Teenage Jesus+the Jerks.

!970's New York: Ugly, violent, dingy; a city on the verge of decay, filled with violent maniacs and perverts (or so every film from that era tells me). I wish I could have lived there at that time just to drift through the music scene that consistently pushed the boundaries.

Teenage Jesus + the Jerks was a short lived yet influential band during the short lived No Wave movement in New York. Fronted by Cult icon Lydia lunch and saxophonist James Chance. They had an intentionally abrasive style, filled with abrasive noise and provocative lyrics, they were infamous for playing ten minute sets filled with thirty second songs. The out put of Teenage Jesus was meager at best, with only a few singles and some recordings floating around. 

WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE!

"We wanted to make very loud music without having to rely on electricity" 

This was the response when I asked a tuba player how What cheer? Brigadegot started. If the apocalypse befalls us I'm gonna be following this band around as they travel from camp to camp blasting the eardrums of huddled and ragged survivors.

Sunday I had the pleasure of catching What Cheer? Brigade's show. If You don't know the name "What Cheer? Brigade" then let me fill you in. Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island. What Cheer? is an 18 piece (give or take) punk marching band, that plays a mishmash of genres with the intensity of an old time revivalist tent meeting, all without a single electric instrument.. Oh and bring earplugs. This was the loudest damn show I've ever seen. 

I first caught wind of them while eagerly awaiting the release of B. Dolan's Fallen house sunken city. What Cheer backed Dolan on the song border crossing. Since then they have backed him live and opened for him during the Church of love and ruin tour.