Red Fang's Show Is Good, Could Be Great
By Casey Moffitt in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 6, 2014 4:30PM
(Red Fang/Facebook)
Red Fang put on a dynamite show at Wire in Berwyn Tuesday night. The hard-rocking quartet from Portland has it together, is road tested and well-rehearsed.
Along with letting it all hang out, Red Fang can keep an audience on its toes with meter changes, adding a beat or two here or taking one or two away there. They also have a keen knack for altering riffs just enough to be noticed, yet not enough to knock a song off its groove.
It also was surprising, yet refreshing, to see a lack of effects pedals in front of the two guitarists Bryan Giles and David Sullivan. Just one effects pedal was used between the two, as Sullivan had a lonely phaser sitting at the front of the stage.
It's kind of cool to see a band let their talents, instruments and amplifiers do all the work instead of slew of wacky effects. These guys are playing their instruments and not with a bunch of toys.
But then consider what they plug their guitars into and it's a little less exciting. Giles, Sullivan and bass player Aaron Beam lined up nearly identical Sunn heads on top of Orange cabinets. They all looked the same, and were at the same height which made for a cool visual. They just sound like garbage.
The tones those things emit are full of muck, crunch and mush. There's little definition and having a full line of them can really create a mess on stage. Apparently it's a "thing" these days for heavier rock acts to use these God awful amplifiers, but usually you see bands use these heads to cover the fact they can't really play or have rotten song-writing skills.
Red Fang has neither of these issues. These guys play really well and their song writing is intricate, creative and interesting. It's because of these factors they can overcome the hideous tones coming from the stage and put on a rocking good show.
The sound wasn't helped by the high ceilings of Wire either, as it bounced around adding to sludgy tones.
With all the mathy elements to Red Fang's songs, one might think they would want more definitive tones from their gear, so it's kind of a mystery as to why they elect to use those Sunn heads. Red Fang's albums suffer from the same problem. The songs are interesting and a fun listen, but they sound like junk.
Wouldn't it be great to hear these guys find something that will accentuate their strengths rather than mitigate them? Red Fang could be serious force if they sounded a lot better.
Still, the crowd ate it up, because, as stated before, these guys are good performers and put on a rocking show. Even the slam dancers emerged, at least until one amateur puked in the pit. Things had to stall for a while to let the mop and bucket come out and take care of the the mess, because that stuff has to be cleaned up in a hurry. It's very slippery.