Gigs!
The Riff Randells are the cutest! They are just one of so many band I have seen recently that are either from or coming through Detroit that have totally rocked my socks off. Once again, I spent a Saturday night trying to be in eleven places at once, but on this night I was glad I committed myself to seeing this Vancouver trio kick out the jams at Lili’s in Hamtramck. They were on the bill with locals Violet Skin and Desolation Angels Detroit. Lead singer/guitarist Kathy Camaro totally knows what a girls wants to hear with lyrics like “Who says girls can rock?/Boys are all talk” (which I was told later was a cover song). I was trying to remember some more catchy lyrics, but I was having too much fun dancing around to jot any of them down. Another couple chords of full-fledged rock and roll goodness later and I was totally hooked. Any fan of bands like the Bobbyteens, Nikki & the Corvettes (Detroit goddess) or the Donnas will live and die for this shit. Actually, I’m not really a huge fan of any of those bands (except maybe Nikki) yet I was totally diggin’ the Riff Randells. I wouldn’t be surprised if they became Vancouver’s ticket to coolness – this band has a lot of promise and I hope they come back soon!
Not too long ago I was hanging out at the Lager House (aka “the new Gold Dollar”) and I ran into my friend Carol from Cleveland. Well it turns out Carol has now become Carol from Columbus and she formed a band, Tough and Lovelys, with this guy Andy who use to play in the Columbus band Them Wranch (he might still play with them, I’m not sure). And they were playing that night! What luck. The band’s singer is amazing. I haven’t heard a white girl belt out notes like that in a long time. The whole band is great, in fact. You must check them out if you live in the upper Ohio area. Also that night I saw one of the last sets by Detroit group “The Wildbunch.” They are still together, in fact I hear they got signed by a label in the U.K. (hasn’t everyone?), but apparently there is a fellow over there who has already copyrighted the name. So “The Wildbunch” will from now on be known as The Electric Six! Catch them with rap boy-wonder esQuire and Thomas Potter at Ferndale’s Magic Bag on July 27th.
Earlier this summer I was fortunate enough to be one of only 400 people with a ticket to the Queens of the Stone Age concert in Detroit. Oh. My. God. Words cannot describe the magnitude of how good these fuckers are. And with Dave Grohl on drums, there isn’t a better rock band on tour right now. Dave Grohl is one of the top five rock drummers on the planet. If you thought the Queens of the Stone Age were killer before, just wait. Oh my god. Sorry I can’t be more descriptive, it was just beyond amazing. And I’ve heard the new album (it’s supposed to come out at the end of summer). Just wait, these guys are going to save rock and roll. They’re back on tour in September (sans Dave, too bad) so be sure to go see them.
At the end of June I visited New York City because the Gore Gore Girls’ record label, Get Hip Records, was putting on a big showcase at the Warsaw in Brooklyn. It quite a party. First of all I have to say that the sound and stage crew at the Warsaw, especially Mike and Freddie, are the coolest! We played with fellow Detroiters and label-mates the Paybacks, who kicked ass, as always. Cleveland’s Charger Street Gang played just before us. They were nuts, but a good nuts. After we played the Cynics tore it up and after them, Scotland’s Rezillos. Apparently this band has been around a long time and has large followings all over the world. I can see why; they rocked! If you get a chance, check out www.gethip.com for more information on all these bands.
Coming up this summer…OZZFEST! That’s right, I get to see my sweetheart Andrew W.K. one more time! I can’t wait. Other bands on the bill are…who cares! AWK! Other shows I’m looking forward to include the White Stripes with the Strokes on Aug. 9th at Chene Park. On Aug. 10th at the Lager House the Gore Gore Girls will host the coolest instrumental surf rock trio in Canada – Les Doktures! French-Canadian boys in surgical masks and full doctor’s scrubs – not to be missed! And then this fall the Gore Gore Girls are heading out for a month-long tour of Europe including Holland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. Hopefully I’ll get to meet a few of the overseas coolgrrls while I’m there!
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