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FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I hear that King Buzzo has three dogs.
I bet he walks them really slow.

So, The Melvins have been around for… ever.  First album in 1986, but I didn’t get turned onto them until Melvins’ guitarist King Buzzo joined Mike Patton’s avant-noise metal supergroup Fantômas on the 1999 debut (along with Mr Bungle’s Trevor Dunn & Slayer’s Dave Lombardo).  I saw The Melvins in 2003 play with Skeleton Key & Mike Patton’s Tomahawk in Columbus, Ohio (Tomahawk’s Mit Gas tour).  I found a new respect for a mainstay on Patton’s Ipecac Recordings… The Melvins are a major force in heavy music.

Some history… they’re from Seattle and were considered an early founder of grunge (Kurt Cobain listed them as a major influence).  The Melvins have since moved into what could be best called “sludge metal“… which spurred Earth, and subsequently Sunn O))), in the drone & doom metal sub-genres.  All that to say, The Melvins have been around for a long time and have been an artistic force in music.

I haven’t had a solid chance of seeing them in 6 years.  They swung through Eugene last year, but I was out of town.  Last time, they played a bigger venue (WOW Hall), but this time, they played two full sets (with no opener)… so I’ll take it. :)  This was only their 2nd date of their 2009 U.S. Summer tour (see dates at the bottom), but they were pretty tight regardless.

They took the stage right at 7:30 and played six songs as a duo, just Buzz Osborne on guitars and Dale Crover on drums.  They were then joined by Jarred Warren on bass and Coady Willis on a 2nd set of drums.  Their first set started with more of the grunge/punk but had plenty of the sludge to go around.  It was a powerful 40-45 minute set.

They came back on 20 minutes later and belted out another 50 minute set without stopping.  “Hooch” was the highlight for me, but it was an amazing show all around.  No banter, barely stopping to tune… just a full force, heavy wave of music.

Setlist:

• 1st set ~ Dale drum intro -> Ballad of Dwight Fry [Alice Cooper cover]
  
• It’s Shoved
• Let Me Roll It [McCartney cover]
  
• Suicide in Progress
• Oven
• Black Bock
  
• Let God Be Your Gardener
• Pigs of the Roman Empire [Jared & Coady join]
  
• The Talking Horse
• The Bloated Pope
• Dog Island
• Dies Iraea
  

• 2nd set ~ Dies Iraea (cont’d)
  
• Billy Fish
• Mr. DNA [Devo cover]
  
• Anaconda
• Zodiac
• The Kicking Machine
• Civilized Drums
• Blood Witch
• Hooch
• Smiling Cobra
• With Teeth
• Night Goat
• The Bit
  *- from Buzzo’s setlist, corrections by Ryan (Idlehanz)

Overall… bloody brilliant.  I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, and I don’t know half of their songs… :)  I’m definitely seeing them anytime they come through town.  A great band with 2 great sets!!

Their latest CD, 2008’s Nude With Boots, is great.  And the concept behind their upcoming CD, Chicken Switch, is intriguing.  It’s a remix album, but not a normal remix album.  Each song is a remix of an entire Melvins’ album (boiled into one song).  Some of the remixers included are Matmos, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Eye Yamatsuka, and Merzbow (Masami Akita).  It’s out on September 29th on Ipecac.  Read more over at themelvins.net.  I’m looking forward to it…

The Appropriate Linkage:

• The Melvins Official Page
• The Melvins dot net (the premiere fan page)
• The Melvins on MySpace
• Ipecac Recordings
• John Henry’s MySpace
• Brooklyn Vegan’s kick ass pictures (from May 2009)
  

~Dan – np: dredg – El Cielo no torrent or free download here

THE MELVINS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

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2009 U.S. Summer Tour

• August 7, 2009 – San Jose, CA – The Blank Club
• August 9, 2009 – Eugene, OR – John Henry’s
• August 11, 2009 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox SoDo w/ Down
• August 12, 2009 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre w/ Down
• August 14, 2009 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom w/ Down
• August 15, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater w/ Down
• August 16, 2009 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues w/ Down
• August 18, 2009 – Anaheim, CA – House Of Blues w/ Down
• August 19, 2009 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues w/ Down
• August 21, 2009 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue w/ Down
• August 22, 2009 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre w/ Down
• August 24, 2009 – Tulsa, OK – The Marquee
• August 25, 2009 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
• August 26, 2009 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues Pontiac Garage
• August 27, 2009 – San Antonio, TX – The White Rabbit
• August 28, 2009 – Houston, TX – Meridian Red Room
• August 29, 2009 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
• September 1, 2009 – Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage w/ Down
• September 2, 2009 – Orlando, FL – House Of Blues w/ Down
• September 4, 2009 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House Of Blues w/ Down
• September 5, 2009 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte w/ Down
• September 6, 2009 – Knoxville, TN – The Valarium w/ Down
• September 8, 2009 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar w/ Down
• September 9, 2009 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights w/ Down
• September 11, 2009 – New York, NY – NOKIA Theatre Times Square w/ Down
• September 12, 2009 – Monticello, NY – Kutshers Country Club – ATP NEW YORK 2009 CURATED BY THE FLAMING LIPS
• September 13, 2009 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues w/ Down
• September 15, 2009 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre w/ Down
• September 16, 2009 – Rochster, NY – Main Street Armory w/ Down
• September 17, 2009 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
• September 18, 2009 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
• September 19, 2009 – Detroit, MI – Emerald Theatre w/ Down
• September 21, 2009 – Indianapolis, IN – Vogue Theatre w/ Down
• September 22, 2009 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues w/ Down
• September 24, 2009 – Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium w/ Down
• September 25, 2009 – Sauget, IL – Pop’s Nightclub w/ Down
• September 26, 2009 – Mokena, IL – The Pearl Room w/ Down
• September 28, 2009 – Louisville, KY – Expo Five w/ Down