GARBOSKI, MR. GNOME, THE GENTLEMEN OF MONSTER ISLAND
PLUSH
Friday, Nov. 27
Friday night’s show at Plush was all about the facial hair: Opening
band the Gentlemen of Monster Island’s lead singer, Connor Woods, has
quite the beard, as does drummer Jericho Davidson, and, of course,
there’s bassist Justin Lillie’s muttonchops.
Ohio’s Mr. Gnome, who played second, has singer and guitarist Nicole
Barille, whose curls drape over her face while she performs. And then
there were Garboski drummer Josh Skibar and singer Beau Bowen, both
with varying lengths of head-encircling hair. All of this fuzz must
mean one thing: wild and crazy rock ‘n’ roll.
The first to deliver on the promise of hairy rock were the Gentlemen
of Monster Island. When I walked in, a few songs into their set, Woods
was hanging from a rafter, and soon after, he lost his shirt. Woods
screamed and thrashed while the rest of his band—Davidson and
Lillie from Chango Malo, and Corey Reidy, formerly of Good Talk
Russ—made a whole lot of rock with a whole lot of energy. It was
reminiscent of the Stooges—there was skinny, shirtless Woods
à la Iggy Pop, twisting and turning like a madman, while the
rest of the band members kept things tight and raw—except
heavier.
Cleveland’s Mr. Gnome played next, and what they lack in
numbers—it’s just guitarist Barille and drummer Sam
Meister—they more than make up for in intensity. Many of the
songs on Mr. Gnome’s new album, Heave Yer Skeleton, involve
layered guitar parts that Barille built onstage with an impressive
lineup of pedals and effects. Instead of hanging from rafters, Barille
had a civilized stepladder that she used to get a higher perspective on
Meister’s drum kit; nonetheless, Mr. Gnome’s live show made you feel
like you were hanging from the ceiling.
There was no rafter-hanging or stepladder-climbing during Garboski’s
set: They ended the evening with unadulterated grunge, pure and simple,
as they were cheered on by their adoring fans. Bassist Garth Bryson,
the least-hairy member of the band, made up for his lack of locks with
locked-in rhythms, and the band played an extra song at the insistence
of their friends.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2009.
