This
past Saturday (9/1/2018,) presented an opportunity that I have not
had in a long time. Hitting two shows at two different venues in the
same day.
The day
began much like a rocket exploding on a launchpad or a plane crashing
before it leaves the runway. A screaming headache grabbed me by the
skull around 3:30am. It was the kind of headache that had so much
pain in the temples and behind the eyes that drilling holes on either
side of my head to relieve the pressure actually sounded like a sane
idea.
After a
breakfast of Excedrin and Advil, I finally started to feel close to
human around 1pm so what better way to treat a headache than to go
see Killer Of Sheep play an outdoor show at a motorcycle
show/demonstration. They were playing at this year's Mods vs.
Rockers event, up in Harmarville, that was held in the parking lot of
one of those family fun centers that always seem to have the word
“Zone” in the name. The type of event and the type of band that
Killer Of Sheep is didn't really line up in my brain so my curiosity
in how things would play out was certainly piqued.
Upon
arrival, I could tell that the crowd was probably not of the ilk that
would have as much appreciation for a group of black guys slinging
some of the best punk rock that any band has to offer into their
earholes as I would. It was a mix of affluent white suburbanites
with their dull children that don't know how to act in public and
legit bikers that I would certainly steer clear of since getting my
ass kicked never seems to be on my list of things to do.
Given
the amount of reading I've been doing lately on hate groups in
Pennsylvania, my paranoia level has been ratcheted up more than usual
and Killer Of Sheep does not really fit into the demographic that
motorcycle events seem to attract. This paranoia might also be
firmly planted in my imagination due to having binge watched Sons
Of Anarchy several times over the past few years.
The
band hit stage and did what they do best to a smattering of applause
after the first song. It did not take long for me to figure out that
I was the only one there that could give a fuck about motorcycles and
was only there for the Punk Rock. I don't know what the crowd
reaction was behind me because I didn't want to miss a second of the
band but I wish I had turned around to see if people were slowly
backing away or treating the band with the easier option of
indifference.
The
fears I had about shit hitting fans and whatnot were quickly allayed
by the immense apathy that the crowd was able to muster. That was
disappointing but to hell with it, I had a blast. Killer Of Sheep
has been one of my favorite bands of late so I will drag my carcass
to see them play every chance I get.
Due to
the heat and standing on a freshly paved parking lot for about an
hour, I bailed as soon as they were done. Water and food were
suddenly becoming an issue but not so much of an issue to prevent me
from stopping by The Attic record store in Millvale. I picked up the
reissue of Wire's Pink Flag on vinyl. The mastering on the CD
version with the bonus tracks made me curious to hear how the vinyl
pressing came out. Wow, my turntable has never been so happy. I
also picked up Alan Vega's final album IT on orange vinyl and
Third Eye from Redd Kross. Third Eye was supposed to
be a Record Store Day release but wasn't in the store back in April,
I guess they got it late.
After
lunch and a nap, it was back to Route 28 for Swedish, stoner metal
mad men, Monolord, at the upstairs room of Mr. Smalls, known as the
Funhouse. The first order of business upon entering the venue was to
order up a black bean burger from the kitchen. The second order of
business was avoiding the people that were attending the Fleetwood
Mac cover band show on the first floor.
Very
inebriated and very loud, old white people were staggering around all
over the place looking for bathrooms and more booze. For some
reason, they kept trying to wander into the Monolord show while the
opening acts were playing. The poor doorman had to keep reminding
these entitled, drunk assholes that they only bought a ticket for the
downstairs show and had to stay there.
The
thing that I can't figure out is how a stoner metal show would be
appealing to these yuppies unless they just didn't want their night
out to end and as long as the booze was still flowing they didn't
much care what was happening around them. They pretty much ruined
the opening acts for me with their constant yelling over the bands to
hold their conversations about who gives a shit what. And then there
was their bumping into everyone and everything around them. Luckily,
by the time Monolord went on a spot toward the front of the stage
opened up and I was front and center for the face melting that they
were about to deliver.
As
uncomfortably jam packed as the venue was, I was glad to see so many
people showed up. The crowd wasn't the usual old burn outs that I
normally see at metal shows. There was a larger than expected
contingent of youths that turned out to see Monolord put a hurting on
their hearing.
Guitar
player/singer, Thomas Jager, only plays with one pickup on his guitar
in order to get the sound that he wants. In the open space, under
the strings where the second pickup should be, he has a Yoda Lego
figure glued in its place. Because of such a simple thing, Monolord
will forever be one of my favorite bands. Oh, and the sound ass
kicking they gave everyone in attendance, there's that too.
Monolord
played for about an hour and it was a transcendent blur from
beginning to end. There was a flurry of activity on the stage the
whole time unlike some stoner bands that stand stationary when they
play. The only song I am certain they played was “Empress Rising”
and that's because it closed out the set. They are such a solid
band. I know Rust came out about a year ago but I can't wait
to see what they do next. After finally having a chance to see them
play live, I can definitely say that Monolord is on the same level
with bands such as Sleep and Boris when it comes to sludgy goodness. Their records are great but holy shit can they put on a show.
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