THE VON BONDIES _ SHOW REVIEW

The Von Bondies
wsgs The Avatars, The Valentinos
Magic Stick, Detroit
March 9, 2004
by Christopher Chouinard

You know you are in for a great concert, when taped to every door, window and mantle in the MAGIC STICK are signs that read " VON BONDIES : SOLD OUT". However, you can take that one of two ways. With the debut CD of The Von Bondies out (on the Sire Records imprint of Warner Brothers Records), it means they have made it by staying true to rock and roll or, it could mean...you guessed it -- they sold out. Literally. Have they? My take...no. If you have ever seen The Von Bondies before the new CD, as I have, before the hullabaloo, before the MTV ad's and Spin Magazine articles, you would know that. But, more than that, you would have heard and SEEN it.

At the show, I could almost immediately tell something was different -- besides me being sober that is. It was the kids. Yes, the teens had heard this band was now cool, and an all ages show at the Stick means lots of underage smoking, lot's of yelling and pushing, and the elevation of my blood pressure. After getting my ride into the venue (thanks to Marty, Mariah, Frank and Kevin) due to Warner Brothers LACK of a “plus 1”... I made my way to the merch areas. WOW!! I had never seen a Von Bondie shirt before, besides the one I made myself. Not to mention pins - 9 styles! I now could wear Don and Marcie on my denim. They also had four T-shirt designs, "VIP" laminates, a DVD (courtesy of Rock-a-Billy's) and the new CD. A back catalog was the only thing missing. Money - that's what the label brought. I thought, “good for them” as I swooped up one of everything. Hope you enjoyed your dinner gang, I paid for it!

The “Major Label Issue” sentiment was brought up several times, both in a positive and

negative light. However, I failed to see the difference. Hell - even Don was simply walking around. But, if it had been Jason - every one of those kids would have gone ape shit. But Don, he just strolled through saying hello to the patrons who already knew him. However, he did mention how weird it was seeing his face plastered on every wall in the bar he had visited so many times before. I briefly stopped at my favorite new band's table - The Avatar's. They too were also busy pluggin their new 45 single, and hawking merch. They all seemed joyful and excited as the tour got underway. I just know this is the start of great things for The Avatars. You can SEE it in their eyes.

The first band up…local romeo's THE VALENTINOS. Can I just say - it takes several listens to fully appreciate them? I have seen them 3 times now, and their demo CD has made my bathroom rotation stack. When I put a CD on repeat while I prep to hit the scene, you have arrived (well at least in my mind!). The crowd was reminiscent of me on my first view. They were thinking: Who are they? What's the groove? I overheard many "looks like Jim Morrison” comments directed toward Paul, the lead singer. And ya know, while they are right, I think it's more of a Roxy Music feel rather than The Door's - four well-dressed lads making well-played music. If the demo and live act are any indication, imagine how the finished CD will sound.

Following THE VALENTINOS set, THE AVATARS took center stage. Faithful readers of motorcityrocks.com will be familiar with our love of the band. Yeah, sure, they have it all…poppy songs, hot lead singer

and bassist, shredding guitar solos played by handsome dudes and a pounding backbeat that holds it all together. But there is more to it. Just one look at the band and you can see something. I keep saying it - THEY ARE GONNA BE BIG…just watch and I love it when I’m right. The crowd went crazy. The AVATARS might as well have headlined. Even saddled with some technical difficulties, the riffing and on stage banter has become part of our love of the band. I am hard pressed to say I have ever seen a band smile so much on stage, and I can't get enough. The band stomped through their set and left the crowd hungry for more. I wished I was following the tour.

The gear swapped, the lights dimmed and the Bondies strolled on out. Much has been said about the events in the past few weeks. I even spent a day out in the cold covering the trial for England's press on Tuesday. But you know what? It mattered not. They were here to

silence the naysayer, and they triumphed in that regard. From the opening chords by Bassmeister Carrie Smith, to my favorite redhead (besides CSI's Marg Helgenberger) Marci Bolan - the Bondies killed. Figuratively that is. With no mention of the previous event that brought him there, Jason Stollsteimer focused on the back guitar antics, and warbly lyric delivery. The hit's came - "C'mon C’mon” and last CD's "Lack of Communication” being standouts. It was obvious the new music had rekindled their desire to perform. If you thought their DTE appearance was killer, you should have seen them here. Jason had lot's to prove. Not to us, but to himself - it was as if he said "THIS IS WHY I AM HERE, THIS IS WHY I WANT YOU TO KNOW MY NAME!” Now, if we could just move beyond the brawl, to look at the real story…the music. Sold out? You bet yer ass, to a capacity crowd on a TUESDAY night. Congrats. -- Christopher Chouinard