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2009 (70 reviews) -
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2006 (14 reviews)
The Goodfoot Lounge . Portland, OR
Reviewed by Vivian Hua on 01/13
Tagged 2010 doom metal experimental hardcore jazz-influenced juan prophet organization math rock melt-banana nasalrod noisecore portland bands post-hardcore pre punk rock rock self-released stag bitten
This evening, it was my first time heading over to The Goodfoot Lounge, and from the
limited amount that I knew, I had a raucous show in store for me. Fashionably late, I
missed the first band -- on purpose, mind you -- but was surprised to find I had come
just in time for Juan Prophet Organization's set.
To be honest, I had intended to miss the sets of the first two bands. Due to the
flyer's vagueness, I'd been led to believe that Juan Prophet Organization would be
playing first -- rather than second, as they did -- and the songs they'd posted on
their MySpace simply didn't impress me enough for me to sit through another band I
didn't want to see to see them. On paper, they kind of sound... ridiculous. They don't
seem like they would possibly
work. Jazz mixed with math rock, doom metal, and
post-hardcore elements? What on earth?
But in a live setting, man, oh man, do they work. This band is radiating with talent,
and they are definitely in tune with one another; they have control like monks -- monks
who know how to jam, anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the band members are
classically-trained or at least quite experienced in playing jazz in formal settings,
because their complex songwriting and handle on intricate time signatures are really
impressive. Harmonizing vocals suitable for use on the soundtrack of a Tim Burton movie
show up time and again, while sultry jazz breakdowns poke through complete dischordance
in their more frenzied songs, providing what would seem like an unacceptable
contradiction -- if it didn't work so well.
Sometimes, due to the dramatic transitions in their music, it was actually kind of
unclear when some songs ended and others began, but luckily, the theatrical expressions
on the band members' faces during those lulls told the whole story. Juan Prophet
Organization are hard to pinpoint to any specific genre, but their performances are
bound to interest anyone who is even remotely interested in spastic music
composition.
Up next was Stag Bitten, who I'd researched briefly prior to attending the show as
well. From the intense Flickr photos I saw (because their MySpace had conveniently
exploded off the face of the internet and no music was available), I knew instinctively
that they'd put on the type of show I like best -- high-energy, enraptured in passion, unpredictable. Nonetheless, as all I saw was the keyword "punk," I was only half interested; I'm not the hugest fan of traditional, generic 3-piece punk rock, after all.
Much to my pleasant surprise, though, Stag Bitten are much more thrashy than I was expecting; they could comfortably occupy the same space as bands like PRE and Melt-Banana, which is a huge plus in my book. As a simple 3-piece, they kick some major ass, pulling off some really intense, in-your-face, no-bullshit-yet-somehow-danceable jams. After the set, the
bartender or some other miscellaneous person with mic access announced, "Thanks Stag
Bitten, for saving Portland rock. Seriously." And this I can get behind, in
some ways.
Being newly introduced to the Portland music scene, I was rather oblivious to the fact that the scene even had bands like Stag Bitten. Sure, they had to exist on a theoretical level, but surrounded by the psychedelic, brightly-colored glitz of more electronic, dance-oriented Portland acts, I wasn't really sure that they
actually existed. Well, Stag Bitten exists, in Portland, and they deserve some attention, for their live show is highly, highly recommended.
Last up was the unfortunately-named Nasalrod. In fact, their name is so
"unfortunate" that one of my roommates had declined to come solely on the basis of their name.
One might say that's shallow, but the truth of the matter is that names do make a
difference to some people.
When it comes to Nasalrod, I must admit I'm a bit conflicted. I went to the Goodfoot
this evening with the explicit purpose of reviewing Nasalrod, and although their live
show was ultimately entertaining, it was probably my least favorite out of the three
bands I saw. On any other night, it would have been just fine. But given the high
caliber of the bands playing this particular evening, something just fell slightly
short when Nasalrod came on. That something
mayyyyyyyyy have been my
expectations.
Instrumentally, I can get behind Nasalrod. The guitar, which is played in a pitch
so high it borders on uncomfortable, is unconventional, but in a really engaging way. The drums and
bass are also notably catchy -- surprisingly catchy, even -- at the intervals where
they're allowed room to breathe. The guitarist's goofy banter with, well, mostly
himself, was also humorous in a way that a band name like Nasalrod is kind of humorous.
In fact, the band's stage presence certainly lives up to their name, and you've got to
give them credit for that. The aesthetic is kind of complete.
What, then, is the problem?!
Their vocalist ultimately confounds me. Frontmen and women who seem out of control are amongst my favorite things in live shows, but the frontman of Nasalrod, aka Chairman (I shit you not), seems overly
contrived... kind of. I say kind of, because while I feel that the performance is not
100% natural, I also find it hard to believe that a human being could possibly give
dual devil horns and mid-air kicks every five minutes without being completely immersed
in the element. I mean, at one point Chairman was going back and forth between stomping
around like a raging bull and screaming the words, "Don't give a fuck," while giving
devil horns, and I had to think that perhaps he really
didn't give a fuck.
And so, the internal debate rages on. To like Nasalrod's live show or not to like it? I
can't decide. But I have to say that some of Chairman's antics definitely had me
grinning like a idiot because of their sheer ridiculousness. When he moved a chair into
the middle of the room and walked away from it, only to descend upon it later and give
it an awkward kick that sent it flying towards the nearby wall, I couldn't help but
definitively like the dude for a brief moment. And perhaps that's the kind of band
Nasalrod is. Perhaps by your 100th mid-air kick, 200th devil horn, and 500th time
seeing the band name, all of it becomes charming, somehow. Or maybe these problems will
irk you forever until the end of time. Who really knows? Not I.
what do you think?
