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RHINO BUCKET @ Maxwells - Hoboken, NJ - Friday, 4/28/06 |
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>>>>>>>EXCLUSIVE LIVE SHOW REVIEW<<<<<<<Posted: 4/29/06Reviewed by: Dirt Category: Hard Rock Label URL: www.acetate.com Artist URL: www.rhinobucket.com | |
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SET LIST Welcome To Hell Hey There She Rides Don't Bring Her Down Blood On The Cross Monkey Boy Highway Invisible One Night Stand Smile She's A Screamer Hammer 'n' Nail Ride The Rhino
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It was by sheer luck that I had the opportunity to see
the reformed Rhino Bucket last night when they hit New Jersey. I was
fully aware of the fact that the band was back in action and had a new
record out - And Then It Got Ugly - and knew that they've been
playing live, but never in a million years did I actually expect the
Californians to come close enough for me to see them. After all, it's
expensive to be on the road and the trip across the country alone could
break the bank. On April 27th, I stumbled across the band's tour dates
(they're on the road opening for the Supersuckers) and was miffed to find
out that they were playing in Manhattan (NYC) on the same night.
Considering that I'm 60 miles outside of the city, and it was already late
in the evening, I knew I wasn't going to make that show, BUT the following
night's Hoboken show was definitely a go!
For the uniformed, Rhino Bucket released their
self-titled debut album back in 1990, and videos for "Blood On The Cross"
and "One Night Stand" received some solid play on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
1992's Get Used To It yielded a video for "Hey There"
that was seen on the Ball and “Ride With Yourself," a song that
graced the soundtrack of Wayne’s World. The band's third album,
1994's Pain,
found former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright (currently with Dio) taking over for
original member Liam Jason who left due to personal reasons (later to become
known). Unfortunately, in the mid-90s, the band packed it in as so many
other traditional hard rockers did. A one-off gig in 2000 encouraged
original lead vocalist/guitarist Georg Dolivo and bassist Reeve Downes to
reform permanently. Recruiting former Kix six-stringer Brian 'Damage'
Forsythe, and bringing Liam back into the fold (but now as a women called
Jackie Enx - Liam had undergone sexual reassignment surgery while away from
the band), Rhino Bucket was ready to hit the scene again.
Back
to Hoboken and the band's performance in front of a capacity crowd. Rhino
Bucket hit the stage at 10:30 PM. Jackie took her place behind the kit
and then Georg, Reeve, and Damage arrived. Without delay, the band
got down to business and launched into their Bon Scott-era AC/DC up-tempo,
foot stompin' brand of gritty hard rock. Even though I was not at all
familiar with And Then it Got Ugly, all the new tracks fit in
comfortably with the band's classics, so it just didn't matter. The
band has the knack for writing new songs that are the brothers and sisters
of all the great songs on the debut and their sophomore effort. This
not a case of a band forgetting who they are and what they are supposed to
sound like. "Welcome To Hell" (which lyrically seems to be about
divorce) opened the set and was as toe-tappin' as the song that came next,
their hit "Hey There." Georg's voice is exactly as it was on the debut
and his unique delivery impressed me on other new tracks such as the fun
"Monkey Boy Highway" (although I can't make heads or tails as to its
meaning), "Invisible" and "Don't Bring Her Down." Although I didn't
see them on recent setlists, the band thrilled the crowd with "Blood On The
Cross" and "Ride The Rhino" (culled from the 1990 debut). Aside from
"One Night Stand" from the debut and "She's A Screamer" from Get Used To
It, the remainder of the set spotlighted new tracks, all of which were
killer and left the crowd wanting more. Throughout the evening, Damage
was on fire, soloing like a madman on his beat up cream-colored Fender
Telecaster with frets that were so
worn
down that you could see where his fingers had made concave impressions.
While the years have gone by, Damage hasn't aged at all. He still
exudes a youthful rock star image - from his jet black hair, to his huge
belt buckle, bracelets, and cowboy boots, to his rock star poses.
Reeve was thumping away on his bass locking in with Jackie, who is the most
under-rated and stylistically original drummer that I've ever had the
pleasure of watching perform. Jackie and Damage even went off on a
short tribal rhythm, bluesy solo jam that kicked ass.
The Bloody Truth:
Rhino Bucket never got their due in the 90s, although I have been playing
their debut and sophomore effort consistently
since they were released way back when. The band is one of the few
great bands to arise during the 90s, and in 2006, they are the true saviors
of American hard rock.
Do not miss them on this tour! They are worth every penny, plus the
admission is low-priced! This type of music is such a rarity and fans
of real rock must embrace it if it is to continue. And now that you
are reading this, surf over to