As the night wrapped up, my brain, in hopes of eternal retention, worked to soak up every inch of what had just transpired. Ty Segall had just delivered a cataclysmic wrecker of a set, and I was honestly devastated that the end seemed near. Suddenly, mid-song, Segall flashed his almost-always present smile and started crossing the stage, guitar held in his hands as if he wanted to give it to someone else. Which immediately made zero sense – anyone who can play a guitar as maniacally well as he would want to hold on to that thing for dear life, am I right?
And so, as he walked straight up to my spot at the stage, and reached down to place the guitar in my very own hands, my mind went blank with glee. So much so that I didn't know what to do with the invaluable instrument grasped firmly against my chest. Segall sauntered away, snapping my brain back into action, and if you can believe it, I actually played the thing, as the rest of his band tore their way through the closer. After what felt like 15 minutes, but was probably more like 1, Segall came back, gave me the smile again, and whisked his guitar back to finish the song. He began chanting something that came out sounding, “You all want to fuck rock 'n' roll, don't you?” and I could tell the rest of the audience behind me was agreeing with him. Yes, yes we do. Especially after experiencing the triumphant kind of badass performance he had just bestowed upon us all.
That's not saying Segall was the only thing to write home about this night, though. In fact, it's safe to say every one of the four groups that played the Star Theater Thursday night gave a kind of show that could've easily stood alone without the others.
Local boys Youthbitch had kicked it off with a surprisingly solid blast of '50s rock, laced with Ramones-esque punk. Their impressive guitar-work and poppy presence distinguished them from anyone else trying to figure out punk in Portland. It was a terrific melding of the styles their forefathers had influenced them with.
Nucular Aminals were next, and their grungy, generally moody, music reverberated throughout the theater with force. It was a great variety of instrumentation and melody, veering from banging surf rock to rolling, lush melodies that would then dive head first into crashing guitars and drums. There were dark undertones in almost everything they did, but a thin layer of indie pop sheen kept the songs from going too far into a goth abyss. Apparently these guys and girl have a scheduled recording session with the legendary Steve Albini this summer, and are currently using Kickstarter to help fund it. Obviously their attachment to Albini only heightens their connection to grunge, but it's also exciting to see where their collaboration will lead.
Speaking of collaborations, Segall is quickly becoming a king of them. One of his most recent album efforts came in the collaboration with White Fence, another psychedelic throwback whose music somewhat compares to that of Segall's. As was revealed in White Fence's performance, however, it's clear they have a more Kinks-meet-Sabbath thing going for them. I even had the nerve to shout they should play something of The Kinks, after they asked the crowd what they should do next. Lead singer Tim Presley then said (and I quote): “Who? I don't know them.” I stared at him in disbelief for a minute, said something like, “Lola? Really? You don't know The Kinks??” and watched as he shook his head in true obliviousness. I'm assuming Presley really doesn't know who the band is, or what heavy influence they've had on White Fence (knowing, or not), but I'm also going to just hope he was pulling my leg on the issue.
Truly, though, White Fence was something to behold. Presley had a distinct British Invasion look and sound to him, and the only difference between him and Ray Davies was his outrageously rockin' ability with the guitar. Davies was a legend with his guitar, but Presley looks like he was born playing with his. He used two microphones to capture his slightly faint voice, and whenever he stepped away from them to annihilate his guitar, it was nearly breathtaking. Which made me completely forgive him for his unknowing ways.
But then it was Ty's turn. To set the record straight, I'll admit I'm a gigantic fan of this guy's music. He's got a way with his guitar that few today can even begin to match, and he's also one of the nicest dudes I've ever met. As he played, he flashed that genuine grin constantly, letting us in on the fact he was having as good a time as we were. His touring band features what appears to be his closest of friends, and he complements them often. This includes bassist Mikal Cronin, who Segall frequently collaborates with on Cronin's own side project.
They opened with “Finger,” the starting track of Segall's finest record, Melted. Its sticky slow beginning, which explodes into thrashing guitar and aggressive vocals, seemed to define the entire night of music. They continued with songs from all over their rapidly expanding library, which made it great that Presley and the drummer from White Fence joined them midway through the set. Playing tunes from Hair, their recent release together, there were literally times where Segall and Presley melded into one, as they rocked the shit out of their guitars and created a fuzzed-out super lord. Often Segall was overshadowed by Presley who went crazy on his machine, but as soon as Ty would return to action, it was with jaw-dropping fierceness.
After the White Fence fellas left, Segall boasted, “Those are my friends!” - which definitely felt an appropriate thing to brag about. But then his own incredible group came back to finish out the show with a string of fantastic garage rock songs like “Girlfriend” and “My Caesar.” The encore, which was phenomenal, began with the following proclamation: “We're gonna do some Beatles songs – why not?” The band followed this announcement with three '60s covers, and all three were such thrashers that I could only pick out “I Saw Her Standing There.” Then he handed me the guitar and set off what might've been the greatest rock 'n' roll moment I've ever experienced. Considering Segall's age, and almighty talent, however, I doubt it'll be the last such moment I'll ever get to be a part of. It's shocking this guy isn't known all over the world, but for now, that's okay – I'm happy to be one of the few who knows how over-the-top good Ty Segall really is.
