The Bronx, The Last Vegas preview

The Bronx, The Last Vegas
Double Door, Chicago
Thursday, August 30, 2007

According to their Web site, The Bronx hope to have two new (though not a double album, mind you) records out by the end of the summer. This makes us happy. But the fact the band claim one of them (El Bronx) will be mariachi music makes us think they might be lying. This makes us sad.

Nowadays most bands don’t even bother updating their regular Internet sites anymore, preferring to keep fans current via Myspace, but myspace.com/thebronxxx isn’t any help, either – the last entry is from February. So maybe The Bronx are making a mariachi record, maybe not. It would definitely be interesting, but we’re more anticipating the follow up to last year’s awesome self-titled effort. The band’s 2003 debut (also self-titled) showed promise but was too often pure aggression. On their Island/Def Jam debut, The Bronx learned how to balance gutter grit with songcraft, intertwining their punk and hard rock influences and mixing fury with hooks. And though it’s a stretch to call the group metal, recent tours with metallic heavyweights like Mastodon and High On Fire helped them create a fanbase in the genre. Word on the street is The Bronx are an explosive live show, though IE‘s two attempts to see the band were both thwarted: Once when frontman Matt Caughthran’s ouchy throat caused them to miss their Double Door set, and once when too much time at a bar caused us to miss their Metro set.

It’s a shame openers The Last Vegas don’t earn the attention in Chicago, their hometown, as they do elsewhere. That’s isn’t to say the band are ignored here, they certainly have a strong following, but outside city limits, and even the boundaries of the United States, is where Last Vegas have really made names for themselves. Critics lauded their performance at this year’s South By Southwest festival in Austin, played to 20,000 people on Memorial Day at Rockford Speedway, regularly tour overseas (including an upcoming jaunt through Spain), landed a song – “Raw Dog” – on the mega-popular “Guitar Hero II” video game, and even formed a partnership with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who uses Vegas’ “We’ll Drink Three” as an official theme song of sorts. That the group have tapped into (they also played numerous NASCAR tracks on their summer Cars & Guitars tour) the conservative, CMT-weaned NASCAR crowd with their sleazy, sex-drenched, hair-metal-tinted sound is surprising, but good rock ‘n’ roll should transcend demographics, right?

With A Gun and Rebel Angels also play. This show is the kickoff night (and it’s free!) of the annual Electric City Rockfest at Double Door. The Detroit Cobras headline Friday’s show, Helmet Saturday, and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult Sunday evening.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here to download The Bronx’s “History’s Stranglers.”

Click here for streaming samples of The Last Vegas.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly