The Mutiny is an interesting little club on Chicago's north side. It has artwork on the ceiling and perhaps the town's largest urinal. On any given night, there will be an original band playing. The owner is a legend to many...well maybe. Half of folks that hang out at the Mutiny are in bands. Yes, it is definitely a "cutting edge" type of place.
Last night I witnessed one of the wildest bands I have ever seen. We Repel Each Other were pushing the threshold of spontaneous energy and innovation. Their sound reminded me of Steve Albini's Shellac. The singer-guitarist looked like a young Iggy Pop. They were maniacs!
I chatted with Izzy the drummer and he told me that he was sitting around one evening with a desire to play drums for the first time in two years. He got a call from an old friend Rob and within a few hours they were writing songs. "It all came out spontaneously and nobody told me what to play" said Izzy Price. The songs were created in the first take...spontaneous like '60s garage nuggets. "My Generation" by the Who was not overdubbed and done in a live type session and stands as a primitive example of rock's early energy. The best songs are ones that just happened quickly from a gut feeling.
Back in the day, Jimi Hendrix shocked people when he introduced the world to a new style of guitar distortion as art. The Velvet Underground was also venturing into this territory. Big Black and Yo La Tengo continued to do this type of music art. We Repel Each Other were all over the music map and all over the Mutiny. I thought I was in 1969 and Iggy Pop just surfed into the crowd. However, it is 2011 and this stubborn monster called rock 'n' roll will not lie down! Just come out to We Repel Each Other's next show, but be careful not to get too close to Rob, Eric, and Izzy!
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