The Sound of Urchin
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
The Replay Lounge
Review & Concert Photos by Richard Gintowt
This is the Sound of Urchin.
I met these wackjobs in 2002 when I interviewed them on KJHK.
Lead guitarist B-ILL spent the whole interview wearing a ridiculous mask that I gave him and talking in an O.J. Simpson voice. They cussed, professed their love for Aerosmith, divulged secrets about masturbating on the road and nearly brought the station to a crashing halt. I’m lucky nobody important was listening that day.
That night, B-ILL wore the mask on stage and the band tore shit up. I was a fan for life.
Back then, the Urchin was touring in support of its major-label debut You Are the Best, which somehow managed to sneak onto RCA despite lyrics like Tofu / It’s the Truth / It looks like cheese, but it’s good for you / C’mon! The disc was extraordinary goofy but also really good. Like Ween or Tenacious D, it bordered on parody but had the chops to back it up. I listened to it all summer, and my girlfriend loved it too.
Fast forward five years, and the Sound of Urchin is out on a 35-date tour. They’re no longer on a major label – thank god – and lead singer and drummer Tomato (real name Chris Harfenist) informs me that touring with Cracker and Tenacious D really didn’t do them a whole lot of good. So rather than continue opening for bigger bands, they’ve focused their energy on headlining tours to give people the whole Urchin experience. The strategy seems to be working – last time they rolled through Lawrence they had a throng of 20 hardcore fans who sang every word and stampeded the front of the stage with pumping fists and air-guitar maneuvers.
I ask Tomato about the flash-mob phenomenon. “They just come," he says. "There might be 30 of them, or there might be 300 of them. It’s all or nothing with the Urchin. We don’t get many casual listeners. People know what they’re getting into.”
Indeed. What initially looks like a thin crowd turns into a 50-strong pack when the Urchin takes the stage. Tomato beams at the sight and exclaims: “I was worried about 10 minutes ago that Lawrence wasn’t going to be here for the Sound of Urchin, but there you are. Tuesday night – fuck you!”
With that, the band proceeds to rock.
Tomato is a beast of a drummer who gets better every time the Urchin comes through town (this is the fourth time I’ve seen ‘em). He sings real purty too.
The Urchin shocks and awes with lead guitarists B-ILL and Seahag, who are both wicked woodshedders a la Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and/or Joe Satriani. Fortunately, the Urchin is way better than any of those bozos and collectively uses its powers for good not evil.
Here’s B-ILL shredding on the Craig Ferguson Show.
In a fit of Radioheadian benevolence, Tomato announces that the Urchin is giving away copies of its new CD Rejoice, which won’t officially be released until next year. “We want you to spread it, and burn it, and fuck it!” he asserts.
The reaction goes something like this:
The light show is off the chain. The sound guy asserts that the Replay has never seen such wanton displays of luminescence.
Victor from Overland Park is loving it. He’s seen the Urchin seven times and he thinks they are the greatest. “That was so fucking sweet,” he says after the show. “It would have been better if they played for like four hours.”
Undeniably, the Urchin delivers.
In the words of the Urchin: "You’ll never reach the top, but you should always try."
PS: Tomato gave me three extra Rejoice CDs. If you want one, email me at thegint@hotmail.com with an address and I’ll send it to you. Spread the love, man.
In the meantime, here's a cut off Rejoice: "Go to Your Room" MP3
And more visuals: "Scary Skull Eyes"
Comments (0)