Review: Flesh Hungry Dog’s Horror Hungry December Offering (with The Joans, Coltrane Motion…) By Brian Kirst

www.thejoansband.com;
www.fleshhungrydog.com
www.beazleyphillipsband.com
www.myspace.com/motion (Coltrane Motion)

With songs like “Berserk” and “Trog” named after Joan Crawford’s latter day fright epics, the Chicago based band The Joans brings a long needed rock and roll voice to Hag Horror. While songs such as “Joan Crawford Goes to Hell” and “Christina” undoubtedly play on the joke factor, they also simultaneously sound like mini garage rock masterpieces smartly filtered through the pop factory of Deborah Harry at her Blondie-est, Pat Benatar at her rocking-est and Terri Nun from Berlin at the height of her ‘Starsky and Hutch’ guest starring appeal.

At December’s Flesh Hungry Dog Show, The Joans commanded the stage with Davy Jones (David Cerda) leading the way with acerbic wit and the best Joan Crawford impersonation this side of a Californian graveside. Their counterculture charm not only melds expertly with music lovers in the horror community but is a perfect compliment to the Flesh Hungry Dog Show, one of Chicago’s most eclectically enjoyable events. Rolling into the city the first Friday of every month at the legendary Jackhammer bar, the Flesh Hungry Dog Show generally features three different alternative rock bands and two burlesque (and prize) filled intermissions involving the multi-talented Ms. Bea Haven and her students and friends. All of this activity is augmented by professional DJ’s (including the lovable, renowned DJ Sky) and B movies (often supplied by Horror Society staff) excitedly humming in the background. Host and founder Gary Airdale fills the entire event with a classy punk filled exuberance and, in only a few years of existence, he has established one of the city’s most exciting entertainment values (tickets generally range between $8 and $10)!

The December show also featured the swirling, guitar fueled rhythms of the amazing Coltrane Motion and the A&R Magic of piano man Beazley Phillips’ band. Frequently featured on XRT, Phillips brings Elton John stylings into the rock millennium while the two amazingly friendly and talented members (Michael Bond and Matt Denewitz) of Coltrane Motion quickly established a frenzied, industrial dance party vibe – ultimately providing one of the best rock shows seen in Chicago in 2008. Participants whirled, daze like, while lead singer Bond gloriously howled “No, no, no, no!” in a sweat soaked, blissful glow.

Be sure to be true to your own inner terror matriarch in 2009 by keeping a close watch on future events from all these talented individuals.