Show Review: Joy in Red, Illbots, Fujiyama Roll at BSC

Broad Street Cafe, Durham
Feb 5, 2011

Humbly reserved and unassuming while plucking the bass and oooh'ing back-up harmonies from three steps to the left and two steps to the back of the spot light that catches tender folk singer Bonnie Pivacek in their acoustic duo Sequoya, the alter ego of Matt Yearout angles toward a darker energy when illuminated at the front of the stage for his shocked and jarred anti-folk side project Joy in Red. Those understanding the calming character of his normal supporting role stood in witness to an opposing degree of animation found in his stage persona leading the charge at Broad Street Cafe last Saturday night. As if possessed by a discontented spirit pushing and pulling him into a conflicted world where a simple mountain born folk banjo is forced by the hand of a hot tube driven Vox guitar amp, Yearout viciously cracked and whipped simple and alert folk songs until they became twisted and desperate.

The Joy in Red Yearout is mechanized by the suspense driven forces in their writing, and he's not alone. The sheepish Dr Jekyll banjo is provoked and prodded into the biting snarling Mr. electrified Hyde by a devilish six string found in the shadows cackling gleefully at its successful undoing of the lord's Appalachian folk. Wielding this staff is none other than lovable bohemian Rob Beloved whom is most famous as the guitar half of Durham's off-kilter indie pop duo Beloved Binge...and with Proteus character shifts defining Joy in Red, we are free to understand Beloved as a juiced and dynamic stage force creating hooks and riffs that pulse life into their songs. Bewitched signature song "Mama's Milk" is as hauntingly captivating as it is alarmingly dramatic and the heavy undercurrent that pushes the log jam down river is a frighteningly pronounced rhythm delivered by Beloved's bright and sanguinary electric guitar handling. Seen again as the prime mover in the obsessively addictive "Flash Flood" ...Beloved's ability to craft lucidly spellbinding guitar arrangements underneath Yearout's eruptive song creates a mezmorizing forty-five minutes of performance.

Measuring the successes of their first year as Joy in Red, Yearout and company earned the headliner spot Saturday night playing late to a Durham proper eclectic billing of J-pop Fujiyama Roll and Roanoke slap-stick hip hop Illbotz. The exotically alluring Junko Berglund introduced her opening act quite matter-of-factly and commenting in true-form J-pop stylized "ro-ken-roll" accent, gave thanks to the Durham underground music scene before ripping through a set of geisha girl style indie jazz rock fusion.

The Jim Carey of hip hop, Stevie D of Roanoke's Illbotz delivered the song and stage version of their blushingly hilarious youtube library of music videos. Illbotz can be taken seriously for not taking it seriously and they borrow (and occasionally steal) from old school hip hop and rap turning every verse into a one-liner. The music videos of their songs are nothing short of late-night cable TV variety show satire quality and Illbotz on stage at Broad Street Cafe was riotous.

Broad Street wound down with its own tradition of all the late nighters hauling each others gear to open trunks in the parking lot, making plans for next shows and deciding where to after party. Cosmic Catina was the destination and Roanoke might be the next stop. --Carrboro Ninja

images

Joy in Red

all smiles left to right: Stephanie Hodges, John Smith of Somerset Frisby, Melissa Smith, Rob Beloved, Elinie Binge, and I *think* that's Joe Rizzo of Sawteeth McTweedy on the far right facing away

lazer tag, I won

Fujiyama Roll






Illbotz

Illbotz clowning birthday boy Matt Yearout

Secret Carrboro Ninja Patrol recommends
"Illbotz Rock The Spot And Go Crazy " on YouTube

special moments:
"Are you kidding me" at 2:30
"Nickleback LOL" at 4:21
"Shake yer belly meat" at 4:46

The Moaners: Nocturnal

Laura King and Melissa Swingle best known as Chapel Hill cool The Moaners pumped Nocturnal last Fall on Holidays for Quince Records and gave us ten new reasons to dig on their raw rattling two piece garage romping style. Albums past gave us constructs of down tuned Southern blues rock surliness and tempered lyrics offering straight truths which together ferociously guarded delicate feminine vulnerability. In Nocturnal, the signature surliness of Melissa's grinding guitar and of Laura's washy kit is built again, but this time with a wind burned wild west eeriness that takes shape in the blurry light of its more personal and reflective tracks, delivering them a bolder more fearless persona.

The album gets going with the old school beat box-esque "Humid Air" which feels like its building up a Tarantino Western scene just before the hero begins a villainous killing spree. Its slide guitar textures and deep cutting strokes give it big screen imagery and drive you for answers on what and where you are when listening. "Humid Air" offers a color to the album and sets time period and universe which aids listening. Before navigating the natural flow of the tracking I most often found myself skipping from there to the albums most complex and advanced arrangement "Blue Moon". Dry and dusty metaphors stack up on the chest like a heavy decision as questions of "what does it all mean" meander in and out of the clamoring, ever working, mechanical instrumentation and Melissa's despondent heart broken calls, "you saw the wolf at my door, you knew just what was in store..." With her trademark bow and saw, the message blows like a cold wind to a silent soothsayer whom shares the story.

The albums mid range tracks offer the real staying power for a full album listen with a host of rich dramas and interesting story lines. "Cowboy Bob" is a story teller song of legend, infamy, and folk heroism. A character named Peggy Jo Tally is simply described by The Moaners as taking a masked joy ride through the bank coffers of little towns, but as the instruments tell the story with a deep voice and a darkened inflection, we are reminded that its not the story you tell, its how you tell it that counts. "Ramblin" gives us the first real bridge back to their honky tonk roots with a porch floor stomper perfectly suited for picking up steam on a smooth Friday evening just before shit breaks loose in town. The album loosens up just enough with the the latter tracks to give you a boost on the way out. "Bartender's Lament" is a Steven Malkmus style lackadaisical satire. I can see Melissa tossing down the bar rag and walking out on this one. It's a "get out of my face, no wait, I'll get out of yours, god where is the closest door, who has a cigarette" moment and it's delivered with heart's honesty. "Happiness is the Road" gives us whimsical character with age old wisdom. Its a nursery rhyme for rock and roll.

The Moaners closed out a solid 2010 releasing Nocturnal, running out for a couple of tours, performing at the inaugural Hop Scotch music festival in Raleigh, and filming a showcase for the upcoming "40 Nights of Rock & Roll" documentary in which they will own a featured spot. 2011 seems to be picking up with great pace. The Moaners have already announced a split 7" with fellow Chapel Hill rock royalty Jennyanykind which had a nearly half funded kickstarter goal within the first week and The Moaners will also play a local show at Slims in Raleigh on Feb 11th with Chapel Hill fi-hi rockers North Elementary. --Carrboro Ninja