scene but not herd

I'm 36 years old and there are people who I'm sure believe that I should have grown out of my interest in music by now, but it is really all I have. I can't count on anything like I can music or for that matter movies. I saw the Ponys Monday night at Spaceland and last night at the Troubadour. I already wrote about their album so now I can say that live they did not disappoint me. Really good, catchy songs. The Ponys are just a band, though. The Hunches, who played on the same bill last night, are a force of nature. This is why I'm 36 and still going to shows. There are probably a lot of people who would dislike the Hunches if they saw them play, but those reasons are probably why I like them so much. The Hunches are loud and out of control. Simply stated they are a mess and I say that as a strong compliment. Comments about musicianship can be thrown out the window. The drums pummel you and the guitar is feedbacking sheets of noise with notes occasionally emerging from the squall. The singer's style reminds me of the vocalist of Negative Approach and Laughing Hyenas. It's more intense screaming and shouting than actually singing. I've seen them twice before and the singer spent most of the show in the audience. I thought playing at the Troubadour on a real stage would maybe keep them a bit subdued and during the first song that seemed to be the case, but then I was proven wrong. I really like the way the guitar player moves. It's like the sound coming out of his guitar is throwing him around the stage and eventually both he and the singer ended up in the audience. These Hunches shows are the closest thing lately to remind me of early eighties hardcore shows. Much has been written lately about "garage rock" like the Strokes, White Stripes, and the Hives, but most of these writers don't know what they are talking about. Good bands that use guitar, bass, and drums have always been around, but the critics are too busy fretting about whatever happens to be the flavor of the month to notice. The Hunches are just pure primal energy. Those other bands are ok, but they pale in comparison. Those bands are more for people concerned with image rather than the ability to make your jaw drop simply by what they are playing. The Hunches make my jaw drop and remind me of being a teenager still overwhelmed at discovering sounds I had never heard before.