Stagestruck

THE DTK/MC5/RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS/THOSE PEABODYS
@Emo's, Austin, TX
June 25, 2004
The DTK/MC5 is the kind of project that's destined to be embroiled in controversy. For fans of a band like the MC5—fans that tend to embody the "fanatic" part of fan—the question might be: should a band with two dead members ever reunite when it can't possibly be the same (especially if one of the deceased was one of the best rock & roll singers in history)? Should said band recruit guest musicians (especially with some marquee value) to replace the dead guys? What kind of cash-in is this?

Well, let's be practical here: the idea of surviving MC5 members Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis and Dennis Thompson getting back together to tour is hardly a sound financial proposition. The band never hit it big when it was around in the late 60s and early 70s, and while its reputation has grown over the subsequent decades (helped in part by the startling number of bands directly influenced by it), it's not like the 5's old records fly off the shelves. In other words, Kramer, Davis and Thompson can't be doing this for the money, because there ain't gonna be much of that. But if anyone has the right to be a MC5 cover band, it's the guys who helped create the music in the first place. Kramer has included 5 songs in his solo shows for years—why not have the original rhythm section play them too? Yes, late singer Rob Tyner and late guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith are irreplaceable, and if this tour was billed as a MC5 reunion, it might make even the most forgiving fans look askance. But the trio calls itself the DTK (Davis, Thompson, Kramer, obviously)/MC5 and bills this show quite rightly as "A Celebration of the Music of the MC5." That may seem like a fine distinction, but it's an important one.

Besides, if these guys can still deliver on stage, if these amazing, influential musicians still enjoy playing this music and can still hit those moments of transcendence, it makes the politics moot. It's the music that matters, and on this rainy night in Central Texas, the DTK/MC5 and its guests proved that the songs of the MC5 are as vital now as they've ever been. Joined by power pop god Marshall Crenshaw on second guitar, Mudhoney's Mark Arm and the Lemonheads' Evan Dando on vocals and an unidentified horn section (though I strongly suspect the trumpet player to be old band friend Dr. Charles Moore), Kramer, Davis and Thompson lived up to the reputation spelled out in their best-known song, enthusiastically kicking out the motherfucking jams.

Which isn't to say there weren't bumps in the road. Davis' bass cut in and out a couple of times and Thompson seemed to have some difficulty getting the right balance in his monitors. The biggest stumbling block, however, was Evan Dando's performance. Though obviously a fan and happy to be there, he just wasn't up to the task of filling in for Tyner; his vocals simply weren't adequate. On board to sing mainly tunes from the 5's 1970 album Back in the U.S.A.—the group's poppiest record, though "pop" is a relative term here—he made a valiant effort on "Teenage Lust," "High School" and "Let Me Try," but just didn't cut it. This was made even more plain by an appallingly bad "Shakin' Street," on which he sounded bored as well as off key. Finally, as psyched as Dando obviously was to sing it, the others should never have let him near the 5's classic early single "Looking at You," which requires a singer with more ferocity. Fortunately, that tune is as much or more about the guitars as words, so it was hardly a disaster.

In direct contrast to Dando, Mark Arm was damn near perfect. He's not a match for Tyner—what vocalist could be?—and was smart enough not to try to be. Instead he sang tunes like "Human Being Lawnmower," "Call Me Animal" (both from Back in the U.S.A.), "Sister Anne" and "Over and Over" (both from High Times and both spectacular) in the same acid-voiced howl as he would use in his own band, and it was an excellent fit. He was especially effective on Kick Out the Jams' free jazz excursion "Starship" and a monstrous version of the Troggs' "I Want You Right Now" that deliberately aped the style of the 5's homies the Stooges. Arm even provided a take on Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul" (often included in the original 5's sets and resurrected now in tribute to the late Genius) that was emotionally note-perfect. Recruiting Arm proved to be a brilliant move on the part of the DTK/MC5.

Speaking of which, the band itself was in fine form. Drummer Dennis Thompson and bassist Michael Davis handily displayed why they should be celebrated as one of the best rhythm sections rock ever produced, with Thompson in particular earning his nickname of "Machine Gun." Davis' lines seemed simple, but they drove the band with an almost primal force. (His vocal on a cover of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" was, um, spirited.) Looking like he was having a blast, Brother Wayne Kramer ripped his Strat to shreds, peeling off atmosphere-piercing leads that reinforced his status as a genuine guitar hero. He also traded classic riffs back and forth with Marshall Crenshaw, and provided some strong vocals on KOTJ's "Ramblin' Rose" and "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)," leading the crowd in an amusing contrapuntal singalong on the latter. Speaking of Crenshaw, besides singing great lead on "Gotta Keep Movin'" (from High Time) and "Tonight" (a U.S.A. tune on which his performance underscored what a much better choice than Dando he would have been to sing those songs), he also supplied powerful guitar fills and even the occasional slashing lead, boggling the minds of those of us who still think of him as a Buddy Holly acolyte. Everybody with a mic joined in on "Kick Out the Jams," as if only the combined efforts of five people could do justice to Tyner's original performance.

Was this the MC5? No. But it was, as advertised, a worthy commemoration of the some of the greatest rock & roll ever produced by human hands, an affirmation of the power of the MC5's work, songs that not even a mediocre talent like Evan Dando could damage (well, not too badly, anyway). Even if you leave the historical baggage behind, it was a show that was butt-smashing, heart-thumping, jams-kicking, just plain awesome rock & roll.

Austin's Those Peabodys opened the evening with a solid set of quirky power trio rock, and were followed by the Riverboat Gamblers' usual balls-to-the-wall punk rock. Both were fine, but let's face it, after the DTK/MC5 roundly kicked everybody's ass, it was difficult to remember they were even there. No offense, guys. Michael Toland

THE SUPERSUCKERS BIG SHOW
@The Red Eyed Fly, Austin, TX
June 24, 2004
AKA "We don't need no stinkin' opening act!" Seattle's Supersuckers brought their soon-to-be infamous Big Show to Austin's Red Eyed Fly on a shockingly pleasant summer night (i.e. the temperature was in the 80s instead of the 90s) and proudly showed off how little they need anybody but themselves to provide a good time. The Big Show consists of two 'suckers sets, one dedicated to the band's country-leaning material and the other to high-octane rock & roll. Though the club's ads indicated a break between the two sets, in fact the 'suckers went straight through. Leader Eddie Spaghetti opened solo acoustic with the first of many tracks from his recent solo album The Sauce, before the rest of the group (guitarists Rontrose Heathman and Dan "Thunder" Bolton, new drummer Devil Doug McGraw, auxiliary bassist Drew Church) joined him for a Supersuckered spin on "Peace in the Valley." The group then alternated between cuts from Spaghetti's solo joint ("Gotta Get Drunk," "Sea of Heartbreak") with tunes from the band's country record Must've Been High ("Roadworn and Weary," "Dead in the Water," the title track), throwing in a countrified version of "Creepy Jackalope Eye" for good measure. I must admit, I've never been all that wild about the 'suckers' C&W side. But this is a band that lives onstage; its in-concert prowess makes its material truly come alive, and it was so good tonight it's making me re-evaluate my opinion on Must've Been High and the group's other roots-leaning songs. As Spaghetti was only too happy to point out, the Supersuckers could've stopped after the country set and both band and audience would've gone home happy.

Fortunately for all, though, that's not what happened. With Spaghetti providing a solo segue between sets (all the changeout really meant was that Heathman and Bolton exchanged their Telecasters for Les Paul Goldtops and Church took a powder), the 'suckers launched into the rock portion of the Big Show with their spirited version of Thin Lizzy's "The Cowboy Song," entirely appropriate given the lead-up. The band then tore through its catalog with the usual gleeful abandon, ripping through tunes from its last album Motherfuckers Be Trippin' ("Rock-N-Roll Records [Ain't Selling This Year]," "Bruises to Prove It," "Goodbye") as well as its classics ("Luck," "Bad Bad Bad," the usual set-closer "Born With a Tail"). There are few bands on the planet who can match the 'suckers live, for the simple reason that the difficult task of being loose and precise at the same time is one at which this band excels. The group also had the cheeky humor to include its encore of "Hey Ya" (yes, the Outkast song) in the middle of its set, just to avoid the usual encore bullshit. We've all heard the "three things you can depend on in this life" speech. Death and taxes are the first two, but the third is that the Supersuckers, no matter if they're in country or rock mode or both, will always deliver a hell of a good time. Michael Toland