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10-12-2001 |  |
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Lucky Boys confuse morals, but don't 'Throw the Game'
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By Art Bamford
Staff Writer
Several years ago I was invited by a friend to see a local band play a show for three dollars in the basement of a church. I was curious to see the kind of top-notch talent that could land such a gig. When they took the stage, I couldn't decide what kind of music it would be. The guitar player looked like a thug with his bandana and tight undershirt, the lead singer looked like an emcee with his baggy pants and gold chains, and the bass player was the archetype of a high school drop out.
This past Sunday night at the Intersection I was still unsure how to categorize the unique rap-rock-reggae-pop style of Lucky Boys Confusion. A lot has changed since that first show in the church basement: Since then the band has sold a staggering number of their independently-released debut album and follow-up EP, and has been signed to Elektra records. This year, Lucky Boys appeared in Grand Rapids for the second time to promote their Elektra debut album entitled ``Throwing the Game,'' which is an eclectic, radio-ready homage to partying like rock stars... in the suburbs.
The band sounded fantastic at this past weekend's show, perhaps even better than on the album. After years of relentless touring, there are no noticeable weaknesses in a Lucky Boys live performance. They have the same comfort and ease as a veteran touring band, but a relentless youthful energy unmatched by any young new band. A tired, bored audience on a ``school night'' might cause most bands to give less than their best, but Lucky Boys Confusion rose to the occasion and kept picking up the pace until the crowd was jumping, screaming and pushing by the encore; throughout their set the choruses got catchier, the riffs bigger, and the band a little crazier. In short, they know what they're doing.
As is usual for the band, they seamlessly wove together the many genres that their sound encompasses, recalling the sounds of everyone from Bob Marley to N.W.A to NOFX. As much I as was enjoying their unique sound, however, the cultural discerner in me couldn't help but notice how explicit most of the lyrics and all of the on-stage comments were. During one song, I had to wonder if they spin a wheel with ``Beer'' ``Pot'' ``Sex'' and ``Make fun of police'' on it to decide what to write their next song about. The infectious anthems they were playing all featured lyrics like ``They've got a warrant, S***, hide your beer!'' and ``Do you know the power of the ganja?'' The band members joked about their tour bus drug use between songs as they chugged from several 40 oz. beer bottles in brown paper bags.
Lucky Boys have the ability to write very clever and thoughtful lyrics about their suburban experience but do so very infrequently. Songs like ``Fred Astaire,'' which talks about the pressure put on American teens by their parents, and ``One to the Right,'' in which lead singer Kastubh Pandav struggles with being a first generation American, are good examples of this. Unfortunately, these brief glimpses weren't bright enough to outshine sing-along phrases like ``there's always the backseat,'' ``I'm going to steal your girlfriend,'' and ``fifty of my friends and a keg of Killian's.''
If you're looking for a great new band to blast on your stereo on every occasion from a road trip to a back-yard barbeque, Lucky Boys Confusion is it. But if it's spiritual enlightenment or a morally uplifting message you're after, this may not be the band for you. Even so, they managed to put on a fantastic concert this past weekend at the Intersection because of their professionalism, musicianship, stage presence and tireless energy.