The
Sco: A Jammin 70s New York Club?
by John MacDonald
One
doesnt usually associate the Sco with a New York City
rock club, but on March 19 Montreals Datsuns and NYCs
own The Mooney Suzuki turned Oberlins one and only night spot
into just that, circa 1978. Nostalgia for rocks glory days,
if it ever had any, mixed with the smell of beer and BO to create
a truly strange brew, and the sweaty push and pull of the Oberlin
contingent in attendance was as intoxicating as any oat soda.
Both acts pulled from the A-list of party-ready rock of the past
30 years from the Kinks to the Black Crowes, from the Rolling Stones
to the Strokes, from the Yardbirds to the White Stripes. Their music
made a good time nearly impossible to avoid.
Oberlins own The Facial Expressions, though, should be given
credit for setting the excitement. In front of his bandmates
jagged guitar, (junior Jason Klauber), and drum frenzy (first-year
Dean Bein), junior Andrew Leland, making like a Blues Brothers-era
John Belushi, ad-libbed rants about breast milk and G.I. Joe
and other often inaudible dribble. Their hilarious rock n
roll circus was a real guilty pleasure, and everyone among the half
circle standing around the threesomes meager set-up in front
of the stage couldnt help but smile at their antics.
Screaming at the audience in a thick French-Canadian accent after
their openers fiery set, the Datsuns took the stage looking
like true 70s rockers in their second-hand clothing, flower
motifs and long hair. Their Calvin Klein ready waif-like bodies
fit their aesthetic nicely as they dove into their own brand of
furious maximum R & B. Kitschy high school choruses like super
gyration, rock n roll generation took a while
to seep into the crowds veins, but once they did, the Obie
and the odd punk alike were jumping and shaking like true West End
speed freaks. The first tremors of a mosh pit could even be felt
as the Datsuns built their relentless crunch song after song, riff
after riff.
Part of their appeal, after all, was their unabashed embracing of
rock histrionics and their obsession with crowd participation. The
lead-guitarist bent backwards like Gumby for almost every one of
his many solos, and at one point he held his guitar over his head
like some medieval sword in the stone as the feedback crooned behind
him. The rhythm guitarist wasnt adverse either to the occasional
cliché, as he did his best Pete Townsend impression tearing
into his Gibson windmill-style. But the peak of the groups
audacity came when the lead guitarist head-butted a female audience
members chest during one of his forays into the masses.
After a long set by the Datsuns, headliners The Mooney Suzuki bumrushed
the stage and proceeded to blend the now restless, anxious fans
into a big damp puréed mess. Dressed from head to toe in
black, The Mooney Suzuki thrilled the Sco to the adolescent
rock sounds of their first record, 2000s Get Ready, and their
soon-to-be-released, Electric Sweat.
Though the baritone of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sammy James
Jr. had a style worlds apart from the frantic shriek of the Datsuns
front man, the group was even better at working the crowd to a fever
pitch. Tunes like Electric Sweat and I Woke Up
This Mornin transformed what was once just a few overly
enthused kids into a full-blown mosh pit, with more then half the
crowd participating.
As did the Datsuns, these New York boys made a point of running
willy-nilly into the moist arms of their fans, and as the crowd
would surge backward to receive them, the BO became almost as overwhelming
as the bands music. Though the Suzukis set wasnt
nearly long enough to quell the passion of their fans, the foursome
made their mark nevertheless.
They, like the Datsuns, pulled their inspiration strictly from rocks
three-chord canon. Therefore, without much ingenuity, these groups
relied almost entirely on their sincerity and showmanship to win
the crowd over. Anyone who likes their rock tweaked and artsy wouldnt
have enjoyed these bands zest for rocks simple past,
but the energy of The Mooney Suzuki especially was just irresistible.
Seeing these bands, one realizes how much fun rock n
roll was, and how much fun it can still be.
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