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Mike Watt |
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LIVE REVIEWSLive from Tobacco Road: Shows in and around North Carolina |
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While most of Chapel Hill mobbed Franklin Street for the yearly Halloween bash, a small gang of trick or treaters sought refuge in the Cat's Cradle to hear Mike Watt. After an opening set by Halifax, the Bad Checks warmed up the crowd with a round of edgy trash punk. The Checks' lead singer rattled a maraca and made rough love to the mic stand as the band doled out their angst-filled treats. At the end of the set, one fan dressed in a John Travolta disco suit placed a handful of tootsie rolls on the stage--a meager Halloween offering to these elder-statesmen of local punk-a-billy. Mike Watt and his band then appeared wearing proper Halloween attire--the drummer was a jester, the guitarist a mangy wolf man, and the man of the hour wore a paper-mache Stan head from the cartoon South Park. Halfway through the show, Watt ripped off the head and stomped it into the stage. "Make your own cartoon," he told the audience after blasting the evils of commercialism. Watt and his band delivered a tight set centered around Watt's thundering bass. The band played some Watt solo tunes like "Big Train" as well as some Minutemen classics, but the real treats came when the guitarist took over the drums, and the drummer picked up a saxophone. The three-piece then tore through the Stooges' "Fun House" and Pere Ubu's "Life Stinks" before closing with an excellent rendition of Coltrane's "My Favorite Things." After the show, Watt peddled T-shirts and records from the stage. He also shook many grateful hands and conversed with the crowd. Despite his status as a card-carrying rock star, Watt seems to prefer the role of grassroots musician. And his fans appreciate it. Andrew Helminger |
MIKE
WATT WITH THE BAD CHECKS & HALIFAX
