By Andrew Bansal
April 24th 2013, The Satellite, Los Angeles CA: After a rather intense event at the Whisky earlier in the evening, I made the trek from West Hollywood to Silver Lake to catch Black Belt Karate at the Satellite bar. This is Jason Achilles Mezillis’ newest musical project. I’ve known this Los Angeles-based guitarist for a few years now, mainly through his contributions to The Cult bassist Chris Wyse’s band Owl, and I’ve always thought of him as a genuinely creative musician. So, as soon as I got word on his new band Black Belt Karate’s debut album release show, I had to make sure I was in attendance. I reached the place just in time as they hit the stage at 10 PM, and what followed from then on for the next 40 minutes or so was an exhibition of some delightfully fresh-sounding punk-infused rock ‘n roll played with aplomb and filled with boundless energy.
The band formed in mid-2012, and have played a few shows since then so they were already used to performing most of these songs even though the debut EP ‘Volume 1’ officially released on April 23rd. I feel it’s always the best time to catch a band live when they’re playing songs off of their debut release. Invariably, they would have played the same songs a bunch of times before the album release, so they’re able to hit a high performance level on stage when it’s actually time for them to present the album to people. As more and more albums come along in subsequent years, they pay less and less attention to their very first album, and we never get to hear some of those tunes ever again. This was one such show which I can look back on and say, ‘I was there when you played all those songs!’
The term used on their facebook page to describe their genre is ‘progressive punk rock’. I was curious to see how accurate that is, and based on their performance I’d say their musical repertoire is even broader than what the term indicates. There’s more to them than that. On a general level I would describe it as heavy rock ‘n roll with a touch of punk, and I’d suggest people not to go solely by any genre description, theirs or mine. To enjoy Black Belt Karate, go in with no pre-conceived notions and you’ll come out converted into a fan. That’s what they’re all about.
Even though most of the songs were obviously from the debut EP, it felt like an incredibly diverse set and almost gave the impression of a band representing a 10-year catalog rather than one album. There were fast, punk-laden songs and slower, groovier ones. I particularly enjoyed the song they closed the set with, which they said wasn’t on the debut album. It started out with some great clean guitar segments, then the vocalist disappeared and it extended into a full-on jam between Jason, the bassist Harry Ostrem and drummer Ryan ‘R&B’ Brown. Other than that, there was also a short tune which Harry claimed was written backstage before the set, but I’m not sure whether that was a joke or the reality.
The band’s music went down pretty well with this crowd, even though there were a handful of people talking their friends’ ears off at the top of their lungs with complete disregard of the fact that people behind them might actually be trying to hear the music, but that is something I expect at places like the Satellite. In terms of the band’s on-stage energy, all four members contributed equally which was refreshing to see as that’s often not the case and it’s one or two members doing all the running around. Vocalist Ryan Hanifl came across as a seasoned vocalist even with his maniacal movements. I mean, I obviously don’t have any frame of reference but it sure seemed like he was hitting all the notes. And to their credit, neither him nor his band-mates overdid their on-stage movements and showmanship, and it never ever threatened to overshadow the real reason they were up there, the music. I really do not relate to the hipster vibe given off by crowds at the Satellite, but I think the lights, sound and size of the place is a very good fit of rock ‘n roll of this variety. It was the perfect setting for this band and I can’t think of any place better for them.
Black Belt Karate certainly impressed one and all with their gig last night. The debut album should do well for them, and if you are intrigued by what you just read, check them out on their social networks, website and all that good stuff, and pick up the album. With the combined musical prowess and attitude of all four members, Black Belt Karate looks set to go places. It was indeed a truly rocking performance. More soon, please!
BBK Links:
BBKofficial.com
facebook.com/blackbeltkarate
twitter.com/BBK_official