Monday, April 16, 2007
original posting at: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=153178380
too much fuckin' fun in Lansing
I made a little trip to Lansing
to check out Mac's Bar. A lot of really good bands are making it a
priority to book at Mac's these days, so i had to go find out for
myself what the deal is. When i walked in, the 77's had just started
their set and were getting plenty of response from the early crowd.
They threw in all their best songs, and a good cover of the Cramps'
"New Kind of Kick", along with a new song fresh out of the studio. With
a cool Day-Glow graffitti tag mural as backdrop, the 77's laid out a
rambunctious set that put the smack down on the wimpy P.A. system @ Mac's...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The Hat Madder took over the stage next. Over-caffeinated Hi-Octane pure rock energy armed with 2 synthesizers, a
BOSS DR Sample, and an army of stomp boxes meant these boys came to
party. With a fill-in drummer (due to a broken leg) and plenty of
attitude they won over the crowd effortlessly as they tried their best
to cause permanent hearing loss and warp our minds.
SikSik
Nation used the 3rd slot to show the city of Lansing a whole new
definition of cool. The trio from Ann Arbor had the attention of
everyone in the house for the whole set, and didnt let up the entire
time. The sound is sort of Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club mixed with a little Jim Morrison, a little Mark
Lannegan (Screaming Trees) and a penchant for really cool black boots.
After doing their best to give the people more show than the $5 cover
paid for, the band passed out free copies of their new 4 song EP
recorded by Jim Diamond, and joined the guys from the 77's for tallboy
PBR's at the back of the bar. These 3 down to earth cats are about to
be the next big thing out of Michigan, yet they dont act like rockstars
when they step off the stage.
Lansing's
own The Royal Affairs finished off the nite by doing their best to blow
the roof off the bar. People just went over the edge when the band took
the stage. They came out guns a-blazin' and didnt stop until the lights
came on. The frontman has this perfect lunatic rock n roll swagger
going on.... the guitarist looked like Elvis Costello's little brother
on a meth binge...the drummer was like a one man re-enactment of World
War III... the whole band was drenched in sweat by the end of the 2nd
song.... The Royal Affairs are clearly the hometown favorite in Lansing
for a reason.
My
little trip to Lansing was well worth the journey. I found 4 of the
best bands i have heard in a long time, met some really cool cats from
each of the bands, got some great pics of the bands, and drank a lot of
free beers while doing what i love best.