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Experimental Dental School Rocks Rontoms
By Charlie | August 10, 2009
Last night we ventured out for a free show at Rontoms. Part of the club’s Sunday series, the show was a kick ass collection of Portland’s finest. First up was the post punk/shoegaze outfit, Fuck You Safari. Things didn’t get any more PC with Fist Fite, and finally Experimental Dental School headlining the shindig. More on these bands in a sec, but first a word on Rontoms.
The club is a bit of a misnomer on first visit. I met some friends there awhile back and was struck by the oh la la atmosphere of the bar. It seemed a little heavy on the effort and the crowd a lot heavy on the attitude. But, last night was different. Whether it was the bands, the price, the perfect weather for an outdoor show on their standout patio space, one of the best in the city, or the cheap tallboys of Tecate, Rontoms was a whole new story. And now a place where I’ll be enjoying free stuff for some time to come, at least every Sunday.
Ok guys, confession time. We got there just as you were starting to play. We parked right on the other side of the fence separating us from you. You sounded great, fantastic, heavy as hell and fast as fuck. But the car had our whiskey handy in the trunk and we opted to sit and sip while enjoying your sounds. I never saw you, but I heard you. And you started things off right. The music was tight and the melodies ferocious. The crowd sounded like they liked it too. F U Safari filled in for Magic Johnson, currently on the injured reserve list. Get well soon Magic, but in the mean time F U Safari is a great trip to take.
Do not fuck with Fist Fite. That’s the best advice you will ever get. Just don’t do it. They’ll win, you’ll lose. It’s that simple. From the pounding skins, the effortless guitar scrawls, to the screams and synths of Johnnie Monroe, the baddest girl on any block, the band is self described “Choose Your Own Adventure Rock.”
The group played an exhaustive set, sweating and sliding around for the better part of an hour without relenting for a minute. Monroe’s dizzying display on the keys was matched only by her ethereal screams, launching into and echoing back from the Portland night. Their style is maybe best summed up as metal new wave or uneasy listening, but their bird flipping, head banging, throat ripping, flesh searing brand of rock is meant to be experienced without precondition. You have been warned.
Last up was Portland’s XDS, as they are called by lazy bloggers such as myself. XDS is the collaboration between guitarist Jesse Hall and drummer Shoko Horikawa. Splitting the vocals and sustaining an edgy pop sensibility, this duo crafts tightly hooked and heartily looped punk rock songs in the vein of Deerhoof and noise rock experimentalism all their own.
Hall’s stack of amps, floorboard of pedals, and three (?) inputs on his guitar are an impressively boggling sight, while Horikawa’s adorably demure drum kit is so cute I could eat it up. The music is never as heavy as it could be, instead opting for the back and forth from frantic to static and sassy to sporadic. The pulsating songs are short, to the point, easy on the ears and engaging to the crowd, who moved up on Hall’s request and adorned him with high fives at every break in action. It was obvious the two musicians were in their element, natural and cool, doing what they’re meant to do.
Originally a three piece from Oakland, CA, they paired down the sound and opted for the greenery over the ghetto. XDS could become your favorite band, if- like me- you love free stuff, since their latest release, Forest Field is available for a download gratis. Either way, their syncopated beats and smartly wound melodies are as toe tapping and smile inducing as anything on the radar. Next month sees the two off on a full U.S. tour, giving you exactly zero excuses to not check them out. Free music, a show near you, XDS is practically giving this away. Take them up on it. And thank me later.
-Charlie
August 12th, 2009 at 8:53 am
i saw xds with deerhoof in sf. theyre quite good, but a little strange. it would have been nice to see them outside so i could check out those amps. one of them looked to be locked inside a suitcase. theyre like a deerhoof lite.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Thank you! You often write very interesting articles. You improved my mood.