Maybe it takes the right temperament to appreciate the Dead Milkmen, but those four fashionless Pennsylvanians put on a terrific show Monday night that could, well, wake the dead (excuse the pun).
Though this paper once named the band the worst live act of 1987, their Speedway Cafe concert showcased the foremost practitioners of sarcastic rock (which also blends parts of punk rock, reggae, rockabilly and funk) at their best - fast, funny and just a little bit tasteless (OK, a lot tasteless, but oh well).Anyone could wind up being the target of the band's sardonic wit, and the band's targets that night included the Osmonds, New Kids on the Block, Metallica and the group's "favorite imprisoned rock star, James Brown."
Barbecuing the latter on their much-maligned and misunderstood "RC's Mom" (which contains the line "gonna beat me wife," in reference to Brown's antics that led to his prison sentence), keyboardist Rodney Cosloy Anonymous utilized his hoarsely hollered vocals to good effect.
The long-awaited live version of crowd-favorite "Bitchin' Camaro" had Anonymous and guitarist Joe Jack Talcum covering Donny and Marie's "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll" with savage slams directed toward good ole boys and gun users.
The band's best-disguised number was the college radio smash "You'll Dance to Anything (Instant Club Hit)," which was well-sheltered within the signature tune "Swordfish," including using the same head-banging musical arrangement.
Sad to say, but still many in the crowd didn't quite get the point of the song, which parodies the dance club drones who mindlessly dance away to songs without any regard to lyrical content.
Another favorite band target is the current breed of pseudo-hippies, who have little to do with their politically active predecessors. Opening with a mini-cover of the Beatles' "Let It Be," the band quickly launched into a brisk version of "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies."
A bit surprisingly, the Dead Milkmen evidently didn't come to tout the new "Metaphysical Graffiti" album, since the band covered as many of its older tunes as those from the new release.
However, the Dick Van Dyke show tribute "I Tripped Over the Ottoman" (from the afore-mentioned LP) sounded terrific, especially with sharp call-and-response instrumentals between Talcum's guitar shards and Dave Blood's bass thunder.
Helping the band immensely on this tour is the fact that Anonymous has moved to keyboards (in addition to his typical lead vocal duties), which sometimes allows Talcum to take the vocal spotlight, as on the band's biggest single to date, "Punk Rock Girl."
Showing diversity, Anonymous even turned in some Senor Wences-styled support vocals (shame on those of you who don't understand that tribute).
Anyway, the band's 90-minutes-plus set managed to make the already-hot and wall-to-wall crowd that much hotter. (Let's just say it was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit Monday night.) The Dead Milkmen may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they can certainly at least make it more flavorful.
Opening for the band were two trios, Anaheim, Calif.'s Don't Mean Maybe and the local band Dinosaur Bones. The latter slightly echoes the late, lamented (by this critic, anyway) Minneapolis trio Husker Du.
Tight vocal harmonies - especially difficult to achieve with a loud punk-pop sound - helped out DMM's "Hope Train" and "I'm Happy I Feel Good," which also featured tight and capable playing.
Dinosaur Bones also blends tight harmonies with its snarling funk and metal mix, which sometimes recalls Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Wonder Stuff.
The two contrasting musical styles don't really coexist peacefully, though, especially on the sloppy metal overkill of "Stop."