"I got one more song for all you fuckers on a Wednesday night!" screams out
"Rooster" (Josh) of
MachineGun Mojo in the dim- lit, brew- flowin'
Double Door in Chicago.
As electric guitars fill the air, I think to myself- they should call it "Just Jam"! Everyone and their mother could enjoy this track. The
Double Door's bathroom stalls are lined with graffiti, one particular amuses me. It reads "Prome trace acid val"- two of which I've never even heard of- you don't need any of those to dig these guys though, some whiskey will do!
These guys rock hard, their whiskey- infused sound has a
Kings of Leon quality to it, especially in "Hannah". Another one of their newest, unreleased tracks has
Zep- like lyrics "...by myself, used to have a woman but she left me for someone else..." sound familiar, anyone? If not, well then hey hey what can I do?
Some tunes incorporate
Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" as well as
The Beatles "Hey Jude" and "With A Little Help From My Friends", but you can only get that live! Their on- stage presence is wicked, especially as
Rooster rocks out in a jacket that reminds me a bit of something
Brandon Flowers of The Killers and
Caleb Followill of
Kings would pull off if they ever produced a hybrid.
After the show, the band and I get to talking. I see their potential right away- with their harder sound and the few songs that have
Kings quality- just about anybody will enjoy them.
Hard should be expected though when you've got
MachineGun in a title, but groovin' follows right alongside as
Mojo kicks into full gear.
Shawn on second guitar is a bit skeptical of my determination so he blatantly states, "Thanks for your interest but we don't need your help."
I take it personally and come to my conclusions about him rather quickly but soon bassist
Matt joins us. They give me some sage advice that I have heard somewhere before, "this industry will chew you up and spit you out. You're a good- looking girl. People will use you. If you aren't smart you can get in with the wrong people and all the people who could have been good for you won't give you a second glance," thank you
Anastasia Ganyuchenko and
Joel D. Barnes of
LePassage- for scaring the crap out of me for all the right reasons.
Matt looks me square in the face and says "Look, we're not trying to be assholes but what can you do for us? Be more specific."
And I don't have an answer. Nothing.
All I can do is tell him how much this industry has and continues to save me. I'm just a fan. I have so much to learn and take in. I'm sure the band has other influences within their music but I might not hear it just yet. There is so much music out there and I'm still a student, I always will be.
What I got out of my first live experience with these guys though was a genuine, whole- hearted talk about the reality of it all.
All too often we hear "You will never amount to anything."
But we want to challenge the very people who tell us so. Sure it gets tough. Really tough. Giving up seems the best option at times but I'm not giving up on my dream- or these guys, because it's all a part of it.
I'm a firm believer that music brings us hope. So I can just hope that you enjoy the sound, the groove, the vibe- as much as I enjoyed "Jammin'" to it. Thanks again Marley- for allowing your words to cross over all divides.
If it's what you love- you'll get paid after you haven't been and you'll go big after you've been small- you just have to be persistent.
I don't want these guys to go big and be at Lolla '10 because I want a cut of it. No, it has nothing to do with that. I'm a fan and music is my passion and these guys deserve to be heard. Music, just like anything in this world, is something we share with one another because it makes us feel.
And with these guys, all I feel like is putting my "dancing shoes" on as
Rooster's most devoted fan mentioned before the show.
This rocker chick knows exactly how to have a good time- black T with a skeleton drawn onto the front, ripped jeans and sneakers- that's my kinda girl.
"I love when he brings out the acoustic," she says.
"It's about you, isn't it?"
She just smiles and we both start to dance.
As Elaine Miller's character of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous says, "Take a look around. See what you like."
And so that's what I ask all of you to do, if you're so inclined. Take that look around, listen to
MachineGun Mojo yourself just to see if
"Hot Damn" really is something you and your mother could groove to!
If you want to see more pictures of the show, become my friend on
Facebook and a fan of
MachineGun Mojo! You can find the links right here on my blog!
Miller's character also said "Follow your dream" just after "See what you like".
That is exactly what these guys and I are set out to do. But fans are always the biggest critic, so hear them for yourself and decide, could you jam to
"Hot Damn"? Because I sure can!
