Punk Rock Night
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Melody Inn
The Hedons | Dead Aces | Founders | Hepburns

All Photos by Rich Barker.

What better place to hold a weekly Punk Rock Night than at the Melody Inn? From a former Westsider, I missed gazing the walls through the random paraphernalia of this rock and roll playground. By the time I arrived at 9:30 PM, the bar is being mostly supported by musicians, either hauling in equipment for the next set or grabbing a few beers before they grace the stage. For irony’s sake, “The Misfits”, a 1961 western with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, is passively displayed while the jukebox sorted through its random catalogue.

Once the jukebox was silenced, The Hedons nonchalantly took the stage. Without hesitation they dismantled the atmosphere with “Psychocillibin”. Drummer Jace Epple rode his symbols feverishly with the united monster riffs of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Kaleth and bassist Ryan Strawsma, as if to demand Melody Inn’s full attention. Patrons began to turn from their bar stools and waiting bands stalled in setting up their merch areas and took notice. The tone had officially been set and what a fitting start to Punk Rock Night.

Technically, The Hedons are not a punk band, instead complying within the murky catacombs of Black Sabbath. “At The Mountains”, with rich bass fuzz and harmonic yet gritty vocals, encompasses puff, puff, pass ‘desert stoner rock’ excellence. “Big Bang” is arguably the trio’s premiere song that displays a true methodical pace to stack each sludgy layer together. The Hedons, as they build on their solid library, could be fixtures in the local ‘doom rock’ scene for quite some time. They have great jams and an outstanding drummer in Jace Epple; it will be interesting to see what creature takes shape as The Hedons evolve.

Next up were the Dead Aces from Troy, NY. Punk has always been the street’s call to arms on what was a relevant struggle in society at the time. This is where The Dead Aces shined with song titles like “Labor vs. Management” and “Working Class”. Their subjects are very timely with the collapse of the middle class, especially while still knee deep in a recession. Only problem is, you wouldn’t ever know based only off their music. The Dead Aces took more delight in being audibly obnoxious as their message got lost in translation with incoherent vocals and unintelligible dissonance. People must hear the message to be inspired as you cannot confuse being loud as being profound.

After the Dead Aces dissolved momentum, The Founders rejuvenated the evening with their opener. If Franz Ferdinand converted to garage rock, you would have “Leave it Alone”. Their energy, specifically from guitarist/vocalist Nick Kieper as he gyrates and croons the audience, is infectious to witness. “Hawks of Defeat” with its driving percussion (Matt Newlin) and unabashed bass (Casey Gaines), is probably their best song and was the motivator to get the front of the stage bustling. The Founders converted genres as their set progressed, from mere Garage Rock to unadulterated Punk with songs “Labrat” and “Time It Takes Its Time”. The Founders are young and simply oozing with potential. Between their rugged riffs and acutely placed jams, with more exposure such as Punk Rock Night, I see The Founders as a serious force to be reckoned with locally.

The Putz…err…I mean The Hepburns close us out. The Hepburns are The Putz’ side project of 50’s and 60’s covers. After the commanding set by The Founders, the Hepburns needed the entire duration of the punk rendition of Bill Haley and the Comet’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” for the crowd to switch musical gears. Dressed in wrinkled white button ups and unraveled ties, The Hepburns were attacking all the senses of normalcy. They were perfect in almost every sense with every cover they executed. From The Angel’s “My Boyfriend’s Back”, Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy” and David Seville’s “Witch Doctor”; every single punk cover was simply fun to hear without being too over the top. Not all the covers were surprises though. You couldn’t end the night without doing The Ramones “Do You Wanna Dance?”, right?. The Hepburns served up a formable concoction of being entertainingly absurd. As weird as it was to see covers played at The Melody Inn, I hope The Hepburns make another surreal reappearance.