Well, my ambitions to do write ups on the Portland rock shows had to be put on hold. My band broke up, necessitating the need to spend time exploring in search of my next project, and my wife and I welcomed my son Liam into our family. Time to attend shows, let alone write about them has been in short supply. Today, I make a fresh start.
Last night at The Know, Tee Pee recording artist Lecherous Gaze stopped in to share their high energy rock with P town. I first heard about Lecherous Gaze because they are on a split 12” that I bought at the Danava show at Branx this winter, Danava, Earthless, and Lecherous Gaze, on song each. All three songs are some high energy rock. Also, Lecherous Gaze are on TeePee records, which is one of my favorite smallish labels. I took a listen on myspace (ugh, I loath having to go to myspace these days, even just to listen to a band) as is typical for me to decide whether to go to the show, and I was intrigued by Lecherous Gaze’s seeming diversity in their songs.
The Know had a good side crowd with a typical grizzly Portland rock people; black jeans and studded black leather jackets were out in force. I had practice with my new project, so we didn’t get there until the first two opening bands had already played. We had barely gotten a beer when Lecherous Gaze was sound checking their instruments. Graham Clise, Lecherous Gaze’s guitarist let loose with a wail from his rig that made my friend Rich reflexively jump. Clise was playing a clear plastic wood neck guitar (not a mosrite) through a JMP and JCM 800 half stacks. This was going to be loud. Really loud. God I love rock music. The bass player was rocking a sun rig. Lakis Panagiotopulos, Lecherous Gaze’s singer, started in with some stage banter, and the band ripped into their first tune.
As a guitarist myself, I was immediately drawn to Graham Clise’s playing. Here is a skilled, seasoned player who had full control of his instrument. Ripping though wailing blues licks, mixed with jazz chord phrasings and Hendrix-esc chord embellishments. What impressed me most is the articulation in Clise’s playing, every note was heard, no matter the speed of the phrase. And Clise added more than just wailing on blues scales, mixing in the other notes and chromatic phrases. Clise knows the fret board backwards and forwards and it shows. At the same time Clise is not scared to pull out some wailing blues licks, complete with wailly bends and all. It was some ripping guitar playing that was fun to watch and listen to. I also couldn't help but notice the large 70s era Sabbath head shot tattoo with Iommi and Ozzy prominently positioned on Clise right arm. It is clear Clise shares my reverence for the originators of heavy music.
Songs were on the shorter side, with a nod to some punk rock roots. Panagiotopulos’ has a very unique style, definitely bringing in some punk elements. My knowledge of punk rock does not go very deep, but I am sure someone more knowledgeable could do a comparison justice. Almost a Joey Ramones style, but with a fresh, unique delivery. Every song save a couple were really upbeat, fun rocking tunes that chugged along and demanded at the least some head nodding to the beat. Based on Panagiotopulos’ stage comments, Lechorous Gaze embraces being a party band. They want you to come to their show, enjoy yourself, enjoy some libations, and rock the fuck out.
Bassist Chris Grande solidly held down the low end, often playing doubled licks with Clise which lended to a wall of sound effect. Drummer Noel Sullivan rounded out the band brings almost a garage element with his drumming. You add all this up and you have a band that is hard to put in a genre box. They aren’t punk. They aren’t metal, they are a rock and roll band but that description seems to only capture a part of the story. They don’t have the stoner elements that so many heavy rock bands incorporate these days. The guitar playing was more of a blues/jazz rock approach, mixed with some garage and punk. I applaud Lecherous Gaze for doing something that is truly original, and not following the crowd, and making music that is fun to see and listen to in the process. If you are looking for a good time, you should go check out Lecherous Gaze the next time they come through town.
After the show, I went to talk to Panagiotopulos at the merch table and bought the recently release EP from him (they had sold out of the vinyl on earlier stops of their tour damit!).
We talked a little about the album cover, the shirts they had sold out of, and the apparent proliferation of Nu Metal bands in Oakland. Panagiotopulos clearly believes rock and roll is about having a good time, and doesn’t have a lot of respect for the “fronting like you’re a bad ass” aesthetic of many metal bands. Panagiotopulos also mentioned that Lecherous Gaze is a full time deal for these guys, with 4-5 practices a week. Certainly goes along way to explaining why they sounded so tight.
You can read a review of The Lecherpus Gaze EP at Blabermouth:
Rock on Portland!
