Mudhoney Short Review

Photo credit: My shitty camera phone.

This past Friday at the Independent, Mudhoney came to town and flat out killed it. Wooden Shjips were also on the bill. I wasn't planning on a review but Mudhoney rocked me hard enough to feel compelled to brag about their sheer balls-awesomeness. However, due to transportation (and other personal deliberations) I missed most of their set along with the opener (can't recall name and too lazy to troll for my ticket stub). The Shjips continue to lock into that molten- spacey psychedelic groove with laser-like precision. I love seeing this band play and was kinda pissed I wasn't able see their full set. My state of mind was perfectly in tuned with the thick repetitive slabs of bass and eerie keys emanating from the stage.
Afterward, Mudhoney took the stage around 11, Most of their set focused on material off the new record, The Lucky Ones, one of the best records released this year, do yourself a favor and grab it here if you don't already own it. They played all hits e.g. "Touch Me I'm Sick", "Let It Slide", "In ‘n’ Out of Grace", Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More, etc. The band drenched me in a washing machine of pure noise. My favorite part of the evening had to be when the band broke into "Hate the Police" and the whole place when crazy. Everyone in the front was jumping up and down and singing at the top of their lungs, including myself. Finally ending the evening with an awesome cover of the Flag's "Fix Me". Man oh man, what a great night. Mudhoney laid it down hard.

Setlist
01. The Money Will Roll Right In
02. I'm Now
03. The Lucky Ones
04. Next Time
05. You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)
06. Suck You Dry
07. Inside Job
08. Blinding Sun
09. Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More
10. Good Enough
11. No One Has
12. Touch Me I'm Sick
13. F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)
14. This Gift
15. Hard On For War
16. When Tomorrow Hits
17. In 'N' Out Of Grace
18. Hate The Police
Encore
19. The Open Mind
20. Street Waves
21. Tales Of Terror
22. Fix Me

Night Marchers Mini Recap

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Duke Spirit Pics and mini recap

Opening act, Hot Tub, A trio of rapping females from Oakland. My initial and later overall reaction revolved around meh to very disinterested. I am as they say " not down w/ the hiphop." However, they did set the template for a rather abrasively crunchy beat that propelled the patrons around me to attack the dance the floor like angry sturgeons, or maybe it was just those two dudes grinding on each other that
reminded me of an underwater sword fight. I digress, the evening got progressively better when the next band, TIG TIGS took the stage.

I dont know if it was the copious amounts of Speak Easy Stout that coursed through my veins or that TIG TIG was just flat out killing it, but I was totally into their set. At a mellower moment during their set I ended up in the middle of a Swaying session with one of the ladies from Hot Tub, somewhat random. During a song in the later part of their set, TIG TIG threw down a most excellent propulsive beat and a meaty angular guitar lick that reminded me of that Stix song from Happy Gilmore (played over the drunken montage where Sandler falls off the rails after being accused of cheating through grade school). There's another current rock song that apes this song's kool-aide riff too, but I don't know the name of it just that it never fails to play on the radio of my friend's car on the way to hockey games in the east bay.

Finally, the moment Id been waiting for. The Duke Spirit ascended to the stage, equal parts swagger, and chops. Simply stated they went off for a packed bay area continent.

Showcasing material mostly from Neptune, they rattled it off with ruthless efficiency. Notable memories during a break between songs, I sheepishly asked for "Message to a Pretty" to which Ms. Lelia Moss responded, "We're not that clever." Their renditions of "Dog Roses", "The Step & the Walk" and "Love Is An Unfamiliar Name" were the high points of the set list for me.



The packed crowd quickly dispersed after the Duke Spirit exited the stage leaving the headliners, I don't remember their name something with a Poly and Bee, to play to a crowd of maybe 15 or 20 plus or minus a few extra heads. I don't really know, I left midway through their first song to catch Bart.

Full Set List:
I Do Believe(Intro)
Send A Little Love Token
Lassoo
Dog Roses
Sovereign
The Step & Walk
My Sunken Treasure
This Ship Was Built to Last
Red Weather
Love is An Unfamiliar Name