That's right, folks, we have a pair of tickets to give away to see this excellent double bill at the 930 Club in Washington DC next Friday night, November 4.
Scratch Acid were a truly insane noise-punk band who came out of Austin, TX in the 1980s, releasing three albums before breaking up in 1987. Their albums were eventually compiled onto a CD from Touch & Go Records entitled The Greatest Gift, and after they broke up, members went on to form The Jesus Lizard and Rapeman (a band that also featured legendary producer Steve Albini). Now, to warm up for their appearance at the forthcoming Jeff Mangum-curated edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK next spring, they've hit the road for their first tour in over 20 years (not counting a few shows they played in 2006 in celebration of Touch & Go's 25th anniversary). For everyone who never got to see Scratch Acid back in the day, this is the chance of a lifetime, and one you'd better not miss, because who knows when, or even if, they'll ever do this again? David Yow has long held a reputation as one of the most energetic, maniacal frontmen in the history of American rock n' roll, and he demonstrated that age hasn't diminished his intensity one iota when The Jesus Lizard played a series of reunion shows a couple of years ago. Attendees can expect some serious insanity from the reunited Scratch Acid lineup.
And then there's Kepone. Perhaps less well-known to the world as a whole than Scratch Acid, the reunion of this mighty trio is nonetheless the true headline here within the borders of RVA. Led by Michael Bishop, GWAR's original Beefcake, Kepone were a powerful yet surprisingly melodic noise-rock trio who dominated the Richmond underground music scene for most of the 90s, releasing three albums before their breakup in 1998. At this year's GWAR-B-Que, they reunited for the first time in over a decade, playing a truly excellent set that made it feel like they'd never gone away at all. Having seen that performance myself, I can assure everyone reading this that you will not be let down by the reunited version of Kepone. Whether you saw them 40 times back in the day, or came along too late to ever catch one of their performances, you are going to want to be there when this incredible group takes the stage once again.
WHAT: Scratch Acid and Kepone in DC!
WHERE: 930 Club, 815 V St. NW, Washington DC
WHEN: Friday, November 4, 8 PM
ADMISSION: $25.00--purchase tickets HERE
Or maybe admission will be FREE for you, if your name is selected in the drawing we'll be doing this week! To enter, simply send me an email sometime before noon on Friday: andrew[at]rvamag[dot]com. And just because I'm curious, let me know which of these two bands you're more excited about seeing (your answer will not affect your chances of winning).
Finally, after the jump, we've got some live footage of both of these bands for you. First, Scratch Acid performs their song "Eyeball" at a 2006 reunion show in Seattle. The audio is a bit raw, but you can tell what's going on, and David Yow gets nuts, so who can complain? Then we've got a video of Kepone performing their 1994 single "Henry," which was filmed at last month's GWAR-B-Que. It was shot from pretty far back in the crowd, but still sounds awesome, and you have a great view of every Ed Trask drum fill. And that's really what it's all about.