Just another egotistical bum who feels the world would benefit from his daily, blue collar observations and philosophies.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

I Can't Say I've Seen The Dead Boys play "Sonic Reducer".....But I HAVE Seen The Next Best Thing.


Batusis. Dumb name actually. From what I've gathered...it's named after the dance that Batman did on the old 60's tv's show, modeled after the watusi. It's actually pronounced "Ba-too-see".....with the last "s" being silent. I know I know....who cares...right? Anyway....I found out about this show not long after it was booked. I was curious about how good it would be, having 2 surviving members of some of the greatest rock-n-punk bands of all time: The New York Dolls and The Dead Boys. Reguardless, I was excited to see Sylvain Sylvain and Cheetah Chrome rock out. Even if it was bad...it'd be cool to see a couple of bonafide rock legends up close. These cats have done so much and......well....I'll get into that later. Anyway.....like probably every other audience member in attendance.....I tried to get booked on the show as the local support opening act. Me and my wretched Hive woulda made a good fit I thought, but so sould probably a couple of other bands. Ehh...big deal. In a way I was glad we weren't playing. I didn't have to hassle with that aspect of it..and could just enjoy the show. Actually....I almost did NOT go, as I was tired and feeling a little guitly about leaving my girlfriend moving into her new place to go see a show. But she knew how important it was to me and urged me to go have a good time.


So, with enough arm twisting, I show up about half hour after the doors open. And I'm the 2nd person there. Ouch. Is this a sign of things to come? I'm talking with Lisa, the main cat over at Tremont Music Hall, and she asks if I think it will be well attended for the show. I quickly tell her "no". She said their guarentee (how much money they are to be paid) wasn't too high and didn't seem to worried. She then told me that left over 80's has-beens Faster Pussycat and LA Guns were both JUST booked for a future show coming up. Sadly, I expect that show to be packed. Anyway.......the local band starting the show a was rather new band here in town called The Mangles. I first got introduced to these guys the night that their bassist showed up at my house to buy my old beat-up Rickenbacker bass last year. Their drummer, Ty, has been around for some time in the area and honestly is one of the best rock/punk drummers in Charlotte. Their main frontman/guitarist must be fairly new to town, as I've not seen this particular Johnny Thunders protege'.......except for the first time I saw them as a 3 piece. Tonight, they have in their services a local mainstay, and rockabilly godfather, Mike Hendricks. Much to my surprise, he's not actually in their band, as he got added on for this show just a week earlier. It's been my opinion for some time that Hendricks is actually enjoying playing more harder driven, solid body guitar rock-n-roll, rather than the trebley rockabilly that's he's known and paid for. I could be wrong. Anyway...I think the addition of a 2nd guitarist was a good move. The crowd seem to really dig them and they put over a pretty solid performance. As a casual observer, it seemed to me that there are actually 2 bands within one. The first writes and plays 2.5 minute punk rock songs, not too far removed from the greatest band ever, The Ramones. The second is far more musical and thought out, and "jams" to longer compositions. I prefer the first. But reguardless, if any band was gonna open this show (besides Biggy Stardust and his Wretched Hive...plug plug plug), I'm glad it's them.


Next up is what I like to refer to as a "professional opening band". They're together, on the road, probably paid next to nothing, and PRETTY good, but not good enough to be a threat to the band that people actually care about. I've seen tons of them open for established bands. Sometimes they are friends of the headliners, sometimes they are on the same label, and sometimes even, they are the road crew. This band was called Prima Donna. They actually open themselves up to alot of verbal attacks with such a name, seeing as how it fits them and their frilly image. But then again, that might all be by design. Their image: mid-60's British invasion. You know the look. Skinny, Keith Richards hair style, bright red jackets with military stripes on the arms. Boring and unoriginal. And to make things worse....their music (I'm being kind) was bland and without substance. This is a case where the Happy Meal box is WAY more exciting than the actual burger inside. Looking like The Faces works for The Black Crowes...not these guys. I stomached a few minutes of a couple of songs. Not good....not terrible....just "there".


After Prima Donnas mercifully stops playing, I get up front for a good spot. Not really sure why. This show probably has an embarassing 40 to 50 people. Getting upfront would be easy if I went up halfway though the set. You know....that annoys me. I mean, I didn't expect anyone to be there. I don't even expect for the average self proclaiming music fan to be aware of the existence of Syl and Cheetah. For the un-informed...I'll give an extremely brief overview. Sylvain Sylvain is one of the few surviving original members of the groundbreaking 70's blues based rock-n-roll band, The New York Dolls. A band that simutaneously influenced and spawned the 2 most important forces, and diametrically OPPOSITE, in 70's rock: Kiss and The Sex Pistols. Without Syl and his NY Dolls, rock-n-roll would not look and sound the way it did soon after 1976. 70's punk and 80's cock rock owe a huge debt to the Dolls. Then we have Cheetah Chome, lead guitarist for probably the second hardest hitting band from the CBGB's NY punk scene: The Dead Boys (The Ramones taking the number one spot.) The soul the Dead Boys resides in their late singer Stiv Bators and the aforementioned Cheetah Chrome. Great and terrible bands for the past 30+ years have been playing "Sonic Reducer", the Dead Boys' signature anthem. Of their contemporaries, I think the Dead Boys were more accomplished technicians of their respected instruments. On this particular night, we have these 2 legends performing on the same stage, in the same band. It's real hip for some musicians and bands to refer to themselves as "troubadours". In this case, these guys are the real deal. I doubt either one have ever had a big house or made any real money, yet being a direct influence on some of the biggest bands of the last 30 years. Chrome probably made the MOST money of his life when he received royalties for the terrible Guns-N-Roses version of his song, "Aint it Fun". I'd like to think that it would be standing room only. But for 2 guys responsible for so much....we have MAYBE 50 enthused fans to show their adoration. I'll restrain from going further with my point. I could write BOOKS on my contempt for the music listening public.


Batusis really reinforced a strongley held belief that real rock-n-roll just happens. That it can't be forced, AND, that all the practice in the world won't help if you're not meant to do it. These 2 old farts laid down the real deal, that their traveling opener FAILED to do. Not only did they plow through an hour's worth of extremely raw, edgy, guitar rock, but they managed to give the appearance of enjoying the execution of their craft, despite the lack of appreciative fans. I was told that they would not be playing any of their previous bands' songs. They did the smart thing and did include well-known classics such as "Sonic Reducer", "Jet Boy", and "Trash". Plus they surprisingly covered The Heartbreakers (Thunders...not Petty) classic "I Wanna Be Loved" and the a novelty version of the Batman theme song. Plus....they played all 4 songs from their 4 song ep they were selling at the merch stand (of which I bought, had signed, and am listening to as I write this).


I appreciate their willingness to hang out, sign stuff, pose for pictures, and chat. Sylvain seemed to be a little bothered at times, unless you had a vagina....then he was all smiles. I scored a set-list and got to talk to their bassist, who has spent time in the Joan Jett's Blackhearts over the recent years. Everyone, except for me, seemed impressed with their drummer being a member of The Cult during their important years (Electric, Sonic Temple). I was just glad to of witnessed an actual rock-n-roll show, a product that is almost always the exception, but never the rule.