MEN

LIVE IN ATHENS, GA

The three-letter-band-name trio of EMA, MEN, and CSS graced the small town music haven of Athens, GA last week for their only stop in the southeast on this national tour. A very pleased town it was to have them, from the uber-enthusiastic girl in the purple sequined dress who ended up hoisting herself on stage during the last song of the night to the throngs of tatteredly dressed townies that didn’t seem to know what hit them. But hit them it did. Like a rock.

Though I missed the majority of EMA’s set due to guest list confusion, thanks to help from our wonderful friends at the legendary 40 Watt Theatre, I was able to make my way inside to catch the tail end of Erika M. Anderson’s emotion-driven set. I was pleased to see her perform some of my favorite songs from the record, which received the coveted “Best New Music” title on Pitchfork this past May. “Grey Ship,” the opening ballad on Past Life Martyred Saints, stopped the crowd in its tracks, creating an unmistakable sentiment in air of the still under-crowded venue. Ending her set with “California,” Erika dropped her guitar in exchange for a passion-filled vocal only performance that was even more gut wrenching in delivery than I would have expected from the recorded version (which is saying a lot).

MEN took the stage with a vengeance, immediately demanding attention with the powerful dance jam “Life’s Half Price.” It was obvious that this crowd came out ready to party. One young fan, who had driven from South Carolina for the show, yelled out with a bit much enthusiasm (is that possible?), “Let’s have some f***ing fun!” Samson agreed by repeating the suggestion through the microphone with a small but honest smile on her face.

The self-described “performance art collective” led by JD Samson (formerly of Le Tigre) and rounded out by friends Michael O'Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi released their first full-length this spring after over three years of touring, and their experience performing live was apparent. The stage was adorned with life size cutouts of the band donned in jumpsuits matching the ones they took the stage wearing (which Samson later stripped off to reveal her iconic MEN tank top.) Rolling fervently through “Make It Reverse” and “Simultaneously,” MEN continued to work the crowd into a frenzy packed in a half circle around the front of the stage.

My favorite song of the night may have been the next song in the set and the lead single from Talk About Body, “Credit Card Babie$,” which from the title alone, one would think it was referring to spoiled rich kids. But with lyrics like “We want some options. There is a way. Why don’t you adopt? Borrow someone’s cock. Call up the bank,” along with Samson’s hilarious pantomiming sign language throughout, no one was left confused as to the meaning of the song.



After the politically charged “Boom Boom Boom,” Samson took a moment to stop and tell us about taking the time to go to the site of the ongoing “Occupy Athens” sit-in and encouraging everyone else to do the same - a much appreciated reference to the politics that drive this record.

By the fifth song, “Off Our Backs,” the moderately sized crowd had broken into an all out dance party. With enough space to move but enough excitement to fill the room, there was an intimate enthusiasm about the show that allowed everyone to feel involved.

With only one album to date, the band was able to run through all of the favorites and closed out with the perfect party anthem, “Who Am I To Feel So Free?” With a chant-able chorus and a worked up crowd, one can imagine that this one ended the set with a bang.

Talk About Body is certainly not just a record to be performed live, although I can say from first hand experience that it is better that way. Covering topics from economic injustice to sexual identity and gender issues (and at times overlapping the these issues), this is a record with a message. With the current situation on Wall Street, it seems that there couldn’t be a better time for MEN to be on tour spreading this message and backing it with a danceable beat that makes the live show accessible to anyone who likes to have fun. Samson has said that the group’s goal is to show the “radical potential of dance music,” and from the reaction of the crowd in Athens last week, she has done her part to achieve just that.



CSS closed out the night with a well-rounded set that would have pleased new fans as well as old. Covering everything from “Alala,” “Art Bitch,” and my personal favorite “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” to a healthy serving of jams from their newest record, La Liberacion, CSS delivered it all. The show was exactly what I would have expected from this raucous Brazilian dance pop group. A ton of fun.

Every member of the band was obviously having a great time on stage, but Lovefoxxx stole the show with her ridiculous-yet-awesome dance moves and I-don’t-give-a-f**k attitude. She involved the crowd as much as possible, at one point taking a red paper heart from a gentleman in the crowd, reading the note her had written on it, and putting the mic in his face for the Brazilian chorus of the next song, which he attempted enthusiastically yet poorly.

Again- the size of the crowd was ideal for this show. Small enough to have space to boogie but big enough to hold up JD Samson when she ran on stage, briefly shared the mic with guitarist Luiza Sa and leaped into an ever-so-receptive mass of excited fans at the front of the stage. You could tell that these two bands enjoyed being on tour together. This is also evident off stage, as they recently collaborated on a 7” split entitled We Are Friends on which CSS remixes MEN’s “Rip Off” and MEN put their twist on “City Grrrl” from La Liberacion.



The show was an eclectic yet satisfying blend of heart wrenching grunge/shoegaze, gender bending party jams with a political statement, and a free spirited Brazilian dance party led by the appropriately named Lovefoxxx. Though clearly a dynamic that makes no sense on paper, if I can be sold bold as to speak for more than myself and the handful of people that I knew at The 40 Watt that Wednesday night, we all left with a feeling that we got more than we bargained for.

By Michelle King with photos by Kate Hänsel
for MovementMagazine.com

UNDEROATH, COMEBACK KID, andTHE CHARIOT: Hardcore acts from our own backyard

By Marc Bchiri 
for MovementMagazine.com
 
October 20, 2011

Duval County hardcore fans gathered by the dozens to Freebird Live, the prime time spot for show at the beach. Fans were consumed by some of the most formidable bands in the Hardcore Scene. Veteran Hardcore acts from the states of Florida and Georgiadominate this lineup.

As I walked in and felt the familiar rush of the hot, sweaty air, I noticed that a nice cool breeze was blowing in making Freebird a little bit more air-conditioned. The crowd had already set up in the usual circles. Boyfriends and Girlfriends hunkered down against the railing, while their group of friends hangs in the background trying to snap a picture. The bigger guys who like to take their shirts off and start Hardcore Dancing like there is no one in the room. And then you have everyone else who just hangs around and sings.

New York, Long Island-based This Is Hell was already on stage and screamed the most blood curdling scream I’ve heard so far before the bandstarted with the last song filled with destructive beats, heavily distorted guitars. The lead singer Travisbelted out the final lyrics, “If the good die young we’ll fucking live forever!” Some members of the crowd that had followed the band chimed in and finished the final song. At the end, the band thanked everyone and vanished.

The Chariot, a Georgia-based methcore band was formed by former Norma Jean lead vocalist Josh Scogin, As The Chariot took the stage, their sound check alone made me realize this was going to be a blood bath. Everything suddenly went silent as Scogin Screamed, “Wait! No! Babe! Wait! No!” During the opener, “Evan Perks,” Scogin jumped onto the speakers and a fury of hardcore dancing fanatics followed. As the guitarist swung around in an almost ballet type fashion the band seemed to be in complete dance uniformity as they violently stormed across the stage, spending more time in the air then on their feet.

The Chariot spent so much time reaching out to the crowd and playing their hardcore hearts out that the show was a complete success. I was extremely impressed with this years set, as I have seen them numerous times in the past. Scogin announced that this was their “absolute favorite stop on any tour” and broke into crowd favorite, “The City,” which featured menacing lyrics like “I saved away my money but it didn’t save me.” band ended with “And Shot Each Other,”

Canadian Decade Long Veteran Band Comeback Kid, Opened up with Talk is Cheap, and Despite the Canadians almost decade-long career, lead vocalist Andrew Neufeld asked first timers raised their hands. After some younglings did, the band launched into their second gut-wrenching song. Neufeld told fans, “Occupy Something!!” and spent most of the set standing on the speakers to eliminate the space between the band and their fans. The dancers sprung up and fought against the audience’s pull to the stage.

Comeback Kid featured some of the best, almost-punkish hooks of the evening, blowing out repetitive crowd sing-a-longs of teen-angst filled lines like “because of all the things I should’ve said to you”, Their final song, “Wake the Dead,” ended with the most powerful gang vocals of the evening

“We said, we said, we said, this time was gonna be different.”

And, It was time.

Underoath’s, roots trace between the country roads of Ocala, thru Orlando, and on into Tampa Florida. The bands southern christian-hardcore based lyrics and meaning is what promoted the band to a level that once heard, you had to fall in love with. And the thing is, most of the fans aren’t even about the lyrics. When Underoath performs, all inhibitions in your body erase. I know it I felt it. Underoath made me feel like I wanted to fling every part of my body in the air and scream like my life depended on it. The unfortunate part about the band is that in a majority of shows the band can become a little too preachy. And yes some fans like that, but most do not want to hear that kind of stuff, we just want to hear the music. And secondly, not one of the original members is in the band now. The sounds still the same, but as Underoath progressed they have adapted metal-core, punk, and some pop into their music.

As the Fans emerged and started the dead sprint towards the stage, it was obvious that the Florida-based band was the main draw of the evening. Lead singer Spencer Chamberlain waved his long black dreads back screamed the most ear piercing scream and then transitioned into a high-pitched belting as the most insane digital footage of bombs dropping, babies crying, x-rays of insects, and slides that looked like they from a horror science lab were projected on the backdrop.

The majority of the set performed by Underoath came from the latest album Ø (Disambiguation), but also tugged at the hearts of the old followers with “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door,” and “Writing on the Walls” which is my favorite. Underoath’s finale ended with the song that actually turned me fully onto the band, “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black and White.” And as the crowd erupted into the most insane simultaneous dance screamed every lyric till no one could breathe. “Can you feel your heartbeat racing?” was the only thing I had heard before a large group of dancers broke out in arm swinging rhythm and that’s when I realized I needed to get deeper in the crowd. It was kind of overpowering to say the least and a hell of a way to end a show. 

As the sweat dripped down our faces, the band had come out to address the importance of seeing live music, and especially local music. The band reiterated that we must band together to keep the music alive and to keep the local venues open. 

And with that.
The show was over.