Crank the A.C.

Ask any band what they sound like, and you’re sure to get hyperbole about a great many influences, frequently none of which makes sense. Or even worse, you get those musicians who are such artistes they would never deign to categorize their group with such blasé details. That’s why Hellride rule. The trio—composed of Stooges/Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins and Porno for Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano—make no bones about what it is. Simply put, it’s three killer players tackling Stooges songs filtered through a John Coltrane perspective. Watt sings lead during most of the set, which features improv-based interpretations of the best rock band ever to grace the Earth (sorry, Rolling Stones). Hellride have never recorded and probably won’t because theirs is a craft that needs to be experienced in the flesh, which is what made the Stooges and Coltrane so damn exciting in the first place.
Fri., Oct. 3, 9 a.m., 2008