The Ann Arbor Brawlstars had the cure for St. Paddy’s Day hangovers with a rock benefit at the Crossroads Pub featuring a bevy of marvelous local bands.
Rock Benefit for the Ann Arbor Brawlstars
Ann Arbor’s own women’s roller derby team, the Brawlstars figured that the day after St. Patrick’s Day would be the perfect time to throw a rock and roll party. The line-up for this benefit show was jammed with hard-hitting rock and tripped out punk. Since we are fans of roller derby and always into supporting the local scene, we figured we’d check this shindig out.
Primitiv Parts
Getting the evening rolling was the oil slicked garage sounds of Primitiv Parts. This Detroit trio grabbed the crowd by the collar with evocative vocals that reminded me of early Smashing Pumpkins. Their set was short and to the point, but oh so good.
Cig Butts
From the shadows of the water tower in Ypsi, Cig Butts took the stage with a boisterous audience in tow. I’d seen this band last year at Fuzz Fest and they didn’t disappoint. There is an underlying passion that burns within this band’s performance that makes you feel hungry for music. They capped off an emotional set with Rage Against The Machine’s middle finger anthem “Killing In The Name”.
The Lucid Furs
As the evening swung toward the witching hour, the Lucid Furs put the night into high gear. The Lucid Furs take power of the blues and supercharge it with the driving rhythm of drummer Dan Regenauer and bassist Joe Kuhr. The result is a kick-ass blend of blues fueled rock. Guitarist Ethan Carlson had flames for fingers as he burned up the fretboard. Karen O’Connor gave the band soul with her stellar voice.
Scissor Now!
Closing out this alt-rock extravaganza were the zany musical musings of Scissor Now! The band is Kevin Sanchez (drums), Jef Porkins (bass), and Jes Bratus (vocals/sax). If you imagine Frank Zappa jamming with the Talking Heads and Jesus Lizard you get a sense of the vibe this band radiates.
Jef’’s popping bass combined with Kevin’s cracking snare got the crowd moshing it up in front of the stage. Jes’s quirky sax and comical tongue twisting lyrics on tunes such as “Sexual Kombucha”, “Not That Kinda Kiss (That a Mother Gives)”, and “Make Babies or Die Trying” added to the craziness. Scissor Now wasted no time between songs and before you knew it, they were done. They came back for one quick encore and we all called it an evening.
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