See Elder Devil destroy Strummer's with ferocious set of hard core madness
Plus, Art and the Resistance lands on the 'No Cover' competition show and a Homegrown showcase.
Elder Devil gave a master class this week on how to be a proper opening act.
The band played Strummer’s on Wednesday night as direct support for grindcore pioneers Napalm Death (with Amethes opening the night).
They absolutely destroyed the crowd, with a 20 minutes of ear-bleeding feedback, bass drone and cymbals crash, played at breakneck speed. The band was tight in its layered noise and screaming, with vocalist Stephen Muir pacing the stage with full on Rollins vibe.
It’s easy to see why they had interest from Prosthetic Records.
Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it.
Youtube user Burninghammer559 uploaded the entire show on his channel (along with piece of the Napalm Death set), in what appears to be glorious VHS.
The channel is loaded with live footage from mostly local, underground shows and is worth a bookmark.
While Elder Devil didn’t get the chance to play Porchfest, the band is playing a make-up performance April 23 as part of Record Store Day. They’ll be playing the back patio of Veni Vidi Vici’s along with Fresno rapper Fashawn (Black Aesop will play Dj for the day).
To get in you’ve got to buy something next door at Ragin Records.
Show starts at 1 p.m. Capacity will be limited and strictly enforced.
Art and the Resistance on season one of Hit Paraders’s “No Cover”
Art and the Resistance call themselves a poly rock band, which is a clever way to say “eclectic” or “genre bending” and mostly means they’re prone to fusing musical styles one might otherwise expect.
Compare “Gusano | The Medicine Man” or “Serenity” with the band’s cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” or their latest single “The Fonk.”
The through line of course is Art Machuca’s vocal prowess and some really good branding, marketing and visuals, which is likely what landed the Bakersfield band a featured spot of Season 1 of Hit Parader’s “No Cover.”
The competition announced its premiere date with a preview trailer this week.
This is a show for bands doing original songs (hence the title). It was recorded at the Troubador and features a range of industry-type judges: Alice Cooper, Lizzy Hale and Gavin Rossdale, along with Animals as Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi and singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs.
Sleeping With Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn hosts alongside SiriusXM’s Caity Babs and MTV’s Matt Pinfield.
More than two dozen bands are set to compete in season one, which airs premieres Wednesday Youtube. Watch the trailer for Season 1 below.
Unearthed: IG88
For “Star Wars” fans, IG-88 (or IG-88B officially) is a a bounty hunting killer Phlutdroid (which I totally looked up just now).
It was also the name of an experimental punk duo that was around Fresno in the 1990s.
The band — bass, drums and vocals — has taken on a almost mythical status.
Like, maybe the band released a cassette tape at some point and maybe there was a copy of a copy floating around somewhere and if that was the case, people would love to get their hands on something like that.
Well, ask and you shall receive.
Early this month, the band’s bass/vocalist Ronald Dzerigian uploaded eight IG88 tracks to Soundcloud.
You can find them here or listen below.
The songs are definitely punk (lo-fi and raw, with titles like “Drinkin Drain-o” and “Blistered Toe”) but not in the genre specific way we’re accustomed to now. This is punk as it was in the 1990s, when the music was just two shades apart from grunge and college art rock.
On rotation: “Capitan Crunche.”
Dzerigian, aside from being an author, has taken to creating retro toy videos on Youtube under the moniker Skele Vader.
Homegrown Showcase w/Zodiac Shows
New Rock 104.1 is partnering up with Zodiac Shows for a periodic series of local music showcases as a tie in to the Homegrown show (which I host Sundays at 8 p.m.).
The first showcase happens 8 p.m. Thursday at Strummer’s, with ska/reggae band 1335 and Enrique Burgos (Ras Rebellion) performing a solo set as B-Irie. The show is free and 21+
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com