03.31.05
Shonen Knife, Gore Gore Girls, and The Balls
Determined to get my fix of Storm and the Balls I went out with friends to their weekly show at Dante’s last night. I had been expecting to see Storm open for the Japanese punk girl band Shonen Knife and thought I would give them a try before deciding when to head home. The scheduled turned out to have go-go girl punk band the Gore Gore Girls opening the show with Shonen Knife as the main act and The Balls not coming on until after midnight. The show went later than my bed time but was well worth it.
What could have been an awesome concert experience was unfortunately ruined by an inept sound engineer that seemed to believe the concert would be no good if anyone could actually hear the music and the volume therefore had to be cranked to uncomfortably loud levels. Through the distortion the girls could just barely be made out and were actually very good. Their set suffered from some unfortunate monotony in the music and delivery which was rather surprising as all four members showed the musical talent to cover a wider musical spectrum. Here is a note to the Gore Gore Girls:
You guys rock. Get rid of the monkey you have working your sound board and find someone who knows to let the audience hear you rock
Contagious fun! That is probably the best short description of the band. If you are curious what their sound is like think The Ramones embodied by two sweet Japanese women and one incredibly cute punk drummer girl who looks like an anime escapee… or even better go to buy their record and find out for yourself. Sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano seem to really enjoy themselves as they sing about a Rubber Band and whip out the tune with such earnest grace that you cannot help but sing along with them. The greatly talented drummer they have employed for the US tour Ettchan (real name Etsuko Nakanishi) bops in her pigtails along to the tune and mouths out the lyrics in a way that makes her more than adorable. The band, I found out, has been around for over twenty years and is on tour to promote the US release of their four albums. I wish someone had clued me in to Shonen Knife fifteen years ago, while the show last night was great fun this is the kind of music I would have been fanatic about as a teenager. Check them out.
I am surprised I have not mentioned Storm on GeekRoar.com before… no I am not, I have been too busy lately to do much blogging but I guess it is time to let out my new obsession. When Jennifer Folker moved to New York to seek her fame and fortune she left a huge empty hole in my life as a Dahlia fan. That emptiness was eventually filled with a new local band I could fixate on: The Balls. The Balls is a touch hard to describe; they cover well known tunes with a sexy-lounge edge that gives whole new meaning to the familiar lyrics tough my favorites are some of their original compositions such as the fan favorite love song “I want you to Die” or the down and real tune “Beautiful”. Lead singer Storm Large is a steaming sex pot that boils over and releases a full head of energy at every show though more importantly she has some of the best (and best used) pipes I have heard. Storm can wail and whisper which such power and prowess that she mesmerizes the audience and then break out with a stream of dirty stories that remind everyone the purpose is to have fun. After hearing their debut album Hanging With the Balls I was immediately hooked and have been a regular at their shows ever since (they perform every Wednesday night at Dante’s downtown though you should check the schedule before heading out to ensure they are not on tour). Imagine my delight when at the CD release party for their second album Vasectomy I found out the album was a set of remixes mastered by the other half of Dahlia Keith Schreiner. The albums are worth buying (I have bought five copies of the first album by now and given them all away) but more importantly the shows are well worth attending. Last night’s show was no exception. They only performed a single set and did not start that until well past midnight but I was glad to have stuck around for it.
The night was punctuated with what has by now become a tradition for live music in downtown Portland: A visit to Voodoo Doughnut for an Apple Fritter (big enough for two meals and the best you have ever had) and the best coffee in town Stumptown Coffee.
gl. said,
April 3, 2005 at 5:18 pm
you are the only person tall enough to be able to see the stage at dante’s, you know.
(although they did just remodel, i think.) i’ll have to give the balls another listen, especially if they’re teaming with half of dalia.
i have yet to go to voodoo donut, darnit! i keep forgetting about it.