Joey Pizza Slice, PC Worship, Guerrilla Toss, And The Kids At The Monkey House September 22, 2014

Words by Tim Lewis.

I had a good time seeing music Monday night at The Monkey House. I was on the fence about going, but love the music of And The Kids, so around 8:30 I took the long walk to Winooski. The show was set to start at 8:30, but it was 9:10 when the musicians began to arrive, and turn the empty stage into a rock zone. It was 9:42 when Joey Pizza Slice took the stage and began to croon Moon River. He followed with a set of low-fi indie oddness that has been his trademark for years. A heavily distorted guitar and mic loosed his songs on the appreciative audience. He returned to the crooning for a bit with You Only Live Twice, but most of the show was his own stuff. He wrapped it up at 10:05 and DJ L’Enfant Sauvage played some obscure songs on LP’s and 45’s.

At 10:25 PC Worship hit the stage with a steady barrage of of sludgy metal. The two electric guitars, bass, drum band started with a swirl of chaos but settled into a groove. They stayed locked in on each song, and the only change in melody was brought out in the vocal lines. The music was heavy, rhythmic, and primal. The was almost no cymbal playing or lead guitar playing, just a river of heavy rock. The woman on drums pounded them with an elated fury. One of the guitar players picked up the sax for the last song, and they wrapped up about 11:00. I had a good time rocking in the groove they made.

The DJ came back for a few more songs, and I though And The Kids would follow, but Guerrilla Toss set up next. They hit the stage at 11:25 and played an intense 25 minute set. The singer shouted the lyrics and both she and the bass player spent the show in front of the stage. The guitar, drum, and keyboard players held fort on the stage as glowsticks were thrown to the audience. Their sound was kind of like a heavy fast Beastie Boys. They rocked us hard and we had a great time.

After they wrapped up, DJ Disco Phantom laid down some songs as the final band set their stage. And The Kids went on at 12:20 and the majority of the audience had stayed and were happily rocking out. They played great versions of Wiser and Cats Were Born and their songs were like a shimmering light after all of the heaviness. The singer, Hannah, dropped a great line about being honored to open for Guerilla Toss who just played before us. Their 33 minute set was pure bliss and made every effort that I put in to get there, completely worth it. As the last note faded, so did I. The walk home was quick and filled with joy.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.