The weather may be cold outside, but that has done nothing to slow down all of the great shows that have been happening around Detroit. The last couple of weekends have found me at the Lager House by Tiger Stadium where I was fortunate enough to squeeze in and catch shows by the some of the best bands in the area.
Last week (January 12th) the Hentchmen headlined with the Paperbacks and Whirlwind Heat providing the opening salvos. I was late coming in for the Paperbacks and only caught the last few songs, but it sure sounded like some great old-fashioned punk rock. They were loud, fast and had a great attitude – just the way I like it. As I walked in - they were playing a song called "Drop Dead"; hopefully that was just a coincidence.
Next up were Whirlwind Heat – another of the Detroit bands that appeared on that very famous Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit compilation. By that time the Lager House was jammed and it was almost impossible to get anywhere near the stage. Whirlwind Heat blasted through a great set and set the stage for the Hentchmen. I haven’t seen these guys in a while and they absolutely rocked the place. Unfortunately, they managed to blow an amp near the end of the set and deprived us of a few minutes of music, but that just made me more anxious to see them again.
After such a night like that, it was too hard for me to resist coming back to the Lager House the following Saturday, where a triple dose of the Shams, Ko & the Knockouts and the Come Ons awaited me. The Shams came in from Cincinnati to open up the evening’s festivities. The Shams play a very authentic brand of 60’s style garage rock and were very enthusiastically received. I meant to buy a copy of their CD, but somehow got sidetracked and never did get a chance to hear it; hopefully they will be back in the area soon. Up next were Ko & the Knockouts, who had also put on a splendid show at the Magic Stick on New Year’s Eve. The debut CD from Ko & the Knockouts should be out very soon on the Sympathy for the Record Industry Label and I can’t wait to hear it. This night they sounded better than ever at the Lager House. A word of advice – if you really want to “see” the bands at the Lager House – you need to get in front of the stage, as the place fills up fast and the stage can’t be much more than a foot above the ground. The Come Ons finished off the evening with a whole bunch of great songs, including stuff off their new CD “Hip Check” as well as their older material. It seems appropriate that a band from Detroit calls their new album – “Hip Check” – it will provide a great soundtrack to the Red Wings run for the Stanley Cup.