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Detroit, Michigan, United States
I'm a punk rock guru from Detroit. Part skinhead, part crusty, part metalhead, part hardcore kid, part party kid, 100% punk rocker.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Madonna/ Outlook at the Void- 4/27/12 show review



Madonna/ Outlook at the Void- 4/27/12 show review
Originally, this show was set to have four bands:  Xtra Vomit, Madonna, Dip Shit System, and Outlook.  Under a few strange circumstances, D.S.S. and Xtra Vomit weren’t able to play, leaving just two bands for this show.  I can’t say if it mattered or not, but I’d say no, since these two bands brought it hard.  Madonna is a new fastcore band from G.R. with former members of XShallowbreathx.  For being new, the guys had a lot of energy.  After a couple of songs, I noticed that these guys didn’t even have a bass player!  What’s with this trend?  A band sounds incomplete without a bass player, just like a band would sound incomplete without a guitar player or a drummer.  Still, this was blistering, raging fastcore in the vein of D.O.C., Backslider, Beartrap, Holy Shit!, Sick//Tired, etc.  I bet a demo tape is well on its way.  I hope that it doesn’t start with a Black Sabbath riff intro, though.
Next were Olympian sons of hardcore Outlook.  At the start of the set, it became clear that the most exemplary part of the band was their live set.  Though I’d had a small amount of exposure to the band before seeing them (I downloaded the songs on their now-sold out “Vision” tape), nothing prepared me for their live set.  Washington sure knows how to do their youth crew- Brotherhood, Champion, now… Outlook.  The guitarist and drummer reamed with energy, cranking out riffs and beats as though the sounds were coming from with their souls, while the bassist had a sort of calming yet energetic presence, and singer Adrienne was the forefront of the band, screaming her lyrics with palpable passion.  Truth be told, this is probably the best female-fronted punk rock I’ve ever seen live (tied with Question, just FYI).  I was truly floored by the furious energy she gave off.  Perhaps if more females could front bands like this, the patriarchy in place will begin to shake, too.  Outlook certainly left a musical impression on me.
After discovering that this was going to be “it” for the show, I figured I would make it worth the drive out there by hanging out with and interviewing the band.  After everyone else cleared out (aside from the house residents and the band), I busted out my tape recorder, and me and the band went back and forth with questions, answers, and short discussions.  I later discovered that my tape recorder is incredibly insensitive to sound, and most of the interview did not actually make it onto the tape.  This being so, I’ll summarize a few points of this interview:
·         New Direction Fest- this is a three-day fest put on by the band themselves in Washington state, and it’s mostly booked as of now.  It’s partly a music fest, but there are also workshops and info stations present that will be there to aid in battling ignorance and informing attendees about how to better one’s community and life.
·         The band started back in 2009- all members of the band are in their early to mid 20s, and live mostly normal lives in the Olympia area.  They are mostly vegan or vegetarian, and singer Adrienne personally abides by straight edge.
·         The band has self-released everything- their tape, their 7”, and their LP.  Now that’s dedication.
·         Towards the end of the interview, as the tape was winding down, the band did an absolutely wonderful rendition of “Hurry Up Harry” in unison.
·         For the guitarist, James:  Yoda’s penis.
Well worth the long drive to see them!  Check the two bands out, anyone and everyone!
-Aunty Social

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