| The Moon Knights, from Anchorage, played a wild and spastic show. The jury is
out on the best Alaskan band, but the weirdest is widely uncontested. With a
voice that recalls Lou Reed, Lester Smiley's music was more than a subtle nod to
classic '70s underground rock 'n' roll. He and his band dressed in outrageous,
colorful clothes and wore wigs - perhaps mocking the glam genre - and he
garnished his songs with quirky arrangements and a sardonic humor. Julie and
Adrian Schnyder backed him up on the keytar and drums and the band was also
joined by two "Moonettes," dedicated to dancing erotically and awkwardly. Having
dancers in a band may strike some as a tacky novelty, but who could argue that
five people freaking out on stage isn't more exciting than three? The Moon
Knights made fun a high priority, so it's easy to love them, and they certainly
succeeded in warming up the crowd.
As Vancouver's the Pack A.D. took the stage, I felt a slight apprehension,
anxious about their warning that they would be playing new material, "moving
away from the blues." I can confidently attest that the new material also rocks
and that they still play the familiar 12-bar grooves they're known for.
Becky Black packed a surprisingly huge voice, sometimes screaming like a
banshee, but always kept a steady groove on rhythm guitar. Her style left plenty
of atmospheric room, as she often chooses not to play guitar at all while she is
singing or alternates between vocalizing the melody and playing it on her
guitar. She and Maya Miller playfully altered tempos, playing some passages
glacially slow, in a completely unfamiliar way from their recordings. The epic
"Making Gestures" and "Don't Have to Like You" were highlights. Miller was some
kind of joyful, rhythm monster, never missing a beat and rarely letting the
smile leave her lips.
www.myspace.com/themoonknights
www.thepackafterdeath.com
Photographer: Jesse Hoff | 
