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Chumming Up

The Chums turn up the buzz at Bennigan's By Sarah Quelland ST. PATRICK'S DAY saw the Chums at Bennigan's in Santa Clara with The Good Life and Plush. A tremendous buzz surrounds the Chums, a band from Oakland managed by Gary Avila, former manager of Gilroy's now-defunct Salmon. The band (particularly bratty lead vocalist Eric Glanz) has a great stage presence, and its catchy, guitar-pop songs are ready for the radio now. The Chums played new material Avila had only heard over the phone and playfully embarrassed him with a country ditty featuring some explicit lyrics. Thanking the audience, Glanz summed up with "yadda, yadda, yadda, devil, devil, devil, anal sex, marijuana ... and beer." Mötley Crüe stormed into the Flint Center March 18 with Noise Therapy. With the assigned seating, it was like watching the legendary bad boys of rock & roll in a movie theater, but the audience didn't care--more hands were raised in the sign of the devil when the Crüe came out than I've seen before. (See a full review and exclusive photos of the Crüe show.) The other standout show of a busy week was M.I.R.V. at the Cactus Club March 19 with Shaft, The Swarm and Fine to Drive. I was told I saw M.I.R.V.'s first show ever with Primus at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. True or not, the band's come a long way. Unfortunately, the Swarm's enjoyable set got cut off--I guess because the show was running late--and the band left the stage seriously pissed. ... Sketch played the Quarter Note in Sunnyvale with Operator Generator and Tramontane March 20. Last time I saw Operator Generator, my eardrums nearly exploded, but I liked the music, if not the volume. Although the stage was too small for Sketch to pull out all the stops, it did manage to work some fire into its maniacal set as guitarist Pac Rat blew fireballs off his guitar into the crowd. My only complaint: why no "Headbanger 2000"? Caffeine withdrawal hit SoFA last Sunday as Cafe Babylon, the Bohemian hangout with Internet access, had to shut its doors. After repeated failed attempts to get an entertainment license for live music, the owners, who were steadily losing money despite the cafe's popularity, decided to call it quits. PLAN AHEAD: Nashville Pussy, March 25 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz; Tribal Disco Noise, Swerver, Professional Murder Music and others, March 26 at the Cactus Club in San Jose; Insolence, Papa Roach and more, March 27 at Gaslighter's Music Hall in Gilroy; Monkey and Little Tin Frog, March 27 at the Cactus; Slow Gherkin, March 28 at Palookaville in Santa Cruz; Offspring and Ozomatli, March 30 at the SJSU Event Center; Garbage and Alanis Morissette, April 1 at the San Jose Arena. Please Tip: Bands, send in a press kit, or whatever you have (tape, CD, bio, photo, website, contact number, etc.) and let us know about your upcoming local shows. News on lineup changes, special shows and quality gossip is also welcome. Yadda, yadda, yadda, devil, devil, devil. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]