Guest Post: Melvins/Unsane Show Review by Stephen Jester
Okay, so it’s been a while since i’ve made a post on here. I’ve been compiling a list of new reviews to put together which i’ll do soon, but for now, check out this awesome review by Stephen Jester of Black Market Ministry and Electric Sermon.
Before writing this, I assumed Unsane was a fairly recent band that was added to this tour because they were good. As usual, I was wrong and Unsane’s been playing since ’88 and they’ve got 7 releases.. Do me a favor. If you ever hear me make assumptions about a band or a topic out loud that I’ve just been exposed to, odds are I’m talking out of my ass. Just give me a nudge and say “Plug it in your iPhone.” That would be a solid.
I was surprised to see Coady Willis of The Melvins jump behind his section of the conjoined drum kits as soon as the curtain was retracted as Unsane began to play. He went right into Unsane’s song “Rat” off of the album “Wreck” (Unsane’s recent release that came out in March). Coady was filling in for Vinnie Signorelli on drums due to a hip injury and about half way through their set Chris Spencer (Vocals/Guitar) thanked Coady for filling in and also said that he learned the songs in four hours.. Shortly after this Dale Crover jumped behind his side of the kit as Coady left and they played a slower track “Stuck” then straight into a Flipper cover “Ha Ha Ha” (which is also on their newest album “Wreck”) with both Coady and Dale on drums AND vocals.
After listening to “Wreck” after the show, I’m pretty sure they played the whole album in order, possibly shy of a few tracks. Overall, Unsane is a solid band and definitely an appropriate opener for The Melvins.
The curtain drew back after this as western music began to play and everyone waited. At Trees, there’s a balcony area which has a fantastic view of the stage. This venue is set up very well and from here, you can see everything. After about 5 or 10 minutes the lights went out and movie soundtrack audio began to play on the mains. The drone of Buzz’s guitar and the distinctive crash of cymbals and drums began overtake the audio and the curtains withdrew. 
Then they go right into “Dog Island” off of Nude with Boots. This is such a powerful track.. the classic awkward yet flowing style of The Melvins.. They ended the song as any other band would typically close a show with the long sustains and sporadic drum fills. I’m talking like 7 or 8 of these.. Show’s over? NOPE. It’s the first song. (This could be related: I heard that Louis C.K. used to open his set with his closing bit as a workshopping style to improve his act. This is a scary concept for a stand-up comedian but music and stand-up comedy are two completely different things.. But I saw Buzz Osbourne in an interview with a Lenny Bruce shirt on so that proves he’s in to comedy.. wait, wait… I’m connecting too many dots here… Sorry, I’ll stop.)
For those who aren’t aware, The Melvins have been playing with two drummers since 2006. It’s not a new concept but still cool. Coady is left handed and Dale is right handed so each kit is a mirror of the other; it’s visually appealing and sort of psychedelic in a way. The drum kits are very close together and they even share a cymbal.
I can’t remember what they played a few songs after “Dog Island” because the excitement knob was WAY up, but I noticed that they played the whole “The Bulls & The Bees” EP about halfway into their set. This is their most recent recording this tour seemed to be in support of this EP. It’s a free release that Scion sponsered and it can be downloaded here (http://www.scionav.com/collection/917). What a solid recording!
It doesn’t bother me that Scion sponsored this. If anything, more corporations need to get with the program and evolve their image. Keep the trickery going but do it right! Here’s to the marketing team of said and/or other corporation: Hire variety. This release and tour was a good move.
After they played the songs off of this EP they closed with the first track off of “Stag” called “The Bit” (coincidence??) and stuck the landing.
This show was insanely good and you can check out the beginning of it here on my YouTube page.
