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Bottom of the Hill May 19, 2003 Review by Jake Thomas Caustic Resin are the proud fathers of one of my favorite live performances of all time a few years back in Chapel Hill, NC. For a long time I had assumed they had broken up, but earlier in the year I saw that they had a new album out; this renewed my spark that I might get to see them play yet again. And then a couple of weeks ago, I saw an announcement that they would be playing a show opening for The Frogs at Bottom of the Hill. Let it be known that this made me quite a happy man, but with a tinge of reservations that they would not be able to live up to the myth-like proportions that they have become in my memory since that show a few years ago. Let's cut right to the chase, they did not disappoint at all. It may not have been as good as when I saw them before (and I wasn't expecting it to be), but it was still pretty spot on. There weren't that many people there, which is unfortunate because people just don't know what they're missing. If you've never heard Caustic Resin, they're a difficult one to peg: heavy, somewhat psychedelic, a little bit trance-inducing - it's just the sort of thing you have to experience for yourself. The one thing that they most definitely are is loud; so loud that even with my earplugs shoved as far in as they would go, my ears were still ringing after I left the show (and this wasn't nearly as loud as when I saw them before). Highlights included Brett changing his A-string in the middle of a song while he continued to play the tune and a drummer that looked absolutely demented while he played. I thought at first he was singing along to the songs, but it appeared he was muttering to himself, with his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. While everyone in the band was quite talented at their instrument of choice, Brett Netson is one of the few people that really make me appreciate guitar solos. I left this show as happy as a turd in a toilet bowl; hopefully I won't have to wait as long next time until I get to see them again. ©2003 playinginfog.com |