The crowd cheers, the lights dim, and five silhouetted figures walk on stage and take up their instruments. Soon after, an LED sign reading “The club is open” revealed the figures to be Guided by Voices.
What followed were blasting one to two minute songs, long aged but not forgotten. Many of these titles, including the hit “Hot Freaks,” came from GBV’s seventh and critically acclaimed album “Bee Thousand,” released in 1994.
Once the group started playing, they rarely paused, passing from one song to the next in a matter of seconds. They only stopped to rehydrate or share a comedic run- in with acclaimed bassist Mike Watt.
“Carry the torch, that’s what [Mike Watt] told me to do,” front man Robert Pollard said over a screaming crowd. “He told me to ‘carry the torch, Bobby.’ He called me Bobby, too. Called me [freaking] Bobby!”
Pollard later explained that Watt meant to carry on the soul and passion of rock and roll.
GBV, oringinating from Dayton, Ohio, performed at the Blue Moose Tap House on April 2. They played as part of their reunion tour, which started in October of 2010 and featured the original ‘93-’96 lineup, including Pollard, the only constant member of the band. This cast of band members would be what would rocket the band into stardom.
During this time, the band produced three albums, Vampire on Titus (‘93), Bee Thousand (‘94), Allen Lanes (‘95), and Under the Bushes Under the Stars (‘96).
After this time, members switched and many went on to produce solo albums. Pollard, however, remained in the band until the official break up of the band in 2004, when Pollard moved on to his own solo project, which occasionally features guest artists, including instrumentalist Todd Tobias and drummer and comedian John Wurster, a member of “The Dead Milkmen.”
In addition to GBV, Mission Creek also featured a Punk Brunch.
A man writhes on the floor screaming, surrounded by a circle of viewers who cheer and scream along. This is the front man for the punk rock band Solid Attitude (pictured below) who performed on April 3 at the White Lightning Wherehouse. Punk Brunch featured a potluck, consisting of chips, banana bread and brownies, a record swap, two live performers, craft tables and punk bands T’Bone and Solid Attitude. Everything from homemade comics to knitted clothing to studded bracelets were sold at the personal craft tables.
Solid Attitude produced their own 6-track album, Prision Water during January earlier this year and plan to perform again in the future.
“Today we played a set of cover songs,” Solid Attitude front man Mickey said. “But we usually do sets of original songs.”
Slideshow: Photos by Gabriel Brasile
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