Saturday, October 25, 2008

Are YOU Midnight?: Re'l Blood, Straight Strychnine - and hazily recalling night of the dancing dead...of Zombie Dance Party 5















































































(all photos: mike milo)




















































































There's streaked black layers caked around my eyes, left over, only emphasizing my already strung out blood-shot glare, running on 3 hours of sleep - having only-just-8-hours-ago danced my scrawny ass off at the Zombie Dance Party 5 - approximating the wiry yet laid back look of a goose-stepping Zombie-Hunter S. Thompson.

What warmed my beat-less heart and electrified my dry empty veins, was not only seeing how many other people came dressed as zombies--(--or became 'zombified' by the team of talented make up artists diligently running the "Zombinator") but, that even before 10 p.m., before everyone was lubricated with distilled beverages, before their senses started floating with malted hops - while we were all just getting in and shaking off our coats...we were, from the get-go, ready to dance!

It almost didn't matter what the DJs played (though my wheels of steel comrades, Eugene Strobe, Phil Childers and Carjack. certainly did bring a blazing set of serious floor burning bombardments, each of the three of them bringing their own flavors and genres) ...these were liberated souls...and I don't mean that to stray into zombie puns, but...mostly to emphasize the liberated part...all these crazy kooks were the usual crowd of Detroit show-goers who may stand casually and nod a bit to the beats, but now that their faces looked like rotting, blood-stained skulls, amongst a sea of similar walking corpses...they felt a new freedom...a total monster mash ethos!

the bands:
Sonic Boom was a tribute to the late 60's ultra-rough, ultra-catchy, scream-n-shout garage blues band, The Sonics: featuring Frank Woodman, Ray Thompson, John Szymanski,
Alex GlendeningTJ Grech and Eugene Strobe. Aside from few mis-cues (which, firstly is expected since they formed and rehearsed in a rush, to prepare--and, secondly, is probably a very true interpretation of the intense Tacoma (WA) rockers) -they were a proper and energizing opener...covering all the hits, The Witch, Strychnine, Psycho... (one hopes they assemble again)...kudos to the go-go dancers


Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship, featured Zoos of Berlin's Trevor Naud on guitar and LTD from Pas/Cal on drums...the album itself is experimental, cerebral, sometimes drifting...albeit at other times it's highly engaging, poppy and dancey...for the live presentation, their first show ever, they kept the rhythm rolling, the guitar buzzing, the feedback churning and the subtle danceability shining through... looking forward to their next set, indeed


F'ke Blood (or, as guitarist Dion introduced them for this night only, Re'l Blood) were as riling as ever with their blend of punk-whirled new-wave pop, spacey noise and acerbic shards of The Fall or Fire Engines spook-shouts! with
Steven Darson, Deleano Acevedo and Marcie Bolan: Cuz they are the baaa aaa AAA aaa AAAAND ...that bled real blood...


Thanks to Carey, the Magic Stick, the make up artists, the bands, all the volunteers...and to all the dancing zombies...


Happy Halloween

(pictures on the way..., once I get home)

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