You'll See Through Angel's Eyes

 by your fearless reporter Thornswrath  

  There is a grove I know 

Where the bones lie 

A place where more than virginity dies

And I can take you there
You'll see through angel's eyes
Just in time to see the Lord of Death Rise...

   So states  the  Revenant and High Priest of Cancerslug,  Alex "the Wolfman" Story, teller of the darkest tales throbbing deep underneath the innocuous streets of the trashed and gentrified sectors of cities sprouting across this ruined and flourishing landscape of America since before most of the younguns reading this today were even born.    

    It's been over 27 years that the Slugcult was formed from within the bowels of Alabama, and I don't want to assume anything about the actual or specific origins of this legendary underground rock'n'roll punk band other than to say, we all know they hail from Huntsville.  Only the dark reverend himself Mr. Story knows the true tale and specific details.  Nevertheless, please humor me and go along with the flow as I relate to you the little I do know in regards to not just this small yet relentless force among extreme enthusiasts and practitioners of sonic dysfunction amid the occult arts of the vast battlegrounds of the American punk and metal underground scene, but to be clear, I want to focus on just the latest eight bands I witnessed over the course of one week here in Salt Lake's dingy, grimy scene including one show at the pristine above ground, well manicured landscape of Red Butte Gardens.  

   So take my hand and be led into the pulsing heartbeat of what I myself consider the best music going on at this particular cross hairs in the history of our lives, and accept this rare opportunity to see the world through my eyes.  It's been awhile since I last reported here.  Suffice it to say, I attended three shows beginning Monday, August 10 at Aces High Saloon and ending exactly one week later, on Mon Aug 17 with a raucous clarion call from the elite forces of darkness back at that same notorious punk and metal dive bar, which has earned its reputation as the pivotal small venue to see the best extreme metal and punk bands this side of the Louisiana bijou. With a capacity to fit 200 people, and its one pool table and four old school pinball machines, with only three or four booths and maybe seven or eight stools braced along its bar, Aces High is the place in Salt Lake where you will always find the local tattooed and heavy metal warrior jacketed rockers and misfits congregate on a nightly basis.  

    I caught wind from a video that Coleman Williams posted on Facebook stating that IV and the Strange Band were embarking on a roughly one month tour (from early August to early September) covering approximately 20 dates.  Salt Lake City was about the fourth or fifth show, hitting Aces High Saloon on a Monday night, August 10 to be exact.  There was no way that I was going to miss out on another opportunity to see Coleman and Co., which for this "Oddballs & Outlaws" tour featured the retrofitted "string band" consisting of Jared on bass, Kiley on lead guitar, Coleman on his Epiphone acoustic guitar, and none other than Joe Perreze (of the Goddamn Gallows) on the banjo.  

   When I arrived at Aces High on Monday, Aug 10 to catch IV and the Strange Band for the fourth time, I realized I forgot my backpack with my notebooks and pens, so I asked the bartender, Kenny if she had any pens or paper I could borrow.  She had one black gelpen which she kindly lent me, and so I decided to use the small stack of napkins in front of me to jot down notes of the evening.    

[Page 1]

Mon, Aug 10 Clownvis "Juggalo" Presley w/ IV & the Strange Band @ ACES HIGH SALOON

COUGAR GOLD opened w/ a rowdy rendition of their own home grown rockabilly style — and cut off midway thru 1st song... So I forgot to bring my backpack w/ notebooks & pens, now I'm writing this review on a napkin w/ a Z-grip black ink pen the waitress lent me (Kenny).

I just messaged a slew of peeps on FB to git on down here... we'll see if I get any bites, fishin' for strange folk.

Dylan, tall 'n lanky with a Betty Boop tattoo on his right shoulder on guitar and vox, with Lucius on the standup acoustic bass and Julio (I think) on drums wearin' a metallic T-shirt. They covered Horton Heat Don't Bring Baby to the Liquor store, and now Dylan's ripping through Hank Williams Move It On Over w/his Gibson, fiery leads while Lucius sings & bangs out his relentless bass attack.

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They launched into an original called Bottom Shelf Man, and the bar kept filling up with more patrons. Someone bought shots for Dylan & Lucius, and after they tossed 'em back to cheers from the crowd, their playing loosened up for the last song of their set.

CLOWNVIS on next opened w/ Viva Las Vegas after tellin' us Salt Lake City was his favorite city in the United States! He don't like traffic jams. Next song: Trafficula, about a vampire that only comes out in traffic. Crazy concept, but scary nonetheless.

Then a short, vulgar rendition of "Reading Rainbow." Next: Those Crazy Redbox Nights. He tossed Redbox DVDs out into the audience. Then he sang Clown Motel — a real place (rm # 222). He's the most magical clown in the world. He performed a couple of tricks including the disappearing banana trick. He tossed a giant inflatable banana out and we bounced it around, that was really fun.  

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Then Clownvis covered Creep, great rendition actually. He used his clown horn instead of the crunchy guitar riffs. Thom Yorke oughta just gift him the song.

He closed w/ a toast & the theme song from CHEERS. Then encore: Rhinestone Cowboy. Great set. Consider me a fan.

—> Then he finished w/ one more: "And now, the end is near, so I face the final curtain..." yes: My Way.  Then he tossed the big inflatable banana out in the crowd one more time to a final rowdy refrain of Rhinestone Cowboy. Up next: IV & the Strange Band! 

   Well it turns out that a good portion of the Monday night patrons made themselves scarce after CLOWNVIS's admittedly packed and entertaining set, clearing out the capacity to about half of what it was, so I strolled on over to the front center of the stage with my drink (Red Bull and Coke, as I quit drinking alcohol several years ago) + my trusty pen and stack o' napkins. 

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  Good turnout "...tonight's pretty fuckin' awesome..." said Coleman, then went into Whippoorwill (new song). (Then another) New song..."it's a trouble, livin' in your bubble"... Then the "stab you in the eye til it makes you wanna cry" song off Southern Circus. Coleman has a 6-string Epiphone. Banjo's a Gretsch; then the electric guitar & stand up acoustic bass, so that's what he meant by a "stringband." Then the "little birds," song, "Well hell boy, you better fly high." It's Joe Perez from the Goddamn Gallows on banjo! I thought I'd seen him before... Coleman gave a wonderful speech re: fam history, then Son of Sin. Then the song about Rochelle, their beat up, run down ol' shortbus travelin' van... they are tearin it up! Next a clown song for Clownvis, "it may sound silly, but I don't care, happy go happy happy go lucky," then a banjo solo from Joe P.

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  Mikey Classic got the next song dedicated to him, Coleman passed his advice along, "I keep a hand on the door..." -> 'Don't let people get your goat—cuz if you do, they win.' They met ~21 yrs ago at the Muse, Nashville OG punk club where Misfits etc. used to play, the next day it was torn down w/ a pizza place replacing it. Then the Hare's Blood song off their 1st album, classick song "Now I'm here to drift into the night..."; the Rhymin' Auditorium, w/ a dirty soaked bar alley, next song's about gettin' fucked up in that alley (Since Nashville's the most gentrified city in America, now). "Looks real old... feels damn cold..." new song: "who the fuck's to say that I should care." Next Hang Dawg w/ a moving speech for all our critters... that goddamn Hang Dog... Hoo, wooo! Next "I've got an angel on my mind... that's why I'm walkin'..." Ends w/ his gr. grandaddy's song Trooper's Hill, about his dog Truman. 🖤

   All I can really say about that show is that IV and the Strange Band represent one hundred percent the true die hard spirit of the underground, in every way.  Ain't no one out there with their attention stolen by their smartphones or doomscrolling through the blurred cyberscape of life even has the remotest clue nor can they be given an opportunity to catch the scent in the wind that Hank 3 has a legitimately awesome son with a burning heart pumping the family bloodline through his veins and a voice to sing his stories to small captive audiences throughout the rundown dive bars and lonely venues of the land.  From coast to coast and sea to churning sea, he's been hauling his instruments and equipment in Rochelle without the greater majority of country western fans having the slightest clue, and I'll tell you what, I'm happy this is getting reported on my equally obscure as fuck blog tucked away in the darkest corner of the web, here amid the encroaching oblivion of my Blogdom of Thorns.  And that's because I prefer it this way, and honestly, I'd bet my bottom dollar Coleman would more or less agree with me on this.  

   He's a born American storyteller who's been obsessed with the underground music scene since he was at least fourteen, when he saw The Goddamn Gallows perform in Nashville at the Muse, and met up with Mikey Classic who gave him the best advice anyone could possibly get, about not letting anyone ever get your goat - all worked up and angry at 'em - on account of the simple fact that if you do - you let 'em win.  That explains his chill, down to Earth attitude, and let me tell ya, if you haven't learned this lesson in life, maybe take it into account and give it a try.  Works wonders on your blood pressure and it will steer you through the storms of life on a journey filled with all the strange wonders and attractions this world has to offer.  Remember what The Professor said, "the point of the journey is not to arrive."  

      So maybe fine tune your electronic device's radar to pick up on IV and the Strange Band, follow 'em on Instagram or Facebook, and the next time they launch on one of their obscure little tours, you'll get the opportunity to hear their songs and listen to Coleman extol some of his down home country wisdom, which in my estimation's worth more than all the reels you could scroll through in a year.  

   So if you're in Nevada and can make it to Reno, they're playing tonight at the Cypress Music Venue, and then they'll drive on over to Folsom, California tomorrow, Aug 22, with twelve more shows as they make their way through San Diego, Las Vegas, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, wrapping it up in Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and ending with a Bang in Louisville, Kentucky on September 5th, at the Whirling Tiger.  Don't say I didn't clue you in. 

    Stay tuned for Part II of my 3-part review covering IV and the Strange Band, Jesse Welles, and Cancerslug, all three of which are still on tour even as I write this.  I was going to make this one ginormous, long, thirty page review for y'all to scroll through, but I decided to have some mercy on your poor, tired souls (and give myself a break, too).  After all, this forum allows me to continue with Part 2 later on, so I'll hyperlink the End Piece Thumbnail to continue this insanely long coverage of my past week seeing shows here in the Salt Lake underground.   I'm happy I saw Jesse Welles with supporting band Ratboy, at the far more posh (and above ground) venue Red Butte Gardens.  Still, for all the spotlight and glory that stage offers, I think Jesse Welles remains relatively underground, for the time being, mirroring a young Robert Zimmerman, with his acoustic guitar and harmonica and vivid protest songs, suitable for our scrolling-to-oblivion era of a generation hopelessly addicted to our cellphones while the world apparently burns at the behest of ruthless opportunists seizing the reins of power politically to line their pockets at the expense of the people.  I can see this young man following in the footsteps of commercial success like The Devil Makes Three and Billy Strings, etc.  and he certainly deserves it, but I'll tell you all about it in part 2 of this expose.  Part 3 will cover the Monday, August 17 blackmetal show at Aces feat. Cancerslug with our own Chasmlurk opening for the notorious Profanatica.  That's as underground as it gets.  \m/