FABRYKA INDUSTRIAL ROCK & METAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Midi Ghetto Tour 2010
May 28th, 2010, Hi-Dive, Denver, CO, USA
16Volt, Chemlab, Left Spine Down

by Tempest (June 6th, 2010)

Overall Rating:

PRECURSOR

Every dedicated concert goer experiences an epic journey. Live music provides a tangible element coveted by those in need of the drug like euphoria that can only be inspired by a few powerful songs.
Through the conundrums of love, hatred, pain and happiness, music moves people in a way that no other media can possibly accomplish. There are still artist pushing the boundaries, riding the razors edge and refusing to let us diminish our capacity to allow music its most potent primal quality. On a rare occasion, this confluence of artistic impact and determination brought itself to fruition against all odds. There are still epic adventures and the Midi Ghetto tour of 2010 was one of them.

THE GREEN LABEL JACK

The night before the Midi Ghetto tour hit Denver I contacted Duffy Laudick from Razor Blade Dance Floor Podcast. There were no more V.I.P. Tickets available, but Duffy gave me a hint to bring a bottle of Jack Daniels Green Label for the bands. This whiskey is not very easy to find. I spent all night tracking it down and finally picked up a bottle at an old liquor store that only had two in stock. After sending out text message pics of the bottle and babying it all day, I picked up my six string sidekick Josh and he babied the bottle too. We headed down to the show and parked a few blocks off the main drag in a secluded spot near the venue so we could do some shots of Wild Turkey 101, drink some 40's, smoke some weed and be ready for 16Volt.

Showtime started edging up on us, so we split for the club not wanting to miss Left Spine Down. We walked over a mile to where we thought the venue was before noticing we went to the wrong address and forgot where we parked the car. Josh and I spent another 90 minutes running up and down streets for a couple of miles wasted and drunk as fuck looking for the car. We finally decided to take a bus to the show and find the car later, then walked another couple miles to the bus stop. Just as we get there, I hear a fucking crash of glass. The Green Label Jack was all over the pavement.

I about freaked the fuck out! I wasn't about to hit up Midi Ghetto without that bottle after all that shit we went through to get it.

We stabbed out back into the neighborhood on a mission for the car, fucking pissed and arguing the whole way. Josh and I walked another couple miles completely lost and ready to give up. I looked to my left where about 25 people were having a barbeque on their front porch. Just as I look to the right I see Josh come out of nowhere screaming “Fuck it, fuck this fucking tree”, along with a “Snap, Crack” as he started punching it and kicking it, then trying to battle ram it in half. The tree was in the front yard of the people having the barbeque. Needless to say, the next thing I know we have 8 pissed off assholes in our faces ready to throw down, calling us cocksuckers and asking us what the fuck our problem was. Undeterred, Josh jumps off the tree, shoves his fingers in all their faces and screams “Fuck you, I'll kill all you motherfuckers!”. I thought we were fucked. I turned to crack my knuckles and get ready for some shit when about a block away I spotted the fucking car. Pulling Josh away from the mob was like breaking up a lopsided dogfight, but we made way towards the car. We floored it back to the liquor store, hitting 75 on side streets and swooped in to pick up that last bottle of Green Label Jack before screeching to a stop at Midi Ghetto.

Once inside the show and backstage hanging out with Left Spine Down, I was on the lookout for Eric Powell and Jared Louche so I could hand off the Green Label Jack before anything else happened. From out of the shadows came Jared Louche of Chemlab. I handed Jared the Green Label Jack while making introductions and asked him for a photograph with the bottle. It wasn't until a few days later that I realized what are rare picture of Jared I had gotten exclusively for Fabryka Magazine, considering that he has been sober for many years after almost being pronounced dead twice. This was all a mere prelude into what was fast becoming the psychotic and cerebral wickedness of the Midi Ghetto Tour ripping through the city of Denver.

Midi Ghetto Tour – Denver 2010

LEFT SPINE DOWN

Left Spine Down is a cyberpunk band from Vancouver B.C. Canada that Fabryka Industrial Rock Magazine has been following & adamantly promoting for over a year. They have 3 album releases to their credit entitled Smartbomb (EP), Fighting For Voltage (LP) and Voltage 2.3: Remixed and Revisited (LP). The band is fronted by Kaine D3l4y whom I had the fortune to do a video interview with before he went onstage.

Left Spine Down hit the stage like a nuclear fucking assault. I found myself caught in a quickly growing crowd across the dance floor in what was just moments before a spotty filled room at best.
Grinding guitars and pulsating electronica laid the foundation for Kaine to work his witchcraft every second he dominated the microphone. It didn't take very long before five crazed motherfuckers began skipping in circles and slam dancing as Kaine towered over them with one foot on the monitor. The story took a twist as the energy seeped it's way into the rest of the band. Jeremy Inkel began thrashing his keyboards while running circles around them in a fashion that merely antagonized the violence.

The chordal chaos of Matt Girvan delivered one crushing blow after another as Galen Waling perpetrated a punishing performance amid a choreographed backdrop of psychedelia. I swore I heard a loud crack from the pit as some guy came flying across the floor smashing face first into the monitor, crippling over, holding his chest and gasping for breath. Another guy came creeping out of the pit, asking the other if he was alright. Just at that time Kaine stepped back up on the monitor with a fucking megaphone screaming his ass off. The guy that slammed into the monitor just a split second before told his friend “I think I broke my fucking ribs”. Then he looked up at Kaine for a second, scoped him out and looked back to his friend and said “Is that dudes fucking hair for real?”. Overall the set sounded very tight and aggressive.

Left Spine Down proved themselves to be an extremely professional powerhouse dedicated to delivering their talents on the precipice of the razors edge. If you're looking to vent your frustrations while being guaranteed a fucking wicked time, then take some advice, addict to dope fiend, L.S.D. is the drug that delivers.

I had the pleasure of an in depth interview with Jeremy Inkel just moments after Left Spine Down finished their set. I had no idea that Jeremy recently worked on seven tracks for Front Line Assembly on the Artificial Solider album until a week after this interview or I would have asked more questions. The batteries died on my video camera, so we conducted the interview the old fashioned way... Pen and notepad journalism. Here is a transcript of the interview:

Tempest: What stop on the tour had the biggest crowd so far?
Jeremy Inkel: New York City.

Tempest: What is the most successful strategy to being an artist in the industrial music scene?
Jeremy: You have to just experiment and push the boundaries of your craft.

Tempest: What do you think of Lady Gaga?
Jeremy: Music doesn't center around a disco stick.

Tempest: Where do you find the most shocking audience response?
Jeremy: Usually in rare and nameless places. There are less distractions in small cities.

Tempest: If you could sum up your career to this moment, what would it mean?
Jeremy: Trust, risk and faith in others.

Tempest: What interest are most beneficial or detrimental to a touring artist?
Jeremy: No dope. You have to keep a professional head on your shoulders and find professional adaptations to your surroundings.

Tempest: What do you think of the state of today’s music industry?
Jeremy: Bitching and complaining. Things are not the same. The situation is different and the past is necrotic.

Tempest: If you could say one thing to the world, in a nutshell, what would it be?
Jeremy: Let go of preconceptions and categorizations.

Tempest: What do you think of the United States since the tour started?
Jeremy: People want to be free. Americans are searching for something other than a hatred for nature.

Tempest: What is destroying the modern music industry?
Jeremy: Bad business models. You need executive strategies that are working with technology to develop new applications and new systems.

Tempest: What is the biggest obstacle an artist faces?
Jeremy: An inability for artist to keep control considering industry standards. Artist need a level of security to diversify.

Tempest: Any closing words of wisdom?
Jeremy: Don't spend time adapting to growing trends on a physical level and start writing some good songs.

CHEMLAB

Chemlab got their start in the late 80's in Washington D.C. before releasing their first EP and moving to New York City. The band has also been signed to various labels including Metal Blade, Fifth Colvmn and Invisible Records. Their discography includes Ten Ton Pressure (EP), Burn Out At The Hydrogen Bar (LP), East Side Militia (LP), Electric Molecular (KMFDM Remixes), The Machine Age (EP), Oxidizer (LP) and a remix album entitled Rock Whore VS. Dance Floor along with too many other releases to list.
This current incarnation of Chemlab included Jason Bazinet (16Volt, SMP), Mark Plastic (Plastic Heroes), Phil DiSiena (Infocollapse) and of course the always incredible Jared Louche.

Chemlab took over the stage in a pure and unusual psychotropic fashion. An extended electronica prelude set the mood as Jared Louche came from out of nowhere shrieking like a dark angelic banshee. The moment the crowd witnessed this, I knew we were in for some shit because Jared was in extremely rare form. Pulsating heavy drums pounded people into a frenzy on the dance floor. The audience completely joined Jared in singing Suicide Jag, screaming the words “Brainwashing Time” and raging. As Chemlab shifted gears into Oxidizer, the floor in front of the stage became completely impassable. For a brief interlude between songs Jared addressed the audience, stating that as always, he was still “Hysterical and A-Symmetrical” to electrifying applause. Exile On Mainline brought the fucking house down next with its heavy and intense deep industrial nature before melding into Chemical Halo and continuing on with the bands damage plan.

During a brief intermission Jared introduced Mark Plastic, Phil DiSiena, and Jason Bazinet as a backdrop of black box recordings haunted the crowd with pilots saying “Goodbye Mom” before the inevitable silence. Solar Max then ignited the flames of rock bitches and pussy galore rushing the stage reaching to touch Jared and get a good look at Mark Plastic who was adorned in faux fur and a diamond encrusted choker behind Jackie-O type shaded eyes. As the music began to grind down, Jared spoke into the microphone saying: “You get 16Volt for the industrial juggernaut and you get Chemlab for the fucking”. A sea of screaming girls encouraging Jared to give more. The set continued and Jared’s vocals became a powerful strobing of the words “Dark, Dark, Dark” eventually ending to kickstart Codeine, Glue & You. Groove ridden break beats scattered themselves skeletal as Jared chanted “The devil hates it, but I love it” and “Don't hate sex”. At this point the crowd was completely involved.

The heat coming off the bodies piled up in front of the stage was overwhelming. Searching for a spot to catch a fresh breath I walked right into Eric Powell from 16Volt in the bar area who was watching Chemlab as well. As I spoke momentarily to Eric, a quick hush came over the room, almost as if to make it even more climactic when Jared said into the mic “This is for the killers”. It seemed as though the entire crowd took two steps forward as the music once again erupted from Chemlab. From the side of the stage Jared looked even more formidable as he stood on the monitor, towering over the audience that spiraled beneath him. The lights and shadows criss crossed his face making him look like a demigod as he preached the words “Let it be dark” into an enigmatic disenchantment upon the fixated eyes of his acolytes. This was the perfect pretense into what I could only describe as an all out fucking show stopper, Summer Of Hate. Every motherfucker in that room was jumping up and down singing along as Chemlab finished rocking the house to its core.

All things considered, I have no choice but to label Chemlab as “The Sexiest Industrial Rock Band Of 2010”. Any band standing in line to claim that title has their work cut out for them. Chemlab is a tough act to beat.

16VOLT

16Volt is the brainchild of Eric Powell who started the project in 1988. Their first three albums were released by Re-Constriction. After severing ties, 16Volt released a fourth album under the now defunct Slipdisc moniker of Mercury/Polygram. A nine year stretch hijacked the meantime while Eric worked on many other lucrative projects. 16Volt re-invented themselves once more in 2007 and have since released two more albums with Metropolis Records. Along with many other releases, the 16Volt catalogue includes albums such as Wisdom (LP), Skin (LP), Let Down Crush (LP), Super Cool Nothing (LP), Full Black Habit (LP) and American Porn Songs (LP).
Eric Powell was backed to the hilt on this tour with Steve White (KMFDM, Pig) on guitar, Mike Peoples (Skrew) on bass and Jason Bazinet who was pulling double duty on percussion after just finishing a full set with Chemlab.

16Volt began hammering the audience with the ultra sick electronica of American Bomb Song that could only be described as spine shattering. From behind flickering shadows, the icy voice of Eric Powell simply stated “American Porn Song” and let the rhythm induce the crowd into a shoving match that quickly turned into a swirling pit of skipping fiends. A somewhat soft interlude appeased the volatility of the motherfuckers in the pit for a few split seconds until Somebody To Hate was dropped them like a ton of bricks. I noted in my journal as Somebody To Hate raged on that Eric's vocals we “Drop Dead Fucking Impeccable” during his performance.

The mood of the room soon shifted as Eric guided the crowd into a state of undivided attention, seeming to look each and every person in the eye one at a time while performing Become Your None. Eric then ghosted himself somewhere out of sight, only to return shredding an axe as Swarm clipped its way into an already furious set. Everyone in the room was bouncing up and down singing along, recognizing the song from Let Down Crush.

Switching it up a bit, Feel It Through from the Full Black Habit album was next on the list, followed with the “Fist Fight Attitude” of Suffering You. An implausible and unexpected calm creeped its way through the room as Therapy showcased Eric's ability to utilize his melodic vocal talent. This trance like state of consciousness soon turned against all those enthralled when A Cloth Like Gauze reminded everybody exactly where the fuck they were. The unmistakable tension and release rhythm of Machine Kit was next to captivate a cult like following who were singing “Machine Kit, In A Graveyard” along with Eric. The Defect People reigned next with it's pounding and trill steeped percussiveness which then carried over into the grind and silence breakbeats of The Useless People. The band then led into the song Cables & Wires from Full Black Habit before once again dragging the crowd into singing “Fuck The Record Industry” as they performed The Enemy. At last, the nostalgic essence and nasty fucking hooks of Cut Collector finished out the evening as every person in the audience sang along with Eric Powell.

Overall, 16Volt delivered a very powerful performance. Within minutes of ending their set, Duffy Laudick and I were standing to the side of the stage conversing about the wicked concert we had just seen. We were soon joined by Eric Powell who caught me off guard when he asked me what I thought of the show. Fabryka Magazine is well known for it's highly objective and selective reputation. That being said, I did not want to let Eric know that I was going to write him a well deserved rave review. Trying to keep a straight look on my face, I told Eric that on a scale of 1-100, I thought it was an 87. Eric looked at me with this indescribable look of “What The Fuck?” on his face, after giving his entire being to the audience just moments before and said “An 87?”. Then I told him to pick a number between 1 and 10. Eric said “6” and I told him, “Okay, I'll score you a 93 for the Fabryka Magazine review”. That shit was hilarious, but all kidding aside, the fact is that 16Volt completely knocked it out of the fucking park.

A few nights after the Midi Ghetto Tour left Denver the bands had a run in with Andy Dick at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The video on this link is sickeningly funny!

The Midi Ghetto Tour of 2010 was an absolute blast of atomic proportions. The star power and talent of the performance artist that comprised the line-ups of these three bands was inconceivable and laced within the confines of a sensual and extreme brutality. I cannot help but believe that a sudden resurgence of industrial music legends now booking tours is in part inspired by the interest and impact driven by the Midi Ghetto Tour. Moreover, this tour noticeably brought out many talented and well known artist from the genre across the continental United States. Many of whom offered their unwaivering support and hopefully were inspired along the way to step back up to the plate in their own right.

The Midi Ghetto Tour has proven that the industrial music genre is still the most formidable, cutting edge force in the entire music industry. Overkilled and underrated, Midi Ghetto provided a stepping stone into the future of industrial music, proving to all who witnessed it that this music is entering a new and phenomenal era.

I want give a quick shout out to Chris DeMarcus of Stiff Valentine. Chatting with Chris a few quick times was totally dope and everyone at Fabryka Magazine is looking forward to hearing new music from him soon.

Video links (if embed videos don't play): Interview with Kaine D3l4y | Show #1 | Show #2