by Frank Ricci
WEEDEATER + ZEKE + ROYAL THUNDER + YES MA’AM (MATT EDENS TRIBUTE) + GAUZWAD
SUN OCT 18 | 6 PM | DISTRICT LIVE
In a 2021 interview, Dave “Dixie” Collins of Weedeater explained to me why the band favors eclectic touring bills. “We like to mix stuff up and not have everything loud bombastic metal. I don’t like to go to shows and see four of the same thing and I imagine other people might feel the same way.”
True to his word, the weed metal pioneer and world-class flasher of scary-ass Manson lamps is touring with great variety. Weedeater is slow and crushing, like the sound of a ginormous bulldozer plowing through a row of steel mills in slow motion. They pick up the tempo here and there, but a punishing metallic stomp is their trademark.
Contrasting the headliner’s grinding is the hyperactive insanity of Zeke. The live show has to be seen to be believed. To properly describe the full-throttle hardcore, a new word for “relentless” has to be invented. Formed in Seattle at the height of the early ‘90s grunge explosion, they were instant outsiders doing their own thing.
To be fair, the quartet does lower the speed from 11 on a handful of tracks. You’ll appreciate the chance to catch your breath. Zeke also features traditional metal and hard rock lead guitar flourishes you may not expect in a hardcore band. Lead guitarist and vocalist Blind Marky Felchtone is a force of nature, steering the sound directly to the middle of your forehead.
Dixie’s promise of diversity continues with Atlanta power trio Royal Thunder. Blending hard rock, psych, and heavy blues, the group is the perfect on-ramp to the top of the bill. Bassist and singer Mlny Parsonz delivers her vocals with tons of soul and emotion, unlike anything else on the bill.
They were on last December’s Kylesa comeback show in the same room and killed. Expect more of the same.
Opening the show is Gauzwad, a new project by local scene machine Tanner Hamilton. The material was written and recorded before his terrible workplace accident that cost him a finger. He’s on the mend, but will be on vocals backed by Derek Lynch of Black Tusk, Bryce Edwards of Lash Meat, and Paul Burke of Lord Carrion. Musically, Hamilton describes it as having the gravity of Torche and Floor, with “the slapstick rigidness of the Melvins.”
On a sorrowful note, Yes Ma’am frontman Matt Edens passed away in September. The punk-folk, Depression-era blues, and bluegrass band really pushed the eclectic tour lineup over the top.
Edens was known as “King of the Oogles,” a reference to his traveling street punk subculture. He was also a train hopper who fed the homeless. Their 2024 album How Many People How Many Dogs reached No. 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart. In lieu of a live set, recordings of Yes Ma’am’s music will be played at performance volume during the band’s scheduled set time.
JIM MESSINA
THU OCT 15 | 8 PM | DISTRICT LIVE
Most casual radio listeners of a certain era know Jim Messina from the mellow acoustic single Danny’s Song, an early ‘70s staple of folk rock. Some know the song from Canadian singer Anne Murray’s version that hit the top 10.
But that Loggins and Messina song came after the man made significant contributions to two other foundational bands of the genre. When Buffalo Springfield formed in Los Angeles in 1966, it featured two members, Neil Young and Stephen Stills, who would go on to become massive rock stars. Messina was originally an engineer, but when original bassist Bruce Palmer faced legal issues, he became the band’s full-time bass player in its final year.
When the group broke up in 1968, he went on to co-found Poco with fellow Buffalo Springfield alum Richie Furay. Along with Randy Meisner, that group laid the foundation for the country-rock sound the Eagles would strike gold with.
Meisner left the band before their first record and eventually joined the Eagles. He was replaced in Poco by Timothy B. Schmit, who also replaced Meisner later on in the Eagles.
One could argue Messina played a major part in inventing that sound. He left Poco after two years to work with yet another Southern California musician, Kenny Loggins. One of their other hits was Your Mama Don’t Dance. If you find it in your heart to forgive him for allowing the execrable hair metal catastrophe Poison to cover that classic in 1989, expect a full retrospective of his formidable career.
THE BROOK AND THE BLUFF + THE SWAYS
TUE OCT 13 | 8 PM | VICTORY NORTH
If Jim Messina had joined the Eagles, his career would have parallels to the evolution of The Brook and the Bluff. The Birmingham-founded, Nashville-based band started as a folksy acoustic duo in 2015. Original members Joseph Settine and Alec Bolton added a rhythm section before their 2018 self-titled debut.
On that record and the three follow-ups, the sound was smooth, soothing, and country-rock adjacent with alt-country influences. All of their material is elevated by Settine’s soulful vocals.
Like the Eagles, a desire to rock a bit more led to the more guitar-forward album Werewolf. It’s not a major identity crisis, just a bit louder and it works. If it reminds you of Limbeck, you’re getting it. Their latest release, last month’s Lookout Pond EP, strikes a balance between both eras. Opening act The Sways are more like the earlier period of The Brook and the Bluff. Until they want to rock more, if they do, and the amps are turned up from four to seven, their melodic folk rock and excellent harmonies ought to hold you over.
VALLENCOURT
SAT OCT 17 | 9:30 PM | THE WORMHOLE
The American Midwest gave us quite a few punk bands with lasting influence. Chicago’s Naked Raygun, Minneapolis’ Hüsker Dü, Milwaukee’s Die Kreuzen, and Louisville’s Squirrel Bait, to name just a few. Somehow, St. Louis and its nearly three million residents never had contenders to those heavyweights. Ultraman had a strong run in the late ‘80s and ‘90s; The Urge and MU330 toured nationally, but most of the remaining notable bands stayed local or regional.
Vallencourt would surely like to rectify that situation. The punk rockers lean toward hardcore and skate punk, with driving guitars and energy to spare. Promos compare them to early AFI, before that band veered to more mainstream alt-rock and pop punk. That timeline matters, because despite the melodic side of Vallencourt, this ain’t commercial.
LESLIE MENDELSON
WED OCT 14 | 8 PM | NICKEL & OAK
When your album features legendary session drummer Jim Keltner, who played with everyone from John Lennon and George Harrison to the Traveling Wilburys, you're keeping pretty good company.
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson did just that on her fourth album, After the Party. The 2024 release was co-produced by Peter Asher, whose résumé includes James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
That's formidable company, but Mendelson is no slouch herself. Her 2009 debut, Swan Feathers, earned a Grammy nomination, and her soulful voice and sophisticated songwriting have drawn praise from Jackson Browne and Jakob Dylan.
The Brooklyn-based artist blends folk rock, Americana, and pop with a sound reminiscent of Laurel Canyon's glory days. Her previous album, If You Can't Say Anything Nice…, focused on the sociopolitical climate of 2018–19 and was released amid the pandemic in 2020.
After all that heaviness, Mendelson deliberately set out to have fun making music again. The result is a warmer, more playful record that still has plenty of emotional depth. Nickel & Oak's intimate setting should be an ideal place to appreciate it.