Dog Fashion Disc/Unified Culture/Alter Boys - Peabody's Down Under, Cleveland, OH (9.14.02)
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 09.21.2002
Like Faith No More meets The Red Hot Chili Peppers meets The P-Funk All-Stars, except so much cooler...
There are very few concerts that I'll take the 2+ hour trip up to Cleveland to see. Unified Culture is one of them. Who are Unified Culture you ask? Well, I'm glad you did. Unified Culture was formed in the early 90's, with the core of the band being a guy named Jason Popson on vocals and Craig Martini on bass. They did some amazing music, with styles ranging from extremely heavy to laid back funk. They basically created a style that they termed "funkcore." They had a pretty good local following, and their music helped create other side projects, such as State of Conviction (hardcore band which includes Jason and Craig) and 10,000 Cadillacs (Jason's rap project.) They broke up in the mid 90's when Craig moved to Vegas, and have started playing together again in the past year. They are, in my opinion, the greatest band that no one's ever heard of, and Martini is simply the best bassist in the world, bar none. Anyways, more shilling on the bands later, on to the show.
With a billing that has to be defined as a triple headliner, it's tough to be the first headliner. I'll admit that I don't know much about Dog Fashion Disco, but I like what I heard. They played music that did not fit into any type of category (a trend for the night), and they really got the crowd moving. Their music was pretty heavy for the most part, and not what you would call very "radio friendly." They played for about 45 minutes or so, keeping the crowd energized and excited.
Unified Culture came up next. These guys are one of my favorite bands, and it's a shame that they'll never really be known outside of Cleveland. Mere minutes after DFD left the stage, Martini was out working on his soundcheck. There's nothing like watching a musical prodigy warm up. Simply watching him get ready for the show was worth the drive to Cleveland. The guy is simply phenomenal, and makes Flea look like an amateur. Plus, being literally right in front of him was just an indescribable joy. His bass (and, unfortunately, crotch) was literally an inch from my face for much of the concert. I undoubtedly had the best spot in the house for a serious lesson on how to play bass guitar. The band opened up with Kickstand, which is a quick-paced funk song. Land of the Lost followed, more mellow, but still keeping the funk going. The crowd was dancing, moving to the amazing groove being put out by the band. An instrumental followed, giving the band (Martini) a chance to show off a bit. This jam had a reggae feel to it, and it was here that the vibe on stage really became apparent. These guys love to play together, and it was obvious by the smile on Jason's face. Call It Off gave us the first somewhat heavy song of the evening. The band blew through this fast paced jam, and Martini's fingers moved so fast I was amazed they didn't fly off. The little bass solo in this one was beautifully done, staying with the album version somewhat, but also changed enough so that Martini's improvisational skill were obvious. This song lead directly into Drop the Bomb, which calmed the crowd down and got everyone into a more mellow groove. I don't think there was a single person in that crowd that was not moving. For a crowd that's very used to heavy music, it was amazing to see grooving as opposed to moshing. Poncherello was next, with Jeff from DFD providing the keyboards. Figuring he had just learned the song that day, it was pretty damn good.
Another jam got the crowd ready for some heavier music. It was obvious that the crowd was ready to go, and the band did no disappoint. In God We Rust was next, which go the crowd going hardcore. An amazing baseline to this song, along with scorching lyrics, makes it one of my all-time favorites. Convictions followed, with some guest vocalists helping out. As a side note, one of the guests was the lead singer of Cold Hand of Christ, another band that definitely should be checked out. The crowd was going nuts for this, and the band was absolutely on target with everything. Commotion was next, which isn't on their CD, so most of the crowd wasn't familiar with it. It was a damn good heavy song, though. Abandoned was next, which is up there with Convictions in terms of pure brutality. The song that best defines the band, Game Over, closed out the set. The mix of a funky verse with a heavy chorus was great, and the band was absolutely into it.
The Alter Boys were the final band of the night. They consist of members of Dog Fashion Disco, Unified Culture, and a guy called the Original Prankster. The horn player wasn't able to make it into town, so, even though this was their first concert ever, it really wasn't their "debut." The started out with a jam to get warmed up, which warned the crowd that they were in for something very interesting. Their set consisted of 3 of the 4 songs on their unfinished demo (which I'm waiting quite impatiently for.) White Heaven and Boy in a Bubble were heavy yet fun songs. Pigs and Pineapples closed the set. This song (available for download at www.smdcrecords.com) sounded at times like a 50's beach song and at other times like Faith No More. Simply a great song and a lot of fun.
The three other opening bands on the bill were Indoria, Drunken Funk, and 48 Days. For the first time ever, I liked EVERY band on this bill. Check them all out. Indoria is trip-hop, Drunken Funk are, well, drunken funk, and 48 days are pretty heavy. One of the singers from 48 Days looked like an anorexic Marilyn Manson, but they were still cool.
I went to tons of concerts this year, including 2 nights of my favorite band (Dave Matthews Band.) This was by far the best show of the year. From the intimate setting to the interaction with the band, it was everything a good show should be. I've seen Jason on stage over 50 times (mainly as JMann from Mushroomhead), and he's never smiling more than when he's on stage with Craig. Martini, for all his talent, is the nicest guy I've ever met on the local scene, and he remembered me even though we've only met twice, and the last time was back in October. I beg all of you to go to www.smdcrecords.com and check some of this stuff out. Martini plays in Unified Culture, State of Conviction, Crossfader, and the Alter Boys. Download the songs there. Go onto Kazaa and download the rest of their stuff. Unified and SOC have full albums out, so get everything you can. At least check this stuff out. If you have an open mind about music, you'll like these guys. Also, I urge everyone to check out some local music. Find out what bands are good in your town, and go spend $5 at a club to see them. It'll be worth it, I promise.
The 411: Dog Fashion Disco and the Alter Boys made a very positive impression on me, and I can't wait to check out more stuff from them. Unified Culture is simply the best band that no one knows about, and they proved why they're so great on Saturday. Mixing styles of music such as funk, hardcore, and rap, they gave the crowd a diverse night of entertainment.
