On
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018, I was drawn by the almighty
powers of the Punk Rock to venture an hour south once again to 123
Pleasant St. in Morgantown, WV. This time it was to witness the rock
'n' roll greatness that is Against Me!
Even
though I had seen Against Me! on multiple occasions, to see a band
that can easily draw a thousand people in a space that can hold a few
hundred is something that should not be missed. The only downsides
were my poor planning which did not leave me any time to grab pre
show food and getting stuck in a battle of semantics with the door
guy over what is meant by “Will Call.”
Typesetter,
from Chicago, opened the proceedings. They had a very Jimmy Eat
World vibe to them which is a sound I had grown out of over ten years
ago. Typesetter did what they do rather well but it just wasn't for
me. The folks that showed up early seemed to be really into them.
Speedy
Ortiz was up next. I had been wanting to see this band for years now
and they did not disappoint. Speedy Ortiz reminds me of the more
laid back moments of Veruca Salt. It was nice to have a calming
groove to relax in for a few minutes before the mayhem of Against Me!
hit the stage.
Against
Me! came out swinging with a one-two punch of “Teenage Anarchist”
and “White Crosses” to set the tone for a long, sweaty night. The club had completely filled in and everyone was going off. Due to
a lack of room, the pit area didn't get too out of hand. It was only
able to form into a large mass that would move back and forth like a
Jello mold.
Because
of the weather conditions created in the club by the lights and the
crowd, there were multiple instrument trade offs just to keep things
dry. Every time the drummer's hand came down there would be a splash of
moisture sent into the air. There was a constant cloud of humidity
and steam hanging over the crowd during their twenty-five song set. I kept thinking of the stories I've read about early Ramones shows
where clubs were packed like sardine cans and those in attendance
were as hydrated as a potato chip by the end of the night.
With
the exception of “Haunting, Haunted, Haunts,” the set was filled
with older songs due to the return of Andrew Seward on bass. He had
departed in 2013 so he was not around for the writing and recording
of the latest album, Shape Shift With Me. The newer songs
were probably left off so he didn't feel as if he was in a cover
band.
When
they started into “Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong” I was
almost compelled to jump into the pit. That is an urge I had not
felt in over ten years. I suddenly remembered that I wasn't in my
twenties anymore and came to my senses.
The
encore started with an acoustic cover of “Going To Georgia” from
the Mountain Goats and then the devastating “Two Coffins.” That's the song that Laura Jane Grace always dedicates to parents. Of the four times that I've seen that song played live, I don't think
there was a time that “Two Coffins” hasn't made me roll a tear.
By the
time Against Me! called it a night, everyone had sweat through their
clothes and you could see moisture rolling down the walls. Our Punk
Rock forefathers would have been proud. At the beginning of the
night, I had no intentions of buying a t-shirt but grabbed one on the
way out so I wouldn't have to drive for an hour while stewing in my
own juices.
It was
recently announced that Laura Jane Grace will be putting out a record
with a new band called the Devouring Mothers. The record is due out
this fall on Bloodshot Records. It will be her first solo effort
since Heart Burns came out several years ago between New
Wave and White Crosses. If the title of the new album
doesn't include the words “Heart Burns II: Electric Boog-a-loo”
there is no justice in the world.
When
the album was announced, I spent way more time than I should have
trying to do the math on why it was not a new Against Me! album. It
had been two years since Shape Shift With Me was released and
the timing fits in with record/tour/record/tour cycle. Then Laura
posted online that the songs were heavily influenced by the
six-string samurai, Rowland S. Howard. That's when it clicked in my
head. These songs are their own separate animal from Against Me! and
deserve to be released under a different entity.
Rowland
S. Howard did time with Nick Cave in The Birthday Party, back in the
early 80s, before going off on his own. His final album, Pop
Crimes, was a thing of beauty and very haunting. The world lost
Howard back in 2009 due to multiple liver ailments.
Needless
to say, I'll be first in line when the Devouring Mothers' record
comes out. Hopefully there will be more tour dates that will bring
the band further east. So far the only dates are in the Midwest.
Here are links for the curious:
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