Sounds from Thee Underground:
No Fun Records’s Annual Garage Rawk Showcase
At the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

It’s easy to forget that the Stooges, perhaps the single most legendary of the proto-punk “Detroit” bands of the late ’60s, actually hailed from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. No Fun Records, Ann Arbor’s only label specializing in redline-raw rock’n'roll music, has not forgotten. Sounds from Thee Underground is their annual showcase: with a roster to die for (including hometown faves the Avatars and the Hard Lessons), interlude music by WCBN DJ Brian Tomsic and MC duties courtesy of Brian Wheeler from local kitsch dance party The Bang!, it’s the hottest ticket in town for those who like their rock good and dirty. MPP’s resident dirty garage rocker, Zach Hoskins, and his lady friend/concert buddy Megan Giddings have reported from the front lines of Sounds from Thee Underground ’05. It was a night to remember: from the new Dave Grohl beard sported by the Hard Lessons’ guitarist Gin to Don Blum of the Von Bondies walking away from the raffle with a prize pirate hook. But it wasn’t all glitz and showbiz. Garage rock is, after all, about the grit above all else. Call it uncouth, call it unrefined. But don’t call it “retro.” This shit is alive, and it is real.

Zach: So, first up was the Dead Bodies….unfortunately we only caught the last couple songs from their set, but I liked what I saw. Rough-hewn melodies and wall-shaking noise: the combination never fails. A little more individual character from the band and these guys have real potential.

Megan: They were pretty good, but it’s kind of hard for me to get a real impression of them because I was busy eating a burrito through most of their set. But I definitely want to see them again. What I saw really caught my interest.

Zach: Bullshit, you weren’t eating a burrito.

Megan: I was in Panchero’s eating a burrito with you. That’s why we were late to the show.

Zach: Oh, that’s right.

Megan: So what did you think of the Booooooooomerangs?

Zach: Now we’re getting somewhere. This band rocked my proverbial socks. Pure, 100% straight-outta-Nuggets garage rock with Stooges-grade crunch. Minds were blown. Shiny jackets were worn. By the end of the first song, the singer had jumped off the stage and into the audience. The first song. What made it even more amazing was that these guys looked like they were old enough to be on the original Nuggets. So what’s your excuse, Mr. Jagger?

Megan: (laughs) The singer looked like a mixture between my middle-aged boss and 1970′s Elvis Costello. And my god, he was in better shape than I was.

Zach: I was thinking Vegas Andy Warhol. But yeah, it has to be seen to be believed.

Megan: What was interesting, though, is I felt a little bad for the rest of the band. While the singer was getting all the attention, they kind of just stood there and did their thing. Which isn’t bad, but it’s sad when I don’t notice a man old enough to be my father in knee-high leather boots until three-fourths through the show.

Zach: Or the bass player doing the fish lips with the bowler hat and the goatee. I think we’ve established that the Boomerangs won the “silliest-looking band” award at this year’s No Fun showcase.

Megan: What was weird was I didn’t think they looked silly at the time. It’s only until now when I realize, I saw people’s dads dressed up like Sgt. Pepper rejects.

Zach: Seriously. I mean the singer was playing air guitar. But the songs were raw and snotty and danceable, everything that made ’60s garage so great. Plus that dude played a mean harp.

Megan: You mean harmonica. I didn’t see a harp.

Zach: Look, if I wanna embarrass myself with dated blues slang, that’s my business. Anyway, on to the next act, the Cyril Lords. Thoughts?

Megan: They weren’t all men.

Zach: So, more like the Cyril Lords and Lady?

Megan: I seriously always thought they were guys, but then that really cute Asian girl was the drummer.

Zach: Oh, don’t even get me started on the cute drummer. Actually I’m going to go ahead and pass out the “best hair” award for these guys. The singer looked like Brendan Benson’s disheveled kid brother, the bassist had the straight-hair-in-the-face thing going on, and that drummer rocked the Asian shag like no other. But the music? Meh.

Megan: The problem with the Cyril Lords is I’ve seen more stage presence and enthusiam from Chuck E. Cheese’s automaton band. You know those dinosaurs and that Mario rip-off? Seriously, they just stood there most of the time looking bored. I’m not asking for like MC5 madness, but I would have liked it if it seemed like they were actually having fun.

Zach: Well, to be fair their music wasn’t rocking too hard either. It was perfectly acceptable post-Nirvana Detroit rock, but at best they sounded like a Von Bondies cover band and at worst they sounded like they weren’t even trying. The bass player seemed pretty into it, though. That was cool. And I don’t want to totally piss on the Cyril Lords because they weren’t that bad. All I know is they were the only act I’ve seen in a while where somebody in the audience actually yelled, “You suck!” And I promise it wasn’t me.

Megan: It’s like when we went to go see Interpol. It was boring because the only one who seemed to be having fun was, once again, the bassist. I don’t know, I always thought one of the appeals of a band was to have fun, not to act like it’s this huge chore.

Zach: Carlos is too good for those bums, anyway.

Megan: That motherfucker is HARSH.

Zach: Anyway, the Avatars: I’ve seen these guys twice before, and the great thing is that each time I see them they’re better than the last. They’ve really evolved into a much more exciting band than they were at first: the twin-guitar attack of Chris Taylor and Charlie Lorenzi is razor sharp, and the singer, Mariah Cherem, is able to handle both the rock’n'soul tambourine-shakers and the 1977 Blondie-style new wave with equal aplumb.

Megan: I really like the Avatars. They’re fun to watch, and I love how bouncy the drummer is when she plays. If Shonen Knife ever fires their drummer, I know exactly who they should call.

Zach: Wasn’t it great how Taylor couldn’t stop himself from leaping into the air even during the ballads?

Megan: That’s what rock and roll should be like: pure Dionysian fury. (laughs) My only beef with the Avatars is that some of the songs kind of sounded like a generic version of the Detroit Cobras to me. And I love the Cobras, so for me the Avatars just sounded lukewarm at times.

Zach: So you think the Avatars should leave the soul ballads to the Cobras?

Megan: Yeah…because honestly, they’re not really working them. When they’re fun and going, they’re excellent, but, they don’t have enough individuality yet to really do ballads. They’re still a young band. They have lots of potential.

Zach: Right. I’m just excited to hear their album, when it comes out, and see where they’re going next.

Megan: Yeah, that’s what’s interesting: I just want to be able to turn on their album and think, “this is the Avatars.”

Zach: I think that kind of personality is definitely in their grasp…like I said, they feel more and more like their own band every time I see them, and at the very least it’s a lot of fun to watch them take shape.

Megan: One of the problems is I keep thinking of another Ann Arbor band, the Riots, and how fast they progressed. Like the first time we saw them, they were pretty good, but nothing special. But that second time? Holy shit. Do you remember that? It was a totally different band.

Zach: Yeah…although the Avatars had a similar effect for me the second time, too. But with the late, great Riots, it was much more rapid. So, the Hard Lessons: they were by far the main event.

Megan: Honestly, the Hard Lessons are the main reason I wanted to go. Every time I see them, I just get blown away. There’s no formula (unless you count Gin climbing on things) – it’s just this band who allow themselves to be carried away with the pure joy of rock and roll.

Zach: They’re hands down the best of the new crop of metro-Detroit upstarts. And I’m not just biased because they actually come from my home turf of Lansing. The most exciting thing about the Hard Lessons in the context of this show, though, was that they aren’t really pure “garage” at all: more like a volatile fusion of the MC5′s spring-loaded rhythm and blues, Blue Cheer’s pummeling rock action and Cheap Trick’s arena-ready power pop. And did I mention they’re easily the best live band in town?

Megan: I know. I was there.

Zach: I love the unpretentiousness of this band, too; the way they can come out for an encore, play this unapologetic lighter-waving kind of song (“Milk and Sugar”) and then sing a little bit of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey My My” on top of that…and not be ironic about a second of it. But it isn’t cheesy, either.

Megan: No. It just sounds fucking good. The only problem is, it’s a bitch to take pictures of any of them (except drummer the Anvil).

Zach: Exactly, they just won’t stand still. The Cyril Lords should be forced to watch hours and hours of the Hard Lessons live. That oughta put some spring into their step. I also want to mention that the Hard Lessons have succeeded in totally turning themselves into a brand name, and I mean that in the best possible way. I couldn’t name you a single member of most local bands if I wanted to, but you just know Gin, Ko Ko Louise and the Anvil. It’s like the Beatles.

Megan: I think it’s just how fun their names are to say. Who wants to go out of their way to say all of the Hentchmen’s last names?

Zach: To wrap things up, I really do believe the Hard Lessons have a bright future ahead of them. My advice to everyone out there is to check them out while you can still catch them in a small club.

Megan: Yeah, I agree. I’m glad I bought my Hard Lessons faces-themed button pack when they were small. Now in three years, I can totally hate them when they get big, but at the same time sell their vintage pins online, thus granting me big bucks for little pins.

Zach: Isn’t that what rock’n'roll is all about?

Visit No Fun Records for the lowdown on the Hard Lessons, the Avatars and other great Ann Arbor bands!

Reviewed by Megan Giddings and Zach Hoskins