hamtramck blowout 2004

THUNDERBIRDS ARE NOW! :: friday @ belmont Ryan Allen stepped out from behind the drumset for Tiny Steps and took his place as the guitarist/singer/head of insanity for the live experience known as Thunderbirds Are Now! Man, an exclamation point was never more appropriate than it is at the end of that band name, as this set was basically half-an-hour of live-wire electricity and aggressive, primal ass-shaking. NO ONE standing by the stage of the Belmont was standing still at any point during the Thunderbirds’ set. Some girls directly in front of the stage went absolutely ballistic for the entire set, and it was hard to argue with their enthusiasm, as on this particular night, seeing the Thunderbirds Are Now! was like watching a hand grenade go off on stage for 30 minutes. Keyboardist/vocalist Scott Allen was all over the place (including in the crowd and practically on top of me at one point), thrashing about and even winding up upside-down for some amount of time. This set was dirty, raw, throbbing, pulsating, and grinding, and despite all of the other good performances at this year’s Blowout, Thunderbirds Are Now! may very well have put on the best set of the weekend. -Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>

THE QUESTIONS :: thursday @ paycheck's At some point on Thursday night, Big Matt, Ryan and myself went down the half-block or so to Paycheck’s to see who was playing, and we walked into the most pleasant surprise of the Blowout – The Questions. This three-piece sounded like Nick Cave fronting the Stray Cats at first, though the last part of the band’s set strayed from that courtesy of a few super-intense numbers that seemed to be influenced by a fair mix of both punk and 60’s garage pop. Damn, that cat’s voice was deep (especially when he got a bit rowdy and picked up a bit of a growl), and he had quite a stage presence, too, almost prowling around while wringing chords and solos out of his guitar. -Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana		photo: Matt Caruana

THE HARD LESSONS :: friday @ carbon The Hard Lessons brought their fun and catchy brand of rock n' soul to Carbon on Friday night. As a songwriter, Gin is quickly being tagged as one of the best in town. Picking up on a vibe started by bands like the Detroit Cobras and The Fondas, the Hard Lessons bring a fresh new take on soul-influenced garage rock. And they have a secret weapon - the phenomenal voice of Ko Ko Louise. The b-side of their new single, mixed by Zach Shipps (aka The Colonel in Electric Six), showcases her tremendous ability to belt out the soul. The Muggs were in the house at Carbon to check out what singer Danny Methric calls his "favorite new band." On one tune Tony Muggs joined the Hard Lessons for some supporting vocals. Following their 12:45pm set, they loaded up their gear and took off on a thirteen hour drive for a show in Virginia... troopers, dude! --Ryan Sult <click to enlarge photos>

LEAVING ROUGE :: friday @ small's Leaving Rouge brought an emotionally charged show that you don’t always see with a lot of other area bands. The band has the ability to switch from a lush and quiet sound into a frantic guitar driven song in a matter of moments. Singer/guitarist Sean Hoen let it all out on stage as he screamed out his lyrics about loss, love and anguish. Leaving Rouge provided many shoe-gazing moments with their big textured sound and the blending of vocals between Hoen and keyboardist Elizabeth Holbrook sounded great. -Big Matt <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

THE SKEEMIN' NOGOODS :: saturday @ holbrook cafe By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, the combination of a full-time job, full-time Blowout coverage and sleep deprivation had done quite a number on my psyche. Still, though, I found it within myself to keep things together long enough to finish a nice beer-filled evening at the Holbrook Café, where the Skeemin’ No Goods fired off a furious, punk-influenced rock show. John Speck took the Holbrook stage by storm in a fit of frenzied chords and searing lead guitar work, which was quite a 180 from his work with The Fags. Speck was so intense throughout the set that a few times, Big Matt and myself were worried that a vein in his forehead might pop. -Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

BACK IN SPADES :: saturday @ holbrook cafe From there, Detroit’s hottest rock act, Back in Spades took the stage and proceeded to just about tear the roof off the sucka. Right from the start, Jackson Smith and Steve Palmer ripped into dueling guitar solos, and the level of rock aggression never dipped from that point on. Despite Palmer’s frequent cries that the band needed more beer, Back in Spades spat out yet another characteristically solid rock show. When the beer reinforcements finally arrived, Smith made good use of his by grabbing the bottle and pulling off a few impromptu slide guitar riffs in mid-song. The band closed with quite the one-two punch of rock covers, whipping out a smoking guitar-solo laced version of the Sonic’s Rendezvous Band’s “City Slang” that ran directly into a grimy cover of AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock.” All in all, this was a powerful way to wind up four days of the area’s finest music. --Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

THE FAGS :: saturday @ holbrook cafe Regardless of how many times both Big Matt and myself swore that we were relegating ourselves to seeing new bands, we still wound up bolting across town to the Holbrook Café to catch a tight set by The Fags. Jimmy Paluzzi did his typical crowd-favorite ‘soak-the-drumset-with-beer’ routine, and the band worked in old stand-bys “Truly Truly” and “Miss Take” with a handful of catchy new material. Frontman John Speck was even gracious enough to spread The Fags love by passing out brand spanking new band buttons to those in attendance. --Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

AUDRA KUBAT :: saturday @ small's Out of a sea of driving Hamtramck Blowout guitar rock came a refreshing breeze of artistic phrasing, songwriting and vocal finesse. Singer/songwriter Audra Kubat showcased her stark acoustic stylings with a set of nakedly emotional songs. Even amidst the buzz of conversation and cell phones, Kubat managed to convey one of the most moving moments of the Blowout with a musical tribute to a late friend. While her ability to singularly fill the room for a majority of the set was admirable, the effect was somewhat lost in a murky mix when Kubat was joined by a crew of guest musicians to close her set. -Ryan Sult <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

AMERICAN MARS :: friday @ small's A packed house at Small’s is what awaited American Mars as they hit the stage on Friday night. Led by singer/guitarist Thomas Timble, the band kicked off their set with the title track from their 2001 release, No City Fun. Dave Feeny’s incredible pedal steel playing set the tone for the band’s haunting, country-ish rock sound. Feeny also strapped on a sweet looking Gretch guitar for some songs towards the end of the set. There seemed to be a couple rough spots here and there, most likely due to the fact that the band hasn’t played too many shows lately. American Mars closed their set with the beautiful ballad “Fingernail Moon.” Songs about depression and despair never sounded so good. --Big Matt <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana

A THOUSAND TIMES YES :: friday @ belmont Ryan and I headed over to the Belmont, where we were greeted with a very solid set from the entrancing A Thousand Times Yes. It’s taken me three days to think of a way to describe this act, and I still don’t think I’m even really close to having the band’s sound figured out. This three-piece plays a form of modified, modernized garage-Americana, full of vocal rounds and stand-alone multiple-part lyrical passages. Guitarist Casper played an acoustic that was string-miked to give it a tone that fell somewhere between standard acoustic and electric sounds, giving the band’s songs a very personalized feel. Bassist Sparx held down the low end with deep bass work, while punctuating songs with her lulling voice. Lull’s drumming was sharp, and the songs were very active, though the band itself came off very low-key. All in all, this was a pleasant surprise amongst the Blowout weekend. -Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>

THE CORVAIRS / BISOU BISOU :: saturday @ paycheck's First up at Paycheck’s were the Corvairs. I’ve never caught their act before, and I was quite impressed with the music – pure rock n’ roll. The band, which includes Marc McFinn (vocals), Jasper Borgman (guitar), Mike O’Reilly (drums) and Melody Licious (Coronado’s, The Sirens) filling in on bass. The songs were guitar heavy, and at times overshadowed the vocals, but overall the sound was great. The band was somewhat reminiscent of the Doors, and played a solid (but short) set. Bisou Bisou, played next. I know we reviewed the band a few weeks ago, but you have respect a group that takes an unconventional route when it comes to music, even if other people don’t understand the premise, or language. -Jacquie Trost <click to enlarge photos>
The Corvairs photo: Jacquie Trost	The Corvairs photo: Jacquie Trost	Bisou Bisou photo: Jacquie Trost

THE DOLLFACES :: thursday @ paycheck's I first heard the Dollfaces at the Lager House a few weeks ago. I had heard the buzz surrounding the band, and was impressed then. After seeing them a second time, I’m even more impressed. This group of teenagers is right on track when it comes to music. They own their instruments, and Mich (vocals, bass), Nick (guitar, vocals), Anthony (drums), and Max (guitar, vocals) work extremely well together. They definitely come off as a band that has been playing far beyond their years. Their sound is a mixture of the 60’s Beatles with a dash of eccentricity – this combination makes for a unique and catchy sound. The group switched between hard rock songs that hand you tappin’ your feet, to slower, more melodic songs with ease. Everyone in the joint was digging the music, I only wished they had played more. Definitely catch this up-and-coming band next time they play. You will be blown away by this young group of gentlemen. -Jacquie Trost <click to enlarge photos>
The Dollfaces photo: Christopher Chouinard	The Dollfaces photo: Christopher Chouinard	The Dollfaces photo: Christopher Chouinard

SHIPWRECK UNION / LISBOA :: thursday @ carbon Thursday night at Carbon I checked out some bands I had never seen before and one I will admit I don’t think I’d heard of. First up was Shipwreck Union and as soon as they began playing I was impressed by what I heard. The band has more of classic rock sound to them but they didn’t sound dated at all. The aspect of their sound that I enjoyed most was lead singer/guitarist Nick Lucassian’s. His singing reminded me very much of Joe Cocker’s but not quite as gravelly. Nick alternated between guitar and piano and just belted out songs with honesty and intensity. Shipwreck Union’s CD is scheduled to be released this spring. Next up was Lisboa, who were playing with substitute drummer Matt Gorton. I’ve never seen the band before but I’m told by the Lisboa elite he made the band sound bigger. Lisboa plays a fun, catchy style of rock that has a bit of a bite to it and kind sound gritty at times. The major problem with the band’s set was a common theme of the weekend’s sounds. Lisboa was plagued by feedback most of the set and one of the speakers sounded like it blew out. Lead singer and guitarist Joe Lisboa was energetic with his vocals and guitar playing which helped get the somewhat small crowd going. Lisboa will be playing their next show at the Shelter opening up for Elefant on Sunday March 21st. -Big Matt <click to enlarge photos>
Shipwreck Union photo: Matt Caruana	Shipwreck Union photo: Matt Caruana	Lisboa photo: Matt Caruana

PORCHSLEEPER :: friday @ attic bar Friday’s Blowout festivities began with another group outing, as various MCR posse members gathered at The Attic to check out the early set by Midwestern janglers Porchsleeper. Despite The Attic’s lack of monitors and do-it-yourself P.A. system, Porchsleeper wound up putting on a very good (if slightly subdued) performance. I got the impression that these guys would’ve been more on the excitable side if they’d had more time to drink up before the way-early 9:00 start time. Still, though, country-fried tracks like “Jennifer Got Drunk” and “Something to Drink About” meshed well with the rock of “Black to Gray.” To end the set, the band even tossed in a few bars of the closing coda to The Darkness’ “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” for chuckles. -Mr. Gary <click to enlarge photos>
photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana	photo: Matt Caruana
PART I (pre-party at majestic) PART II (featured shows) PART III (gallery)

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