Scene & Herd - Do The Metal

For as long as the U.S. and the U.K. have been exporting rock music to the rest of the world, the rest of world has been attempting to reprocess and export it right back at us. Most of the attempts fail. For every “Autobahn” (the German group Kraftwerk’s mid-’70s hit techno-pop simulation of a Beach Boys car anthem), there are a million We All Togethers. We All who? My point exactly. We All Together was a very, very (very) obscure early ’70s Peruvian pop band that sounds uncannily like Paul McCartney & Wings fronted by John Lennon. (Ask me nicely and I’ll play you one of the band’s songs.)

Of all places, Japan has been one of the most successful at turning out “Western” pop music that Americans appreciate. Groups like Shonen Knife, Cibo Matto and the 5.6.7.8.’s all have had success in the U.S. with their slightly-off yet endearing interpretations of American rock. Last Friday, two of Japan’s more current rock offerings, Guitar Wolf and Electric Eel Shock, played to a packed back room at the Earl.

Electric Eel Shock is a goonish power trio that splits the difference between Black Sabbath and AC/DC. They look like typical rock-loving kids, but they’re master showmen. Their singer/guitarist Aki Morimoto fired off ’80s-style metal solos while bassist Kazuto Maekawa stood on the monitors and pointed at the crowd. The drummer was naked except for a tube sock covering his ding-dong. The sock touched the floor.

Their songs, with titles like “Do the Metal,” “Rock-n-Roll Can Rescue the World,” “Suicide Rock-n-Roll,” and “Zombie Rock-n-Roll” are primarily about the act of rocking. They also have a song called “I Can Hear the Sex Noise,” but I couldn’t make out what it was about.

After EES came Guitar Wolf. Dressed like stars of a Japanese stage version of The Wild Ones, the group is more into Stooges and Ramones-type rock. The bandmates looked fantastic, but unfortunately they didn’t sound that great. The singer seemed pretty drunk and his mic was broken for a good part of the show. I’d still go see them again, though.

Last Thursday afternoon, electronic music artist and Eminem-muse Moby stopped by Criminal Records in Little Five Points for an in-store appearance. Lil’ Mo’ (he totally said I could call him that) was on hand to promote his new CD, Hotel, as well as a new book, Teany Book, co-authored by Kelly Tisdale. Teany Book was inspired by the pair’s Manhattan tearoom/restaurant, Teany. The book features recipes, health tips, and pictures of Moby dressed in silly outfits. It’s a sort of vegan-friendly version of Madonna’s Sex book, except it’s all tea and no A.

Moby didn’t perform any of his music (translation: press play) during his appearance, but he did offer autographs, souvenir snapshots, and polite conversation to all comers. When I say polite, I don’t just mean “polite for a celebrity.” I mean he’s an especially kind and gracious person who engaged his fans on whatever subject they chose to spend their 30 seconds talking with him about. I had a pen, so I started jotting some it down. Moby on veganism: “You should take iron supplements.” Moby on autographing things: “Sharpies work well on ceramics.” Moby on autographing things, part 2: “It’s not so much the hand that gets tired, it’s the wrist.” Moby on modernity: “Modern dentistry makes life worth living.” There you have it.

Moby was not the only bald-headed musician in town meeting and greeting his adoring public. Early Saturday afternoon, soul legend and “South Park” chef Isaac Hayes shook hands with some of his fans at North DeKalb Mall. He wasn’t promoting a book or a CD, though. Hayes was promoting U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who invited him to join her for an “open house” at her North DeKalb Mall office.

Wearing an electric blue suit, matching shirt and dark sunglasses, Hayes was pretty quiet, letting McKinney do most of the constituent-greeting and handshaking. However, Hayes did explain to the crowd that while McKinney is not a black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks, she is in fact a cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about. Can ya dig it?

AND I RAN: Last Friday night, the Emory Persian Club hosted the Emory Norooz Party, a dance party in the university’s Winship Ballroom to celebrate Persian New Year. Norooz is an annual 13-day festival that begins on the first day of spring. Like many holidays, it’s a time of family gathering, gift-giving and overeating. In Atlanta and many other cities with large Iranian-exile communities, it’s also a time to dress up and go to a Persian dance party. The crowd at the Emory party was pretty small when I arrived (I was early), but the people who were there didn’t mind. To the sound of anthemic Persian dance pop spun by Atlanta’s DJ Mansour, everyone there, even the Americans, were doing that fun Persian dance - the one where the women move their hands like they’re casting spells and the men move in a way that’s half nightclub, half Greek wedding.

dead man’s party: After the Norooz party, I headed over to East Atlanta’s Inner Sanctum for The Death Show. Located next to a small cemetery, the Inner Sanctum is a former church that has been converted into an art space. It’s got a vibe similar to that of the late Art Farm. The Death Show was a music, poetry, dance and visual arts show all about death. Audience members wore ghoulish makeup and skeleton masks. I walked in during the spoken word/poetry portion of the show, where I heard the Johnsons. They’re a couple of professional ghost hunters who make audio recordings of “ghosts.” The ghosts sound like people making weird noises near an open microphone.

After they finished, I stuck around for an interpretative dance by the Epiphany Dance Troupe, accompanied by Middle Eastern drumming and violin. I’m no Twyla Tharp, but my interpretation of the interpretive dancing was that the dancers were depicting death and reincarnation. They started off sad and in black and ended up happy and colorful.

andisheh@creativeloafing.comFor more of Andy’s hijinks, see Scene & Herd at www.andy2000.org??