2008 Woodie Awards
DVD brings Jesus Lizard back to life
Joel Kopplin
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: Intermission
- Page 1 of 1
Music Review
"It's too loud. It hurts my hearing," vocalist David Yow whines in mock anguish as the opening drum beat of "The Associate" finds its groove. There's no sympathy for those not willing to bear the brunt of The Jesus Lizard's mighty blast. No earplugs allowed.
This concert DVD, simply titled, "The Jesus Lizard," captures the now-defunct alt-rock band at a particularly energetic club in Boston during their 1994 tour in support of their album Down.
Cranking out a brutal 15-song set, the band roars from start to finish, their catalogue of heavy, vaguely disturbing post-punk classics-including such scathing rockers as "Mouth Breather" from their 1991 album Goat and "Puss" from their 1992 album Liar-pummeling the audience with demented bravado.
Guitarist Duane Denison's moody and atmospheric fretwork wails alongside of the pounding rhythms offered by bassist David W.M. Sims and Mac McNeilly on the drums.
At the center of it all is David Yow, the intense and all-inclusive front man who eagerly engages the audience by diving headfirst into their personal space.
Yow spends a good share of the show howling his vocals as his body is tossed around in the crowd.
This confrontational approach is a facet that fans of The Jesus Lizard had come to expect and appreciate, and the audience seems only too happy to carry around the lead singer's sweaty, shirtless body.
Combined with the slightly frightening, chaotic pulse of the music, Yow's stage antics and mush-mouthed method of singing are irreplaceable.
Perhaps an important testament to the fading era of alternative rock as well, it's important to note the show was recorded in October 1994, when that particular genre was fading into the distance.
The Jesus Lizard never appreciated the mass exposure and huge amounts of success peers like Nirvana achieved, but their influence upon that particular era is quite palpable, especially when listening to the low-fi recording genius of their first three albums, helmed by producer Steve Albini (who would later go on to record Nirvana's swan song "In Utero)."
Their uninhibited creativity, abstract lyrics and abrasive sound was the perfect combination of punk and art rock aesthetics, a style that would inform bands for years to come.
Their do-it-yourself mentality-in an after-show interview, Yow expresses his great disdain for MTV-offered a framework for maintaining artistic credibility and self-reliance in an industry that devours creativity.
Also included as a bonus on the DVD are five cuts from their 1992 CBGB show, which was turned into their only live album to date, Show, also released in 1994.
Of course, nothing can compare to the actual experience of seeing The Jesus Lizard in concert, but this DVD offers a glimpse, a small taste of what a Jesus Lizard show actually was.
For those of us who never got the chance to see the group, this is no small consolation. In fact, this is something to celebrate and revel in.
"It's too loud. It hurts my hearing," vocalist David Yow whines in mock anguish as the opening drum beat of "The Associate" finds its groove. There's no sympathy for those not willing to bear the brunt of The Jesus Lizard's mighty blast. No earplugs allowed.
This concert DVD, simply titled, "The Jesus Lizard," captures the now-defunct alt-rock band at a particularly energetic club in Boston during their 1994 tour in support of their album Down.
Cranking out a brutal 15-song set, the band roars from start to finish, their catalogue of heavy, vaguely disturbing post-punk classics-including such scathing rockers as "Mouth Breather" from their 1991 album Goat and "Puss" from their 1992 album Liar-pummeling the audience with demented bravado.
Guitarist Duane Denison's moody and atmospheric fretwork wails alongside of the pounding rhythms offered by bassist David W.M. Sims and Mac McNeilly on the drums.
At the center of it all is David Yow, the intense and all-inclusive front man who eagerly engages the audience by diving headfirst into their personal space.
Yow spends a good share of the show howling his vocals as his body is tossed around in the crowd.
This confrontational approach is a facet that fans of The Jesus Lizard had come to expect and appreciate, and the audience seems only too happy to carry around the lead singer's sweaty, shirtless body.
Combined with the slightly frightening, chaotic pulse of the music, Yow's stage antics and mush-mouthed method of singing are irreplaceable.
Perhaps an important testament to the fading era of alternative rock as well, it's important to note the show was recorded in October 1994, when that particular genre was fading into the distance.
The Jesus Lizard never appreciated the mass exposure and huge amounts of success peers like Nirvana achieved, but their influence upon that particular era is quite palpable, especially when listening to the low-fi recording genius of their first three albums, helmed by producer Steve Albini (who would later go on to record Nirvana's swan song "In Utero)."
Their uninhibited creativity, abstract lyrics and abrasive sound was the perfect combination of punk and art rock aesthetics, a style that would inform bands for years to come.
Their do-it-yourself mentality-in an after-show interview, Yow expresses his great disdain for MTV-offered a framework for maintaining artistic credibility and self-reliance in an industry that devours creativity.
Also included as a bonus on the DVD are five cuts from their 1992 CBGB show, which was turned into their only live album to date, Show, also released in 1994.
Of course, nothing can compare to the actual experience of seeing The Jesus Lizard in concert, but this DVD offers a glimpse, a small taste of what a Jesus Lizard show actually was.
For those of us who never got the chance to see the group, this is no small consolation. In fact, this is something to celebrate and revel in.