The Jesus Lizard - "Club" DVD Review (MVD Visual)

When thinking about audience-baiting lead signers, David Yow ranks up there with likes of Tesco Vee and Lee Ving. The Jesus Lizard’s new DVD, Club, captures the first night of the band’s 2009 reunion tour and Yow started off the set with the ‘joke’: "What's the difference between Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson? About 5 hours" before the band launched into an explosive version of “Puss”.

Age hasn’t slowed The Jesus Lizard and you wouldn’t know by how tight they sounded that this was the band’s first US show in over ten years. Once launched, the band didn’t slow their hammering rhythms and Yow was in the crowd from the first song onward and had his shirt off by the fourth. While Yow made some crack about apologizing for his belly, he did some mad leaps and dives into the crowd that would put a younger stage diver to shame. Surprisingly, all of his clothes stayed on and he only pulled his d*ck out while singing “Blockbuster”.



The band played a sixty minute set and a fifteen minute encore and the set list focused on material from their Touch & Go years. While Yow was in and out of the crowd during the show, only one fan made it onto the stage and the camera crews capture this fan being chased by a VERY heavy security guard (who ultimately falls on his arse) while the band thunders through “Then Comes Dudley”.

The Jesus Lizard
Club Exit/In, Nashville, TN, July 14, 2009

Set List:
Puss
Seasick
Boilermaker
Gladiator
Destroy Before Reading
Mouthbreather
Blue Shot
Glamorous
Killer McHann
One Evening
Then Comes Dudley
Chrome
Nub
Blockbuster
Monkey Trick
7 vs. 8
Thumbscrews
Fly on the Wall
My Own Urine
Dancing Naked Ladies
Bloody Mary
Wheelchair Epidemic

The show was shot by a film crew that obviously knows the band’s work as the angles and transitions are great but the cameras lose Yow during some of his crowd surfing. The audio has both top and bottom-end depth and it is some of the best sound that I’ve heard on a live disc. Bonus features on the DVD include downloadable MP3s of the band’s performance and a photo montage of pictures from this show (which a shot of a chunky David Yow yanking it). If you missed the reunion tour – Club is probably as close as you are going to get to the intensity of a live performance from The Jesus Lizard.

David Yow and David Wm. Sims will hit the road later this year for a very brief Scratch Acid reunion. The only announced show is the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK in December 2011 but Sims announced on his blog that Scratch Acid will play some dates in November and December in the US and possibly in Europe.

Links:
The Jesus Lizard

The Meatmen Announce April West Coast Tour & Book Signing

Having lived in DC in the 80's, The Meatmen were a breath of fresh air when the SxE kids started getting militant at the punk shows. It is hard to be morally self-righteous when you are watching Tesco Vee take audience-baiting to a level not seen since the original lineup of Fear. Tesco Vee's bio (from his website) says that he was "[b]orn into a strict Christian reformed background, TV has spent most of his adult life rebelling against societal norms, organized religion, and the French."



The Meatmen, brainchild of one Tesco Vee, have been plying the punk rock since 1979 with their trademark cringe inducing very UN PC brand of aggro and knee slappin' profundity. Through many lineups, and countless platters, Vee continues to tour relentlessly to both school the young un's on how its done, as well as satisfyin' all the old school farts who need another shot of old school punk straight up in a dirty glass. Uncompromising as always, Vee's latest line features his arguably most dynamic lineup with Hal Seitan on the Guitar, Biff Bologna on the basso profundo and Swarthy 'Bun Length Franklin' on the tubs.

Recent sold out shows at Chicago's 'Riotfest' and Detroit's Halloween Spectacular 'Theatre Bizzare' have catapulted the band back to the musical fore. Their stage show is unparalleled in the punk/metal/flamenco/comedy genre and features confetti guns, wild costuming, and many other props all used to create what Vee likes to call a 'Hades meets Las Vegas Extrava-gonzo of cosmic fun and frolic!'

Meaty Historical Highlights:
-The Meatmen have sold over 250,000 records worldwide
- The Meatmen have played shows with many legendary bands such as Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Black Flag, The Misfits, Minor Threat, Henry Rollins and many more
-Their music has appeared on Feature Films and MTV
-The band has toured the US and Canada many times
-Leader Tesco Vee founded Touch and Go Records
-Meat fans include legions both humble and haughty; Matt Groenig, David Cross, Thurston Moore, Keith Morris, MC5, Glenn Danzig and Debbie Harry.
-The Meatmen are embarking on a month long US tour in April 2011. Tesco will be doing in-Store book signings to promote his best-selling book, Touch and Go: Complete Hardcore Punk Zine;1979-1983.

Tour Dates:
Tue. April 5 - Denver, CO - Marquis
Wed. April 6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Burt's Tiki Room
Thu. April 7 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
Fri. April 8 - Seattle WA - El Corazon (w/ ZEKE!)
Sat. April 9 - Portland OR - Plan B
Sun. April 10 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
Mon. April 11 - Sacramento CA - Fire Escape
Tue. April 12 - Santa Cruz CA - Matty Hodel Building
Wed. April 13 - Lompoc, CA - Wicked ShamrockT
hu. April 14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Airliner (18+)
Fri. April 15 - Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar (21+)
Sat. April 16 - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Country Saloon
Sun. April 17 - San Diego, CA - The Shakedown (21+)
Mon. April 18 - Phoenix AZ - Yucca Tap Room
Tue. April 19 - Albuquerque, NM - Moonlight Lounge (21+)
Wed. April 20 - El Paso, TX - Badlands Billiards
Thu. April 21 - San Antonio, TX - NIGHTROCKER LIVE
Fri. April 22 - Houston, TX - Walters on Washington
Sat. April 23 - Austin TX - Red 7
Sun. April 24 - Dallas, TX - Doublewide (21+)
Mon. April 25 - Ok. City, OK - The Conservatory
Tue. April 26 - St. Louis, MO - The Fubar
Wed. April 27 - Des Moines, IA - The Underground
Thu. April 28 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Soc. Club
Fri. April 29 - Chicago IL - Memories (21+)

Links:
Tesco Vee