So I hope you appreciate it! It'll be full of BANGERS, a bit of MASH and some SHEPHERD'S PIE. That's not a dessert pie, mind you! MUD PIE is a dessert pie. It's very, very good, in small, manageable amounts. Don't eat too much of it, or you'll end up like both Mike McPeek and Allen Rarig, eg. ill to the point of hospitalization.

I'm Allen Rarig, and I'm an alcoholic. I saw Thee Sgt. Major III the other night, and need YOU to know what songs they played, so you can be glad that you missed them, if they didn't play any songs you like! That doesn't apply to ME, because I DIDN'T miss them, and they DID play songs that I like. LOTS of them. I had a LARGE bowl of chili there before they played, it didn't treat my stomach too well, as witnessed by many up front who may have been slightly annoyed. It was really delicious, though, as good or better as I'd expected, and mine was served over a bed of jalapeño macaroni and cheese, and topped with a whole grilled jalapeño, and lots of purpose-fried tortilla strips. If the band were not as good as they were on that occasion, I might even say that the chili was the highlight of the evening.

But it wasn't - not quite. But I'm no writer, and certainly no food critic, so let's get right down to brass tacks, and here's what the band chose to play on the Slim's Last Chance Stage, it was Saturday June the 21th, I do believe.

Opening act = Bowl of rich, meaty chili, as previously described.

Hello There (Cheap Trick)
Break It All (The Los Shakers)
Underneath It
Battery Operated
Everything Is New
They Should've Known
Into The Rhizome
Make It Brighter
(the chili REALLY started acting up at this point!)
The Forgotten Three
In The Garden
IOU (Replacements)
New Painter Man
No Information (Fastbacks)
Cretin Hop (Ramones)
Gone To The Moon (Fastbacks, again!)
Information Seminar

Now if you've ever experience acid reflux, you'll know what I'm talking about, and for those of you who have not, I suggest you may STOP READING now, but I was behaving like a madman, as I am know to do at concerts like this one, and my gosh it was a real banger! But my belly didn't particularly agree with the Ice-cold TEN beers, and especially not the "you-know-what" I put on top of those beers, and I'm sorry to the fellows (and ladies) around me immediately following the last song, but it was REALLY time for me to go. So I pulled my pants back up and stopped the RUDEness

Hi, my name is Mike McPeek and I saw "Thee Sgt. Major III" last weekend at the King Cobra in Seattle. It is located on Capitol Hill, right by the Comet Tavern, where lot’s of bands play, as well. The King Cobra is new, and they seem to have a good sound there, because I haven’t seen any bands there in the past, but I’d like to definitely see more in the Future!!!

So on to the show itself, there was The Beltholes, another new band who were REALLY good. Lot’s of different musical styles, they were all over the map! "Pick a lane", guys! Or not! I actually really liked their diversity.

The Knast were next, and had a GREAT sound! Of they’re own. Great rocking tunes, and great vocals. They reminded me of the sixties in some ways, I’ll bet they have a lot of great records in theire closet! I expect great things from them in the future - a really band to watch out for.

Then the stage was taken by "Thee Sgt. Major III", I guess a band that needs no introduction! They are for sure my favorite band in Seattle, and the best on the scene right now. I have been to most of their concerts, well three of them (this was thier only 4th show ever, and I missed them at SXSW the previous week... damn.) Their power was undeniable! I’ll tell you the songs they played. They kicked it off with "Hot Love" that they said is by Cheap Trick (a great band as well, if you haven’t ever heard them, check them out sometime), then "IOU" by the Replacements brought the house down! After that barrage of other people’s songs, then they started playing there own tunes, and that’s when it all went uphill from there! "Goodbye Bird", "A Battleship Called Greed", "Everything Is New", "Battery OPerated", "Into The Rhizome" ( I don’t know what the Rhizome is, but after hearing that song, I want to go into there, too!) (It was geat!) "As Everything", "Underneath It" That’s on their CD call Rich Creamery Butter, it’s sorta the same as the band Sgt. Major, but different! "I’ve Made My Peace With The Hippies" is from another Seattle band called Head, I saw them last Sunday at El Corazon, and wow, that was a REAL eye-opener! "Tehy Shoul’ve Known", A real nice one known as "Toward The Lamps", "Gone To The Moon", the old Fastback’s number took it to a new level! Everyone was singing the word’s! "New Painter Man" was good and "Information Seminar" was really an outstanding way to end it all. Truly a special night! I really like this band alot, and if you find them playing at a club near you, I reccomend checking them out! And on they’re MySpace as well! I’ll be at every show that I can, ’cause they’re really cool.

To finish off the night, we had Sunday Night Blackout. They played a kickass set of hard-rockin’ tunes from their debut CD, which I have and really like! It’s so rocking. Their show was really stellar, and only marred by some dumgb guy in the front that was grabbing at the one guitarist’s crotch. That was gross, guy! If you happen to read this, don’t do that anymore!

Okay, I’m not in the habit of reviewing show’s, but I can’t help myself when it’s "Thee Sgt. Maojr III", I am really impressed by their good songs great playing and singing, and limitless energy! I stole their song-list off the stage at the end, I hope they don’t mind but I wanted to get all the song title’s right.

They’ll be all like, "Man, we should done that show."

And we’ll be all like, "yeah but too late fer you, dudes. We got REM to play and we had a band-off with em and we KILLED."

"And they’ll be all like, "well next time then, and who the fuck are r.e.m.?"

And WE’LL be all like, "There is no NEXT TIME, motherfucker. NO ONE turns down Thee Maj."

And they’ll be all, like, crying and shit.

And we’ll be all like totally laughing (and pointing, too).

And they’ll all like, pull out shivs from their back pockets and try to start a gang war like MJ’s ’Beat It’ or some shit.

And we’ll all, like, pull out fucking MACHETES from our BOOTS and heads will roll on the pavement.

And then we’ll take all the food left on their grill and eat it and drain the keg and have a REAL fuckin party and we’ll empty the trash cans and swim in the trash and play the cans like drums a la Monotonix.

AAAYYYEEEAAAHHH!!!!

- the end -

We've been band of the week! Nowhere to go now but down the crapper... Actually a really nice writeup:

We broke through the ice on a brand-new lake last night at the Sunset.... It was red-hot jams, steamin' up the purse! We played New Painter Man, Battery Operated, Goodbye, Bird, A Battleship Called Greed, Underneath It, Five And Dime, Everything Is New, Drawing Board, They Should've Known, As Everything, Into The Rhizome, Erase You, Information Seminar. Couple Fastbacks songs were a blast to play again. Leslie and Bill ruled the roost! It's good to be back.

It isn't a secret anymore. Thee Sgt. Major III, refurbish't from what once was a similarly-monikered outfit, is ready to deliver some goods to your personal sandbox. Come see what it's all aboot at the Sunset on Sunday, February 17th, early show, starts at 4pm! Lots of less-than-expensive drinks and maybe some snax, bloody marys and the like.... Mmmmm goodness!