Pepper, Mix Mob, Saint Dog & Shuvel

The youth of today are faced with many important issues. They are constantly thinking things like, “Would the Terminator make a good governor of California?” and “Who will be voted off in the next episode of Which Greedy Bastard Will Marry My Grandma For A Huge Cash Prize?” The solution to these pressing questions, of course, is to forget all about them and go to a rock concert. Last Wednesday, many denizens of Chico took that approach and had a great time bouncing around the floor of The Brick Works and forgetting the worries of their lives. The night began with Shuvel, a rock band with two vocalists and heavy hip-hop undertones. Their songs were diverse, involving many different breakdowns and chord progressions, but the common thread was definitely tied to the huge, crushing choruses that underscored some appropriately raspy vocals. The best moments of the band’s set were the ones involving both vocalists either playing off each other or interacting with the slowly growing crowd. Next on the stage was Saint Dog. He was white. He rapped. It probably should have sucked, but it didn’t. He related to the audience well and kept them happy with straightforward beats and interesting lyrical topics. “First Class White Trash” springs to mind as one of the favorites of the night. As his set came to a close, he invited any of the females in the audience to come up on stage and dance — a request that was happily met by a few of them. I was a little perturbed that he only invited girls up on stage. I wanted to be a dancing groupie, too. Anyway, Mix Mob was next on the bill, and the energy that they brought with them was incredible. Heavy on the hooks and way above par where performance is concerned, the Mob put on a show that was impressive by any standard. The harmonies were strong, the instrumentation was tight and the only way to get one of their songs out of your head was to wait for the next one to get stuck in it. Highlights of the show would probably be hearing the audience sing “Won’t you please kill my neighbor” along with the band and a song called “Mrs. Hollywood” that sent a big middle finger out to the self-important primadonnas of the world. After Mix Mob came the night’s headliners, Pepper. They really connected to the audience. The floor was filled with a sea of heads that didn’t stop moving through their entire set of Sublime-esque rock. Though every part of their performance was great, I would say that the high point of it all was a song with a chorus requesting some “dirty hot sex” called “Give It Up.” It goes without saying that the audience loved that one. When the show finally ended, a good feeling was left in the air as everyone scampered home to watch videotapes of that night’s episode of Which Greedy Bastard Will Marry My Grandma? – Dana Hocking – Photo by Wayne Houchin

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