by rudyards | March 14th, 2013
Black Congress (Houston, TX)
https://blckcngrss.blogspot.com/
Houston’s Black Congress has been hailed by many in our scene as one of the top bands in town, both musically and performance-wise. They are certainly no slackers onstage - we caught them on Saturday night at the Girls Rock Camp benefit - and even with the limited space that Dean’s offers, frontman Bryan Jackson was still energetic and captivating.
Black Congress is also not for the faint of heart, as some unknowing patrons of the bar on Main Street found out rather quickly, ducking out the front door and onto the porch. The band’s blend of hardcore with early post-rock hits like a two-by-four across the face. Their new seven-inch, Davidians is hard evidence of this, it’s title track lunges forth in seasick swells of punishing guitar and bass riffs over Chris Ryan’s solid drumming. As the vocals come in our mind leapt back to seeing Jesus Lizard at FunFunFun Fest last fall, and the resulting comment from our colleague Craig Hlavaty of the Houston Press, which we’ll paraphrase here: “I get it now, and now I understand Black Congress.”
Indeed, Black Congress is Houston’s own Jesus Lizard, but don’t dismiss them as just another band trying to emulate the Austin-born kings of noisy rock. Upon flipping our piece of wax over to the B-side track, London’s Burning, it became evident to us that Black Congress is not a band trying to be someone else, but a band fully intent on bringing out some of the most brutal and rhythmic hardcore riffs this town has seen. Ryan’s drumwork is impeccable, Roy Mata & Bret Shirley fill the space with thundering guitars [and Shirley's electronic noisy tidbits], and Dann Miller unleashes crushing bass work. It’d be wrong to say that this band is all about Jackson, but Jackson himself is unavoidable - the entire time it sounds like he is inches from our face, trying to impress upon the listener a sense of urgency and importance within the words being launched from his lips. The songs are extremely well assembled, hardcore missives that leave us wanting more. Fortunately it appears that the band will have some additional vinyl for us in the near future.” - Houstonist.com
Hamamatsu Tom (Houston, TX)
https://hamamatsutom.bandcamp.com/
Hamamatsu Tom — Lead Guitar and Vocals.
The Bareback Hell Stallions Band;
Arthur “Lil’ Baggie Bravo” Bates — THE Bass.
Chris “Chris Ryan” Ryan — The Drums.
Elton “Mothmouth” Marshall “Stack” Graves — Not the Lead Guitar. Bass on the “Cherry Bomb” sessions.
Hayden “Four” Smith — Not the Lead Guitar on the “Canino Rd” sessions.
Unholy Two (Columbus, OH)
https://www.myspace.com/theunholytwosucks
Having expanded to a 3-guitar attack, Columbus, OH’s Unholy Two’s first recorded output since 2010′s ‘$kum of The Earth’ (Columbus Discount/Negative Guest List) is a more than worthy followup to that caustic masterpiece. Why is it that no one has previously thought of a combined musical homage to Rick Rude and Richard Ramirez? Besides Jeff Lynne, I mean.
There’s a lot of other bands out there making super ugly, noisy music. And if you think I’m gonna use this space to talk shit about any of them, you couldn’t be more wrong. Hype’s all good and fine, but I’m not getting my lights punched out just to sell a couple of singles. Put your own ass on the line and tell me how it works out for you.
Obnox (Cleveland, OH)
https://www.sonicbids.com/2/EPK/?epk_id=358724#bio
Lamont’s existing body of work includes several full lengths, EPs and 7″s with Bassholes, This Moment in Black History, Deathers, and Puffy Areolas. Lamont explains the move to a solo release stating “After 15 years of recording with Bassholes and eight years with This Moment in Black History I decided I wanted to do a recording that was raw and blown out, done quickly for cheap. So we opened up the four track tape machine with a lot of scotch, whiskey, and reefer around, for one of the funnest sessions I’ve ever had. After recording for so many different labels and going all over the world to play, I’ve come to the conclusion that punk rarely gets more fun than recording with a pal, and releasing the tape on another pals label. With that in mind, it’s great to be running with Frank Mauceri and recording for Smog Veil Records.”
During his career Lamont has shared the stage with The Cramps, Rocket From the Tombs, Black Keys, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Dirtbombs, New Bomb Turks, Cheater Slicks, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, White Stripes, The Hold Steady, Bob Log III, Tav Falco’s Panther Burns, Nashville Pussy, Death, Black Merda, Blowfly, Country Teasers and countless others.
OBNOX is Lamont “BIM” Thomas on guitar, vocals, and drums & Elijah “E.REACT” Vazquez on drums, vocals and sample
