Nudged between the heyday of hair metal and the blooming of grunge, the Meat Puppets found themselves squarely between these two huge musical and pop culture waves. They were one of SST records’ pride and joys, and strangely enough, what brought them into the spotlight was the same force that overshadowed their contributions: after playing as an opening act for Nirvana’s In Utero tour, the late Kurt Cobain and both bands covered three of the Puppet’s acoustic songs on MTV Unplugged. After Cobain’s death, the perfect storm of Unplugged repeats and radio airplay of single “Backwater”, off their second major-label release Too High to Die created a 15 minutes of fame period for the band.
|
| |
Meat Puppets
|
 Entertainment
Art
Schubas
Chicago, IL
November 14, 2009
|
| |
|
|
By this time, the Puppets had considerably sawed off their rough edges; the hardcore punk and experimentalism that made them underground darlings was moving into more straightforward alt-rock – just as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and other depressed/outraged Seattleites (and numerous grunge-wannabe offshoots) were beginning to melt into the fabric of modern rock. Until 2000, when their first record in five years came out, the band members struggled with family tragedy and their own demons, keeping them even further from the music world.
The crowd at Chicago’s Schubas this past Saturday seemed to be the type that wasn’t simply there to hear a show, but to greet heroes coming back from a war. Many waited in anticipation, likely sticking with the Kirkwood brothers (guitar and bass) through thick and thin. Indeed, the bond between the band and its fans can be compared to a marriage – one skinny guy in a weird cowboy hat spilled his heart out to me, telling me he drove across a few Midwestern states to see the show. He and a few others danced crazily during the performance, reveling in the moment of being able to finally narrow the long-distance relationship. As for the Puppets, they played through their set with no breaks or audience interaction. Most bands would be skewered for this lack of pleasantries. But considering the Kirkwood brothers’ history of drugs, prison sentences and gradual recovery, the fact that they were on stage playing in top form was more than enough and substituted any banter that is expected at most rock shows.
The Puppets aren’t grunge, but they play the kind of music that makes it clear why they were overlooked when they were, and why they reverberate so much with so many. Their country-tinged hard rock blends with bursts of psychedelia. Great guitar skill by Curt Kirkwood had him tapping on the fretboard to grimy, bluesy bass lines provided by brother Cris while Shandon Sahm pounded out almost Bonham-like thuds and crashes. This stuff was simply not in about 15 years ago; hip audiences wanted sulky dudes in flannel dragging out tormented chords with as little glitz as possible. The trio cranked out “Backwater” with all the strained vocals reminiscent of that era, but they offered much more. It’s a shame the timing wasn’t right when they were rocking the underground alongside SST label mates Husker Du or The Minutemen.
“Sewn Together”, the title track off their May-released album offered country-fried rock goodness via pastoral whistling and a lengthy psych-rock jam session. Curt’s prowess was evident by the strum-free left-hand solo; volume knob adjustment on his axe synced to the beat. The crowd met these wild burst with shouts; this fed the fire as a chopper-guitar lick kicked off another song.
It’s hard to say what will happen to the Kirkwood brothers in the future. They’ve lived the rock star life with all of its ups and downs, and have only recently come back to life with a couple new albums. After they walked offstage silently after the encore, one wouldn’t be surprised if they choose hole up quietly for a few years, to someday stun the music industry with a set of evolved songs. Or, they may do things entirely on their own terms, only coming to the surface when they’ve had a chance to sort through their lives and realize what they can offer that hasn’t already been said. If they choose this, then the time to reflect has been well-deserved.
Powered by AkoComment 2.0!
