WIRES ON FIRE
THREE DOG NIGHT?
With bands on its roster like the Icarus Line, Your Enemies Friends, Radio Vago (see page 23) and 400 Blows, famously bitchy website/record label Buddyhead has been making a name for itself as more than just a shit-talking portal. The latest band to reap their deserved cool-cache benefits is Wires on Fire. There's something astringent and eviscerating about their take on blues-based rock N roll. You can hear it in the wheels-coming-off way singer/guitarist Evan Weiss sometimes redlines his trenchant vocals; in the throttling give and take of bassist Michael Shuman and drummer Dash Hutton; and most notably in the split-open guitar chaos of Jeff Lynn, which spills over the top of every song. It's impressive, even more so when you consider the ages and pedigrees: all of them are under 20; Weiss went to the elite Crossroads school with the Olsen twins, one of whom reportedly hit on him at a show; Shuman's dad produces blockbuster Hollywood movies; Hutton's dad, Danny, was a founding member of Three Dog Night; Lynn started doing meth and coke when he was 13 (he's since been to rehab). About all this we have four things to say: 1) Three Dog Night? Seriously? That shit's funny. 2) You know how Orange County life is presented on The O.C.? These kids might have lived that! 3) Despite all this, Wires on Fire feel inalienably authentic. 4) But making fun of LA is still fun. (Alison M. Rosen)
Wires on Fire perform with Say Anything, The Process, Unfinished Business and Transistor Radio at Chain Reaction, 1652 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim, (714) 635-6067. Sat., 7:30 p.m. $8. all ages.
THOSE PEABODYS
THOSE SMARTASSES
Squish together Foghat and Fugazi and you've got Those Peabodys. Singer/guitarist Adam Hatley simplifies it even more. “We're just a pop band that plays really loud,” he says. And the name? “Those” instead of “the,” huh? “When we first started, it was just a smartass way to not be a 'the' band. Maybe one day I'll be in a band that has a good name,” Hatley says. Along with singer/bassist Clarke Wilson and a revolving cast of drummers and other guitarists, Hatley has been churning out the riff-heavy rock with a punk/indie-inspired quirk since 1999. Last year saw the release of Those Peabodys' second full-length, Unite Tonight, and 2004 has reduced the size of Those Peabodys by one (once a four-piece, they're now a three-piece). But Hatley figures if it's good enough for ZZ Top, it's good enough for his band. “I guess ever since I heard ZZ Top, I felt obligated to listen to them, since they're badass. There's some Texas pride that goes in there, too. Texans are usually pretty proud of being Texans,” he says. So, are Those Peabodys happy to be called a Texas band? “Hell, yeah! Not to the point where we're on a Ford truck commercial. But we're true to the game. We like Texas.” (Rex Reason)
Those Peabodys perform with Raul, The Sess and the Staircase Diaries at 51 Buckingham, 296 W. Second St., Pomona; 51buckingham.com. Wed., 7 p.m. All ages.
PHIFE AND JAROBI
CAN I STILL KICK IT?
Marion Barry got caught with hookers, Anthony Michael Hall played the jock, Nelson Mandela was released from jail, and A Tribe Called Quest released their first album—ah, we really do love the '90s! A Tribe Called Quest were all over hip-hop then, with jazzy tracks (sampling the Meters and Lou Reed!) such as “Can I Kick It?,” “Scenario” and “Buggin' Out” (the latter two from The Low End Theory) that would help start Busta Rhymes' solo career and set the precedent for such artists as Pharrell of the Neptunes and Outkast. But the group called it quits in 1998 after the release of The Love Movement, a breakup that Tribe member Q-Tip told MTV was their record label's idea, not the band's. The group started recording again last year, however, and put out “(ICU) Doin' It,” a slinky, hooky song with all of Tribe's members back together. And now even Jarobi—an original Tribe member, he abandoned the mic for a spatula and pan to attend culinary-arts school before ever appearing on any recordings—is set to be working with the group. Fellow Tribe rapper Phife told MTV his voice may sound a little deeper, but everything else feels the same, and Tribe are working on a new album, with a first single set to be released sometime this fall.
(Charlie Rose) Phife Dawg and Jarobi with Head Roc, Marijayne and DJ Rasta Root at The Vault 350, 350 Pine Ave., Long Beach, (562) 590-5566; www.vault350.com. Fri., 8 p.m. $20. All ages.
