An Acoustic Punk show!? We're moving into uncharted territory now. 2 Punk legends trade in the loud electric equipment for an acoustic guitar, and a crowd so intimate you can hear a phone ring(that's a good thing)!
Tim Blackout played a handful of Classic American Heist songs, along with a few covers and some strays that never made it into The Heist. Despite the reliance of a full band to fill out most of their songs, the set worked surprisingly well, as if they were always meant to be performed in a stripped down format.
The acoustic format working shockingly well seemed to be a theme on that night.
Hank Schmyma of The Southern Backtones took what was probably the most interesting approach to the acoustic night. By that I mean that he seemed to treat everything as usual. Even introducing himself by saying "Hello, we're The Southern Backtones", and continuing to play as if it were your average electric guitar. His strong voice, and great guitar work often made you forget there was no backing band.
Kevin Seconds brought out the most equipment of anyone(which still left the stage looking unusually bare). He started off with a few simpler slightly folky songs, and eventually moved to songs a bit more involved which could almost warrant the term "One-Man Band". Between simultaneously playing: harmonica, guitar, and tambourine(jingled by stomping his foot on it), he seemed to be working overtime; yet at the same time he seemed completely comfortable. Kevin frequently took advantage of the intimate atmosphere, telling interesting stories(including the imminent arrival of his AARP card upon his return home). He decided to end the night with two songs off his new solo album "Good Luck Buttons", that he wrote with the idea that he was writing them for Johnny Cash to play.
Exene Cervenka took the stage with only her guitar, and her notebook(no set list). She began with some of her new self-proclaimed "love songs, and moved on to some "protest songs" later. The "love songs" showed off the country twang of Exene's voice, while also maintaining her classic Punk attitude in the fact that they were far from your average love song. Most featured tragic, and original stories that put the typical flat love song story lines to utter shame. The "protest songs" featured a bit more of her classic X voice creeping through, and usually made for some great post song bantering with the audience about the subject.
Also making note of the setting she remarked "Everything is so intimate, I don't really feel like I should be sitting on stage. I feel like I should be down there, hanging out with all of you", which she in fact did a bit before and after her set. As she reached the end of her hour long set she said farewell to the crowd by warning them of the rough times ahead, and to stock-up on "food, water, guns, bullets, and those little Red Cross flashlights that you can crank up, and they charge your cell phone battery, and have a USB port". After which she joined the crowd until the end of the night.
The acoustic format working shockingly well seemed to be a theme on that night.
Hank Schmyma of The Southern Backtones took what was probably the most interesting approach to the acoustic night. By that I mean that he seemed to treat everything as usual. Even introducing himself by saying "Hello, we're The Southern Backtones", and continuing to play as if it were your average electric guitar. His strong voice, and great guitar work often made you forget there was no backing band.
Kevin Seconds brought out the most equipment of anyone(which still left the stage looking unusually bare). He started off with a few simpler slightly folky songs, and eventually moved to songs a bit more involved which could almost warrant the term "One-Man Band". Between simultaneously playing: harmonica, guitar, and tambourine(jingled by stomping his foot on it), he seemed to be working overtime; yet at the same time he seemed completely comfortable. Kevin frequently took advantage of the intimate atmosphere, telling interesting stories(including the imminent arrival of his AARP card upon his return home). He decided to end the night with two songs off his new solo album "Good Luck Buttons", that he wrote with the idea that he was writing them for Johnny Cash to play.
Exene Cervenka took the stage with only her guitar, and her notebook(no set list). She began with some of her new self-proclaimed "love songs, and moved on to some "protest songs" later. The "love songs" showed off the country twang of Exene's voice, while also maintaining her classic Punk attitude in the fact that they were far from your average love song. Most featured tragic, and original stories that put the typical flat love song story lines to utter shame. The "protest songs" featured a bit more of her classic X voice creeping through, and usually made for some great post song bantering with the audience about the subject.
Also making note of the setting she remarked "Everything is so intimate, I don't really feel like I should be sitting on stage. I feel like I should be down there, hanging out with all of you", which she in fact did a bit before and after her set. As she reached the end of her hour long set she said farewell to the crowd by warning them of the rough times ahead, and to stock-up on "food, water, guns, bullets, and those little Red Cross flashlights that you can crank up, and they charge your cell phone battery, and have a USB port". After which she joined the crowd until the end of the night.
Exene is still rocking as always, even behind an acoustic guitar, and even with everything going on. That, is Punk Rock.
You can really tell how different things were that night with a simple glance at the Pictures!
You can really tell how different things were that night with a simple glance at the Pictures!
