Moral Crux Still Going Strong; Punk Rock Roots Reach To ‘86

While the members of Green Day were still in elementary school, Moral Crux had already established its punk rock roots in Washington state.

That was 1986.

Today, the Moses Lake band, whose members’ ages range from early 20s to mid 30s, is still going strong. The band’s trademark buzzsaw guitar riffs still slice and its venomous lyrics still have a serious bite.

Although Moral Crux, which plays Ichabod’s North with Portland’s Slab and Wenatchee’s Lopez on Saturday, has released a string of albums and toured the country several times, it only seems like now the band is turning people’s heads.

Moral Crux’s sound is rooted in punk rock’s glory days - the late ‘70s. The band appeared on a compilation called “Punk U.S.A.” about a year ago. That album was issued by seminal Berkeley independent label Lookout - known for its Screeching Weasel, Queers, Operation Ivy and Green Day releases - and has sold a phenomenal 25,000 copies.

Thus, the compilation has exposed Moral Crux to thousands of punk fans across the country who had never heard the band before, because most of its records are on hard-to-find independent labels.

“Eighteen-year-old kids would write us, ‘You guys are really cool. Do you have other stuff out? Are you a new band?”’ says vocalist Jim Ferris of the feedback his band received after the compilation came out. “Which is cool, though, because it’s not like we’re some old, has-been band.”

Quite the contrary.

Thanks to “Punk U.S.A.,” almost a dozen labels have contacted Moral Crux expressing interest in financing future releases. There’s even a possibility Lookout might sign the band.

Last weekend, Moral Crux recorded three songs at JelloTree in Spokane for a forthcoming seven-inch EP on the Mutant Pop label. In the next couple of months, a label called They Still Make Records? will issue a Moral Crux split EP featuring popular underground punk unit Boris the Sprinkler.

“One thing good about us is that we’ve been kind of obscure,” says Ferris. “(For) a lot of bands, when they get to a bigger point, it’s hard to keep that following. Being a little obscure and not so saturated is kind of good in a way. I guess sometimes it makes it more interesting for people to go search for your records.”

Moral Crux has many busy months ahead, aside from several planned recording projects. It will tour Canada this summer, then head out on another cross-country U.S. trek. If the stars are aligned, Moral Crux might even tour Hawaii.

Music starts at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $4.

Still perspiring

Portland funk-thrash-metal combo Sweaty Nipples, contagiously popular in Spokane, will play Outback Jack’s on Saturday.

Sweaty Nipples ended its relationship with Megaforce, an independent with major label distribution, late last year. The New Jersey-based label released the band’s “Demon Juice” EP and “Bug Harvest” LP.

A new Sweaty Nipples album will appear on Seattle independent Y Records later this year.

Seattle’s Suction opens. Tickets, $8, are available at Outback Jack’s. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Hot jazz

Canadian saxophonist Darcy Hepner will perform with the Paul Landsberg Quartet on Saturday in Hobart’s jazz lounge.

You may have seen Hepner sitting in with the likes of Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Mel Torme and Henry Mancini.

She’s considered one of the greatest saxophonists north of the border.

Music starts at 9 p.m. The cover is only $3.

Jonesing for attention

If you’ve been listening to KAGU lately, you will have already heard the obnoxious advertisement for the upcoming Pavlov Jones outdoor concert at Gonzaga University on Saturday. Basically, the ad equates the concert with being as big a deal as when Led Zeppelin played the campus with Vanilla Fudge in 1968.

I really don’t think Pavlov Jones is destined to become the next Zeppelin. For one thing, the Seattle band forges pop rock, a sound done all too many times before.

That’s not to say Pavlov Jones isn’t good at what it does. The band plays a tight, raucous mix and crafts honest lyrics. Some of the harmonies are a little rough on the band’s six-song demo, but that usually gets worked out with time.

Overall, Pavlov Jones is a good guitar band and worth checking out. The unit plays Ichabod’s North tonight with Roadside Prophets and Philo Beddo. Showtime’s 9:30 p.m. The cover is $3. On Saturday, they play GU with Philo Beddo, the Plants, McFurious and Highwater Pants. The concert is free and starts at 11:30 a.m.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NIGHTWATCH PICKS Best bets at area clubs: SATURDAY: Moral Crux, Slab and Lopez at Ichabod’s North Darcy Hepner with the Paul Landsberg Quartet at Hobart’s Jazz Lounge Sweaty Nipples at Outback Jack’s