For Those About To Rock We Salute You

A couple of years ago I went out to the local scuzzy metal joint to see Early Man. And while Early Man were just okay-- their brand of loser metal didn't translate well in a live setting, though I still love the CDs-- it was the least-heralded band on the bill, Bad Wizard, who kicked ass over every other band that night.

The Webster Theater, where the show took place, is pretty much walking distance in any direction to all of the worst neighborhoods in Hartford, meaning nothing could happen there that would surprise me. While I was sitting at the bar that night, sucking down a few of the Webster's overpriced Rolling Rocks, a bearded homeless-looking guy wearing a jacket (even though it was mid-July) and an old-school NY Mets cap shuffled into the bar and ordered a bunch of beers with some drink tickets he must've found on the ground outside. He walked away with Bud bottles hanging out of every jacket pocket.

A short while later Bad Wizard came out on stage and started tearing the place up, and damned if the NY Mets guy wasn't their lead singer! Bad Wizard ripped through their set non-stop, with barely a pause between songs, and their stuff was all revved-up early Hellacopters-style 70's hard rock bombast with no room for any slow stuff and no time to catch your breath. Of course, the singer, Curtis, was swigging the beer he had bought the whole time while spraying an extra bottle or two over the crowd-- which nobody really minded, since the Webster is such a sweatbox anyway. I was like, "Holy crap! This is friggin' awesome!" They friggin' blew the doors off the place, and after the show I bought a couple of CDs from the band and swiped one of their posters that was hanging up near the front entrance as I was leaving.

Check out "Mean Rite, Tonite" and "Hurricane", which are two of their harder songs, and "Get Up and Move", which is total 70's AC/DC. Even better, in the booklet for "#1 Tonite!", the dudes are wearing Ted Nugent and 7Seconds "The Crew" t-shirts. Fukkin a-right!





Bad Wizard -

"So Bad/So Bad"

"Mean Rite, Tonite"

"Get Up and Move"

(these files are now listen-only)





Bad Wizard -

"Hurricane"

"Needle 2 Groove"

"Black Cherry"

(these files are now listen-only)