Show Review

After more than a month on the road, Casket Salesmen and Weatherbox returned to Southern California for their tour ending stop in Corona, California. The first band of the night was a local band named Mongoloid. Being the only band I had not previously heard before the show, I was eager to get there early and see what they were about. I tried to get a grasp on their sound but to no avail. The band proved hard to pin down as they strolled from punk to ambient and back again with almost no warning. For anyone familiar with Auditory Aphasia’s sound circa 2005 might find the band’s sound recognizable. Although they were only a three piece band and playing in front of no more than dozen people, the band seemed confident in their sound.

The next band up was Desa. I heard about the band in 2003 with the release of their album "Year In A Red Room" but didn’t pay much attention after that. It was only until last year that I picked the band up again after they released their follow-up "Arriving Alive." I was glad to finally be seeing them and hear some of new material as well as the older stuff I had yet to hear live. It was well worth the wait as the band put on an energetic live set and pulled it off almost exactly as it sounded on the albums. I also learned that the band has a free EP available for download on their website. I would highly suggest seeing the band if you are into any of their recorded material.

San Diego’s Weatherbox was the next band to take the stage. Unfortunately this tour turned out to be a rough one for Weatherbox as they had all of their equipment stolen at the beginning of the tour in New York. It is a disappointing trend that has become increasingly commonplace lately for band’s gear to come up missing on tour. Luckily the members of Casket Salesmen let the band borrow their gear for the entire tour and kept the wheels rolling. It was well worth the loan though as Weatherbox put on a great show full of energy and emotion. The band motored through some of my favorite songs off their debut album "American Art" including 'Atoms Smash' and 'Tripping The Life Fantastic' with the raw quality that the band showed on the album. I would highly suggest this fans of Say Anything (with a little more grit) to pick up their debut album and check them out live if for no other reason than sheer talent and the fact that they’re flat broke due to being robbed.

Following Weatherbox was another So Cal act Auditory Aphasia. I have followed this band since their demo originally surfaced in 2003. I was originally blown away by their mixture of just about every genre imaginable. In 2005 though, with the long delay of their debut album "Come Here Little Panda," half of the band departed their posts leaving only JJ and Anthony as the sole members. Flashing forward to the present, their sound has dramatically changed and with the loss of those two members and has also brought a huge loss in the uniqueness of their sound. Today the music feels, for lack of a better word, incomplete. It may be that I am attached to the older material but their live show was less than captivating and I found myself bored after only the first song. I think the band has a lot of talent and potential but right now it is not full realized. Although I was unenthused by Auditory’s set, I knew I was in for a great show with the final band.

Casket Salesmen has been a personal favorite of mine since the band started in early 2006. The band reminds me of the days where rock was more about the thrills than the frills. With long hair and big guitar riffs, the band has succeeded in keeping my attention every time I’ve seen them (this being my 6th time). This show was marked with a different set list from previous times as they had always opened with 'Feeling Ten Feet Tall' but this time opted for their single 'I’ll Buy That For A Dollar' and slight tweaks from there. As with most bands, every time I’ve seen Casket the music seems to get tighter and tighter on stage together. This time was no different as they seamlessly floated from song to song and without hesitation then followed each other right into the improvisational parts.
Sleepless nights and seeing the rest of the country are two unavoidable things that come from being on a cross country tour. The latter seemed to have a bigger impact than the former on lead singer Phil Pirrone as he made a point to talk out the “materialistic view most Californians have compared to the rest of the country” midway through the set. A band with good music is okay but a band with good music and an intelligent mind is hard to find these days which makes Casket all that more appealing to me. The band went on to fly through “Art Sandwich” and closed it out with the rocking 'Feeling Ten Feet Tall.' If you’re looking for that old school rock n’ roll sound in a modern day band, I think you’ll find all you’re looking for in Casket Salesmen.

review by Matt Zimmerman