Starting tonight in Kalamazoo, MI, the 4th Annual UFO Dictator Fest rages into motion at Louie's Trophy House Grill with two star-studded nights of rock'n'roll craziness, beer-drenched euphoria and brain-draining good times. Kicking off the show tonight are local K-Zoo favorites Metal Teeth, who have been keeping a low profile since their debut 7" on UFO Dictator last year, but their minimal guitar scree, coupled with a wonderfully uncomplicated batch of songs will be sorely missed, as this is reportedly their final show. Well you'd better wipe away your teary eyes quick and get ready for Throbbin' Urges, who set the night ablaze with ripping guitars, undulating bass lines, and face-scraping vocals that are impossible to ignore. If you need a taste of modern Kalamazoo, the Urges are your band, and you better not forget it. Another one of the town's most adored mainstays and with two recently released 7" singles on Floridas Dying and their own in-house label, The Menthols, will ransack the bar and slobber all over your girlfriend with their pummeling bad vibes and greasy intentions. Gas up on these guys as they'll do their best to numb the sting of Mesa, the hard-rockin, cigarettes 'n hot wings-kinda bar band that might miss the point if you're not part of their drinking crew.
Regardless, the whole momentum of tonight is summed up by the anxiously awaited first live appearance of Black Orphan, the ambiguously recondite recording unit responsible for two recent releases on UFO Dictator and HoZac this summer, and may or may not include members of The Spits in their entourage. Will they descend onto the stage in a shrouded mist of inexplicable anonymousness, or will they emerge completely enraged and unveiled and buzz their way inside your rotten skull and lay eggs in your ear cavities? Unless you're there tonight, you won't know until tomorrow, so don't miss it.
Saturday's festivities kick off with the boozin' and bruisin' bad boy Tony Sagger and his One Man Band, that should brush the dust right off your hangover and kick your ass back into shape for another session of heavy beer pounding and daylight double vision. If you haven't had the pleasure of being around Tony when his voice starts to crack from all the screaming he does, well then you just haven't really lived. Next up are Bad Indians, a relatively new Kalamazoo outfit that contains Jules from Metal Teeth, yet runs down the desert punk trail and off into the sunset without looking back. No records out yet, but keep an eye on these guys to blow your expectations right back into your pretty face. Up next are the wild party stallions that never show up dressed like shit, Milwaukee's finest Plexi 3! With their razor-sharp songs that cut right to the chase, Plexi 3 are poised to pop your brain right out of your skull, so don't go expecting cretinous sludge and noisy droning, but more along the opposite side of the coin. Pick up their excellent 7" EPs on Dusty Medical and HoZac Records for a powerfully sweet dose of their saccharine lightning pop formula that never disappoints.
And just as surprisingly as they emerged from obscurity for the Horizontal Action Blackout in 2003, Syracuse, NY's Penetrators will reign supreme and tickle the nuts of Michigan for the very first time in a live setting. Don't miss this rare opportunity and whatever you do, don't forget the words to "Shopping Bag!" Rounding out the last night of the fest are Snorkel, the early 90s Michigan oddball band that never got the exposure they deserved, hence their home run time slot. As yet another brick in the K-Zoo musical tapestry, Snorkel will hopefully win over lots of of new fans and be the last thing you remember when your blacked out night comes to a close.
check out a video of The Penetrators' classic "Shopping Bag" from the late 70s, right here...
