To understand this most prolific of bands, you have to know where they came from, and a great primer is the amazing documentay, "DIG!" I checked it out because of the other band profiled in the film, The Dandy Warhols, but as the movie unfolds, it becomes who the real rockers are. Though they took a divergent path, BJM has been incredibly prolific. With dozens of former members, they've spawned other great bands, too, including the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Still, like their voluminous discography, you never know what you'll get at a live show. For every trance-inducing, throwback surf rock gem, BJM has put out a lot of iffy tunes, too. And lead singer Antone Newcombe, more than just a little crazy, is known to literally stop songs mid-way through if he spots a mistake. He's also thrown more than a few punches at his bandmates, and fans now see if they can rile him up.
I don't know every BJM song -- they have at least 16 albums out -- but I know enough to consider myself more than a casual fan. Saturday night, they played all of my favorites, and the songs I didn't recognize sounded great, too.
I'm not sure why, but Turner Hall was less than half full this time around, compared to a nearly sold-out show last year. The crowd's energy just wasn't there, either, and it had an effect on the band's effort. Still, if this was mailing it in, I'll come back again and again and again. In a 90-minute set, BJM quite simply put on a clinic. Even though the show felt like a mirror-image of last year's -- but just a little less awesome -- it was plenty awesome, indeed.
Newcombe didn't speak much to the crowd; in fact, he rarely looked at us. He spent most of the time staring, then yelling at drummer Dan Allaire, presumably telling him to slow it down (same as last year -- shtick or for real?). Allaire was playing a little fast, but along with bassist Will Carruthers, the pair laid down a solid foundation for the five -- yes, five -- other guitars. Amazingly, despite the room's muddy acoustics, BJM sounded loud (actually, very loud) and clear. I particularly enjoyed the songs in which Matt Hollywood took the mic and sang lead.
Joel Gion, who's only job is to stand there and play tambourine, did just that, too -- dressed in denim from head to toe (just like last year). It's almost too funny, but that's this group's charm. Even without all the drugs (maybe), BJM is all rock and roll.
You'd think that with such a history for fireworks, BJM might have trouble pulling off a smooth set, but other than Newcombe stopping and scrapping one song, the rest felt deliciously fluid. They jammed through favorites like "Anemone," "If Love Is The Drug," "Servo" and many more from their 22-song greatest hits compilation, "Tepid Peppermint Wonderland." And while I do own their newest album, "Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?" I'm having a hard time getting into it, so I can't tell you how much they played from that disc on Saturday. My gut says not much -- and it didn't matter. Listening to BJM's sheets/walls of sound is one solid experience -- the individual songs almost meld together.
Opening band, Elephant Stone, was also good. The melodic Canadian group busted out a sitar and made some beautiful music that sounded a little like the Stone Roses to me -- which makes sense since it's a single by the Manchester Band from 1988.
So, one year removed, I'm still convinced I saw an amazing show last March, because in comparison, this excellent set wasn't quite as good. And that's saying something, because the smile never left my face last night. Even to a half-empty room, BJM came to rock, and my ears are still ringing -- in the best possible way. I'll see these guys each and any they return to Milwaukee, and you should, too. This is guitar-driven rock music at its finest.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
