Rival Schools – United By Fate

Rival Schools, All Eyes West, Team Band | Lincoln Hall – Chicago

“Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them. ” – Charlie Sheen

“Life” , like the landscape of Earth, can be painted in a myriad of ways; but it is, invariably, defined in polar extremes. The peak of Mount Godwin-Austen juxtaposed along the pressure-laden depths of the Marianas Trench (highs and lows) – these “fixtures” (Or features similar to them) are ones we draw upon when traipsing about the kaleidescopic “view” of recollection – whilst (often) overlooking the vast expanse “around” and “in-between” them. Auditory art flows through time and memory in a similar manner – the highest highs and pain-inducing lows. As a “point in case”, I can’t recall the number of mediocre bands I’ve sat through in an effort to find new and stimulating experiences – but you can be sure my powers of recall can draw the faintest detail of my first Pilfers show, or whenever a band “delivered the goods”. Fortunately, this night proved towards the later end of the aforementioned performance-wheel (an admixture of the colour-wheel and the food pyramid – with twice the caloric-content – and “spazz-factor”) and we’ll delve into an experience that echos the opening “statement” – a rare and precious moment etched in time.

Skirting the northern end of DePaul University, Chicago’s Lincoln Hall (host venue of this wonderous event) is a nice cleanly venue replete with warm inviting colours (of an earthen hue), a spacious – yet intimate atmosphere, full kitchen/bar combination, and a sexy modern aesthetic. Did I mention the cleanliness of the Hall yet? If not, it bears repeating – this place is HANDS DOWN the cleanest venue I’ve been to in Chicago. Criminy! Even the restrooms are well above reproach! Its hard to imagine a place rented out by FBI “hit men” soaked in the “blood of Dillinger” could be so spotless? Hi-ho! The show beckons! Onward and upward! First on the docket was Chicago’s own Team Band. They played a raucous set of rock-laden punk that reminded me of an amalgamation of the art-rock “frame” of Kudzu Wish , a faint trace of Naked Raygun harmony, mingled with the irreverent punk-vibe of the Angry Samoans. The bands performance was energetic, despite the general lackluster response of the audience (Cursed weekday shows!) these gents rocked the walls and then some. Numbers of particular note were: “Steal Your Song”, “Not In Love”, and “Subliminal”. “Steal Your Song”s sardonic cast brought back memories of horrid scene politicking and high school bands peddling their wares in sunny North Carolina many “eons” ago. Delicious commentary that is both humourous and universal in context to musical gatherings world-wide. Good times!

All Eyes West stepped in to a fairly packed venue and collided with the indifferent patrons of Lincoln Hall like the unrelenting tide of Virginia Beach. Their “brand” of post-hardcore hearkens back to the glory days of the early nineties when juggernauts like Jawbox, Seaweed, Kerosene 454, and Quicksand still roamed about. Everything you could possibly ask for, and more! Raspy vocals, bouncy bass lines, “stop-and-go” change-ups, dissonant octave wailing, and solid percussion. For my name-dropping brethren/sisteren, I’d liken them to a scrumptious blend of: “For Your Own Special Sweetheart” era Jawbox, early Foo Fighters, and “Richmond Hotel” era River City High (Mostly the vocal delivery. Justin Miller is almost a dead-ringer for James Menefree – at his raging prime). Perhaps a few of the softer moments of “Came By To Kill Me” tossed in – for good measure and all? They were a fairly energetic bunch as well, fun to watch – and I hope the masses steer clear of Mr. Dean’s “back-kick”. Getchyoo-yous-uh-huhs! The lighting, sound, and the general feel of the evening awash in warm/cool cascade of sonic-lashing and invigorating motion. There is nothing better than “riding blind” through “unfamiliar ground”, incorporating the experience into your being, and savoring it as a whole. I’ll be sure to acquire a copy of their new full-length when the time comes – even if Miller bears an auspicious resemblance to the Phoenix Suns , Steve Nash. With bated breath, my friends. Bated breath.

It may be close to impossible for a feeble being (as I) to put into words my feelings and expectations going in to this show. haha What a horrendous way to introduce one of the greatest bands going in the modern age! It should be painfully obvious to anyone “in the know” that I’m utterly enamoured with any project associated with one Walter Schreifels (The title of the blog itself comes from a Quicksand song for crying-shame!). How do you prepare to meet people whose sonic craft work shaped the very fabric of your formative years? Childhood memories of nosing through band leaflets/lyric sheet covers of the various hardcore, post-hardcore, jazz-avant-garde improv, and rock bands these men performed in. At the risk of gushing like a “blushing fan-boy”: these men formed the virtual “who’s-who” list of cutting-edge music/art movements in the 90’s and beyond. As a random aside: it remains a mystery to me, as to why the projects of these fellows never garnered the attention they should have. In a “just” world, they’d live as rock-monarchs/aristocracy.

They took the stage in a simple manner, to little fan-fare, and an audience of (mostly) grizzled beings in their late-twenties and beyond. Firstly, with “whip-cord” lean Cache Tolman, wielding his trusty translucent Dan Armstrong bass. Second, Ian Love – with an effects board that seemed to make him see tiny in comparison. In the “tertiary” front, Sammy Siegler – percussionist extraordinaire. Lastly, Mr. Walt (in the flesh) – red-hued Gibson SG and all. After a brief introduction and thanking the audience, they kicked into “Wring It Out”, the second single from their Pedals LP. Having streamed it, in its entirety, the same day, I was a tad disappointed with it – but it came to life with the full “stereo-effect” of blaring stage-sound. Goodness, every song they played was fairly spot-on, with minor improvisation here and there. The new material didn’t seem to draw much of a response from the crowd, barring a few heads “bobbing” in approval to the rhythm (Chicago is a harsh mistress). When the “gang” broke into mainstay, “Everything Has Its Point”, the energy of the audience picked up considerably, which seemed to be the case for all material presented off their first full-length. However, they seemed a bit off when performing said number. Things weren’t necessarily “gelling” in a cohesive fashion with it, and that could’ve had something to do with the monitor and PA sound being fairly skewed in the “vocals-to-guitar” quotient (As in barely audible vocals). Walter was fairly talkative between songs, and cracked a few jokes about Charlie Sheen’s antics and famous quotes (“Winning! Duh!”). Loved the joke about “discovering Charlie Sheen” that very night and something about being unaware of his general being as of late (“Last time I checked in with Sheen was with Platoon. Its been awhile.”) The rest of the “crew” was fairly silent, but this was yet the tip of the quirky humour permeating about the evening air.

They seemed to “hit their stride” again with crowd-pleaser, “High Acetate”. Hearing the swell of Ian’s effects-soaked guitar, in full, was mesmerising. Every snaring-smash, cymbal crash, plucked bass string, and gain-laden note was perfect and more. Its really something watching these gentlemen render this sound in a live setting. Magic, even. Other stand-outs, pre-closing, were: “Shot After Shot”, “Travel By Telephone”, and “Small Doses”. Their performance of “Travel By Telephone” absolutely raged live. Perhaps, it had something to do with the “band-huddle”? After doing the “closer” from their latest full-length, Walter joked around about “playing ska music” and proceeded to run-through a mock-ska rendition of “High Acetate”. In case you’re wondering – it was just as absurdly ludicrous and humorous as it sounds. My “late-nineties alter-ego” would’ve eaten something like that up (Ska-period and all). Is it possible, in a sonic sense, to produce anything more “gut-wrenchingly hilarious” than a third-wave Rival Schools? hahaha Seeing the Sammy “bob-and-weave” while keeping a “two-and-four” on the bass, with Walt (in tow) belting out the classic ska mainstays of “mouth-clicking” alongside an unhealthy serving of “Pick-it-ups!” Absolutely golden.

The set wound-down with a slow-groove version of “World Invitational” and the instrumental “Hooligans For Life”. Then a random, impromptu “jam-session” of sorts, where they played through a bunch of material that I wasn’t familiar with. After meandering through a number of songs, they settled on covering Dylan’s “Hey Joe!”. Nothing wrong with a bit of “tribute” to the greats, right? Then things got “ugly” (In a good way, of course) when Mr. Siegler drew a wry grin on his person, and proceeded to pound-out the familiar, syncopated “two-and-four” on the bass and high-hats on the upbeat – thus “mutating” the beloved Dylan classic into a third-wave ska “frankenbeast”. Folly! Hi-ho! After “getting their jollies going” with the jam-session, they promised to “throw down” with Worlds Fastest Car staple (Modified for use in the modern age with the Rival Schools brigade) “Used For Glue”. As is consistent with the rest of the night – they delivered on said promise. In a big way! With that, they exited the way they came in – but the audience wasn’t ready to let their heroes “head for home” just yet. After a bit of coaxing action, they returned to the stage and blasted us with The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” presented after the manner of a beloved band that shall remain nameless. It met with roaring approval/applause, and they departed – leaving us to ponder upon the things we’d witnessed with our bodily senses. It, likely, took a moment to collect myself from the awe and spectacle that was the “Rival Schools” experience. A peculiar man, rumoured to have “cheetah-blood” coursing through his veins, once stated that “Life comes down to a few moments…”, I assure you – this was CERTAINLY one of the FEW.

Set-list:
01. Wring It Out
02. 69 Guns
03. Everything Has Its Point
04. High Acetate
05. Choose Your Adventure
06. Racing To Red Lights
07. Shot After Shot (Sofia Loren)
08. Undercovers On
09. Small Doses
10. Favourite Star
11. Good Things
12. Travel By Telephone
13. The Ghost Is Out There
14. High Acetate (Ska-style)
15. World Invitational
16. Hooligans For Life
17. The Switch
18. Hey Joe! (Improv. Then ruthlessly rent via “ska” fashion)
19. Used For Glue

Encore: “How Soon Is Now?” (Smiths cover a la’ Quicksand)