Music picks of the week

Volcano critics tell you where to go

By Volcano Staff on March 1, 2007

Thursday

POP the lund bros.

It’s one thing to have one musically inclined child, but two? Good genes I suppose.  In the tradition of Oasis and the Kinks, the Lund Bros. are considered the kings of pop in their hometown of Tacoma.  With catchy guitar hooks, poppy rhythms, and in sync harmonies, the brothers are often compared to Lennon and McCartney.

“This is logical as the Beatles were definitely a strong early influence,” says drummer Sean Lund. “Our sound is melody-driven hard rock with a heavy dose of historical influence. It really depends on the song, of course, because I don't think we're a one-trick pony.” 

Despite numerous lineup and name changes, the two have weathered the storm for well over 15 years.  To date the band has three discs out, the last being the double CD Tangents.  The record, like their previous releases, is chockful of pop conscious ditties fueled by crunchy guitars and luxurious vocals. A new disc is in the prenatal stages with a summer target date.

“It will sound like us as we haven't altered our writing process dramatically and our influences remain mostly the same, but there will be a couple of departures on the record that I hope people will find interesting,” explains Lund.

The Pete Moss Band and Janet Robin open. — Tony Engelhart

[Jazzbones, 8 p.m., all ages, $5, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.369.9169]



Friday

BLUES ROCK fishtrap

Eclecticism in music is always a nice change of pace.  The melding of genres keeps it fresh and unpredictable.  Enter Fishtrap.

Jazz meets blues and rock is where the band finds their sound as they harvest sound. From Jimi Hendrix to Django Reinhardt, the quintet is all over the map.  The members — Curt Knudsen (guitar), Matthew Purkerson (bass), Andy Adams (drums), Mark Collins (vocals), and Jeffrey "Dr. Soul" Showman (harmonica, vocals, and songwriting) — all have a diverse well of musical knowledge.  While they might be considered a cover band, they add tasty originals to their sets that always pump up the crowd. Fishtrap reworks jazzy numbers such as Kenny Burrell's "Chitlins Con Carne" and "Mercy Mercy Mercy" as well as blues tunes including Sonny Boy Williamson’s "One Way Out," pre Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Ronnie Earl ditties and do an awesome version of Tom Petty's "Breakdown." — TE

[The Iron Rabbit, 9 p.m., 2103 Harrison Ave. N.W., Olympia, 360.956.3661]



Friday

METAL the accused

Hey, didn’t these guys break up in 1992?  I guess the Accused are just one of those bands who refuse to die peacefully.  Possibly one of the most underrated and influential metal bands of the ’80s, the Accused preceded White Zombie (who used the same format) with a type of hardcore rock they dubbed splattercore.  Using horror films and comic book violence as their muse, the band refused to join the grunge movement and the hopelessness that genre sang.  However, a couple of key members joined long forgotten flannel wearing Gruntruck.  The band’s first full-length, The Return of Martha Splatterhead, was a snarling, in your face debut. With inaudible vocals, thrashing guitars, and samples from horror films thrown in, it was like industrial on steroids.  After kicking bassist Chibon Batterman out and bringing in wild Alex “Maggot Brain” Sibbald, the band immensely expanded their cult following.  They went on to record five more pistol whippers before retiring in ’92.  The band dropped a new record in May ’06 titled Martha, which is a continuation of the story they started with their debut.  Still not ready to conform, the Accused remain unique and steadfast in their approach. With Bloodhag, Hellbound For Glory, and Artimus Maximus. — TE

[Hell’s Kitchen, 9 p.m., $7, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]



Saturday

BLUEGRASS captain gravel band

Fresh off the Wintergrass bandwagon, the young hipsters of Captain Gravel Band will perform in Tacoma one more time this week. This time the party is at the Mandolin Café. The 2-year-old group from Seattle consists of Michael Connolly on fiddle, Ingrid Eyen on bass, Chad Gibson on acoustic guitar, Miller McNay on mandolin and Will “Binkle” Roberts on Banjo. This bluegrass band is known for a dapper sense of style and a novel approach to the traditional while stretching the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. But what’s with the name? What does Captain Gravel mean exactly? 

“There is a fairly common Bill Monroe bluegrass song, ‘Blue Ridge Mountain Blues.’ Binkle claims that a verse of this song that is commonly sang 'and I'll be scratchin’ gravel' actually stated the words 'captain gravel.' He has a long convoluted story about what that really means, but he's the only guy who can tell the story the right way,” Gibson explains.

I asked Gibson what people can expect from a Captain Gravel show. 

“People can expect to see a high-energy string band playing an eclectic mix of bluegrass music, old-time fiddle music with a good dose of progressive dawg music, maybe some Hawaiian, Dixieland, or gospel songs,” Gibson says.

I’m not sure what dawg music might sound like, but the rest of that sounds pretty interesting. — Angela Jossy

[Mandolin Café, 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3, NC, 3923 S. 12th St., 253.761.3482]