Nachtmystium, Skeletonwitch @ Scolari’s Office

+ = ????

A friend of mine in Louisiana was telling me about the Nachtmystium/Skeletonwitch tour, about how massively influential both bands are, about how they are loved by the black metal community and Pitchfork-savvy hipsters alike…the more he talked, the more the show sounded like a must-see, even for a metal dilettante like myself.

Then he told me where the show would be: Scolari’s Office.

I nearly fell off my chair. Scolari’s as most of you know, is the kind of place that barely has a old guy check IDs, barely has a PA, and doesn’t charge a cover. I envision all sorts of scenarios for this one, but the main point is that I expect this show to be packed and crrrraaaazzzzy. On the same tour, these bands are hitting El Corazon (400 cap) and Satyricon (450) on this same tour and are playing what amounts to an alcoholic pensioner’s living room in Diego. I love my town. They’re here on September 8.

Preview: Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) at Scolari’s, July 21

My little sister comes for a visit tomorrow–and so does Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont, who will be appearing at Scolari’s Office. Under the best of circumstances, taking your little sister to a show at Scolari’s Office could be considered asking for trouble. Mine’s eleven, so I won’t be taking her there at all. That’s too bad, really, because I think seeing Bruce Lamont there tomorrow night would be a good thing for her.

Bruce is the singer and sax player (and songwriter) for Yazuka, a Chicago band that makes expansive terms like progressive, experimental metal seem confining and not quite accurate. They say people are judged by the company they keep, so perhaps getting to know Yakuza in the context of their tours with Opeth, Isis, Dysrythmia, and Behold the Arctopus would be a better introduction than my turgid prose. Bruce has lent his voice and horn to records and live shows by Cephalic Carnage, Tortoise, Battles, and Ken Vandemark and others. Word on the street (or, more accurately, on IM) is that he’s been asked to play on Mastodon’s next record. All this proves he’s got a lot going on that’s relevant to a variety of genres and scenes. That’s usually the sign of a gifted, interesting musician–or a sign that most people playing sax still wear silk suede shirts and look like they’re auditioning for Paul Shaffer’s orchestra circa 1986. I report, you decide.

Bruce on left. Typical “sax man” on right.

PS: If any of my readers out there are better situated in the metal scene than I (which almost definitely is the case), please post about this show on any metal boards–to the extent that they exist around SD. And, assuming they do, email me so I can get hip to the new shit.