"The next set took the show in the complete opposite direction, away from the well lit stage to the dungeon-like darkness of the RGRS floor. There was very little "floor banter" from Koji Kondo, who could obviously care less whether you knew who they were or not. They ripped through a scalpel-sharp set of tight and efficient skronk punk with complex guitar parts complicatedly ping-ponging around early 80's hardcore beats. The band was a perfect marriage of later Beefheart or Fred Frith free-guitar, pummeling punk rhythm and shout/speak smart-ass vocals. They seemed almost frightening as a practically invisible force (line of sight: not so good) that was somehow spewing an incredibly focused cacophony to a stunned crowd that just sort of vibrated in place, floor level with the band. Occasionally you'd get a glimpse of a wiry shirtless drummer firing away between snare and tom rolls, a brawny singer pacing the floor, and a guitarist that somehow kept getting direct hits with his fretwork even though he seemed to catapult from one wall to another. Koji Kondo were definitely impressive and seemed refreshingly humble with a head-down attitude. Too bad their set only lasted about four minutes, but that's pretty much the standard for frantic art punk bands that play 1919 Hemphill on a regular basis."
flattering!
baggy