Notes from the underground.

ON THE LIVE FRONT, I saw Portland, Oregon's The Epoxies not too long ago. Saw 'era years ago when they were just starting out, at a little dive bar, and there was little room for the band. This time saw 'em at a club that gave 'em a little more room, and years later those guys and gal rule. From the moment the first chord is struck singer Rox'y Epoxy is goin' off with great new-wavemeets-kung-fu-meets-your-first-alghth-grade-danee-partner-style moves all over the place. She is fucking gung ho. And the rest of the band have their chops down too (including the guy with the laser sight attached to his wrap arounds). Lights, smoke, keyboards, action. Go see this band if you get the chance. Oh yeah, they're working on some stuff but nothing too soon, so survive on their Dirtnap LP for now ... Next up was Turbonegro. Man, they played with a shitty opening band. And honestly, their newest record wasn't as good as their earlier stuff (every track on Apocalypse Dudes kicks ass). And they have tamed down their "we're punker than you, we'll luck anything" schtick. Still, their show was pretty damn great (except for their tour manager, who was a goonsack who made taking photos near impossible), maybe because the bulk of their songs came from Apocalypse Dudes ... The next night was The Bell Rays with Nebula. Nebula is seriously stony rock, so grab a doob before you check 'era out. But shake that shit off for the Bell Rays 'cuz their shit is donna make you move! Ultimate rock and soul, they're playing a ton of new material in their live shows, so I'm hoping they'll put something out. As for now, if you see 'em, maybe you can get their limited tour only 7" Lion's Den ... And talk about smokin' live shows! North Carolina's The Needles just rolled through town and blew a couple doors off before headin' out. Total energy, these guys kick out guitar-laden power punk rock and ain't afraid to make fun of the sissies sittin' in the front row. Something in the vein of the Candy Snatchers for an unadultered aggro blast. Go see them or check their CD Fun, Fun, Fun on Moonrockneedletunes, if you can find it ... On the LP front, a comp called Tower 13 has been gettin' a lot of play around these parts. The insert states that the old Rodney on the Roq comps provided inspiration, and that comparison holds true (as does, to some degree, the Beach Bird comp and others like it). The comp's got 16 bands and some great stuff by the Smut Peddlers, the Fakes, the Drips, the Revlons and others; definitely worth snaggin' if you can find it. It looks pretty limited ... On a final and more bittersweet note, Broken Rekkids has reissued the second Gits LP, Enter: The Conquering Chicken. The record was originally released in 1993, the year Mia was abducted and brutally murdered after leaving the Comet Tavern in Seattle. The murder silenced one of the most distinctive and beautiful voices to grace a punk rock record, and was a tragedy that people have yet to shake. This record showcased Mia's talent as the band moved away from the noisier stuff on the first record (but don't get me wrong, Frenching the Bully kicks ass too, and has also been remastered and re-released. Go to the Gits website to find it, and there's plenty of aggro punk on this one). You're not human if the sound of Mia's voice singing about being killed and her killer going free on the song "Crab" doesn't raise the hair on the back of your neck (the song proved to not be as accurate as it seemed: Mia's killer was caught this year, a decade after the murder, and is awaiting trial) The new CD features live bonus tracks, from one of the best female-fronted punk bands of all time. Viva Zapata!