Wolf Eyes & John Wiese @ The Grog Shop (10-22-2006)

      The Grog Shop was a perfect venue for this show. Dark, dingy, dirty, and drunk. People slowly filed in and began smoking cigarettes. The jukebox played Motorhead and some Minor Threat as the drinks went down. By the time the opening band came on I'm sure most people had a nice little buzz to them.



John Wiese
      John Wiese stood behind a small table of electronic tools. The lights were off but his Macbook cast an eerie glow over him. He's a tall skinny man in glasses wearing a button-down shirt. The way he looks combined with the way he turns the knobs and manipulates the sounds makes him seem a bit like a scientist working on his newest experiment. The sounds that come out though give images of a more sadistic scientist hard at work picking apart a victims body. His half hour of Horror Movie noise was great and got everyone ready for Wolf Eyes but at some points it almost felt dragged on and quite nearly boring.



Wolf Eyes
      I had been told that a Wolf Eyes show is something that I should do everything in my power to not miss. No matter what. I was expecting great, but I had no idea.
When the 3 men in leather stepped on stage the crowd roared. They didn't do a friendly wave and smile but simply took their places in front of their weapons. Sadly, although I expected them to, the lights over the stage did not dim. This was a mistake and I think was a small factor that made a big difference.
      A buzz began emanating from the speaks as they began. It started slow and almost quiet. Nate Young's skeletal fingers wrapped around his mic, his head went down and stringly black hair hid his face. He slurred a few lines but they were gone in the soundscape that was building. A sound like a chainsaw stabs into the quiet and disappears, Mike Connely stands grinning. I was a bit unsure how Connely would work, I didn't know much about him and already had pledged love to Aaron Dilloway. When I learned that Connely was a member of Hair Police though, I had no doubts that he would be a great fill-in. Again he strikes with the chainsaw. The sounds begin to get louder and louder and I can feel my innards vibrating. Louder and Louder. Young is screaming now and the sounds pick up and break away from the once calm sea.
      John Olson (who looks like a Harley riding Bob Ross) drops a mic down inside of his saxophone and screeches some notes. These notes are loud and clear but in no way are they pleasant sounds you would expect from a saxophone. Now he's grinning too. Connely slings a bass over his shoulder and all hell breaks loose. Something about that bass instantly multiplied the intensity of the sounds 10 fold. Oslon had a guitar of sorts himself: a long peice of curved wood with a single thick string running from end to end and a pickup crudely attatched to the bottom. He traded the sax for this and began joining the beating Connely was giving. All 3 got louder. At one point I'm fairly sure my ears went out. Shellshock. Someone had just dropped a grenade inches from my head. I began moving slowly to the demolished anti-rhythm. My guts were now in a constant vibrating state. This full on pummeling lasted for over an hour before they walked off stage. Despite cheers and pleads they did not come back for an encore. That was it, and it felt right.

Wolf Eyes Official Website | John Wiese Official Website | Wolf Eyes on Myspace