Sunday, April 04, 2010

Fun from all ages

On Day 2 of the toastiest Easter weekend ever I went over to Mavericks to Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine. Biafra is a well-known fan of Porcelain Forehead so it was only natural that the reconvened combo would also land in the middle. Ottawa's newest heavy combo Klovenhoofs held down the middle of the bill.

Porcelain Forehead's set was as snappy as their big Dominion Tavern get-together, albeit somewhat shorter. Too short for Jello who pushed them back on stage for another song.

Porcelain Forehead at Mavericks
Porcelain Forehead at Mavericks, April 3, 2010

Klovenhoofs is made up of a bunch of well-known local musicians: Shawn Jams Hill of Garaga and Mighty Eagle Band, Scott Terry of The Banditas, Garaga and other bands and Davey Quesnelle of Mother's Children and sundry other acts. I'd say Klovenhoofs is the various band members' heaviest-ever act, with a definite High On Fire-Bison B.C. feel to it.

Klovenhoofs at Mavericks
Klovenhoofs at Mavericks, April 3, 2010

As for Jello Biafra, it may be 32 years since he first launched a punk rock assault on  all that is good and decent, but he's still outraged by the malfeasance of the powers that be (perhaps even more so, though it must be said they've gotten nastier), and in addition to such Dead Kennedys tunes as California Uber Alles (updated for the Schwarzenneger era), Holiday In Cambodia, Bleed For Me and Let's Lynch The Landlord he got the crowd fired up with a pretty thorough run through his new album, The Audacity of Hype, with his crack new band The Guantanamo School of Medicine. There was much crowd-surfing from Jello, along with a lot of water splashing and miming of the intros to the songs. He also cut quite the figure in his bloodstained lab coat, surgical gloves and Stars-and-Stripes shirt.

Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine at Mavericks
Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine at Mavericks, April 3, 2010

A loud show, and the audience basically went nuts from the time Biafra stepped on stage.
  • Show reminder: There's a benefit for CHUO at 443 Kent St. with Horses, Prevenge and Fellow Project, Fuzzy Bunny Slaughterhouse rocks the Rainbow; Lindsay Ferguson and Emily Fennell are at the Elmdale House.

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