Show Orgy March 2003

Bite Me! Show Orgy

Here we are a couple of months into the New Year and it’s already off to a rocky start. The music industry is unraveling, our economy is unstable, and the stock market is still in the toilet. Oh well, at least there are plenty of good bands out there to help us forget about it all – even if it happens to be for just one night.

In January Hotwire returned to their old stomping grounds, The Roxy, in support of fellow L.A. compadres Crazy Town. An excited crowd—consisting of friends, family, and loyal fans— moshed and grooved to choice cuts off Hotwire’s upcoming RCA debut, The Routine (May 6^th). The group’s live show was packed with lots of crunch and electric fury. By mid-set it was obvious just how the band acquired their name. Rus (vocals), Gabe (guitar), Brian (drums), and Chris (bass) were drenched with perspiration. If you dig Amen, the Deftones, and Jane’s Addiction then Hotwire is right up your alley.

Another band to keep an eye out for is Grade 8 (also from the L.A. area). The Bite Me! Squad managed to catch their explosive set at the Troubadour. I was quite surprised to see an old friend of mine, Scott Carneghi, pounding away on the skins. Some may remember the incredibly skilled drummer from Greta. If you do, you owe it to yourself to check out his new band Grade 8, which was founded by brothers Ryan Tooker (vocals) and Dustin Tooker (guitar) and also features bassist Guy Couturier. The aggro hardcore unit’s live appeal lies in their hunger and their physically jarring delivery. Their set was hard-edged and raging with deep emotional angst. Simply put, these boys posses the skills to back their shit up, especially their youthful frontman who run circles around most veterans. If you get a chance, check out their live show and pick up their self-titled Lava debut. It’s N.Y. underground hardcore done West Coast style.

A few weeks later Bite Me! was back at the Troubadour to witness The Beautiful Mistake in support of their latest release, Light a Match For I Deserve to Burn. What’s cool about these guys (aside from spirited melding of emo, hardcore, and alt-rock) is the way the vocal team of Josh Hagquist and Shawn Grover compliment each other. The band’s hard-rockin’ pop inflecked songs revolve around Josh’s melodically soothing voice and are offset by Shawn’s gut wrenching screams. However, it’s the Beautiful Mistake’s adventurous and unpredictable nature that makes their live show worth seeing.

The Troubadour has been on a hot streak, and Bite Me! was back again to check out Volcom’s latest signing VAUX. A number of familiar faces were just as anxious as we were to see what the Denver-based unit had to offer. The night of the show was cold and damp, but VAUX quickly heated things up as they delivered one skull-bludgeoning tune after another. A triple guitar assault (courtesy of Chris, Greg, and Adam) added to the intensity. VAUX takes hardcore to the extreme. Each blazing riff, pounding beat, and buzzing bass-line rattled my teeth as hard as they rattled the walls. (My ears are still recovering from this one.) Be sure to catch these guys on tour and pick up their debut, which is appropriately titled There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them (April 1).

Finally Bite Me! found itself at someplace other than The Troubadour (no offense), as we were fortunate enough to be invited to the swank & chic Cine-space for a sneak peek of the Betty Blowtorch documentary titled Betty Blowtorch (And Her Amazing True Life Adventures). Filmmaker Anthony Scarpa did a fabulous job with this documentary. It is a righteous tribute to a righteous band. Scarpa spent 2 years chronicling the band’s evolution into a rising act known for their flashy live shows and raunchy rock ‘n’ roll attitude. The film’s main focus is on the lovely Bianca Halstead. There is footage of her former bands (Humble Gods & Butt Trumpet), interviews with fans and friends, lots of live and behind-the-scene footage, and interviews with the gals. Sadly, this documentary ends with the tragic accident that took Bianca’s life. At that point the laughter and the cheers stopped and a melancholy vibe settled over the audience. We all took a moment and reflected upon the loss of that special person who had touched all of our lives in some sort of way. (Bianca was my very first interview back when she was in Butt Trumpet. – NIN). When the film was over we all gave Scarpa a well deserved round of applause. If you’re a Betty Blowtorch fan or a true lover of music than you owe it to yourself to see this movie. You won’t regret it. [For more info visit: www.bettyblowtorchfilm.com. For club info: www.cine-space.com] -NIN