| Strange Night at the Record Store: Abiku, New Thrill Parade, and The Bastards of Fate at Crossroads |
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In short, New Thrill Parade was gloomy and mind-blowing, Abiku was eardrum-piercing and shiny, and The Bastards kept it low key. Read more about this under-attended, yet well-worthwhile show. Rare is the day that such a talented band as New Thrill Parade makes the arduous journey across this continent to share with Blacksburg the beautifully dismal art that they have cultivated out in the distant and creatively fertile western land of California. Not visions of the mainstream culture of Southern California that brainwash us daily on the babysitter box, but instead a strange call from the San Francisco underground, a dark amalgam of punk and goth aesthetics with a surreal sensibility and just enough silly to keep us from getting too self-conscious. Their name both evokes the excitement they incite and the unusually large size of their band: seven musicians, playing normal instruments like drums, digitally-effected electric guitar, bass guitar, microphone, and Casio keyboards, but less expected and quite welcomed were a violinist, a baritone saxophone player, and a dedicated percussionist, who made clanging rhythmic racket with an odd assortment of bent cymbals on the floor. While they were clearly a little road-weary, especially the drummer, who seems to have been ill, and the singer Amitai Heller, who could probably use a break from the long tour, each musician offered a lot to their rich and well-developed sound, with my only complaint being that the PA seemed to feedback unexpectedly, and the vocals were somewhat muddled in the mix, with the backing vocals nearly inaudible. Given that the PA got set up in about two minutes, who can complain? And even so, the vocals sounded fine, alternating between low crooning that evoked Jello Biafra covering The Cure or Nick Cave with a slight case of laryngitis and high squeals and squeaks that sometimes suggested The Crucifucks, with a middle range that was unique, but drew on territory explored by The Fall, The Misfits, The Cramps, The Damned, and other dark punk bands of yore. Who do we have to thank for this unexpected blessing? Our buddies from Baltimore, MD, the hard house and industrial noise act Abiku, who has in the past four years made Blacksburg a frequent destination for their gothravetastic entertainment, playing well-loved venues both above and below ground, beginning with a memorable and successful show at The Lodge, followed by shows at the Cafe at Champs, the Halfway House, the Nuthouse, and last Friday, at Crossroads Music and Video. Probably because Crossroads needed to keep the theft down, the house lights were a bit blinding, so Abiku didn't offer the club-worthy light show or the chokingly thick stage smoke that has characterized their previous performances, but they still donned the shiny, sequined magical cloaks they debuted at the Nuthouse about a year ago when it was time to rock the keytar, synths, and flying V-styled guitar. There was a little problem at the beginning of the set hearing Jane-iku's vocals, which usually alternate between sweet lullaby and bleating screamcore, and perhaps consequently Jane and Josh both seemed to have a difficult time keeping up with the pre-programmed beats for the first few tracks, unfortunately including the humorously delivered Nine Inch Nails cover that they have recently added to their set. Since Blacksburg was a dry run for their 5-week long Spring tour, which began April 16th, hopefully the Crossroads show gave them an opportunity to work out some kinks. Perhaps most remarkable about their new set is that somehow the soundsystem has gotten even louder: so loud, in fact, that it filled Crossroads with a deafening wall of white noise. My three-and-a-half year old son, who I felt very guilty for bringing when he refused ear protection, but who seemed to have a fantastic time, had two comments: "it hurt my ears, but that's okay" and "why did they wear those shiny costumes?" I doubt I'll be bringing him out to the rock shows in the future to save his tiny and fragile little ears from such abuse, but I guess it isn't every kid who gets to go see such fantastic music at such a young age. Roanoke's The Bastards of Fate are also in the midst of touring season, playing some high-profile shows up and down the east coast with Joe Jack Talcum of the Dead Milkmen and a huge show with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and The Dub Trio later this month at The Lantern. Perhaps as a consequence of this -- or perhaps due to the sober context, which probably seemed a bit alien to them after so many drunken bacchanals previously enjoyed in Blacksburg -- they also looked a bit tired, especially Camelia, Benji, and Doug Cheatwood. And I don't know why, but Camelia didn't bring the violin, which was a personal disappointment to me; she did, however, rock the keyboards and synths as usual, and provided her background vocals with a particularly delicate sensibility, complimenting Doug's brash and full-throated approach. So despite being tired, everyone contributed to their wholesome, downhome pop sound, flawlessly delivering crowd pleasers like Police 9000, Nobody Loves You, and The Sweet Touch. Indeed, the only thing missing was a sweaty drunken Blacksburg crowd. Perhaps a little strange was that there were no less than five video cameras recording The Bastards' set, but only slightly more audience members, mostly regulars and longtime fans, with a few newcomers and WUVT DJs and Staff out to check the scene. Blacksburg should be thankful indeed that we have such an open-minded record and CD store as Crossroads, willing to host such diverse and far-out events in their store. Moreover, we should count our blessings that such talented bands as New Thrill Parade, Abiku, and The Bastards of Fate come to visit. The critical component in sustaining this state of affairs is audience: it would certainly have made for a better night if there weren't simultaneous high-profile shows at Gillie's and Attitudes, but with literally thousands of us into underground and independent music in Blacksburg, it should be easy to fill every venue and keep live music viable. |