Heads up if you're in the NYC and Philly areas this weekend, rare chance to see some raging psycho-blitz guitar trio rock courtesy of Grenoble, France's Gunslingers, who you might recognize as one of the bands on the WFMU/Aquarius Records SXSW bill we aired on March 20th from Austin. Simply put, you've got some frenzied psychedelic punk/biker-rock, fronted by singer/guitarist GR's delay-ravaged gobbledygook vox and crazed guitar action lying somewhere in between Dick Dale, Nanjo from High Rise, and even some odd amphetamine traces of East Bay Ray, or even D Boon. Bassist Matthieu Canaguier and drummer Antoine Hadjioannou ably and interactively lay down the framework for GR's overload, and it's difficult trying to decide who's the most fun to watch on stage. Though, admittedly by the time the Gunslingers blasted off at 1AM for the SXSW show (after 12 
acts) I was wiped, but still blown away by these guys (and sorry the club's soundman pissed them off enough to abandon the set after five songs). If we weren't doing WFMU's big Free Music Archive show Saturday the 4th at the Bell House I'd be front and center at Union Pool in Brooklyn, but NYC has a second chance to see the Gunslingers live at the Cake Shop Tuesday April 7th (with White Hills and Bogan Dust on the bill). Philly-ites can check them out on Sunday the 5th at Kung-Fu Necktie (with Vincent Black Shadow, Drunkdriver, and Dog On the Loose on the Bill).
In the meantime, here's live MP3s from the WFMU/Aquarius broadcast from Spiro's, March 20th, and the band's latest full length release No More Invention is available on the World In Sound label.
Gunslingers - Lighter Slinger Festival (MP3)
Gunslingers - The Minister's Black Veil (MP3)
Gunslingers - Black Dwarf Man (MP3)
Gunslingers - King Yaya's Forty Guns (MP3)
Gunslingers - Into the Garage (MP3)
Gunslingers - Unknown (and aborted) (MP3)
'Twas unfortunate, because I'd seen the 'slingers tear the roof off the Chat Room in Fort Worth a couple of days before. The borrowed Marshall wasn't giving Gregory the feedback he wanted, and I only remembered after the fact that the Major Stars' drummer had had the sound guy take everything out of the drum monitor, which the tech should have corrected for before the Gunslingers hit. As a result, Antoine couldn't hear anything, and when the vocal mic started giving Greg shocks, he called the set down. Hope the rest of their tour went well. I'm just glad I got to see 'em twice (and cop "No More Invention" on vinyl from 'em).
Posted by: Ken | April 04, 2009 at 04:37 PM