A couple of great touring shows highlight tonight's musical offerings, the second of which offers up some fantastic local support...
No Age and Rene Hell at Sons of Hermann Hall
Noise just doesn't get
much better than Everything in Between, the powerful 2010 effort
from Los Angeles' No Age. On previous efforts, the dynamic duo of Randy
Randall and Dean Allen Spunt has successfully paid homage to Sonic Youth
and The Fall, but everything really came together on Everything. Songs
such as "Chem Trails" and "Fever Dreaming" maintain No Age's aggressive
nature, but enough melodic elements are still featured to entice listeners
beyond the punk spectrum. Both live and recorded, the music of No Age is
as chaotic as it is beautiful. And that's saying something.
Naysayer, Power Trip, Take Offense and Humanerror at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio
Virginia's
Naysayer may get some fairly sizable critical kudos for its brand of
punk noise, but Power Trip's Riley Gale may well be the best frontperson of any local band, period. The fact that Gale's band rocks like all
mighty hell only adds to the singer's angst-filled yowling. Early in
2010, Power Trip released the Armageddon Blues EP, an angry statement of
purpose that featured a title cut that went well beyond the typical
punk/metal trappings. Hopefully, Gale and crew are readying a
full-length release that will prove as satisfying as the band's
earlier EP. Adding to tonight's shouting and pointing will be
California's Take Offense and our own Humanerror. Bring a sufficient
supply of ear plugs and pain killers.
