3c&t 1-24-13
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A 16 Island Moon January 24, 2013
By Ronnie Narmour
And now something a little different…This week I decided to step outside my usual
rootsy box and attended a Metal Shop show at Brewster Street. It’s not really my usual cup of tea but I thought I’d check it out just for fun. I’m glad I did.
The Spazmatics…Metal Shop is the 80’s hair band equivalent
of the wildly popular 80’s nerd band, the Spazmatics. They are the products of a nationally syndicated company who assembles theme bands that are part nostalgia, part theatrics and part family night out. But, to Brewster Street Ice House they are money in the bank. I covered a Spazmatics show a few years back out of curiosity and brother did I ever get an eye opener. There are several handfuls of these franchised bands around the country that call themselves the Spazmatics and its big business. They dress as nerdy character and play 80’s top 40 radio hits (Devo, Depeche Mode, Men at Work, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, etc). There’s about eight or ten of them across the nation and Austin provides our regional product. All of the bands essentially look and sound exactly the same. At Brewster the Spazmatics hold the coveted title of being their “go to” band and have the honor of playing New Years Eve and all the big holidays and weekends. (They will be there on February 1st.) The band usually sells out every show and plays about seven or eight times a year. It’s amazing how many people pay decent money to see this novelty act. And according to the marketing wizards at Brewster, Metal Shop is a close second to the Spazmatics and the similarities are no coincidence. Corpus Christi apparently loves cheese.
Once bitten, twice shy…So I gathered up a few of my island pals
and we went to have a look-see. My little entourage consisted of music enthusiasts in four generations: 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and me… a most recent inductee into the 60’s club. My thirty-something buddy, Roberto Feldino, was the youngest of our group but actually had the most experience among us with hair bands since he lived in L.A. when bands like Guns and Roses dominated the air waves and every young girl’s heart. Personally, the 80’s usually found me in a seedy blues or country bar with absolutely no interest in any of the commercial successes of the day. I never cared for hard rock bands like Van Halen or Motley Crue… and cared even less for those sappy milk toast top forty acts like Madonna, George Michael and Cindi Lauper. But, everyone has an opinion and if it sells million of records, who am I to judge.
Metal Shop, Inc…I did my research
on Metal Shop and discovered the name is trademarked and there are many wannabe 80’s spoof bands out there… their website warns not to be fooled by lesser imitators… I guess you could get a rash or something. It turns out the Metal Shop production company is the same one that produces the Spazmatics (PWE Productions out of Los Angeles) and all of the sanctioned “Metal Shop” performers, in each of the eight different markets around the country, are “carefully selected and directed to perform, sing, and produce the backing tracks, and have been speci� cally directed in costuming, choreography, scripted comedy and other schtick since it’s debut in 1997.”
Please excuse my banging head, sir…I was impressed that Brewster sold nearly
1000 tickets for this show. The dichotomy of the crowd ranged from complete family units (including young children) to a majority of forty and � fty-something local guys wearing Megadeath t-shirts, plus at least as many head-banging hotties (if not more) of every age who looked like they might work day jobs as secretaries, teachers or nurses. I saw the same similarities at the Spazmatics show… lots of big groups of friends and families who came to party in mass… it wasn’t really a big singles scene. I also observed that when I tried to wiggle my way to the front of the stage to get take some photos, everyone was surprisingly polite and accommodating. That doesn’t always happen. It was like a big crowd of friendly aging head-bangers with manners.
Is that a blow dryer in your spandex or are you just glad to see me?
The band looked and played like a well seasoned machine. They were all actually pretty strong musicians but I’m not sure how much of what I heard was recorded tracks. One thing’s for sure, it was ear bleeding loud. The bass player, “Ginger”, kept a hand held mirror and hair dryer going on stage and spent considerable time primping his blonde waste length fake ratty hair. The lead singer wore skin tight spandex and sported (I’m assuming here) a cod piece. They all wore skin tight spandex pants but the singer was the only one who left no doubt as to his gender. His junk was pretty much on display. The guitar player wore bright red lip stick and thick blue eye makeup and liked to purse his lips like he was blowing kisses. There was so much turbulent hair � ipping going on up
there that at one point I thought someone might actually lose an eye if they weren’t careful. Also present was a bevy of swooning groupies crowded together in the front of the stage starring dreamily at the band members (the guy with the cod piece seemed to have the most dreamy eyed groupies in tow…shocker.) One of the groupies helped Ginger with his blow dryer so he could still play his guitar and look good doing it… kind of heavy metal multi-tasking. They went through the hair metal song book and sounded just like the records: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ratt, Tesla, Def Leopard, AC/DC, Ozzy, Van Halen, Guns and Roses, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, etc. I actually recognized some of the songs from when I worked on
construction crews in San Antonio.
So what, acting goofy is good clean fun!
I realized that the crowd had come to relive their youth and if bobbing your head to deafening rock guitar makes you happy, then go for it. Nobody got hurt and nobody went to jail. To be honest, I did get a little caught up in the moment and actually had a good time. I’m glad I went.
DO NOT MISS LISTThere are a few shows I’d like to
recommend in the near future. Bob Schneider (Austin, TX) will bring his bad boy ballads meet a funky Latin groove with a little rapid � re X rated hip hop thrown in to Brewster Street this Saturday, January 26th. I previewed this show pretty thoroughly in my column last week. The Third Coast Theater in Port A has announced three outstanding shows. Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines will perform on February 2nd. I recently saw these two remarkably talented artists open for Robert Earl Keen at Christmas. I’ve talked about them many times and couldn’t recommend a show more highly. The Third Coast Theatre is one of the warmest listening rooms I’ve ever experienced and I know Terri and Lloyd adore playing there. On February 9th, Richard Leigh (Nashville, TN) will play a song swap with Larry Joe Taylor (Stephenville, TX). Leigh is one of Nashville’s most proli� c songwriters. I sat down with him at Shorty’s one time and he walked over to the jukebox and played something like eleven of his songs. His most famous is probably, Don’t It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue. LJT of course, is everyone’s favorite around here. He pretty much invented Island Time. On February 16th, singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Keith Sykes, will play the Theater. Sykes has a vast body of work and is probably best known for writing the volcano song for Jimmy Buffett. And lastly, the absolute baddest mama I’ve ever known, Carolyn Wonderland (Austin, TX) will play the Rialto
Theater in Aransas Pass on Valentines Day. I’ll investigate that and let you know what the deal is next week.
And that’s the truth!
Carol Elliott
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Live Music
Thursday, Jan. 24Free Beer Band @ Tarpon Ice HouseJohn Eric @ Island ItalianAntone & the All Stars @ Dr. RockitsLocal Licks @ House of RockJohn Cortex Band @ Scuttlebutt’sWilliam Clark Green, Midnight River Choir, Blue Broussard @ Brewster Street Ice HouseA Cappella Corpus Christi Concert @ UTAMCC Performing Arts Center
Friday, Jan. 25Carol Elliott (5-7) @ Tarpon Ice HouseSamantha Aiken @ Coast ClubRay T & the City Crew @ Flats LoungeScarecrow People @ Executive Surf ClubDavid & Barbara Brown @ Coffee WavesChris Saenz @ Scuttlebutt’s John Cortez @ Dr. RockitsFive Card Draw @ Brewster Street Ice HouseAl Amin Shrine Circus @ American Bank CenterCruise Control @ South Texas Ice House
Saturday, Jan. 26Stevie Start @ Coast ClubKillamora @ House of RockBob Schneider, Zack Walther @ Brewster StreetPhil Pritchett, Matt Hole @ Executive Surf ClubGary Moeller @ Coffee Waves Blake Sparx @ Scuttlebutt’sMike Williams @ Hemingways RockportPride & Joy @ Dr. RockitsJohn Wolfe @ South Texas Ice HouseBertha, Vegatron, The Blind Owls @ The TexanJon Wolfe, John Eric @ South Texas Ice House
Sunday, Jan. 27Open Jam @ Tarpon Ice HouseTumble Dry Low @ Bernie’s Beach HouseBenefi t for Lynn (8 bands) @ House of RockMike Dillon @ Dr. RockitsOpen Jam @ Neptune’sBrian Permenter @ Scuttlebutt’s Open Mic w/ John Eric @ South Texas Ice House
Monday, Jan. 28Mike Williams @ Tarpon Ice House
Open Jam w/ Antone Perez @ Doctor RockitsJohn Eric @ Scuttlebutt’s
Tuesday, Jan. 29Fabian Rivera @
Scuttlebutt’sOpen Mic @ House of
RockParty of Three @ Dr.
Rockits
Wednesday, Jan. 30PA Rockers @ Bernie’s
Beach HouseHOBO @ House of Rock
Echo @ Dr. RockitsUel Jackson @
Scuttlebutt’sOpen Mic @ Executive
Surf Club Thursday, Jan. 31
Free Beer Band @ Tarpon Ice House
John Eric @ Island Italian
Wade Bowen @ Brewster Street
Antone & the All Stars @ Dr. Rockits
Mike Guerra & Trisum @ Scuttlebutt’s
Friday, Feb. 1Mike Williams (5-7) @
Tarpon Ice HouseSamantha Aiken @ Coast
ClubRay T & the City Crew
@ Flats LoungeShakedown @ House of
Rock Spazmatics @ Brewster
Street Ice HouseTime Pilots @ Executive
Surf ClubDark Energy @ South
Texas Ice House
Saturday, Feb. 2Stevie Start @ Coast
ClubTerri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines @ Third Coast
StudioMike Williams @
Hemingways RockportEclipse @ Executive Surf
Club Cirque Du Soleil @
American Bank Center Abrams Brothers @
UTAMCC Performing Arts Center
Bri Bagwell, John Eric @ South Texas Ice House
Sunday, Feb. 3Open Jam @ Tarpon Ice
HouseTumble Dry Low @
Bernie’s Beach HouseOpen Jam @ Neptune’s
7th Generation @ Dr. Rockits
Monday, Feb. 4Mike Williams @ Tarpon
Ice HouseWinter Sounds w/ Shirley
Fischer @ PACTOpen Jam w/ Antone
Perez @ Doctor Rockits
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January 25th & February 1st
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T IN T•Locally Owned & Operated•Specialize in Residential &Small Business Solutions
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AshVill Construction LLCResidential, Multi-Family & CommercialNew Construction
& RemodelsAshley R. Villarreal(210) 387-2993Aaron Murray(361) 332- [email protected]
Larry Joe Taylor and Richard Leigh will play
the Third Coast Studio on Feb. 18.
Carolyn Wonderland will play the Rialto Theater
on Valentines Day.
Bob Schneider will play Brewster Street on
January 26th.
Keith Sykes will play the Third Coast Theater on
Feb. 16th.
Metal Shop woo’d the girls at their show at Brewster Street last weekend.
Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines will play the
Third Coast Theater on Feb. 2nd.
Stevie Start Every Saturday