Blacking out with Tesco Vee, Joey Shithead, John Brannon and Lee Ving.
Let me start with a shoutout to Ramona Roa and Black Iris Booking. Not only did they put together a flawless show, with a stacked line-up and a BBQ, but they also offered to put me on the guest list and help with a photo pass if needed. I like to buy tickets and merch to support the venues and bands, but the offer was greatly appreciated. They put together a really great flyer for the show and even added the legendary band Easy Action (fronted by Negative Approach’s John Brannon) just before the date arrived. But this was one of the most anticipated shows of the year for another reason, and that reason is Tesco Vee.
Bill Kozy's Rising Force - All Photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
With a car full to maximum capacity, we headed down early to catch Bill Kozy’s Rising Force and maybe have time to check out the BBQ before the show. Bill Kozy tore it up as always, they are becoming a staple at Detroit punk and speed rock shows. They were already on when we got there (due to road construction and a badly timed wrong turn), so we caught the last half of their set and then headed to the BBQ out on the patio before Bastardous was scheduled to play. The food was amazing, and we had a table on the patio overlooking the city. The patio was packed with local celebrities and the slew of punks that go to all of the shows. Everyone was friendly, and it had the atmosphere of a house party attended by all of your lifelong friends.
Bastardous have been on several Detroit shows that I attended recently, including the Tied Down Festival and supporting Off With Their Heads at Smalls Bar (both incredible shows). Admittedly I didn’t have any Bastardous in my music collection before this show, but their set was enough for me to track down their S/T 2015 release on Bellyache Records (also available on bandcamp). They have more of a rock-n-roll sound, closer to Bill Kozy’s Rising Force than Fear or D.O.A., but it worked perfectly at this show. It looks like at one point they shared a bass player (Rich Tschirhart) with The Suicide Machines, but he wasn’t at this show. The Suicide Machines were touring Texas at the time, so I’m not sure if this was a temporary or permanent change.
War on Women - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
The biggest surprise of this festival was activist, feminist, hardcore punk band War on Women. They started in 2010, their first release was in 2011 (a 10” vinyl called “Improvised Weapons”), and they are from Baltimore, MD. Their sound was right in between the rock-n-roll bands that preceded them, and the speed rock/punk bands that would follow. I found myself captivated by singer Shawna Potter’s energy and screams, and of course I enjoyed the faster songs more than the slower ones. Message aside, I was enjoying this band strictly for the music and adrenaline rush. On the way out, my group grabbed a small stack of their merch including two CDs that I’ll be checking out in more detail as soon as I have time.
In between War On Women and Easy Action, there was an acoustic performance on the patio. I watched it for a while, but it wasn’t my thing. It did provide a longer stretch to be outside, get some air, have more food and drinks, and prepare for the onslaught that was coming. As soon as we heard Easy Action taking the stage, we headed back in.
John Brannon is a local legend, Hell, he’s a legend anywhere. Starting out in Negative Approach back in the 80’s hardcore scene, he later fronted Laughing Hyenas and Easy Action. I’d never actually seen Easy Action, so I was glad that they were on this bill. It was the same four members that are currently Negative Approach, but with a markedly different sound (especially in John’s delivery of some of the songs). I thoroughly enjoyed their set, and as always, John’s scowling and growls. I didn’t want it to end, but next up was Against the Grain, and for me the most anticipated set of the night.
Against The Grain - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Against The Grain with Tesco Vee (The Meatmen) - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Against the Grain is the top Detroit speed rock band, and they blazed through a set of their originals that included "Sacrifice," "Armadillo," and “Rolling Stone” before the highlight of the evening… a two song encore with Tesco Vee of The Meatmen. Tesco took over on vocals for “Rock N Roll Juggernaut” and “Toolin’ For Anus," wearing his trademark “Dutch Hercules/Abba” overalls and bringing out his classic inflatable penis, confetti cannon, and penis guitar. He went through several costume modifications that included the lighted devil horns, sombrero, and dark sunglasses. It was a blistering couple of songs, and will be one of the highlights of the year for me. After the show, I met up with Against the Grain drummer Rob Nowak to ask him a few questions about Against the Grain, and how this all came together.
In Spite Magazine: I noticed that you share a guitar player with Bill Kozy’s Rising Force, is he a permanent member of both bands?
Rob Nowak (ATG): Kyle Davis has been a permanent member of Against the Grain since 2010, and recently became a full time bassist in Rising Force.
In Spite Magazine: What prompted ATG to start playing shows again?
Rob Nowak (ATG): We all felt like our hiatus wasn’t a permanent thing. We all had life things thrown at us and the pandemic forced us into different jobs/goals. With that happening, it took a little bit for us to transition from a full-time all in band, to having fun with it and doing what we’re able to. We were always friends and talked about it, but it took the push of Rob Cedar’s family benefit show to get us past just talking about it.
In Spite Magazine: Do you consider ATG a punk band, speed rock, or something else?
Rob Nowak (ATG): Speed rock with a heavy influence from punk, rhythm, and ethics wise. Speed rock is basically equal parts Motorhead, The Ramones, and Bon Scott era AC/DC.
In Spite Magazine: Is there any truth to a new album being in the works by Against the Grain?
Rob Nowak (ATG): Yup! We’re 7 songs deep as we speak. I feel very good about it. We’re focused on what we like to play and what we play best. I’m excited because we don’t have the time rush of tours or anything, so we can really commit to writing and mastering an album of exactly what we want.
In Spite Magazine: How did the collaboration with Tesco Vee first come about?
Rob Nowak (ATG): Our very first tour was support for The Meatmen, and we’ve done tons with him since. We did Tescofest, two Lansing shows, and even a second 14-day tour in 2015. He’s always been incredible to us. When we lost our gear in 2014, we held a benefit show where he MC’d and sold a ton of Meatmen merch. He cut us a check for what he sold. So when we were asked to do this show, I looked at the lineup, and we felt it was missing Tesco! We asked him and he was instantly down.
In Spite Magazine: Did Tesco pick the songs, or were those two songs favorites of ATG?
Rob Nowak (ATG): We suggested “Rock N Roll Juggernaut,” and he said let’s also do “Tooling for Anus!” We were stoked. Shit, I woulda loved to have done even more.
In Spite Magazine: Did you have formal practices with Tesco before the show, and what was that like?
Rob Nowak (ATG): We had one. We learned the songs 3 months prior to the show, and he drove out the week of the show. It was incredible. We played them once, and he made a few suggestions. We played them a second time, and he was satisfied. We spent more time catching up, laughing, and farting than we did playing the songs together.
In Spite Magazine: Is Tesco the same crazy persona off stage that he is on stage?
Rob Nowak (ATG): He has an incredible sense of humor, but he is super intelligent and thoughtful. Tesco onstage is a comedy act to me, and that takes intelligence.
In Spite Magazine: Any chance that the response to this show might prompt a future collaboration?
Rob Nowak (ATG): I don’t think so for us, but selfishly we were all hoping it would prompt him to do a few more shows with any Meatmen lineup.
In Spite Magazine: Does Against the Grain have any other shows coming up?
Rob Nowak (ATG): We do. We have one more scheduled for 2024, which will be our 15th year anniversary show. We’ll be supporting a legendary Detroit band. More info is coming soon. Then we’re preparing for a new album next year and hopefully some surrounding cities.
Joey Shithead of D.O.A. - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
D.O.A. was up next, a band I had listened to nearly all of my life but never had the chance to see live. “Let Them Eat Jellybeans” (compilation LP) was one of the first records that I ever bought, and D.O.A.’s “The Prisoner” was a life changer for me. Their set was even better than expected. They opened with “Class War” (The Dils cover), and ended with “The Prisoner.” The set included their iconic version of “Fuck You," originally by The Stiffs and also covered by The Subhumans (Canada), as well as a modified version of “Fucked Up Ronnie,” sung as “Fucked Up Trump.” Lead singer Joey Shithead (Joe Keithley) was more energetic than I could have expected for being 68 years old, playing his guitar over his head and with his teeth, running back and forth across the stage, and thoroughly enjoying himself. He even stopped and slammed a beer during “The Prisoner.” I can finally die happy.
Giuda - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Giuda was another surprise, a band that I hadn’t heard before. Given their place in the lineup, my expectations were high. They did an amazing cover of Blitz’s “New Age," and Tesco Vee was front and center in the crowd for the entire show, which both say a lot. I’m guessing that they get a lot of AC/DC comparisons. I’d agree, and all I gotta say about that is the kids don’t care (that was a reference to the lyrics from the Blitz song, if you didn’t catch it).
They put together a solid set, maybe more rock than punk overall, but it was perfect for this line-up. As a 5 piece band, they had a much fuller sound than some of the other bands, and most of the audience knew the lyrics and were obviously fans. I have some catching up to do!
And then finally, Fear hit the stage for a 24 song set. There are still two original members, Lee Ving on vocals (74 years old) and Spit Stix on drums (68 years old), and it doesn’t look like they will ever quit. They opened with their usual “The Mouth Don’t Stop” and went through all of the classics, including “I Love Living In The City," “New York’s Alright," “Beef Bologna," “Let’s Have A War," “Gimme Some Action," “We Destroy The Family," “Have A Beer With Fear," “I Don’t Care About You," and “More Beer." Lee had his harmonica on hand for a few of the songs, grabbed his junk where appropriate, and gave it his all. It took me back to being a teenager again.
