Show Review: Screaming Females with Waxahatchee and Tenement

Tenement at Kings Barcade

Usually it would take a little longer to warm up the crowd and get them past their first PBR of the night cloud when everyone’s feet seem to be glued to the ground. Tenement was able to break that right away. They had fast-paced rock and half stacks almost as tall as the members. Bouncing all around stage, the guitarist showed off his vertical jump skills with a ton of mid-air kicks amplified by windmill-style strumming.  The energy was contagious.

Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee followed, toning the liveliness down a bit. Guitarist and singer Katie Crutchfield was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer on stage. They didn’t interact with each other much. Katie seemed to drift away into her lyrics, with emotive singing while keeping her eyes heavy. She had an effortless air and softness to her voice that sounded great over the distorted guitars.

Screaming Females

Screaming Females came out and rocked it. Marissa Paternoster’s spastic leaps across stage between pick slides and finger taps were impressive. She wore a Slinger Hip instead of the traditional over-the-shoulder guitar strap. It seemed that it made it easier to roll around on stage not having the extra stability based on the shoulder. From backbends to deep lunges and propped-up poses, she ran back and forth between facing the crowd and going ballistic with drummer Jarret Dougherty and bassist King Mike. Screams and powerhouse vocal were raw – it was loud and awesome.

The bill as a whole flowed together and made for a good mid-week mental break. 

Screaming Females

Show Preview: Screaming Females w/ Waxahatchee & Tenement

Screaming Females will be performing with Waxahatchee
and Tenement at Kings Barcade tonight, Sept. 18

As we’re all still coming down from the Hopscotch high, perusing through post-festival blogs and reliving the weekend through Flickr photo albums, Hopscotch has teamed up with Kings Barcade to present Screaming Females with label mates Waxahatchee and Tenement.

Three-piece Wisconsin rockers Tenement will open the night with what should be a high-energy set that veers from their recorded music. Known for improvisation at live shows, Tenement has played a strong role in the punk and hardcore scene in Wisconsin since their formation in 2006.  The band has a knack for balancing occasional harmonies with fuzzy punk, making it damn near impossible to get through their show standing still.

Singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, under the name Waxahatchee, has been involved in the music world since her early teens, rooted in punk. Waxahatchee has had a busy year, going on a lengthy tour with Katie’s twin sister’s band, Swearin’, as well as playing festivals including Hopscotch, SXSW and FYF Festival. Her sophomore album, Cerulean Salt, was released in March of this year on Don Giovanni Records in the US and Wichita Recordings for the UK release.

Screaming Females stems from the New Jersey punk scene and is constantly cranking out more guitar-driven rock, releasing five full lengths since their start in 2005. Lead guitarist Marissa Paternoster’s vibrato vocals range from whaling over mesmerizing guitar riffs to screaming alongside noisy feedback-ridden power chords. When paired with bassist King Mike’s vocals, it creates an almost eerie balance that works perfectly with the music as a whole.  The band released a 7” split with Tenement in early September and has plans to come out with another full-length next year.

 

Tickets are available in advance or at the door, both $10. This is an all ages show and doors are at 8:30 PM.

Hear Here: February 28 - March 7

Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine

Last week was jam-packed with fantastic shows and this week showcases much of the same.  Sometimes within the Triangle we'll see a particular city jam-packed with shows while the rest are left to twiddle their thumbs or make the drive up I-40, but every now and then there's that one week where the entire area is filled with incredible performances.  You can welcome that particular conundrum this week.

With a raucous show from Spider Bags at Slim's kicking off the week and a sold out performance from Alt-J at Cat's Cradle, this week runs the gamut of musical genres.  Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are getting equal amounts of lovin' from both touring acts and local favorites, so make your way out to a show this week!


Show of the Week: Onward, Soldiers w/ Wiley Hunter & The Cazadores and Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine @ Kings Barcade on March 2

Thursday, February 28
Spider Bags w/ Flesh Wounds & DJ Suggadelic @ Slim's in Raleigh
$5

• Two of the areas finest punk acts are going to be packed into one of the Triangle's finest clubs for gritty, high-energy shows.  Needless to say this show is going to be incredible.  Spider Bags solidified their spot in 2012 as one of the local powerhouses, receiving high acclaim from national publications like Pitchfork, Shake My Head was release that boosted Spider Bags to the glory that they deserve.  I finally got to see their southern blend of punk rock at Double Barrel Benefit earlier this month and suddenly understood why this band has received the acclaim they have.  The energy was bouncing across the stage, much like the band, as they powered through an engaging set filled with sing-a-longs and wild antics.  Spider Bags' fans are a dedicated bunch, exerting just as much energy as the band when taking in their frenetic live performance.  Flesh Wounds couldn't be a better opener either, I got the chance to see them in a crowded Berkley Cafe at Hopscotch last year and saw much of the same that I did at Spider Bags, but with far more grit.  Flesh Wounds give fans exactly what they want, no frills balls-out punk rock with jaunting rhythms and fast-paced melodies.  Slim's is at its finest when it's packed in tightly and filled with the brash tunes that we'll see on display on Thursday.  A fantastic way to kick off this batch of shows.