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Polluteme / Polluted Ezine / Jackson Show Review
written by: Jacob Robison
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I went down to Jackson, Tennessee for the weekend to catch an Industry showcase put on by Jackson favorite Lappdog on April 21 at the American Legion. Also on the bill was another hometown band named Fliptop and a band from Corinth, Mississippi called Fumanda. I have heard Lappdog on several occasions, but this was my first time hearing either one of the other two bands. A couple hundred of Northwest Tennessee’s finest music fans crammed themselves into the American Legion private club to watch their favorite band put on one helluva show.
The first band to play was Fumanda from Corinth, Mississippi. The four-man metal band - comprised of vocalist Michael Gray, guitarist Scott Hopple, bassist John Yager and drummer Eric Labuff - kicked off their show at around nine o’clock. Before the show Gray was explaining to some fans that they really haven’t been practicing lately, and that this was to be their last show together (the other three musicians are moving to Texas); the lack of practice showed. Labuff’s double-bass kicks slowed down and speeded up irregularly throughout their set, never keeping a steady beat for an extended period of time. Hopple’s guitar riffs were very good, one of the bright spots of their set. The p.a. system was having a hard time pushing Gray’s voice, making it very hard to hear him sing or scream. Several small pits broke out a few times. The crowd was definitely ready to release some hostility. I honestly didn’t care too much for this band; they almost put me to sleep a couple times during their show. But then again, it may have just been an off day for them. Who knows? During the break between the first two bands, I hooked up with two of Lappdog’s biggest fans: Boston Strangler and Houstos Paco (Cris, front man for Lappdog, introduced me to them and suggested that they take me for a ride). I piled into the Strangler’s van, and we rode around for awhile as they showed me a little bit of Jackson. It took a little while for us to finish what we set out to do, and by the time we got back to the American Legion Fliptop was more than halfway through their set. I got to hear about four and a half songs from them (sorry I didn’t get to hear your whole set fellas). What I did get to hear though showed off a lot of potential. Their sound can be described as somewhere in the rap/rock genre, although they may be moving away from that musical style in the future. Vocalist Matthew Waller (that might not be his last name; his handwriting is kinda hard to read), guitarist Mike Taylor, bassist John Kirkland and drummer Mark Taylor were tighter than a virgin on her wedding day. Their set was very energetic, making the crowd mosh on several occasions. They definitely did a good job of warming up the crowd for the headlining band Lappdog. After their show was over, I went over and gave each band member props for putting on a good show. It only took about ten minutes for Lappdog to get ready to play. During those ten minutes the crowd seemed to double in size, making the Legion seem a lot smaller than it was. Cris Brown (vocalist/guitarist) played to the crowd several times, asking them if they were ready to tear some shit up. Then their intro kicked in and the lights went out. A few samples from The Matrix and A Perfect Storm along with some samples from other movies blared out through the speakers for a couple of minutes until it came to a sudden end. Timed absolutely perfect, Lappdog began their set immediately on cue. One by one the members of the four-man band (Cris Brown, guitarist Brian Kirk, bassist Jereme Hubble and drummer Kevin Scott) came in on cue, and three strobe lights came on one right after the other. The crowd began moving around, and a huge pit formed in the middle of the dance floor. This was one killer opening, and it all went uphill from there. The crowd was enormous by this time, and everyone in the whole building was focused solely on the band onstage. Lappdog mowed through their set, bringing the audience along for one helluva show. Crowd participation, stage presence, and musical chemistry...the foursome hit on all cylinders throughout their set. It seemed like fifty to sixty people were moshing at all times. The only thing that went wrong happened when Cris broke a string. Other than that and someone breaking the monitors, it went relatively mistake free. They played every song that they knew, from the ballad "Worthless (Dead & Breathing)" to their hit "Flybye" to the instrumental "Rainmaker". They even broke out a new song entitled "Crawl Space" that went over very well. Cris dedicated "Rainmaker" and the show to the memory of Armando Ortega, a friend of the band who had suddenly died on the same day as the show. This was the best show I’ve seen in a long time bar none. I had a blast. This was the first time that I’ve been able to see Lappdog on their home turf, and from what I saw the people in Clarksville and Nashville need to take a few lessons from them. Whereas in both of the cities the crowd seems to stand around a whole lot, the people in Jackson never set still. The hugest mosh pit I’ve ever seen in my life happened during Lappdog’s last song (Click on this link to go to Lappdog’s website and see some video footage from this show). There was about sixty to seventy-five people, including several girls, who were trying to kill each other. It was intense. Each of the bands - Fumanda, Fliptop and Lappdog - put on good sets during the show. I can’t wait to go back and experience the madness of the Jackson music scene again. by The JavaScript Source
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