Jason McMaster of Broken Teeth photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

Broken Teeth
Hometown: Austin, Tx.
http://www.brokenteeth.com/
The Broken Teeth Concert Photos
Friday, December 15th, 2006
Also: New Disaster, L.A. Guns
The Red Eyed Fly (Austin, Texas)

No one can accuse Austin's Jason McMaster of resting on his laurels. The local hair metal hero has been very busy since the "official" end of Dangerous Toys in 1996. Aside from numerous side gigs, and various reunion shows with Watchtower and Dangerous Toys, Jason is in two bands that have been perfecting their chops around town in a number of the louder faster harder clubs. I caught his show with the band Broken Teeth recently when they opened for the L.A.Guns at the Red Eyed Fly.

Loud, fast, hard, yes yes all those adjectives apply, but what I saw was also a far more professional show than most of the other local bands I've seen around town. Performing onstage since 1986, Jason has assembled a band of similar pros, and it's apparent almost from minute one. Working the stage and the audience with the talent and experience of a world class touring band, you have to wonder what could have been had not grunge driven a stake through the heart of the metal movement. If it weren't for grunge, either of Jason's bands would probably be headlining at some huge arena somewhere. As it is, they are easily one of Austin's best bands, and that's a pretty big accomplishment in a town that bills itself as the "Live Music Capitol of the World."

Jason McMaster and Broken Teeth photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

It had probably been ten years or more since my last Toys show, but I was half expecting this lanky, wiry kid in makeup and hairspray to show up to sing. Needless to say, Jason has pretty much grown up, I didn't see much hairspray in use, and the makeup has been replaced by tats. I have kind of kept a distant eye on Jason's career over the years. I first saw him with Watchtower in the 80s when it was still pretty much a high school band. They actually played at several parties I went to, and Jason had far fewer tattoos back then. Then I saw him break out with the band Dangerous Toys, practically living at Austin's Back Room and ruling the local metal scene until they broke nationally. If you get the chance, Broken Teeth is definitely worth seeing.

New Disaster at the Red Eyed Fly photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

Austin band New Disaster opened the show and they seem to be going places. They appear to have attracted their own core following, which was very much in evidence for their set. They too were loud and fast, with an awesome guitarist, Abel Idle. They have some interesting friends too; Austin's own famous music journalist Metal Dave was there blessing Abel's guitar, as was Insite Magazine's photographer Jay West. Their set was smoking and it won't be long before they attract some major label attention. They sure got mine.

I wish I could have stuck around for the L.A. Guns set, but by the time they hit the stage I was already three songs into the Skunks show at the Continental Club. I'll have to catch the Guns next time.

The Skunks
Hometown: Austin, Tx.
http://www.myspace.com/theskunkstx
The Skunks Concert Photos
Friday, December 15th, 2006
The Continental Club (Austin, Texas)

Geez, from the title of this review you'd think it was 1979 all over again.

Back in the day when being a punk literally meant getting your ass kicked just for walking down the street in Austin, there was the scene, and it was small, and it was tight, and it was centered on this tiny little bar on the drag called Raul's. Mostly college kids with a few outcast high schoolers, just hanging out being goth, or thrash, or wave, or hard core, before any of those words were invented or began to divide the culture. We didn't know what we were, but we called ourselves punks. We didn't fit in with the jocks or the hippies, the future farmers or the guys in the marching band. We didn't fit in anywhere.

Raul's was kind of the "Island of Unwanted Toys" for all the lost souls looking for a direction. Raul's was Austin's counter-cultural home to disparate artists, musicians, poets, and writers from the University of Texas's fringiest of fringes.

Sprouting from Raul's beer soaked floors, like noxious weeds after a rain, Austin's punk scene grew in fits and starts. The genesis of so much to come later, it was a struggling little dive. It was also, almost as a last gasp, an album of live performances from local Austin punk bands released just before the club met its end. Named fittingly Live At Raul's, it was a now-legendary sampler that included two songs by a band called The Skunks. This review is about that band.

Back then, when I first saw them opening for The Ramones back at the 'dillo, it was what's considered now the "classic" Skunks trio, the second iteration of the band after "Fast Eddy" Muñoz, the original guitarist, went west to start The Plimsouls. The band I saw was Jesse Sublett on bass, John Dee Graham on guitars, and Billy Blackmon on drums. A power trio, their music was basic, clean, loud and fast. A great band to slam dance to for its time. (you youngsters now refer to it as "moshing.") I saw them another 25 or 30 times afterwards, in both the classic trio and the later versions as well, at places like Duke's Royal Coach, The Continental Club, and Club Foot. In 1983 the Skunks broke up, but they left a legacy that stretches to this day in Austin (Jon Dee Graham was honored as "Musician of the Year" at the Austin Music Awards in 2006).

On Friday December 15, the "classic" trio got together for a special one-off "reunion" concert at Austin's Continental Club, and I was lucky enough to make it to the show.

Packed stem to stern, just like the old days, the Continental Club evoked strong memories of Christmas past as I worked my way to the front of the stage. I arrived just after midnight and the Skunks were already onstage and had just finished their first song, "All Tied Up," and were launching into "Something About You Scares Me." I hurriedly unpacked my camera bag, brought the cameras up to my face and started snapping away at the band. About 30 frames into the shoot I felt a tug on my elbow, turned and came face to face with my sister-in-law. Beyond her was my brother, an old friend from high school and her husband, and even an ex-boss.

Waving and going back to shooting I was only able to manage 30 or 40 more frames before my friends forced me to put the cameras away and dance. And dance we did, but seemingly only us and a few other people at the front. I don't know if it was the age of the attendees or what, but there was only a handful of us at the front, bouncing around. The Skunks plowed through their set as we bopped away, Jesse introducing songs with a story from back in the day to give them context and perspective. Old nuggets like "Gimme Some" and "Earthquake Shake" were a joy to hear live again, as were "Telewoman" and "Push Me Around." They even covered Iggy Pop's "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog" and The Velvet Underground's "Waiting For My Man." While my brother and friends were frustrated when they didn't play "Cheap Girl" as their encore, I myself was satisfied.

The only problems the whole night turned out to be a lecherous, rotund, dancing dwarf who was playing grab-ass with the women at the front. After the Skunks' set my brother and I attempted to track him down but he escaped into the night up South Congress Avenue. After taking the time to thank Jesse, Billy, and Jon for the performance, so did I.

If you want to read more about the Skunks there is an excellent article in this month's Austin Chronicle.