Whatever happened to my rock'n roll?
I fell in love with the sweet sensation
I gave my heart to a simple chord
I gave my soul to a new religion
Whatever happened to you?
Whatever happened to our rock'n roll?
Whatever happened to my rock'n roll?
Its kinda funny that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club asks this question, because they answer it in the same breath, chord, and tune. Amidst all of the “indie rock” these days, where I continually struggle to describe to friends what a certain band sounds like, BRMC is relatively straightforward, at least as far as genre goes. In answer to their own question, BRMC happened to rock' n roll. They are healthy, energetic, grooving rock'n roll.
Emerging from the darkness and uncoiling fog, Robert Levon Been (in a leather jacket) and Peter Hayes (with a cigarette dangling from his lip) had begun strumming before they even reached the middle of the stage. Joined by drummer Leah Shapiro, they wasted no time launching straight into their jam and never really dropped their cool, bad-ass vibe until leaving the stage over two hours later.
Though I enjoyed the evening, I'll admit I was a bit slow to warm up to their sold out performance at the Showbox. This was due to several reasons, both musical and otherwise. The first had to do with the sheer amount of equipment surrounding the stage which proved to be a slight photographic complication. The area I normally wedge myself into in front of the side barriers to snap unobstructed photos was full of guitar cases. Many, many guitar cases. Thus I was forced to use a combination of charm and forcefulness to work myself into position at the front of the stage in order to get any attempt at decent photos. Last time I saw these guys, they were sitting on stools playing an amazing stripped-down acoustic performance, so now why all the equipment? I guess it comes in response to another question that arose for me during the night: what do you do when you have two amazing lead guitarists in a band of three? Apparently, you get solid crew members who pass vintage, already tuned instruments seamlessly around the stage, allowing both Been and Hayes their chance to glimmer equally on vocals, guitar, and bass, with some piano and harmonica thrown in for good measure. Though I don't play guitar myself, it wasn't hard to recognize the skill these guys bring to the stage, allowing their playing to outdo any antics many other bands throw around the stage these days.
The second reason it took me (and the crowd) some time to warm up to the performance was the fact that BRMC has an album, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo coming out March 8/9 (which they “did not” have for sale at the performance). This led the set to be filled with a number of tracks that the audience was unfamiliar with, though they were energetic with glimpses of yet-again inspired lyrics. The title track brought a nice chant-like rhythm somewhat reminiscent of the gothic alt-country of Howl while others carried more of the energy of Baby 81. Though still enthusiastic, I didn't hear the crowd really get into the show until BRMC busted out some tracks from their older material going all the way back to their first album, including “Whatever Happened to My Rock'n Roll (Punk Song),” which finally brought out some brief crowd surfing and more vigorous head nodding. The audience, especially heavy on the testosterone persuasion, remained focused on the stage throughout, something I can't laud enough, as I'm getting pretty tired of those obnoxious folks who only attend concerts to “be seen,” rather than to enjoy the music. I was also highly amused at the number of folks inspired to the point of unabashedly rockin' out with their air guitar. Folks of all ages were here because they are fans of BRMC.
My own (minor) personal lament is the fact that my favorite album, Howl was given lesser representation, though the slide- and harmonica-heavy “Ain't No Easy Way Out” and “Shuffle Your Feet” retained their rootsy energy and country tinge, providing nice variety to the more straightforward rock. I'll have to give Beat The Devil’s Tattoo a few more listens to come to further opinion, but their performance was definitely solid, and BRMC appears to still be going strong. I look forward to their next show when I'll once again be familiar with all their tunes.
