Show Review: Akron/Family & Delicate Steve, 3/28/2011

In preface: I have long loved Akron/Family. Was head-over-heels smitten after their Angels of Light split (still their watershed moment as far as I’m concerned). I’ve followed them on each album since their debut, albeit with a slightly lesser attention/expectation than I did when they first hit the scene, but not much less. However, and this despite Erin’s love for it, I have not given more than a couple listens to the first few songs of this most recent one record, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, (not that I don’t have plans to).

In post-preface preface: I am, regrettably, and even while in the midst of my late twenty-somethings, becoming an apathetic, curmudgeonly doubter when it comes to live shows. I’m a wet blanket, pure and simple, holding every expectation that I’ll be let down, constantly wishing that instead of standing in a bar/garage, I was plushly seated in a concert hall, and even more than that, laying in bed at home.

A post-preface-preface note: Being an Akron/Family show, there was no shortage of lengthy haired, full bearded men in the audience. Something to keep in mind I suppose.

Melt Banana, Vile Blue Shades, Agape: Live at the Urban Lounge 6/30/07

Show In Review
It’s Monday morning and I think my ears are still ringing from going to Melt Banana at the Urban Lounge on Saturday, June 30th.

The already exciting headliner was paired with equally exciting local openers, Agape and the quickly-becoming-legendary Vile Blue Shades. For me this would be a first time experience seeing all three acts. We arrived shortly Agape’s opening scorcher. A one man eardrum destroyer, Agape provided screechingly distorted feedback and screaming vocals to a surprisingly danceable beat with piano embellishments. Think Prurient remixed by !!! or The Sounds? However you want to attempt to describe it, Agape was incredibly, danceably abrasive and impossible to ignore.

Vile Blue Shades followed. Considering the veritable years of live shows I have attended in Salt Lake City it is difficult to understand how I have successfully avoided seeing Vile Blue Shades live. Having had their live sets praised numerously by several friends I felt that now was a good time finally see the allstar Salt Lake City behemoth. They did not disappoint. Carrying approximately 300 drummers, 400 guitarists and 500 additional members of standard rock instrumentation, Vile Blue Shades barely left enough legal capacity in The Urban Lounge for spectators. Exaggerations aside, Vile Blue Shades’ (sometimes unnecessary) 11 members (small by Polyphonic standards) packed a cocky punch. Reeling through a drunken barrage of desert rock, Vile Blue Shades owned the crowd, moving feet at their whimsy.

Following the truly rock antics of the Shades, Melt Banana proceeded to melt brains (and possibly bananas of any attendant vegans munching on a late night potassium binge). The Tokyo foursome shocked and annihilated the remaining brain cells of a very drunken crowd. Careening through a set featuring 10 second grindcore classics from their earliest releases to the more melodic (if melody can even be argued) and experimental escapades from their most recent releases, Melt Banana sent shards of squealing guitar shrapnel spewing out into the crowd backed by pounding bass and Olympic medalist breakneck punk drumming. Melt Banana’s lead singer chirped monotone indecipherables endlessly until everyone appeared deaf. The only downside was that a drink carrying crowd didn’t seem to want move much to the spectacle. I was hoping Melt Banana would generate the first revisit to a mosh pit since my high school days. But it wasn’t to be. While I probably won't be a regular at any future Melt Banana shows, this is a live band that I would recommend to everyone at least once before you die. It is an unduplicated live experience.

-Mr. Thistle

Marnie Stern: Live At Urban Lounge 6/25/07

SHOW IN REVIEW

When we first got to Urban there weren't many people there. The few that were there were mostly there for the local opener, Dead Horse Point. After they played there was no other opener, just Marnie Stern. It took the crowd 3 or 4 songs to really get into the music, but slowly people came out of the woodwork to gawk at the sheer amount of technical skill flying forth from the stage. It was amazing to watch the crowd, eyes widened, jaws dropping one by one. In fact, I have never seen an Urban crowd give that much attention to a band, and how could they not- their brains were being smashed by guitar shredding maddness. The sound was powerful and magic. It felt like Marnie and Robby's guitar were sending out waves of rainbows while Zach was supplying the lightning. It was like all the forces of nature combing and obliterating the Urban Lounge through one of the loudest sets I've experienced. The whole time I couldn't help but think about how Marnie and Zach should have children together. I mean, think how fast they could move! They could probly take over the entire world, cause they've got to be part machine. The most amazing thing to watch was Zach's bass pedel work. He plays double bass faster than I have ever seen anyone play double bass except he does it all with one foot and one pedel! Seriously, this trio was insane. After they finished playing the crowd stayed and masochistically screamed for an encore. After about ten minutes they were still yelling and begging for more. We finally left and saw the band outside, so I don't think the crowd ever got the encore they wanted. I wouldn't want to play an encore if I had just run a musical marathon. When they finished playing Zach outfit was entirely covered in sweat- there wasn't a dry spot on him. Overall, this show was one of the best shows I've seen so far this year. We postponed a vacation just so that we would be in town for this, and it was definately worth it. Oh, and we got out of there at 12:20a.m., which is an absolute record for an Urban Show. Amazing!

Sassy Grass