I wrote my first show review for the Union-Tribune this week. The Von Bondies played the Casbah Sunday night. The concert finished up at 1 a.m. and the story was due at 9 a.m., so it was a challenge to write this one. Hopefully it makes sense. Here's the result:
POP MUSIC REVIEW
Von Bondies' bluesy rock a blast
Heartaches, Dance Disaster Movement rev up revelry at Casbah
By Chris Nixon
March 30, 2004
'Not since the Strokes have I seen a show like this, man," said a tattooed music fan with a shaved head, shaking his head in disbelief after the Von Bondies won the hearts of the Casbah crowd Sunday night. "Not since the Strokes."
While the Motor City seems brimming with bands loaded with hype and lacking in substance, the Von Bondies proved themselves worthy of praise and proselytizing during their Sunday performance. Led by guitarist/singer Jason Stollsteimer (who cites Screamin' Jay Hawkins as one of his influences), the Detroit-based quartet put a spell on the sold-out Kettner Boulevard venue with its loud brand of bluesy, garage rock 'n' roll.
The evening's three-band lineup brought three hours of loud, brash performances, each adding its own voltage to the night.
With twangy guitars revving to full growl and a lanky lead singer spurring the crowd on, the Heartaches opened the show with Ramones-style rock: short, quick three-minute blasts of unbridled intensity. The San Diego-based five piece didn't "warm up" the show as much as tenderize the onlookers, yielding the stage after a 30-minute set to the enigmatic duo known as the Dance Disaster Movement.
Garbed in white T-shirts, white jeans and white Converse high-top sneakers, Kevin Disco and Matt Howze took the stage after 10 minutes of wrestling with the complicated circuitry of Disco's synthesizer and guitar setup. DDM proved to be worth the wait.
Once under way, the Long Beach-based two piece launched into a 35-minute collage of spastic synth funk. Keyboardist, guitar player and vocalist Disco recorded each instrument for a few seconds, looping the instrumentation. The slight Disco would then grab a microphone and sing with abandon, dancing wildly like some body-rockin' robot engaged in an erratic herky-jerky break dance.
The Heartaches brought the tenderizer and DDM infused the audience with twitchy energy, setting the stage for the headliners.
Touring in support of its recently released "Pawn Shoppe Heart," the Von Bondies tore down the house with its 45-minute set and 10-minute, two-song encore.
Kicking of its show with "Hello San Diego, we are the Von Bondies," Stollsteimer led his three band mates through 17 thundering rock songs. Whether crooning or bolting around the stage during a guitar solo, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter radiated charisma and a deep devotion to the music.
But the Von Bondies aren't a one-man show. The quartet felt like a coherent whole: All band members shared vocal duties and pushed the music forward with their instruments. Churning out favorites like "C'mon C'mon," "The Fever" and "Cryin'," the band's cohesiveness resulted in tight, explosive rock tunes; the show held no trace of clichéd, drawn-out endings.
During the encore, the Von Bondies urged the Casbah crowd to clap along, and San Diego's hipsters complied. For a brief three-hours, the 175 attendees reveled in total abandon, heading home with ears ringing, heads buzzing and not a thought to Monday morning.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
