world is flat. Both bands have quite a global reach, sending records to nearly every continent. Snaggletooth alone has been keeping a steady pace in Europe, with vinyl going out on a weekly basis. It's going to be really cool to watch both bands over the next 12 months. They complement one another in terms of sound and songwriting.

Author: Theresa Kiefer

VOYAG3R, JESSE SHEPHERD-BATES, ALMOST FREE, CARJACK

Voyag3r, Jesse Shepherd-Bates, Almost Free, CARJACK
This is a line-up worth writing about.

That’s right, Friday, May 2nd, this chimerical bill will grace the stage of the New Way Bar in Ferndale, as part of the 2014 Metrotimes Blowout. First, about the New Way Bar. (Remember when New Way was the only Rock ‘n’ Roll venue in Ferndale?) New Way was passed on to new owners about a year ago and the reviews are all positive. The place is the right combination of Ferndale and local hole in the wall… oh, and skeeball. They’ve been booking a lot of good shows here lately: Gary Quackenbush, The Potter’s Field, Frijid Pink, Bars of Gold.

Now how about the acts? Is there a thread that assimilates these acts? If there was it would be one of analog, moog, synth, syncopation; of unhurried rhythms that build and crash and follow no premeditated equation in getting there. In reality the greatest similarity of these four acts is their complete lack of similarity. They are each completely unique in genre and style and represent a cross-cut of the Detroit music scene and that is precisely why I choose this to be one of the best events of the Blowout.

For starters take Jesse Shepherd-Bates. Jessie is part of (or all of) JSB Squad, The Satin Peaches, D’Orchestra and The HandGrenades. Jessie will be playing a solo set on piano.

 “All new stuff, can't say much about why I'm doing it but it's a preview of my next big project. My main focus right now is The HandGrenades.” - Jesse Shepherd-Bates

The HandGrenades just released a new video Tuesday, directed by Jesse, and have a new EP coming out May 13th. Check out the video: The HandGrenades are pretty amazing and the video is sweet featuring cinematography and editorial by The Work, Inc. I love Joby Kaslowski’s drum work on this EP.

Next up is CARJACK. What can I say? CARJACK played his first Blowout in 2007 and it landed him on the Detroit underground map. Since then he’s played with Electric Six, Deastro, Troy Gregory, and even been backed by full bands including Wildcatting and the Sights. He was recently nominated for a DMA for Best Video (under $10,000) and is one of the funnest acts in the city; think Buck Rodgers with a drum machine playing Descendents with Dollrods energy.

"CARJACK: Sounds like the Stooges played through an Atari. What's not to like?" - MotorCityRocks.com

Next on the bill is Almost Free, a power trio that layers effects loops and grungy guitars to build a serious wall of sound that blends seamlessly with smart lyrics. Think Interpol meets Mogwai and have upbeat Depeche Mode over for lunch. The solid focus of Almost Free always rings through and their live show is definitely memorable.

Taking the stage at 12:45 is Voyag3r, pronounced “Voyager 3”. Inspired from sci-fi/horror/action soundtrack music, Voyag3r have set out to create dynamic, epic, moody and atmospheric sounds intended to inspire. This experimental rock sound is like a movie-less score or the soundtrack to a far-away mysterious journey.

Voyag3r is putting the finishing touches on their debut full length LP (the follow up to last year’s Victory In The Battle Chamber 7") to be released on Bellyache Records. The 12" vinyl LP will be packed to the brim over 35 minutes of synth based horror/sci-fi/action adventure score rock. The album was recorded at the Tempermill studios in Ferndale. All vintage analog synthesizers, guitars and acoustic drums were tracked to 2" analog tape for maximum authenticity for vintage sound and spirit and is slated for release in mid to late August. For more information and update on this and other Voyag3r news, visit http://www.voyag3r.com

Other Blowout picks of mine:

Thursday:

If you are into Folk/Americana, The Whiskey Charmers will have you staring into your glass of bourbon, thinking about escaping your most recent heartbreak by hittin’ the road. Paychecks - 9:00
Then of course there’s the Ragbirds playing at Rustbelt Market - 11:30. Ragbirds are ALWAYS a good time show!

Johnny Headband is coming out of live-show hibernation and their set at The Loving Touch - 10:15, features Lord Scrummage - 9:00, and will be a showcase for Detroit The Album – 11:30

The Paper Sound just released a new album, Trajectories, and their set at Capo Lounge - 11:30 will be a memorable event, I am sure.

Doop and the Inside Outlaws, Paychecks - 11:30 Don Duprie may very well be the best songwriter in Detroit. This is a must see Detroit act.

Friday:

I already gave you my Friday venue pick but a few other acts worth mentioning:

Woodward Avenue Brewers (WAB) has a great lineup with a Gangplank Records showcase including: Detroit's DUENDE!, The Thornbills, American Mars, Captain Ivory and The Blueflowers.

At 9:00 at Rustbelt Market you can catch Yum featuring someone I consider to be one of the most impressive young women in the scene, Elise Poirier. Hailing from Bay City and Freeland, this act blew me away the first time I caught them. They have a show coming up at New Way Bar with Duende! and The Ghost Wolves on June 27th

Blue Snaggletooth is proving that you can honor hard rock's past while pumping fresh blood into its future. Hop on board their spacecraft while there's still room for new riders. Jumbo’s Bar - 11:30

Of course, I can’t not add The Hentchmen, at Paychecks Lounge.- 12:45

Saturday:

Crooked Little Reasons at New Way Bar – 9:00

Palaces at Old Miami – 10:15 You can also catch Palaces June 17th at PJ's Lagerhouse.

Jumbo’s Bar with Disinformants - 10:15, followed by The Bomb Pops - 11:30

Lee Marvin Computer Arm, a band I have been consistently amazed by, at Magic Stick -10:30

White Shag at Smalls – 10:15 and stick around for Broadzilla – 11:30



Please everyone, be safe bouncing around the city and don’t drink and get behind the wheel!

Jason Osburn is a Kimchi and craft beer fueled artist, graphic designer, chef, daddy, and writer. (not necessarily in that order) He’s worked in and around the music industry in Detroit and Nationally for the better part of 20 years. 

saddleproductions@gmail.com

http://micraftbeerculture.com/