Green Eggs & Jam – Asheville, NC July 24, 2004 Review by Jake Thomas Every year in Asheville, the town puts on what is billed as “the largest free outdoor street festival in the southeast” – known as Bele Chere, It features a lot of big name acts flown in from all over the country but tends to pay little attention to the local scene right under it’s nose. So the cat’s at Green Eggs & Jam started the “Anti-Bele Chere fest”, a 2 day event that features all local acts playing for free in their record store, just a block away from the town-sponsored activities. So realistically, you can have the best of both worlds – go grab a funnel cake from just up the street, and then wander down the hill and see which local crew of troublemakers is going to assault your ear drums next. There were many bands in the Anti-Bele Chere line-up, but of particular interest to me is the group US Christmas. I grew up with one of these guys, Nate - a real hairy, surly looking individual, but that’s neither here nor there, and it’s not why I write about his band; I could have just as easily not written anything at all and better spent my time looking at the copious amounts of photos of funny cats that pervade the internet and delight me to no end. But the fact of the matter is this - they are fine, talented, and enjoyable band that have really grown a ton over the short period of time they have been playing together. Imagine, if you will, a combination of Caustic Resin and Black Sabbath with a Theremin thrown in for a bit of textural soundscapes (previous to seeing them play this time, I might have left out the Black Sabbath altogether – but with Nate purchasing both a Les Paul and a Marshall stack, the Sabbath reference seems to write itself). The music is loud, abrasive southern-fried rock as only a band influenced by a surly Canadian like Neil Young could manage. Hopefully, they’ll get off their asses and embark on a proper tour at some point, outside of the comfy confines of Western North Carolina. But until then, I guess I gotta just keep flying back home if I want to check them out. ©2004 playinginfog.com |