Melvins Lite-51 States in 51 Days
47/51-Austin, Texas
October 19th, 2012 – The Mohawk
Buzz Ozborne-Vocals and Guitar
Dale Crover-Drums and Birthday Cake
Trevor Dunn-Rolling Around and Stand Up Bass
Setlist:
1. Eye Flys
2. Captain Pungent
3. Berthas
4. National Hamster
5. Worm Farm Waltz
6. Leon vs The Revolution
7. Mr. Rip Off
8. A Growing Disgust
9. A History of Drunks
10. Hooch
11. Baby, Won’t You Weird Me Out
12. Holy Barbarian
13. Let Me Roll It
14. Set Me Straight
15. DCH
16. Pressed Rat and Warthog
17. Electric Flower
18. Inner Ear Rupture
19. Shevil
The Melvins are on the move, playing 50 states in 51 days to set a Guiness World Record. (Publicity photo courtesy of (the) Melvins)
Melvins fans love Buzz Osborne. They call him King Buzzo. We may never know why exactly. He seems like a humble man. Maybe it has something to do with the way he plays music. He is the only guitarist for the band and he sings simultaneously. Sounds simple enough, right? After seeing him perform on day 47 of 51, calling him King Buzzo is apropos in the specter that is the man and his music. Luckily for him and the rest of us, he has friends. Friends like Drummer, Dale Crover and Bassist (?) Trevor Dunn. Bassist? Really? Shouldn’t there be another word for a guy for can string a bass as old as the sun (Wikipedia says it is a 1950’s Czech Contrabass), upside down on his back? Let’s just call that awesome. Trevor Dunn plays Awesome. No question mark needed. Dale Crover is the type of musician that most of us, just stand there and watch, eyes and mouth wide open. He is talented, as he is kind. He is as hardcore, as he is a survivor. For Melvins Lite he played drums, that can best be described, like King Kong playing with bones on skins.
51 states (DC must be a state, right?) in 51 dates was not a task for the Prima donna or the unwilling. Why would any band who already tours non-stop creating lots of music and collectibles along the way want to put themselves through this hell? The Guinness Book of World Records has a special place for bands who are willing to try to give this a go. Previously it was attempted by George Thorogood and The Destroyers and failed. Melvins Lite accomplished their goal of achieving the world record after they played the 51st date in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 25th.
Really? 51 states in 51 days? Melvins Lite consisted of 6 guys in one van. 3 musicians, 3 road crew in a Mercedes Benz passenger van travelling across America from Alaska to Hawaii. Everything was packed in perfectly. Everything had its place. Insanity waiting to happen.
It is a damn good thing that Spin magazine got these guys to write a tour diary. It is a very good read. Check out the beginning of the tour diary; here. Check out the not so sad good-byes here.
From a logistical point of view, a better itinerary has never ever been planned this well:
Tour dates:
September 5 – Anchorage, AK @ Bear Tooth Theatre and Pub
September 6 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
September 7 – Oregon @ TBA
September 8 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Lounge
September 9 – Missoula, MT @ Top Hat Lounge
September 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
September 11 – Casper, WY @ TBA
September 12 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
September 13 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
September 14 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
September 15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
September 16 – Des Moines, IA @ House of Bricks
September 17 – Sioux Falls, SD @ The Vault
September 18 – Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
September 19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Grumpy’s
September 20 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
September 21 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
September 22 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue Theatre
September 23 – Louisville, KY @ The Vernon Club
September 24 – Detroit, MI @ Smalls
September 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
September 26 – Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant Street
September 27 – Jermyn, PA @ Eleanor Rigby’s
September 28 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
September 29 – Dover, NH @ Dover Brickhouse
September 30 – Portland, ME @ Asylum
October 1 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
October 2 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met Cafe
October 3 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
October 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
October 5 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
October 6 – Wilmington, DE @ Mojo 13
October 7 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
October 8 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
October 9 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
October 10 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
October 11 – Knoxville, TN @ The Square Room
October 12 – Greenville, SC @ The Handle Bar
October 13 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
October 14 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
October 15 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
October 16 – Jackson, MS @ Duling Hall
October 17 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s Cantina
October 18 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
October 19 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
October 20 – Norman, OK @ Opolis Production
October 21 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
October 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
October 23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Artifice
October 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
October 25 – Honolulu, HI @ The Republik
For Austinites, it was the second time this year that we got a chance to see (an incarnation of) the band play. (the) Melvins consists of two drummers, Dale Crover, et al. and Coady Willis of Big Business, and Murder City Devils. Bassist Jared Warren, also of Big Business is the “usual” bass player for (the) Melvins. Trevor Dunn, “Awesome” stood in for this jaunt, but really? He is no-ones stand in. And no-one can stand in for Jared Warren. Yes, they were playing Melvin’s music, but in it’s own unique way. It was like listening and watching a new creature, all onto it’s own. Watching them perform and close out the night with “She-vil”, was like listening to the bassassery or better yet the badassery of the bass. It reminded me of nothing I have ever seen or heard before. It was surreal as it was real, happening right before my eyes. It felt blossomed, alive, and explosively-ingenious at the same time. That is correct, my friends…explosively-ingenious. It just may be the best way to describe the Melvins Lite show at The Mohawk on October 19th, 2012- on day 47 of 51. Glad we could be apart of history in the making.
God Bless Melvins Lite-Photo courtesy of (the) Melvins
-Kris Moore
