Strung Out
May 16, 2008
The Record Bar
Better Than: Warped Tour in a dusty parking lot.
By ANDREW MILLER
Strung Out has flirted with different approaches over the past decade and a half, ranging from melodic emoting to rapid-fire thrash metal to harmonic high-speed pop punk. But while this experimentation makes its albums distinguishable, the diversity all but vanishes during its concerts, which become a blur of galloping drumbeats and quick-chugging riffs. It’s a common problem for bands within the genre: Groups such as NOFX and the Vandals stave off sonic monotony with frequent breaks for witty banter. Strung Out didn’t flash enough personality to sustain momentum through a sixteen-song set.
The Simi Valley, California-based band sporadically tried to engage the crowd, with mixed results. Strung Out baffled the young audience with Edie Brickell and Loretta Lynn references, then replicated Anthrax’s turbo version of Joe Jackson’s “Got The Time,” undaunted by the diminishing returns of covering a famous cover. (Speaking of covers, singer Jason Cruz made a running gag of local opener Super Black Market’s rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” It wasn’t especially clear whether this was a good-natured gibe or a dick move: The absence of the traditional shout-out to the warm-up bands might round it down to the latter.)
Cruz expended considerable energy as he sang, his densely tattooed arms grasping the microphone stand as if he were clinging tightly to a cliff-side branch. He seemed exhausted near the end of the performance, crouching until he sunk below the sight lines of all but the first row of fans. Despite all that effort, his tuneful vocals weren’t as pronounced as those of the evening’s other singers, mostly due to a mix that allotted more volume to the group’s back-up vocalists.
Strung Out’s performance couldn’t be considered riveting, but the quintet remains technically tight and reasonably energetic, an impressive feat at the sixteen-year mark.
Kansas City’s Roanoke couldn’t achieve that kind of longevity. Formed in late 2004, this Kansas City-based quintet billed this gig as its “last Kansas City show,” a semantic oddity that became more explicable with its post-concert announcement of a possible “final, final, final Roanoke blowout in Lawrence” later this summer. Creative differences caused the split, and during this show, it was easy to trace the fault lines.
Caleb Goellner sings in a mealy whine, delivered with the sort of boyish sensitivity spectators might expect from a frontman whose first on-stage move is to kick off his shoes and go barefoot. When his shrill, high-pitched delivery shifts to a rhythmic cadence, he sounds like a Beastie Boy, a resemblance enhanced by his choppy so-what’cha-want hand gestures. Occasionally, he attempts a hardcore growl to match the group’s gratuitous breakdowns. He really doesn’t have the throat for this task. Toward the end of the set, he offered fledgling musicians this advice: “Sing, don’t scream. It’s not healthy for you.” Goellner should heed his own words as he considers future projects.
Roanoke played a strange “final” set, devoting significant space to brand-new material instead of giving fans a final chance to hear selections from 2006’s full-length Distaste and last year’s EP. The unrecorded tunes combined progressive rock, hardcore and metal in a manner that seemed more disparate than eclectic, offering tangible evidence that these musicians were headed in different directions. Guitarists Paul Herman and Alex Ellis bolstered Goellner’s faltering falsetto with harmonies, and they both proved they could shred during their solos. Herman also unleashed several robust growls: Should some permutation of the backing band inherit Roanoke’s catalog in the divorce, he’d be a natural fit to replace Goellner during the hardcore passages.
Super Black Market, not much older than Roanoke, appears in much better health. In fact, the Warrensburg-based trio has improved significantly over the past two years, and its freshly written tunes boost hopes for a dynamite sophomore disc. Whereas Super Black Market’s early numbers coasted on velocity and angry rallying cries, sometimes falling into repetitive ruts, its new songs contain sturdy bridges and intense instrumental crescendos, preserving the energy and interest levels throughout their duration.
Singer/guitarist Sonny Remlinger possesses a strong, powerful voice, alternately reminiscent of early clarion punks such as 7 Seconds’ Kevin Seconds and the Architects’ rock-soul belter Brandon Phillips. He tinges it with a British accent, most pronounced during the aforementioned Oasis cover, but it’s never Sex Pistols snotty. When Remlinger belted out “There’s Going to be a Party Tonight,” the room had an expectant, light-hearted vibe, adopting the ambience the chorus suggested. By contrast, Strung Out fueled a few mosh pits, but it could never quite get the party started.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: My two favorite Strung Out songs, “Rottin’ Apple” and “Population Control,” didn’t make the set list cut. Both appeared in fine form on the group’s 2003 concert album Live in a Dive.
Random Detail: Costumed club fixture Ricardo dressed as a tissue box emblazoned with the brand name “Blow Me.” Strung Out’s Cruz clumsily referenced the spectacle, initially dismissing it as an acid-catalyzed hallucination and then gruffly berating Ricardo (in his inscrutable he’s-either-kidding-or-he’s-an-asshole manner) for freaking him out.
By the Way: Super Black Market’s much-maligned “Wonderwall” interpretation actually wasn’t bad, though it would be nice to see the band dig deeper in the Oasis back catalog.
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