The Undisputed & Nogoodnix

Saturday night, Manifest Destiny DIY Press and the Black Lodge hosted its first West Coast Warriors live/studio recording featuring The Undisputed from Seattle. The crowd anticipated the event for weeks, and their excitement, emitted from a sense of connectedness with the show, was more than the usual excitement one can see plainly on the face of a fan.
The sold-out live/studio recording exhibited a unique feature that made it significantly more interesting than a typical show. In this case, the crowd was part of the show. They watched with scrutiny as The Undisputed laid their tracks for the comp in show-like fashion. The crowd heightened the band's desire to perform at their highest levels. Everybody knew the band was recording.
I've given witness to the Nogoodnix on several occasions in the past. I hold testament to their evolving lineup and melioristic music and have given my opinions freer than polluted air, warranted or not. I have never hesitated to criticize or congratulate their efforts, and last Saturday was no different. I had only seen the Nogoodnix perform better once before. That was a stellar performance in Fresno, CA, at the infamous Cat Shit Club - a dirt hole exuding the essence of a forsaken afterlife and a whole commitment to a temporal life of hi-energy punk rawk. But the Black Lodge performance ranked a beautiful second. Was it because Saturday was frontman Jimmy Lo's 27th birthday, was it because NGN hadn't rehearsed for two weeks, or was it the drive of the inner musician clawing, scraping, gnawing through the interior lining of the body cavity? For whatever reason, Nogoodnix blazed their crowd favorites "Carlos" and "PNAC Gallery" (Project for a New American Century). The crowd undulated and bounced to the swift rifts of El's super-sonic guitar playing. Mr. Ruthless and Shipwreck provided the dynamic duo rhythm section and illustrated the same execution they earned their reputation with in Face Down.
The Undisputed took to the Black Lodge Studio with the same energy and vigor revealed at the largest of venues. Immediately The Undisputed secured their right to their name and reassured any skeptic that Seattle would be well represented on the West Coast Warriors compilation. Their style shares a creative talent with Fugazi; however, The Undisputed offer vocal flashes reminiscent of old school SNFU. Jay has extended his vocal range and uses it very well while Joe's skill at drums can mesmerize even the most A.D.D.-ridden person and charge the most valium-laden pill popper. Brin actually used every ounce of capacity contained in his "Mission Control"-like guitar setup. And the bass player, Joe, exploded with enthusiasm powered by fresh musicianship with previously unexplored combinations. The Undisputed offered more than an excellent show for the Chico-area punk collective. The Undisputed offered more than a superb track for a compilation. The Undisputed charged Frankenstein-life into a project that commemorates people who can do anything they put their mind to…except quit.
- Ray Dehated
- Photo by Chris Schreiber

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