By Andrew Bansal
July 10th 2013, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: North Carolina sludgelords Weedeater and ASG brought their summer North American tour to West Hollywood last night, making a stop at the Whisky A Go Go. Weedeater is a band I thoroughly enjoyed watching the last time they were in the area for a headline show back in 2011 at the Key Club, and this promised to be another great evening of loud sludge. Aside from that, I had heard a lot of good things about ASG in recent times and having never seen them, I was very much looking forward to doing that. I got to the venue at 8 PM, and judging by the atmosphere I could sense that it wasn’t going to get anywhere close to sold out, but nonetheless, those in attendance anticipated a worthwhile gig.
Usually, I would have missed three local openers by 8 PM, but to my surprise this time the show hadn’t even started by that time. The first band went on right as I entered the venue. This band called Trapped Within Burning Machinery weren’t bad at all. They played a very depressing, repetitive and minimalist funereal doom style of metal which wasn’t too far off the type of music that was to be played by the touring bands at this show. It was not everybody’s cup of tea, but this genre has a whole legion of fans out there who would have liked this band. A good start to the evening, for sure.
Next up was the band Red River Massacre. I saw them set up before they actually started playing, and I was pretty weirded out seeing a banjo up there. The weirdness grew tenfold when their frontman began playing the instrument. They are very much a metal band but because of the prominence of the banjo for a majority of the lead parts in their music, it sounded like a hybrid of surf/country and sludge. It certainly took a while to sink in, and even though I’m not sure what to make of it or how to react to it, I’d give them credit for attempting something unique.
Shortly after, ASG appeared on stage amidst loud cheers from the small but very appreciative crowd. I find their latest record ‘Blood Drive’ to be a great listen at home, and had a sense of expectation from the band to pull off the same kind of impact on stage. It’s safe to say that they did so, led by vocalist/guitarist Jason Shi. His vocals not only had the melodic hooks, but also held their own amongst the heavier segments. The latest album is without doubt catchier than the rest of their catalog, but this mixture of old and new songs ended up creating a nice balance. It was a set that remained interesting throughout. I’ve seen a lot of sludge bands that don’t do anything for me in the live setting, so in a way it was a pleasant surprise to see ASG come out as an exception. Their approach towards live musicianship is simple and organic, but they definitely hold their own, at least in this club-type setting. The jury is still out on whether they can handle the bigger venues, but I’m more than sure I’ll see ASG open for an arena act soon enough. The wave of sludge/stoner bands playing a style similar to ASG’s is rampant active at the moment, and it’s fair to say ASG are benefitting from it, but you can’t fault them for it because they’re doing a mighty fine job at what they do.
And finally, the holy trinity of Weedeater was up on stage to wow this crowd with their brand of the dirtiest, meanest, gnarliest sludge rock you will ever hear. Fronted by Dixie Dave Collins on bass, vocals and a bottle of whisky, the band wasted no time and got straight into doing their thing. Their slow, heavy and deafeningly loud tunes got the handful of headbangers in the house moving along to their rhythm, while the ‘elite’ ones in the crowd still chose to stand with their arms crossed, or better still, take a seat upstairs. I personally found it impossible to stand still during any point of this set, such was the impact of the band’s performance and the manner in which their energy transferred to those who were receptive enough. The title track from ‘God Luck And Good Speed’ was a highlight of the set, along with ‘Weed Monkey’ wherein Dixie Dave brought out his monkey moves, buoyed by the effect of the entire bottle of whisky he had gulped down by that time. Their set was merely 40 minutes long, but I felt the length was perfect for their music. Based on this set, I can safely say that Weedeater is a band you’ll love more and more every time you see them. If you haven’t seen them yet and have a chance to do so, don’t miss it!