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As a live music venue,Sluggo’s gets down and dirty
 | | Chad Molter (left) and Devin Ocampo of The Medications |
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Last month I reviewedBa’nana Republic, a bandwhich performs frequently atPensacola Beach’s Boardwalk.This month I decided it wastime to get back into the originalmusic scene, so I venturedout to the dodgy side ofPensacola to check out aThursday night show atSluggo’s, which has been relocatedto Cervantes St., and isfully-operational.
As far as venues go, Sluggo’sis among the nittiest of gritties,and while there’s nothinginherently wrong with this, youprobably won’t want to stumblein there wearing your Sundaybest, unless you’re trying tomake some obscure politicalstatement. The stage was largeenough to allow the bandsample real estate. The rest ofthe bar was somewhat confined,and with a large crowd, itfelt about like standing in acrowded elevator. However, itshould be noted that the crowdnever got violent or out ofhand, and that everyone wasrespectful to musicians andfans alike.
 | | Joanathan Parish of TheSelfish Gene |
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The Mobile-based bandNuees Ardentes was alreadyplaying when I walked throughthe door to pay the $7 covercharge. This quartet had chosento set up their bandstand onthe floor instead of the stage.The audience was gatheredaround in a dense cluster, mostof them dancing. I wasreminded of The Mars Voltawhile listening to this group,which thrived on fusiony,chops-laden rhythms. I noticedone member was singing into amicrophone, although strangely,no vocals could be heard.At the climax of the show, thedrummer sprang up and usedhis sticks to gouge holes in hisdrumheads. Then he tippedover the whole kit. This firedup the audience, and theyhelped him smash up hisexpensive equipment. Itseemed like a wasteful andmelodramatic stunt to me.Besides, no one can ever topKeith Moon.
Next up was Pensacola’svery own The Selfish Gene. Ipraised this band briefly in theMay issue of Splash!, so I wasglad to see their name on thelineup. I had really enjoyedtheir unique, dissonant groovesand quirky stage personalities.Whether they were tired orthey were fed up with soundissues, the group just didn’tseem as animated as they werewhen I last saw them. They stillgave a great performance, butfront man Jonathan didn’t gallopout into the audience asmuch, keyboard player Carla’svocals were dead in the water,and bassist Tim didn’t evenwhip out his harmonica. TheSelfish Gene is one of myfavorite local groups, and Icould tell they were simply havingan off night. On the plusside, the band had set up anexcellent merchandise stand,complete with multiplealbums, a DVD, T-shirts, and acollection of visual artwork bybassist Tim Hicks.
Following The Selfish Genewas a three piece touring bandcalled The Medications, fromWashington, D.C. TheMedications brought bombastic,no-frills rock to the stage.Their music was reminiscent ofgroups such as Burning Bridesand Whirlwind Heat, and I’mpretty certain they were LedZeppelin fans. he band servedup a blistering set of fast-paced,ballistic rock grooves, and theaudience loved it.
For the final act, DevinOcampo, The Medications’singer, hopped behind thedrums to team up withsinger/guitarist Mary Timony.The duo’s material beggedcomparisons to The WhiteStripes, although in my opinionMary’s guitar work oftenshowed more range JackWhite’s. The problem wasMary’s vocals, or lack thereof.She made a few half-heartedattempts to sing, but nothingreally came through. I recalledthat the other bands had experiencedsimilar troubles. As amatter of fact, the sound manhad caught a good deal of criticismthroughout the night.During Mary Timony’s set, Ieven listened to him shout andcurse at a fan who had complainedabout the vocals.
Sluggo’s has the potential tobe a fine venue, but I thinkthere are some obvious bugs tobe worked out. I’m not surewhat exactly was to blame forthe sound issues, but theseproblems should be addressedbefore the show takes place,and hopefully prevented in thefuture.
To stay up to date on themusical lineup at Sluggo’s, visitwww.sluggos.tk
If anyone has a suggestionfor a praiseworthy venue orband to check out, e-mail me atrupert@gulfbreezenews.com
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