On September 15, 2021 the wife and I
made the trek to see experimental band The Residents in L.A. for the first
time. Established in 1972, the band is
difficult to classify…avant-garde, experimental, sometimes focusing on sonic
landscapes instead of any semblance of structured songs. They play in anonymity, masked and silent,
focusing on the music or story of the compositions. Residents albums are thematic, focusing on a
story/binding narrative and their performance feels like theater. Tonight was no different, but also completely
different.
First off, I would like to say The
Regent in L.A. did a fantastic job of making us feel comfortable and in a safe,
intimate environment for our first real concert experience since the pandemic
started. Full vaccination required and
attendees masked did nothing to take away from the enjoyment of the seated
show, and put us at ease to really enjoy the evening.
Because of the pandemic, the first
19 shows on the tour were cancelled, making The Regent the first official stop
on the 2021-2022 for Dog Stab (the 50th anniversary tour). This collection of shows is culled from 3
albums, Duck Stab, Third Reich and Roll and the newest Metal, Meat and Bone
(The Songs of Alvin Snow). Their new
album continues their penchant for storytelling…supposedly an old albino blues
artist, Alvin Snow (AKA Dyin’ Dog) was friends with Roland Sheehan (a member of
the Residents) in the mid-seventies.
After the death of Howlin’ Wolf, he disappeared. In 2008, The Residents ‘discovered’ his demos,
and released their own interpretations of them.
It’s essentially a ‘cover album’ of their own compositions, and a damn
good one at that! The cd also includes
the original ‘demos’, showing their dedication and commitment to the
storytelling.
The show started at 8p (no opening
act), with four members, masked in wolf heads (with glowing eyes) and suits
hitting the stage. Guitar, keys, drums
and vocals accompany the songs, which were very structured (in a good
way). This was the Residents playing
their version of the blues…some dream-like and droning and others extremely
reminiscent of Tom Waits/ Brennan collaborations. The first set (one hour) consisted of the
majority of ‘Metal, Meat and Bone’, interspersed with dialogue from the
projected head of Alvin Snow, talking about his upbringing, bad luck with
women, and finding religion in the songs of Howlin’ Wolf. Movement was minimal, and the band never
spoke, giving the whole presentation the feel of a cult theater, engrossing and
enveloping.
After a short intermission, the band
came back with a costume change (eyeball suits and matching face masks), and
played the entirety of Duck Stab (out of order)! My first and favorite Residents album, this
one is electronic with modulated voices and strings, not entirely unlike early
Devo compositions. Sinister and uneasy,
this album came out in 1978, influencing many, with ‘covers’ of these tracks
shaping other bands most beloved songs (including Flipper’s ‘Ha-Ha-Ha’ and They
Might Be Giant’s ‘Istanbul’). The
accompanying videos consisted of versions of the residents throughout the
years, including the iconic eyeball with top hat look from the ‘Eskimo’
album. After a throbbing Constatinople
and stage exit, the audience brought them out once more for an encore
consisting of tracks from Third Reich n’ Roll, a deconstructing of top 40 rock
and roll songs from the 60’s, including Land of 1000 Dances, Hanky-Panky and
The Letter. I’ve always dug the
Residents, perhaps more for their willingness to experiment and break norms
than for their actual output, but two hours later and I’m a convert. Please see them…50 years on, they are still a
force against nature. Mucho thanks to
Dani Bell for the pictures and Rich Coffee for the platform!
Setlist:
SET
1 (all culled from the album ‘Metal, Meat and Bone’)
1. Dyin’ Dog Intro
2. I Know
3. She Called Me Doggy
4. The Dogs Dream
5. Dyin’ Dog interlude 1
6. Cut To The Quick
7. Dead Weight
8. Dyin’ Dog interlude 2
9. Bury My Bone
10. River Runs Dry
11. Dyin’ Dog interlude 3
12. Cold as a Corpse
13. Blood Stains
14. Hungry Hound
15. Dyin’ Dog interlude 4
16. Die!
Die! Die!
SET
2 (the entirety of the album ‘Duck Stab!’)
1.
The
Booker Tease
2.
Blue
Rosebuds
3.
Lizard
Lady
4.
Laughing
Song
5.
Bach
is Dead
6.
Sinister
Exaggerator
7.
Weight-Lifting
Lulu
8.
Krafty
Cheese
9.
Elvis
and His Boss
10.
Birthday
Boy
11.
Semolina
12.
Hello
Skinny
13.
The
Electrocutioner
14.
Constatinople
ENCORE (from the album ‘’Third Reich
n’ Roll’)
1. Swastikas on Parade
2. Hitler Was a Vegetarian
3. The Letter
Rob Bell
9/18/2021