Rock out at Blackout Fest, pt. II
Friday, April 18's line-up
By Terry O'Donovan, Assistant Entertainment Editor
April 17, 2008 | 9:35 p.m.
The magic that is Scott Winland’s Blackoutfest will continue Friday and Saturday for those who have sufficiently recovered from Thursday’s edition.
Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound and The Oblivians will play, but perhaps the highest intensity level of the show will come from Cleveland mainstays This Moment in Black History. The foursome’s name is both a reference to public service announcements from the 1980s as well as a commentary on the state of modern America.
This Moment in Black History was formed in the months leading up to the Iraq War, and vocalist and keyboardist Chris Kulcsar said the buildup to the war was upsetting for the band.
“We were really discouraged by the direction the country was heading,” Kulcsar said. “So yeah, you can take it as the PSA reference, or you can it as meaning, ‘This is a dark time on our history.’”
The group plays an eclectic variety of punk by way of Kulcsar’s Mini Moog synthesizer. The veritably heavy rhythm section, composed of bassist Lawrence Caswell and drummer Lamont Thomas, lays down a thick, hard-hitting beat underneath the pulsating Moog and the riffs of guitarist Buddy Akita.
The band is heavily rooted in the Cleveland tradition.
“We love music from everywhere, but we’re really students of the Cleveland music scene,” Kulscar said.
Blackoutfest is no stranger to Kulscar et al., who have played at four of the past five ’Fests (Kulscar has played at least three others with his old band), thanks to a friendship with Winland.
“Every year is fun,” Kulscar said. “The crowd always goes insane, and it’s one of the funnest shows we play each year.”
“It’s kind of weird, I think, because it’s a small town, but we seem to have a loyal following in Athens,” he said. “When there are really fun shows, I think people in Athens appreciate it more than people in, say, Chicago. Shows at The Union always seem special.”
Dan Melchior Und Das Menace will come to the show from London, England, by way of Durham, N.C. Melchior, the musically transient front man, is a paragon of proliferation. He has recorded and released over 20 long-playing albums in more than a decade with a variety of underground bands. Among its influences, the current trio Melchior leads counts Thin Lizzy and former Blackoutfest performers of Thomas Function.
Speaking of Thomas Function, the Alabama foursome has been garnering some deserved press attention in recent months. The group relies on bright, keyboard-based pop melodies to bring their jangly songs to life. The result is surprisingly fully formed for a relatively young band.
Columbus-based El Jesus De Magico will also play. Its essence is reverb, steeped in psychedelia, with a tinge of sludge added for flavor. The group has made multiple trips down to Athens from its home, including previous appearances at Blackoutfests of yore.
Other bands playing include local spine crushers The Makebelieves and Paper Machetes, the femme fatales of the Loaded Revulvas and the Goodbye Goats. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with music playing well into the early hours of Saturday.
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Check out the Blackoutfest event Web site for more details and a blog containing the full weekend schedule.