Saturday, 6.24.06, Crocodile
Q: What do Unnatural Helpers and Kinski have in common?
A: Chris Martin, guitar
Q: What do Unnatural Helpers, The Lights, and Welcome have in common?
A: PJ Rogalski, drums
Q: What do Unnatural Helpers and Welcome also have in common?
A: Mike Wurn, guitar
But the real question is what did these four bands have in common a few Saturdays ago? That answer would be the Croc stage, a shitload of gear, and the kind of musical chemistry that makes one-off shows like this better than the best one-night stand youve ever had (not kidding).
Instead of playing separately, the four bands conspired together and played continuous, intertwining 10-mintue mini-sets where the lines between them were blurred by members sitting in on each others songs. The night opened – and closed – with all twelve musicians onstage, each locking on to the collective sonic propulsion around them, adding their own twists and flickers of noise, pounding out the sound, and blowing away an already ecstatic crowd, fired up to see their fave band in a completely unique way.
Ever wonder what Kinskis Barrett Wilke would add to the Lights Caged Man? Or how to cram 4 guitar players parts and a trumpet into Unnatural Helpers 90-second Deaths Door Knock? Just had to be there. Its no exaggeration to say that there was enough creative energy in the room to kill a horse. With the raw force of The Stooges and the frenetic randomness of The Boredoms these 3 drummers, 4 bassists and 5 guitar players proved that the result of their joint efforts was so much more than just the sum of its parts.
It should be noted, too, the technical triumph that went into play that night. With a Tetris-like arrangement of amps and heads lining the wall, and at least 25 mics on stage, its fitting that Kinskis Martin took a moment to give props to Jim, the Crocs sound guy & his assistant.
That Seattle is able to support and bring together the individual scenes built around these bands is a reaffirmation of this citys reputation as a music town, and more specifically a rock town. The common thread joining The Lights arty no-wave sound, the catchy angular pop of Welcome, Kinskis heavy psyche, and Unnatural Helpers garage-punk is not just band members, but the rock aesthetic that drives them to question “what would happen if we all just got together and did this cluster-fucking-awesome experiment” then go and make it happen.
*Photos by Shannon Callin (except “set list” by Barrett Wilke, and “diagram” by AF)