Built To Last And Deadlock Hardcore With A Positive Bent
Here’s some advice to listen by: Don’t judge a band by the volume of its sound.
To the uninitiated ear, hardcore bands like Deadlock and Built To Last may sound aggressive, brutally loud and downright unruly. And perhaps they are.
But if you think these bands with their thrashing guitars and shredded vocals stand for something negative, it’s time to think again.
When Deadlock, a Spokane hardcore band, organized the upcoming all-ages show at the Knights of Columbus Hall, they did so with only the best intentions.
Billed as a “hardcore extravaganza,” the Tuesday night music festival will not only feature six hardcore punk bands, it will also help gather food for the Spokane Food Bank.
And Kris Johnson, Deadlock bassist, hopes to help one charity or another with most of the hardcore shows his band organizes from now on.
To him, that only makes sense. “They’re trying to help people out and we’re trying to do the same thing,” he says. “We’re trying to give kids a good place to go on Friday and Saturday nights.”
For those who wonder what kind of an environment a band like Deadlock might be creating for the kids, this may come as another surprise: The four members of Deadlock - who range in age from 17 to 22 - consider themselves to be straight-edge. That means they don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. And they call their music posi-core - i.e. positive-hardcore.
“Some people don’t understand it and automatically think it’s a negative thing just because we aren’t playing acoustic guitars,” Johnson says. “We try to keep our lyrics positive. Our songs are about friendship and those kinds of things.”
At the all-ages show on Tuesday, Deadlock will be joined by several bands which also put a positive - albeit a thrashing - bent on their music.
San Diego hardcore band Built To Last headlines the show. Formed in 1995, this five-man band doles out crushing guitar riffs and tormented vocals that rail against those that would try to drag them into a life of negativity.
Deadlock and Built To Last will be joined Tuesday by metal-influenced hardcore band 18 Visions and punk band Radiation 4 - both from California. Seattle straight-edge band Last Man Standing and The Farewell Bend (from the Washington D.C. area and made up of former members of Boy’s Life) round out the show.
Music starts Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 302 E. Boone. The show costs $6, although fans are asked to bring a can of food for the food bank. Cover charge is only $4 with the food.
Groove Gallery update
Harry O’s new Groove Gallery has been working on its entertainment lineup and is now offering live music five nights a week.
If you haven’t checked out this new club, Harry O’s Groove Gallery offers not only music, but good food and a view of some local artists’ work, as well.
Starting this week, piano music will be featured Tuesday nights; Spokane’s highly talented and self-taught pianist Dax Johnson will perform at 7 p.m. for the next couple of months. Cover charge is $2.
Wednesdays are blues nights at Harry O’s. Catch one of Spokane’s best bluesmen, Tim “Too Slim” Langford, when he performs unplugged this Wednesday. Cover is $2. Music starts at 8:30 p.m.
Swing is the theme for Thursday nights with not only live music, but half-priced martinis and cigar specials through the evening. Local swing band Fuego performs this Thursday starting at 8:30 p.m. Cover is $3. Look for N.Y. Jimmy And The Jive Five to swing into town for swing night next month.
Bands that fill the dance floor will be featured Fridays and Saturdays. Tonight Charlie Butts & The Filter Tips take the stage with Cafe Blue on Saturday night. Pay the man $3 at the door. Dancing starts at 9:30 p.m.
Other good options
Straight from the Alabama backwoods comes the triple-guitar-fueled fury of the Quadrajets. Yes, you heard right, three guitars drive this five-man band from the Bible Belt, a band that crams garage rock together with Delta Blues, Black Sabbath and punk rock. Their gut-punching mix crashes into Ichabod’s North tonight where they headline a show that includes The Burning Cindys from the Tri-Cities and The Pills from Moscow.
The noise starts at 9:30 p.m. It’ll cost $5 to get in the door.
And I ran, I ran so far away… sorry, I was just reminiscing about my misspent youth - all those hours spent listening to A Flock of Seagulls, pondering their deep, meaningful lyrics. I can’t believe I’m admitting this in print, but yes, I liked those sci-fi techno rockers back then. (Cut me some slack, I was a kid. It was the ‘80s. And besides, who didn’t just love singer Mike Score’s cascading hair-do.)
Now these musical mystics from Liverpool are back. And I know I’m not the only closet Seagulls fan who’ll be heading over to Swackhammer’s Wednesday to relive hits like “I Ran (So Far Away),” “Space Age Love Song” and, of course, “The More You Live, The More You Love.”
A Flock of Seagulls lands at Swackhammer’s new concert club Wednesday night. The Other Way opens the show at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $14.50, available through G&B Select-A-Seat. Also at Swackhammer’s, Rick Derringer (of The McCoys and Edgar & Johnny Winter fame) performs Tuesday night. Tickets to that show are $12.50.
Don’t miss the tribute to Frank Sinatra Thursday at Hobart’s Jazz Lounge. Bob Juhlin and the Arnie Carruthers Trio will perform the classic tunes made famous by Ol’ Blue Eyes. Music starts at 8 p.m. Cover charge is $4/$3 for students.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - best known for its legendary recording “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” - returns to Kelly’s Grand Ole Opry in State Line, Idaho, tonight. It’ll cost $15 at the door or $10 through G&B Select-A-Seat to hear their influential country-roots-rock sound. The music starts at 8 p.m.
Spokane pop trio the Trouser Trouts celebrate the release of their first CD “On The Couch” at Ichabod’s North Saturday. They’re joined by Honey Hush. Cover charge is $4.