[ Music Index | San Jose | MetroActive Central | Archives ]

Aural Fixation Spitkiss the Sky: Razor sharp, Spitkiss served up choice cuts for KSJO's Halloween bash at the Edge By Sarah Quelland KSJO MAY HAVE SPREAD itself a little thin this Halloween with three holiday bashes--including True to Form, Systematic and Dick at the Saddle Rack (which is starting to do live rock & roll shows) and Spitkiss, Remoter and Dave Meniketti from Y&T at the Edge--instead of one big blowout. But though attendance Sunday (Oct. 31) at the Edge was only moderate, the bands were in fine form. It's been a long time since I've seen Spitkiss on the Edge's stage, and it suits the band well. Featuring Adam Bannister on vocals, Justin Winoker on guitar and Jason Shaw on bass, as well as newer members Mike Repuccini on drums and Boris Popkoff on keys, the industrialized neometal outfit has a great sense of confidence when performing live, and the Halloween show was a prime example. In honor of the dark holiday, the band pulled out "T.L.F." (a.k.a. "Twisted Little Fuck") and "Darkside"--both rarely performed live--from its first album, Not for Human Consumption, and included "Not Yet," "Deeper Scratch" and the single "Digits" from its most recent release, Violence Is Golden. When Spitkiss performed at the SoFA Festival, the band took the stage in cowboy gear; Sunday, Bannister was the Man in Black, a towering figure in 3-inch platform boots and a worn black cowboy hat. The band took a twangy Western detour with a rearrangement of the impassioned, pain-driven "Deeper Scratch." Where Spitkiss creates a heavy atmosphere of pain and isolation, Remoter twists its tortured poetic verse into bouncy, modern pop music with New Wave influences. Inspired and ironic, lyrics like "Yeah oblivion, all my friends are gone, couldn't be happier" ("Oblivion") and "Life is a pop song, and I've got a million of 'em/ Can't understand a word of it" ("Feed That Period") are undeniably catchy. The impressive local five-piece should have a new album titled Gun on the way soon. Rock & roll band the Stumps (which opened for Warrant at the Edge last month) played the Cactus Club last Saturday (Oct. 30) with Party Casket (formerly Sketch). Dressed up like the Ronald McDonald gang with Grimace and the Hamburglar in tow, the Stumps gave a good performance with a fun sense of humor. One of the highlights of the night was a cover of Prince's "Raspberry Beret." Last Thursday (Oct. 28), the Edge was mobbed as people turned out to see Great White and Dokken. The menacing theme from Jaws played overhead before veteran rockers Great White hit the stage. Led by a surprisingly femme-looking Jack Russell, who was dressed in a black lace tank top, the bluesy metal band performed all the favorites and then some, including "Rock Me," "Mista Bone," "She Shakes Me," "Face the Day," "The Angel Song" and the beautiful ballad "Save Your Love." With a 20-album career stretching back to 1982's Out of the Night, Great White's greatest commercial success probably came from ...Twice Shy, which spawned rock & roll anthem "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." I wouldn't expect Luscious Jackson to be coming back to San Jose any time soon after the stunt the all-girl trio best known for "Naked Eye" pulled last Saturday. Apparently the group has become accustomed to larger stages than those offered downtown and canceled its gig at the Usual at the very last minute, leaving fans--some of whom drove long distances to see them--extremely disappointed. Ben Lee did go on and the club filled out the night with DJ dancing. Tonight (Nov. 4), True to Form and NinePastNine play with Lynch Mob at the Edge; Adverse Side-FX plays at the Aptos Club; Blink 182 and Silverchair play at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco; Kronic and the CONDITIOn play at the Cactus Club; KRS-One plays at Palookaville in Santa Cruz and Natasha's Ghost plays at the Last Day Saloon in San Francisco. PLAN AHEAD: Switchblade Symphony, RetroMotive and Andalusia, Nov. 5 at the Cactus Club; Soul Circle, Nov. 6 at the Usual; Spitfire Tour with Jello Biafra, Nov. 7 at Maritime Hall in San Francisco; Godsmack and the Jim Rose Circus, Nov. 10 at the Warfield in San Francisco; Coal Chamber, Slipknot and Dope, Nov. 13 at Maritime Hall; Buzzcocks and Lunachicks, Nov. 17 at Palookaville; Rage Against the Machine, Nov. 19 at the Oakland Arena; Machinehead, Nov. 20 at the Fillmore in San Francisco; Chris Cornell, Nov. 30, Berkeley Community Theatre. [ San Jose | MetroActive Central | Archives ]