Show Review: Love and Squalor at The Casa Cantina
By William Gillis - 8/23/2003
Well this was unexpected.
I was enjoying the Athens Community Music Festival, bouncing around and checking out the different venues, beginning at The Union, moving to The Blue Gator, and ending up at Casa Cantina shortly before 10:00 PM. I order a tallboy at the bar, and I literally bumped into the bassist from Love and Squalor, whom I saw back on August 3 at The Union, opening for 25 Suaves and We March.
Bassist Joel told me they were going on in ten minutes. This was happy news, since I liked their show at The Union. I guess if I had actually read the band lineup I had taken the time to download, print, and carefully fold up and put in my pocket, I would have known in advance they were playing. Well, lessons learned for next year's ACMF.
Well, I have to be frank, honest, and open about Love and Squalor's set. I was a tad disappointed.
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But give me a minute here to explain. To begin, I really like these guys. Love and Squalor is a great band. My disappointment had nothing to do with their performance or their effort. They are a loud, fast rock and roll band. As such, their music was better suited to The Union. I guess I was spoilt by the first show at The Union I saw these guys play. I've only been in Athens a short two months so I can't pretend to be an expert on the acoustics of every local venue, but my experience is that exuberant, loud, few-holds-barred Rawk 'n' Roll sound kickass in The Union. The Union has that ceiling-well, of course it has a ceiling, but bear with me-a ceiling that carries that loud rock buzz, that twitching noise that sweeps over you, around you, and through you. And if you like loud rock and roll, it sounds and, of course, feels good. That, and The Union's windowless, sorta-seedy room seems appropriate for dirty rock and roll bands.
Anyway, that's no slur on Casa Cantina. It's a great place to see any kind of music, and if Love and Squalor or any band was playing there again I of course would go see them and enjoy it wholeheartedly.
So far this is not concise-my apologies. So let me do the best to describe Love and Squalor. They are a three-piece band-bass, drums, and guitar, with Guitarist Jason handling most of the vocals, with Bassist Joel handling backing vocals and taking lead on a few tunes. Think Stooges, think Clash, think a less-poppy Green Day, but mostly think Love and Squalor. Their style is hard punkish rock, sure, but like most good bands, they defy total categorization-at least I think so. I have difficulty trying to describe why and how they are unique and differentiate themselves from the many, many bands like them playing today (though I suppose, as a writer/reviewer, that's what readers expect that I do)-but they are. What I can say is these guys are damm good, and getting better. The dudes can play. Guitarist Jason's tunes charge forward full steam, and stop abruptly after two-and-a-half minutes or so. Bassist Joel's tunes slow the pace a bit-yet the band's ensemble playing, with Drummer Jeff laying down a steady yet active pace, and Guitarist Jason throwing in slashing chords, ensure that the momentum continues to roll. Between songs, the band is breathless, panting-always a good sign. Throughout the band's set, their ROAR is ever-present, without becoming tedious.
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After Love and Squalor's show, I moved to The Union to check out The Campus Stranglers (who played a great set, incidentally) and ran into Guitarist Jason and Bassist Joel, once again at the bar. They told me that they have only been playing together since May. While they know they must practice and play more gigs to improve, they're definitely confident that they can be a great band. "We think we can go all the way," Bassist Joel said. And although they have a lot of fun playing, it's not just a hobby. "Since ninth grade, I knew I wanted to make a living doing this," Guitarist Jason told me. "We're not in a band just because it's fun. We're doing this because this is what we love. Unless one of us dies or moves, we're not going any place."
By that, Guitarist Jason means that Love and Squalor will be around all fall, playing gigs in Athens. My advice: see this band. I believe that they'll get better every time you see them play. And if they're this good already, that's an appealing proposition.
