Death With Zolar X, Slim’s, San Francisco, February 25 2011
Sometimes rock is better when it’s weird.
Death was a 1970′s Detroit rock trio (the three Hackney brothers) who wrote and performed punk rock songs before it became fashionable, and remunerative, to do so. They didn’t make it big. As lead singer Bobby explained to the audience, it was impossible for them to get their songs played on the radio. They were told by a friendly DJ, “Once corporations start running the radio stations, local bands are taken off the playlists.” That was back in 1975. Cut to 2009, and the re-release of their seven recorded songs on “For The Whole World To See”, and Jack White and Mos Def are championing the band. Not that you’ll hear them on the radio…
Death delivers the goods. The two surviving Hackney brothers play bass and drums, and close friend Bobbie Duncan shreds the guitar parts. The crowd ate it up, and the band were clearly enjoying their first-ever (!) trip to California. It was a Proto-Punk Revival Show. The band stuck around afterwords to shake hands and meet the people. Awesome.
But that was only one of two acts. Opening for Death were the original Glam Punk Pioneers Zolar X. It is difficult to describe how different these two trios are from one another, but the evidence is in: punk rock is awfully freakin’ diverse. The elfin spacemen (and woman) transported the whole room to a truly strange planet that was definitely not Corporate Radio Earth. Standing in front of the stage next to Jello Biafra, whose Alternative Tentacles record label has released several Zolar X records, I was truly grateful for the chance to watch this performance. After the show, I spoke to some humans who looked suspiciously like the aliens playing the music. They were friendly enough to sign the LP I bought and pose for a photo.
This show cost only $16.
Rock is better when it’s weird!
March 6, 2011 at 11:15 pm
I found Zolar X’s first lp in a Goodwill about a decade ago, and after listening to it, and after picking my jaw up off the floor, I could only remember then classic line at the end of the Move’s “Do Ya”: “Look out baby, there’s a planet comin’!” Wish I’d been at this show with you.
March 7, 2011 at 5:23 pm
They could not have been nicer. Here is their comment to the post, which they put on Facebook:
“Nok voo (thank you) for the woteeta (cool) review Stephen-we posted it on http://www.facebook.com/l/46fd3/zolarx.com & glad you came out & was good meeting you…”
Woteeta!