Murder City Devils, Union of the Dead & Cowboy

Upon entering The Brick Works Monday night, we heard Cowboy warming up just before they started the show. I wasn't too impressed by their music; it sounded as if they had merely thrown the pieces together, but maybe that's what they're after. While the guitar was wailing, the group's singer was quietly, practically humming along — the two paces did not match. The band does have a lot of potential for growth, and perhaps even a name in Chico's music history. With a full set-up of guitar, bass and drums, they certainly played their hearts out. The growing crowd observed the group, but never really got into Cowboy's groove; seeming more anxious to check out Union of the Dead.

I had never heard or seen UOD before and was anxiously anticipating the show just from all the hype they've been given around town. Word on the streets is that they rock. I was definitely satisfied with the way the show turned out. The trio rocked the house, bringing the people out from behind their tables, the true punk rockers gathered at the feet of the beloved local band. The UOD boys have a definite punk rock 'n' roll sound. The two members up front — guitarist Gerardo and bassist / lead vocalist Cliff — both were active in the singing riling up the crowd with their slightly harmonized, screaming lyrics and lightning fast riffing, while drummer Fred hammered the drums at a breakneck pace behind them.

I found myself tapping along to the tunes they played for us and, although it was obvious that not everyone enjoyed the band, I personally found this homegrown and well-tuned group enjoyable.

This was an evening full of new sounds for me — not only had I never been exposed to Cowboy or UOD, but I had never seen Murder City Devils before either. My roommate had been playing their music in the weeks before the show, and although I knew right away that I had to see them live, I still didn't know what to expect.

As the band began setting the stage, I noticed them lighting a half dozen scarlet candles. The Devils' latest addition, Farfisa Organ player Leslie Hardy set up her rig and also lit candles in skull candleholders. The candles and the image of the band members gave off some kind of weird punk rock Tales From the Crypt vibe as the tattooed and pierced players crisscrossed the stage, plugging in wires, setting up amps and tuning guitars.

They began their set by announcing that one of their guitarists, Nate Manny, was stuck in San Francisco, the victim of airline issues. Lucky for those in attendance, the Northwestern group decided not to cancel the show, but to play on with songs they could perform without the wayward guitarist; most of the songs were from back in the day, and were unlike anything else heard in the evening. They may have been missing an element, but the sound was still there — the hard driving guitar riffs, bottom heavy bass licks and eerie sounding organ all backing the screaming, heartfelt punk nerd stylings of frontman Spencer Moody. It seemed as though they had played those songs routinely without the missing guitar player; if they were lacking at all their performance never showed it. I found that this was not a "sit back, relax, and enjoy the show" performance; this was a "get in your face and love our music" show. The drums pumped, the guitars jammed and the organ remained steady and assured.

Even without Manny, I was extremely impressed by the Murder City Devils' music. The songs were amazing and well performed, and though the set was short it was high quality punk rock 'n' roll.

From old classics like "Boom Swagger Boom" and "Dance Hall Music" to Empty Bottles Broken Hearts favorites like "Eighteen Wheels" and "Johnny Thunders," they played a short but sweet set.

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