Grand Rapids, MI – 23 Mar 2023
Although things didn’t turn out like we had planned, we still managed to take in some good live music.
What is it they say about best laid plans? Thursday March 23rd started out promisingly enough. I skipped out of work early to meet up with a friend who was coming from Chicago for a visit and to see The Meteors at one of my favorite smaller venues in Grand Rapids. I had never seen the English psychobilly legends, and was really looking forward to it. (At my age, seeing a classic band for the first time is kind of a rare treat.) We were well into pregaming at a nearby bar when we got the word that the show was canceled due to unspecified health issues. Meteors founder and mainman P. Paul Fenech has had issues in the past, so I have no reason to doubt that it was legit. Continued cancellations and a rare social media blackout have us hoping for the best.
The opener and another band to be named were still going to play at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill for a $5 cover so we decided to head over there anyway. The TBA band was a young quartet called Wood – something. Work? Shed? School? Something like that. They were talented musicians and sounded good, but their music didn’t do much for me. I guess I would describe it as grunge. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t for me. They started promptly at 8:00, and were done by 8:25.
I was hearing good reports about local upstarts Oi!l Change, but had kept missing them. They’re a Grand Rapids trio that plays a mix of 77 and 82 UK punk run through a ‘90s filter. They were on by 9:00, but this was not their finest moment. The sound was not very good and they really seemed to be struggling throughout their short, 25 minute set. The good news is that the songs seemed stronger than the performance. I like their demo tracks and will give their debut record a fair shake later this year. Although I wasn’t particularly impressed, I’m not quite ready to write them off yet.
I was originally hoping we could run over to the Pyramid Scheme after The Meteors to catch the headline set by City Mouse. Oi!l Change finished so early that we were able to catch two more bands. (This is a good news/bad news situation. I was hoping to sneak in after the door man abandoned his post, but alas, we had to pay another $12 cover.) Before we even got in the club, I ran into some pals who were hanging around out front. With them was none other than PEARS frontman Zach Quinn, who was playing bass for City Mouse on this tour.
We settled in to watch Death Kill Overdrive, who seemed to take forever to set up. Despite their badass sounding name, the Iowa City band was mostly pop punk. The quartet consisted of two singing male guitarists and a singing female bassist. Musically they were good, but when the guys sang they had a strong Simple Plan or New Found Glory vibe. (I know those bands were very popular, but they’re not for me.) When the bass player sang they were much better. (Sorry guys.) They occasionally ventured into near Sonic Youth territory, which I enjoyed.
In contrast, City Mouse set up so fast that people weren’t finished with their smokes when they started. City Mouse originated in Riverside, CA, founded by vocalist/guitarist Miski Dee Rodriguez. Rodriguez has bounced around the country quite a bit over the last decade, including an extended stint in nearby Lansing. Her touring band has included many members, apparently including well known New Orleans punk singers/bassists. (Quinn did a great job, and was a good showman.) This time around there was also a second guitarist. (He looked a bit like punk Santa Claus, but squeezed some wicked tones out of his green SG.)
Rodriguez is also a fine guitarist, and has a great, gritty but soulful voice. The band played plenty of songs from their sole LP, 2017’s excellent Get Right. They also teased some new songs from their upcoming second full length. Rodriguez has such a powerful voice that it transcends the bare knuckle punk music it accompanies. She also manages to write songs that resonate with jaded, middle aged men. Go figure. I really enjoyed City Mouse, and seeing them took quite a bit of the sting out of The Meteors canceling.
Confessions of a merch whore: Both Oi!l Change and City Mouse had decent spreads, but I already have every piece of City Mouse vinyl, (one LP, four 7”s), and I don’t really need another T-shirt. PBR for the win!
Part-time punk writer, suburban dad and angry old man. Follow my adventures on the Punk Till I Die podcast!
Band who didn’t have to set up any gear because they used the band that played before them’s gear sets up the gear they didn’t have to set up very fast.