Skeleton crew: New Thrill Parade. All photos by Jen Snyder.
By Jen Snyder
I like to rediscover relics from my past. Whether it’s an old sweater left to die in a storage unit, or 20 bucks that made it through the wash, the reunions are always pleasant - mostly because you know you’re encountering something that you’ll like.
Similarly I remember seeing New Thrill Parade at a house show years ago during college. I recall a gothic, schizophrenic dog-pile best paired with sweaty air. When I moved I lost track of them. But guess what? They moved, too. It’s always fun to see what happens to bands that only hold reference in your mind as photo stills: the cast had changed slightly, but the scenery was better than I remembered. At Bottom of the Hill on Sept. 30, the outfit, which is now located in San Francisco, had some pretty excellent opening acts, too.
The new, new Strip Mall Seizures.
Kicking off the night was Strip Mall Seizures, another combo I hadn’t seen in years. I had been excited to see the klezmer-inspired punk band I had known and loved, yet as the first song ended and the second began, I began to feel like I was seeing a completely different group. I asked another listener in the crowd about my musical amnesia, and he said, “Yeah, they lost some melody but gained some power.” Then I realized that I don’t have a pair of Creepers anymore, and Strip Mall Seizures doesn’t play klezmer punk either. And you know what? I think we’re both better off.
With lyrics like “when I realized I was ugly, I stopped trying to be fashionable” coming out of the enigmatic Judy Bawlz, I feel okay about the evolution. By the end of the set, I felt like throwing out my bed frame and painting my nails black. In a good way.
All that Didimao allows.
Strip Mall Seizures paved the way for the Didimao, which is a really killer name for a group of such force. The vocalist whispered and howled over heavy bass during sections, making you feel like you were in a spooky movie. It was kind of like psychedelic metal that gently reminds you why you decided to not be a druggie and to clean your room.
Thrillsville: New Thrill Parade.
As soon as New Thrill Parade hit the stage, however, the entire feeling in the room changed. I always love it when you actually get to see a performance. And while New Thrill Parade's recordings reflect its frenzied live performances, you just have to see this band live if you want the full impact.
Their costumes? Imagine Crispin Glover running a Salvation Army instead of writing “Clowny Clown Clown.” The carnival-side-show face paint and shipwrecked costumes set the backdrop to the presentation. Frontperson Amitai Heller kept the group grounded in Nick Cave-like rock as he bellowed, cawed, and worriedly rubbed his head.
Aside from the band's appearance, the actual music was interesting - well conceived and executed. Since my last listen to New Thrill Parade, which was more than three years ago, they’ve clearly been practicing. A lot. I especially dug the use of saxophone, violin, and various pieces of percussion as tools to frame and highlight the music, instead of simply using them to play up the unusualness of the scene. The effect was more like stumbling in on a pagan ceremony in the woods than intentionally seeing a band in a club.
Are you Judy Experienced?
Also notable was the closing act, the Judy Experience. This combo is a must-see for San Franciscans. They also boasted awesome costumes, but with way more of a transgendered, Vivienne Westwood-meets-Julius-Caesar feeling. Their music was reminiscent of Neil Young’s Dead Man soundtrack, laced with these really weepy metal solos - something to take along the next time you go to a bonfire. Excited by a new, excellent ensemble, I checked out the Judy Experience’s MySpace page to find out that they’re leaving on tour this month - so let’s all expect really incredible things to come from them.
In a city where bands fizzle out or break up before you have a chance to see their second show, let this be a lesson to you: if you stay together for a bit, you just might get super-good and blow minds. I’ve seen the plan in action, and it actually works pretty well, even if, as was the case this particular night, your thunder is semi-stolen by creative fans in giant gold spandex pillowcases.
NEW THRILL PARADE
With Awesome Color and Kayo Dot
Wed/8, 9 p.m., $8
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
DIDIMAO
With Floating Corpses
Oct. 25, 8 p.m., free
Clarion Alley block party, SF
Also Oct. 25, 10 p.m., call for price
Knockout
3223 Mission, SF
(415) 550-6994
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