How Do You Get Gwar Blood Out?

How Do You Get Gwar Blood Out?

click to enlargeI'd like to start this review by giving my wife's recipe for getting out Gwar blood.

1. Rinse 3 times in cold water

2. Wash in warm water with detergent and vinegar 3 times

3. One more wash with cold water and detergent

Yes, you go to a Gwar show and your friends die. It's as natural as rain on a goddamn Sunday morning. My old friend Bert played taxi driver as we had not attended a Gwar show in about ten years. This year it was at the Showbox SoDo. Yes, in the Seattle area we have two clubs named The Showbox. The other one is the nicer Showbox Market. Showbox SoDo is where all the metal bands play though. I'm thrilled to see more of the bands I like playing there instead of the tiny and dark El Corazone. Better lighting for photography. Plus the air quality is much better as well.


We missed the first band Mobile Death Camp, but got in just in time for the band Infernaeon. This band could have been really great if their vocalist didn't come off like a total douche. He was the Death Metal version of one of those Jersey Shore guys. He might as well have been fist pumping like a mad man. His stage presence could not have been more boring if he stood still. It was like he had a club foot or something. His vocal delivery was about as flat and monotone as it gets. I understand that it's death metal, but does it have to be boring? Mix it up already so we don't fall asleep. Everyone else in the band however was the exact opposite. These guys were pure rockstars and put everything into it. Their playing was top notch and I am pretty sure they are the reason this band is signed. Now if only they could get rid of that boring vocalist.

Next up was the band The Casualties. I have to admit that the name didn't ring a bell until I saw the logo. Then I knew I was about to be hit with some good old school punk. What I got was something very similar to The Exploited during their Beat The Bastards album. They were smart to toss in a ton of covers and these guys know how to put on a show. For a band most had never heard of these guys had the crowd going nuts. I know can see why this band keeps getting bigger and bigger all the time. If you see them once you will be a fan. I know I am. I have a feeling that if the band had a mo0re stable line up they would be huge.

Next up was the mighty Gwar. The band has been around for a quarter century now and they haven't missed a step. They still kick ass on stage and they still spew more bodily fluids into the crowd than ever. I only counted three decapitations, but I was pretty far back in the crowd and couldn't see much. This band was better in a theater setting where those damn tall bastards like Bert Web didn't block the view. I hate to give away too many spoilers, but Lady Gaga was finally given the respect she deserves. I say I was way in the back, but that was because when you are carrying around camera gear you can't fight to the front like I did when I was in my 20's. When the show started I got to go in front of the security barricade and take some great photos that should be posted later this week. Before the band got on stage all the photographers were talking about how to protect or equipment from the onslaught that was about to happen. That Gwar blood can really destroy thousands of dollars of camera and lens in seconds. I found out that neither Brittney Bush or Graham Lee had plastic freezer bags for their cameras. Well, thanks to my very smart wife I had tons of extras. This was a good thing since we all got drenched. I think I may have got it worse than anyone somehow. Check their websites for photos. They took several. But no matter if I was in the photo pit or the crowd (photographers only ever get the first 3 songs), it was a blast and this band still has many years left in it. So if you haven't seen Gwar in awhile I suggest you go see them again. I know they had some lean times before, but they are back in a very big way. I just hope Gor Gor finds a way to return somehow. I miss the big guy.

Photos of all three bands coming later this week!

Comments

[Lisa Yury]

"These guys were pure rockstars and put everything into it. Their playing was top notch and I am pretty sure they are the reason this band is signed. Now if only they could get rid of that boring vocalist."

This is a GOOD reason why I don't always pay attention to the vocalists of *every single band* and really keep my ears on the actual production of music....especially the lead guitarist....because a lot of the time, I'm pretty much thinking and feeling the same way you are...all the vocalists are all starting to sound like one another and the same out there.