Hey, old man! What's in the bag? - Trixine

For more info on the Seattle based
Murder City Devils, check out www.subpop.com
and definitely pick up one of
their full lengths like their self titled
debut or more recently, In Name and
Blood. The Thelema EP is an excellent
choice as well. Be prepared for something
completely different in this world
of re-runs, with an energy and passion
tantamount to sex. I can’t explain what
they sound like since there’s nothing out
there quite like this, but if you think
you’d like punk and rock & roll with a
Moog synthesizer, then the Devils are a
must-hear.
when I thirsted for a passion that I could
only be quenched by the sounds of
punk rock. Abandoning the scene as my
interests evolved, not since I was a kid
has a band done it for me. But these
guys definitely rocked my world and I
can’t wait to see what their new projects
are all about.
‘he went from rum to whiskey…’” when
they played it again. I went totally nuts
and called Duck immediately. He told
me it was the Murder City Devils and
as fate would have it, they were playing
at the Troc the very next day. And, it
was their last tour ever.
10.11.01 Live @ the TROCADERO in
PHILADELPHIA by Sarah Tweddle
So, I rushed to get tickets, and bought
their lasted EP, Thelema, to get a listen
and repeat of all the songs I heard on
WKDU. Tomorrow came and I was totally
amped. It had been quite some time
since my last rock show at the Troc, but
this definitely broke the seal and had me
coming back for more.
I suppose it all started when listening to
Duck’s punk show on college station
91.7 WKDU. I haven’t really listened to
anything full time with guitars in it since
I was a teenager, but this brought it all
back. So, I took it as a sign to return to
my roots and start listening to punk
again. I called up the station and started
requesting old favorites like the
Plasmatics and Screeching Weasel, stuff
I haven’t heard in years. I dusted off my
vinyl collection and traded in Paul
Oakenfold and VNV Nation for the
Misfits and Lard. I bought a Ministry CD
and fell in love all over again.
What’s Spencer
thinking about now?
In a discussion with front man vocalist,
Spencer Moody, I received some
insight on their inspirations. This includes
“obscure things that freak people out,”
which is apparent in their tune,
“Midnight Service at the Mutter
Museum.” This is a song about “people
who like fucked up things,” just like
Philly’s own Mutter, a collection of
deformed fetuses and other medical
anomalies. He mentioned several noir
films as sources of influence, including
“Night of the Iguana” and “Magnolia”
which I imagine will continue their effect
when he bands with current mates, Dan,
Nate and Coady to form something
even “louder and crazier with more
abstract lyrics.” And inquiring minds
want to know, as diehard fan, John
questioned, “how many beers does it
take you to get drunk?” Spencer just
smiled knowingly and answered “quite
a few.”
The opening band, American Steele,
kicked ass with a passionate performance,
preparing the crowd for a night
with the Devils. Then the moment came
when they took the stage and my rediscovered
love for rock n’ roll was then
validated. For the next length of time, I
was in heaven. They played all my
favorite tunes, and apparently every
one else’s since the crowd went insane.
The pit was as fun and friendly as pits
can be, as we all huddled to shout the
song words out. I suddenly retrogressed
to a time as an angst-driven teenager,
Then one day I heard this song on the
radio that touched me in a deep, dark
special place that even I didn’t know
about. I couldn’t believe that after all
these years of being jaded I could hear
something once and fall for it. It seems
like all the bands I dug either ceased to
exist or suck now. Then this. I had to
know what it was, so I listened religiously
for days to find out. Desperate, I was
just about to call up the station to ask
“hey, you know that song that goes like
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