Concert Review: Skeemin NoGoods, Back In Spades @ Lager House

… Ahhhhhh, another joyous night of guitar solos at The Lager House on Friday night… This night was a bit more special than most, of course, seeing as it was a celebration of the recent release of the Skeemin’ NoGoods full-length (**plug**available now on Idol Records**plug**).

Somewhat surprisingly, a decent portion of the rather sizeable crowd was made up of band members, most of whom I assumed would have been playing out somewhere on a Saturday night. Band folk or not, it was awesome to see so many people at the show, regardless.

As per the norm, Back in Spades opened with a solid set stuffed full of guitar solo goodness. It’s getting harder and harder for me to decide whether I like Jackson Smith or Stephen Palmer’s soloing better (although I guess the safest bet would be to say that I like the sound best when the two of them go off simultaneously, which happened quite a few times on this night). Like at the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, the band tossed a few new songs into the mix, all of which sounded as if they could’ve fit on The Time is Now without a hitch. The straight-laced “Cowboys and Indians” was tighter than usual, while the dirty grind of “Five Years Ahead” was blistering. “The Time is Now” seemed terse and frantic, and while the set-closing cover of the Sonic Rendezvous Band’s “City Slang” was a bit shorter than usual, the band still crammed more than enough impressive guitar playing into the performance. Poor, unassuming drummer Joe Leone never seems to get enough credit, although he continues to go out and beat the crap out of his drum kit night after night; based on his performance at this gig, MCR raises a drink to Joe and says, “Here Here – You are not forgotten!” Bassist Nick Bataran seemed to have issues with his equipment throughout the set, punching his stack a few times before finally just kicking everything over behind the stage before “City Slang.” Despite that issue, though, Back in Spades seemed to be in fine form (even if my ears were buzzing like a hive full of bees after the set).

The ear buzzing thing only got worse when the Skeemin’ NoGoods hit the stage, heh. I didn’t think it was possible for a three-piece to be louder than Back in Spades, but I’m pretty sure the NoGoods pulled it off, no problem. This was everything a fan could want in a NoGoods show and then some, as the guys threw out a set longer than I ever imagined they could play. Of course, there were the usual set highlights – an angry “Politicians,” a balls-out take on “Downtown,” a snarling version of “I Don’t Like You” (that triggered an unexpected sing-along to the chorus), and of course, another fine take on “Gimme the Gas” that highlighted John Speck’s solid guitar solo skills. For the big CD celebration, though, the band did pull out a few surprises. Speck laid out a few extra nuggets of guitar goodness on a few extended solo trips, and the band treated the crowd to a few covers – a deliberate, dirty take on the MC5’s “American Ruse” and a tight version of Humble Pie’s “Up Our Sleeve.” During the set, beers were downed and shots of Jaeger were had on stage, and Speck, drummer Chuck Burns and bassist Ron Sakowski were all smiles for the night. Even when things went a bit buggy, the band was fun. When Sakowski needed to replace a broken string, Speck just ambled around on his side of the stage, tooling out bits of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” and Dokken’s “It’s Not Love” to entertain the crowd. When Speck needed to swap guitars after a string break, Sakowski and Burns threw together an impromptu funky beat to keep things light-hearted while Speck tuned. Once all was said and done, the band was almost about to pack it up when the dedicated crowd clamored a bit for an encore. Despite my hoarse yell for a Seduce cover, the band managed to pinpoint a song that all of them actually did know how to play – an older track called “Knock Knock” that sounded surprisingly tight considering Speck had mentioned that it hadn’t been played live in four years.

All in all, ‘twas another solid night of Detroit rock-and-roll. It was great to see Back in Spades and the Skeemin’ NoGoods sharing a bill, but I think it was even better to see so many folks from different bands in the scene actually out at the gig to support both the bands and the NoGoods CD. – Gary Blackwel