Review: Campus Stranglers, Grafton, We March at The Union

By William Gilis and David Gerstle - 8/8/2003

Grafton

Columbus' Grafton played a modestly brief set of raw, crunching rock n' roll, without inhibition or irony. The trio delivered short, punchy songs with a Midwestern, working-class aggression, reminiscent of Detroit's long-deceased Mule. Between numbers, guitarist/vocalist Lou Poster exchanged chummy insults with bassist Donovan Roth and drummer Jason McKiernan, chiding one another for false starts and missed notes, giving their performance the wild and funny energy of a beer brawl between old friends.

A small figure, somewhat dwarfed by his own drum kit, McKiernan spent the evening pounding the hell out of the skins, riding his bass drum and floor tom with full knowledge of just how loud even a little guy can be, given the opportunity. However, Poster is the man on stage that holds your attention, and he clearly loves the chugging power chords and howled vocals that only a confidant bar band can get away with. Not surprisingly, the topics and moods of Grafton's songs tend to lean toward the hard-drinking, hard-living existence with which these fellows (and their audience, no doubt) are familiar. While such music definitely makes a cheap beer taste sweeter, one wonders if that territory hasn't been explored enough. Perhaps, for all the wildness on its surface, rock's eternal party is actually the safest and most redundant element in our lives.

Campus Stranglers and We March

I've only been in town for two months. As such, I cannot claim to be a veteran pundit and critic of the Athens music scene, but I decree here and now that Campus Stranglers and We March are the best bands in Athens.

The Campus Stranglers opened the evening's music with their singular brand of surf/punk/garage distorted rock and roll. Just as unique is B.J., the band's shirtless, crazed guitarist and singer who certainly captures most of the audience's attention. B.J., who also often works behind the soundboard for The Union, coaxes bizarre, distorted leads from his guitar, which I can only describe as a Flying Italic X.

On the other guitar, Jesse primarily plays the chords to keep the tunes held together. However, on the band's extended, thrilling take on the Amboy Dukes' version of the classic "Baby Please Don't Go," B.J. and Jesse trade off on lead guitar, with B.J. wailing and panting the vocals incomprehensibly. All the while, bassist Matt Box strums his bass in six-string guitar-style in the background, arching his back and looking heavenward. One day, soon after Ted Nugent (former Amboy Duke) is inevitably gored to death by a wild boar, Ted will look down from the heavens upon a Campus Stranglers show and smile.

The show came to an end with B.J. coaxing electronic noise from the lower reaches of his guitar. Finally, B.J. realized the rest of the band we're packing up their instruments, looking quite like a 10-year-old shaken out of the reverie and hypnosis of a great video game. Unfortunately, mom says it's time to go to bed, but thankfully for us, Campus Stranglers will be playing in Athens again soon.

We March returned to Athens after a month away on tour in D.C., Baltimore, New York, and other locales. Once again, We March played a set I can best describe as kickass and quite literally, in-your-face. Appearing after Grafton, We March was briefly delayed by their tardy guitarist, but as the other members of the band killed the time on stage by entertaing the crowd with some improvised, shambolic "jamming", with humorous lyrics by lead singer Zach.

Once the guitarist made his way on stage and plugged in, mayhem quickly ensued, primarily due to the frenetic and frantic Zach, who hollers out his lyrics while writhing on the stage, jumping into the crowd, climbing onto beams, and generally carrying on high. Audience interaction is crucial-for those in the front row, expect to sing along and be hugged and jostled by Zach as he makes his way through the audience. He respectfully and humbly requests your participation. Meanwhile, the band plays the tunes tight, loud and quickly-rock and roll indeed.

I suppose We March's music can be classified as punk rock. Branding aside, We March is such a visceral, physical and emotional experience it has to been seen and thus believed. The band's commitment toward its music, the show, and its audience is impressive, and in my opinion, inspiring. May we exert as much energy into our work, passions, friends, and loved ones.

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