Menu
Just thought I'd post a quick review of a great, semi-last minute show put
on by one of the landmark institutions of the East Coast surf scene...the
Irrefutable Irreversible Slacks.
Originally thought to be on long-term hiatus with the recent relocation of
lead guitarist, Circus Slack, to Austin, TX, the venerable strat picker
made a return trip to NYC to attend a wedding, so a last minute gig at the
Luna Lounge was put together. I received official notice of the show via
one of these lists on Thursday - even though the rumor of such a show was
communicated to me by an anonymous Slack during Dusty's performance with The
Nebulas @ the Dick Dale aftershow party a few weeks ago.
After hemming & hawing about making another trip to NYC in what would surely
be another deluge of torrential rain - I pulled the trigger Sat afternoon
and booked a room in nearby Chinatown. I certainly didn't want to drive
into or out of the city in crappy weather - and nothing sucks more than
trying to catch the last train out & either missing it, or missing part of
the show. I view it as an investment in surf, which somehow manages to
outperform other genres of music - even in this bear market.
So after getting to the city around 9pm - walking halfway to Chinatown in
the rain (without my trusty umbrella, which was fatally damaged during a
recent golfing accident) before deciding to hail a cab. After eating a
hearty meal in Little Italy - which appeared to be having some sort of
festival as the streets were closed off while throngs of touristy types
milled about - I was ready to drink - Slacks-style.
In honor of what would probably be the last Slacks performance for at least
a while - although no one in the band was using the word "final," which is
always a good sign - I decided to drink the nectar of champions (and British
Imperialists) - GIN. The Luna Lounge was crowded, yet ample supplies of
Tanguray and/or Bombay were flowing into this observer's liver, as both a
preperatory stimulant for a great event, and as a vaccine against the
monotonous drone of the opening bands' Velocity-Girl-circa-1992-influenced
power pop (there weren't any girls in either of the two bands, but one guy
certainly sang like a eunuch).
At last, optimum crusiing altitude had been attained & the Slacks were about
to go on. As usual, the band had been in the hot, moist club for hours -
dressed in full Slacks attire - matching suits/shirts/ties (although one
member was missing his handkerchief). They approached the stage through the
crowd like zombies to what sounded like the theme song to The Omen (or maybe
it was The Omen II). Flashlights hung from the neck cast an eerie bottom
light on their faces, which made their entrance extra spooky (just the way
you like it).
Then the assault commenced with the assistance of reverb tanks brought in by
Mike "Staccato Rosdo" Rosado of 9th Wave, who was in attendance with 9W
Farfisa virtuoso Sandy Oceana. The tank really helped Idlewild Slack get
the monster tone out of his weathered '64 Jag & '73 Silverface Twin - nothin
beats a great surf band with a full-on rhythm guitar with reverb - except a
great surf band with all of the above AND a kick ass sax player in the form
of Havana Slack, a technically superior lead player backed by a thunderous
rhythm section. The played some of their best originals including Mt
Slackatoa, Walter PPK and Bulgarian Yogurt Volcano, not to mention their own
trademark versions of The Wedge, Journey to the Stars, Hawaii Five-O and a
bombastic encore of Squad Car.
In this case, I'm glad to have seen these guys many times over the last few
years and hope they can muster a reunion show as often as their busy
schedules allow.
-tfj-
_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
