From The Vault - GREEN JELLY

If you were alive during the early 90s, it was hard to avoid the phenomenon of Green Jellÿ. Originally known as Green Jellö until they were forced to change the name, this costumed group could be viewed as a more comical, light-hearted take on GWAR's stage show. What brought widespread attention to Green Jellÿ was the awesome video for "Three Little Pigs" from their 1993 Cereal Killer Soundtrack album (check it out below)—drummer Danny Carey from Tool was a member of Green Jellÿ at the time. I never got to see Green Jellÿ during the height of the popularity (they cancelled at the last minute a show opening for Testament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1994), but was fortunate to catch them in San Diego on January 31, 2000 at Brick by Brick. Despite being out of the limelight for a while, a decent crowd turned out and the band put on a fantastic show. As you can tell from the pictures in the slideshow above, the band employs a ton of costume changes and actors to keep the show entertaining, but musically these guys bring out the metal in a heavy way. Sure, there's a lot of other shows going on tonight, but getting out to see Green Jellÿ is well worth your time.

Green Jellÿ performs tonight at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis with support from Impaler, Screaming Mechanical Brain, Iguana, and Rock And Roll Whores.

Tonight - Great Local Shows - AMBASSADOR GUN, NUISANCE, SCREAMING MECHANICAL BRAIN

Minneapolis' own Prosthetic Records recording artist Ambassador Gun unleash their grindcore mayhem tonight at Neisen's in Savage, together with The Murder, Climactic, Ghosthook, and Mastiff. The show should start around 7:00, and cover is $6 for 21+ and $7 for 18–20 year olds.

I can't find any information regarding the previously scheduled Bloodline Severed show set for tonight at the North Star Room in Mounds View, but apparently it's not happening.

Another local metal show takes place at Pov's 65 in Spring Lake Park with Nuisance, Pinwheel, Food For Thought, and A Prefabricated Lie. This is a 21+ show that will cost a $6 cover charge. The doors open at 7:00.

If you're in the south metro, you can catch local industrial metal terrorists Screaming Mechanical Brain with Revilwen, Dead Horse Trauma, Beautiful Corpse, and Heir Afire at the What's Up Lounge in Mankato. This is an all ages 7:00 show that's only $5 at the door.

Tonight - (HED)P.E. in St. Paul

(hed)p.e. performing at the Tattoo The Earth festival in San Bernardino, CA on August 12, 2000. Click on the picture to read the From The Vault post with more pictures (22).

Happy Easter everyone! Easter brings no relief from the onslaught on shows, so here we go. Long-running rap-core band (hed)p.e. brings their show to Station 4 in St. Paul tonight with local support from Nuisance, Strate-Jak-It, and Angry Room. This is an all ages show that starts early at 6:00; tickets are $15 at the door. Check out my earlier posts where you can download audio of (hed)p.e. live in 1998 and pictures from the Tattoo The Earth Festival in 2000 as part of the From The Vault series.

If you're in the south metro area, it's not too far to Mankato to see local industrial metal band Screaming Mechanical Brain at the What's Up Lounge with Candy Machine Guns from Milwaukee and Evasive Maneuver. This is an all ages show that starts at 8:00, and is $8 at the door. I reviewed SMB's The Policy Of Unilateral Hate album here (9/10), and Candy Machine Gun's show opening for Red Lamb at Station 4 in St. Paul here.

Check out the video for "Salt The Earth" (demo version) from Screaming Mechanical Brain (lyrics not work friendly).

Candy Machine Guns performing March 24, 2013 at Station 4 in St. Paul. Click pictures to see more photos of Candy Machine Guns (17).

Lastly, local band Apocalypse Theatre has their Revolution Circus show with a variety of performance artists at G.B. Leighton's Pickle Park in Fridley.

In Concert This Week - March 29, 2013

The crush of concerts continues over the next week, so pick and choose wisely!

Tomorrow, Friday, March 29, industrial/dance band I:Scintilla plays Ground Zero in Minneapolis with Gabriel And The Apocalypse, Go Fight, and Goodnight Criminals.

Saturday, March 30 is a big night starting with As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, For Today, and The Chariot at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The same night pop-punk band Sum 41 plays Mill City Nights in Minneapolis with Hollerado. Also on Saturday, Station 4 in St. Paul has local shock masters Impaler with Mordwolf, Mastiff, and Compassion Dies.

Sunday, March 31 may be Easter, but there’s still some great live music to be heard. Rapcore crew (hed)p.e. returns to Station 4 in St. Paul with Nuisance, Strate-Jak-It, and Angry Room. Local industrial metal band Screaming Mechanical Brain plays the What’s Up Lounge in Mankato with Milwaukee’s Candy Machine Guns and Evasive Maneuver. Also on Easter Sunday, you can catch Apocalypse Theatre and their Revolution Circus show at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley.

Candy Machine Guns stick around the area for another show on Tuesday, April 2 at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley.

Candy Machine Guns performing March 24, 2013 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Denmark’s Volbeat return for another sold-out show, this time at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 3 with support from Danko Jones and Spoken. Swedish sleeze rockers Crashdiet play the same night at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley with Crucified Barbara and Snakeskyn Whiskey. Wednesday is also the start of the weekly, month-long residency for sludge band Witchden at Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis with openers Vulgaari and Buzzard.

If that isn’t enough, then Thursday, April 4 has one what should be one of the biggest thrash shows of the year with Anthrax, Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and Holy Grail at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Concert Announcements - July 23, 2012

There’s been little in the way of new shows announced, so this update will be brief.

Hard rock band Trapt will play Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, August 12 for a 16+ show.

Monday, August 13 sees the return of local black metal band Teratism with a show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

The reunited Broken Hope (with new vocalist Damian Leski) lands in St. Paul at Station 4 on Tuesday, September 18 with Decrepit Birth, Jungle Rot, and Encrust. Although this is smack-dab in the middle of a tour with Obituary headlining, Obituary will not be appearing at this show. There’s been no word on why this is, but hopefully all bands will be able to play longer sets.

Further details are now available for the My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult on Thursday, October 11. Support acts will be Canad’s Left Spine Down (with Front Line Assembly keyboardist Jeremy Inkel) and locals Screaming Mechanical Brain. This is an 18+ show, at tickets are on sale now for $20 in advance or at the door.

Locals Blue Felix, Nuisance, and Severah team up for a show on Saturday, October 27 at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley.

SCREAMING MECHANICAL BRAIN Album Review

Screaming Mechanical Brain – The Policy Of Unilateral Hate

SMB Laboratories, April 2012

9/10

I didn’t know what exactly to think when lead track “Salt The Earth” first blasted through my speakers, leaving my ears hurting and my mind confused. After a few careful listens I got it. The Policy Of Unilateral Hate, the new album from this Twin Cities-based electronic metal band is pure genius, melding numerous influences and sounds into a crazy, psychotic mix that slams your skull with massive intensity. Screaming Mechanical Brain’s origins go back some 15 years, and numerous releases and hard work since 2001 have resulted in widespread exposure in part due to several national tours with the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence and Psychostick (with whom some members have played with as touring musicians). The most obvious comparison to Screaming Mechanical Brain is Mushroomhead, but there’s also a healthy dose of Sybreed-like aggression. “The Girls Of Nihilism” has some cool layered vocals and sounds like it could have been written by long-forgotten early-90s band T-Ride, while “A Series Of Numbers” reminds me of Kraftwerk. Keyboards are used liberally throughout the album, and vocals are sung in a variety of styles from hoarse screaming to computerized voices. There’s so much going on in each song, but once you have a chance to disgust them it’s fun to listen to all the mayhem. The 11 songs clock in at a comfortable 38 minutes, and a full listen through the entire album leaves you gasping for air. Along with the two previously mentioned songs, other favorites are “Nothing To Believe”, “Conspiracy”, and “How We Became A Monster”. The Policy Of Unilateral Hate is one of the most original albums I’ve heard in a while, and there’s a remarkable amount of depth while retaining a high level of insanity. With the right support and a bit of luck, Screaming Mechanical Brain is poised to make a huge breakthrough.

Screaming Mechanical Brain performs tonight, Saturday, July 14 at Station 4 in St. Paul with support from Brothers Loyalty, If I Ran The Zoo, Molly’s Worst Enemy, Our Judgment, We Follow One, and Pierre.

In Concert This Week - July 12, 2012

This week is a little quiet on the concert front, but the rest of the month is booked solid with shows of all kind.

There’s two rock shows tonight, Thursday, July 12. At Famous Dave’s Blues Club in Uptown Minneapolis you can catch guitar legend Edgar Winter (most would recognize the instrumental “Frankenstein”) with Blatant Youth starting at 7 pm. In the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis, Hoobastank is playing at the Varsity Theater.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, and what better way to spend it than with the area’s own Impaler at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Opening the show are Revengeance, Rivkit, and Mördwölf. Also on Friday, The Casualties, Nekromantix, Down By Law, Lower Class Brats, Flatfoot 56, and The Sheds play in St. Paul at Station 4.

Local industrial metal band Screaming Mechanical Brain has just wrapped a string of tour dates and return home to Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, July 14 with Brothers Loyalty, If I Ran The Zoo, Molly’s Worst Enemy, Our Judgment, We Follow One, and Pierre.

Kid Rock gears up for a headline show at Rock Fest next week with a sold-out show at Mystic Lake Casino Amphitheater in Prior Lake on Sunday, July 15. Also on Sunday, you can catch punk band The Dopamines with Lipstick Homicide, The Slow Death, and The Manix at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, while Oh, Sleeper, A Plea For Purging, The Great Commission, Rest For The Weary, and Royal Ace play Station 4 in St. Paul.

Lastly, metal band God Forbid returns to play Station 4 in St. Paul on Wednesday, July 18 with support from Battlecross, Devilsex, Climactic, Reaping Asmodeia, Deretia, and Purified.