Subject: big RAWK weekend, Tomfest schedule, Ghoti Hook review
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 03:40:54 EDT
From: Rawkmandale@cs.com
Hi to all of you on the RAWK News List.
I have a few items of interest for you.
First of all, as you have seen by the press releases I have sent out,
we
have two shows going on at the Big Dipper this weekend. On Friday
night (Good
Friday), we have a local hardcore/goth metal show starting at 7 PM,
and
costing just $5. It features Few and Far Between, Neither Be
Afraid, and
Broken Paradox. The three bands are ready to deliver long sets
full of
hardcore and metal energy. Then on Saturday, we are hosting a
very unusual
event produced by Crux Multimedia Productions. Called J-Naz,
A Silent Rock
Opera, this will prepare us for Easter morning by presenting an interactive,
wordless drama depicting events from the life of Christ set to songs
(coveredby local musicians) by modern rock bands, including:
Creed
Goo Goo Dolls
Lenny Kravitz
Foo Fighters
Metallica
Pearl Jam
Alice In Chains
Soundgarden
Pink Floyd
and, The Who
Pre-event music performed by Non-Perishable will start at 7 PM,
and the
evening will close with a set by DTS. Special musical
guests include Brett
Neste and Sara Davis. J-Naz also features projected
computer graphics - so
we are looking forward to an interesting evening. The cover is
only $2.
TOMFEST UPDATE!!!!!!!!
Hey, the schedule for Tomfest (July 10 - 15) at Stevenson WA
is continuing
to be fleshed out at www.tomfest.com.
The schedule now shows POD playing
Friday night just after midnight, with Project 86 a little earlier
in the
evening. Tomfest is a great place to see a bunch of young bands
on the way
up. The music is the kind we all like - no smushy pop junk here.
Wednesday
has great bands like Vox Dei, Stairwell, The Blamed, Havalina Rail
Company,
Five Iron Frenzy, and the incredible punkers - Officer Negative.
Also
appearing Wednesday are Neither Be Afraid and Suffice from Spokane,
along
with about 20 other bands. Each day features about 29 bands on
the two main
stages. Even more on the acoustic stage. Poetry reading
and rave activity
are also present.
Thursday at Tomfest brings the wonderful Worship Circus from Longview,
Uncle
Ed's Private Jet, Dizmas, Buddy Ruckus, the Israelites, and Fanmail.
Friday
has Elderstaar, Shorthanded, Temper Tantrums, Deliverance, Violet Burning,
The Dingees, The Deadlines, .rod Laver, along with Project 86 and POD.
Do not miss this day!!!!!!
Saturday brings things to a close with bands such as Few and Far Between,
Puller, Like David, Noggan Toboggan, Sick of Change, Anguish Unsaid,
Gryp,
Ghoti Hook, and Joy Electric. There are still some headline spots
to be
filled. Tickets are on sale at a reduced price until mid-May.
Check it all
out at www.tomfest.com
Hey, below is a review of our last show featuring Ghoti Hook.
This appeared
in the current issue of The Local Planet, still available on news stands
until Thursday morning, and was written by Grant Purdum. He has
never
attended one of our shows before. I don't agree with everything
he said,
but it is generally quite positive.
Dale
Live Review: Ghoti Hook by Grant Purdum
Before I lovingly dissect the latest all-ages show at the Big Dipper,
I'd
like to point out some accidental flubs on my part. First off, not
taking
into account the early bedtimes of the teeny bopper crowd, I stumbled
in two
hours late, subsequently missing SIDEWALK SLAM and the Dingees (the
latter
being a group I've been yearning to see). Suffice to say, I didn't
get to
take in the full experience. Second, I went in with the wrong attitude.
I
expected the gathering to be another Bible-babble sermon disguised
as a
concert, like some of the "religious" shows I've been to. But that
simply
wasn't the case. The act I did see, Ghoti Hook (in certain word formations,
"Ghoti" can be pronounce as "fish"), put the preaching on the backburner
and
did what they obviously do best: entertain. I also noticed the doormen
letting kids in for free after the first couple of bands finished –
a polite
gesture that left me all warm and fuzzy inside, especially considering
the
IRS-style shakedowns that occur in other local establishments (I'm
not gonna
name any names). Another plus was the smoke-free environment, which
allowed
my resin-filled lungs to flex and inflate without chunky phlegm cutting
my
sentences into raspy jibberish. OK, enough Kodak moment jabber:
let's talk punk. You know, the kind of music
that kicks your sloth-ish day in the ass, while occasionally leading
you to
question the relevance of America's democratic system. Ghoti did not
strike
me as particularly political, but their motif of being happy but not
syrupy-sappy got the crowd in the proper mood regardless. Singer Joel
Bell
has a stage presence that is simultaneously endearing and intimidating,
and
without so much as uttering a few words he inspired the kiddies, who
responded by crowd-surfing recklessly over seas of outstretched hands.
A
satirical cover of The Cars' "Just What I Needed" proved to the throngs
that
'80s music, though hokey and flat-out objectionable, can be salvaged
in
certain situations. Other traits of the night were steady thumping
by
drummer Adam Neubauer, and high-pitched, astute backup vocals by bassist
Jamie
Tolose (one of the key signs of a national act). Bell teasingly encouraged
the
audience to "pretend you like the songs," but the typical, energetic
teeners
made it obvious that they liked the hammer they were being pummeled
with.
Eventually, the songs were sung, the refreshments pillaged, and the
stage
was emptied. The big heroes of the night were the show's organizers,
who gave
the under-21 kids a safe, alcohol-free place to party, and blessed
their parents
with an evening of brisk reading, or whatever it is old folks do for
fun.
Yes, these types of shows can happen in Spokane, and hopefully will
continue, at least until the powers-that-be find a reason why they're
illegal.
Reminder: this Friday, another all-ages show featuring Seawolf will
engulf
the same stage; show up, and win one for the Dipper!
Grant Purdum
thanks Grant -- SJ:-)