The Jesus Lizard brings its 'punk assault' to A2

Oh, it was a good night in Ann Arbor. The Blind Pig, usually home to inane local bands and the occasional indie-rock snob, didn't know what hit it. How could a club that holds 400 people ever be ready for the mayhem of a Jesus Lizard show?

Bassist David Wm. Sims, the driving force behind the band, stood stoically throughout almost the entire set, providing a contrast to Yow's outlandish dashing about. Guitarist Duane Denison and drummer Jim Kimball played competently, taking the middle ground somewhere between Sims and Yow.

After "Puss," the Lizard went straight into "I Can Learn," the first track off its new album "Blue," which hit stores May 5. The crowd took to the new tracks, although you could tell they were waiting for the classics. With six albums and numerous other releases, the Jesus Lizard had plenty to choose from. The set list included the disturbing "Thumbscrews," dedicated to "all the landlords in the audience," the intoxicating "Gladiator" from 1992's "Liar," as well as 1990's horrific "Bloody Mary." The Jesus Lizard also played "Fly On The Wall" from 1994's "Down," and new tracks like "Horse Doctor Man" and "Until It Stopped To Die."

REVIEW
	The Jesus Lizard Thursday, May 7 Blind Pig

The show began at about 10:30, when Stanford Prison Experiment - "probably the best band to ever come out of Los Angeles," according to Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow - took the stage quietly. Not an extremely menacing band at first glance, SPE immediately floored the audience with its hardcore assault. From the first chord of "Cansado." from its 1995 sophomore effort "The Gato Hunch," the band was on point, together and firing at will.

Vocalist Mario Jimenez, extremely soft-spoken off-stage, turns into a maniacal figure in the spotlight, spouting his socio-politically conscious lyrics as he twists, turns, and contorts his body to the driving rhythms of the band. Jimenez had a little trouble during the first track and the next, "Repeat Removal," as the mic fell apart repeatedly. But it was smooth sailing the rest of the way after that was fixed.

Guitarist Mike Starkey, replete with his multitude of effects pedals, kept the volume at 11 as he demolished eardrums much in the tradition of Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. He seemed very pleased as the crowd took to some of the newer tracks from SPE's just-released album on Island Records, "Wrecreation." Bassist Mark Fraser and drummer Davey Latter kept the rhythms hard and somewhat groovy, such as in the Minutemen cover "It's Expected I'm Gone."

The crowd was courteous yet unenthusiastic, but the band accelerated as it rolled through song after song. "Take It," a song from '93, sounded as fresh as some of the new offerings - "Compete," "Contusion" and "Sweet Talk." When the band closed up the set with "You're The Vulgarian" and a 5-minute long feedback session, the crowd seemed thoroughly impressed. SPE has been through Detroit three times over the past six months, and their persistence shows. Repeated touring does make a better band.

If the unbelievable set from SPE wasn't enough, the headliner hadn't even appeared yet, and the crowd waited in anticipation. A little before midnight, the Jesus Lizard finally hit the stage. Yow said "Hi, we're the Laughing Hyenas" and the band's opening blurt of 1992's "Puss" moved the ever-eclectic Lizard crowd into a melange of beer, sweat, spit and elbows. David Yow jumped into the crowd almost immediately, exploring the territory beyond the stage to see what his chances of reaching the back of the room actually were.

If you've never heard the Jesus Lizard play, its punk assault could be likened to a horror movie soundtrack, with eerie bass-driven chord progressions, and Yow slobbering, screaming and moaning into the microphone with ferocity.

Seeing the band live is even more entrancing, as the music almost plays second to Yow's sweaty, beer-soaked, crowd-surfing presence. It's enough to put a crowd into a complete and utter daze.

After the initial 12-song set and a small break, the Jesus Lizard returned for a five-song encore, starting with the humorous "Glamorous," rolling through two new songs (including the excellent "Postcoital Glow") and ending with the classic "Monkey Trick."

The crowd seemed to have had all it could take, as the heat and the two bouncers in the audience unsuccessfully tried to deflate the toxic bubble the Lizard had created. When the show ended at about 1 a.m., the bubble finally burst and quiet descended on Ann Arbor once again.

Overall, this was one of the best shows in the Detroit area in the past year. The Jesus Lizard's always entertaining performance, coupled with the outstanding, intense show by Stanford Prison Experiment, made this a night of sights, sounds and insanity not to be equalled anytime soon.

05-11-98