“Fee Fee Fi Fo Fum. I smell the blood of ‘hippie scum.’”
That’s the words that VanBuscar yelled into the microphone this weekend as his band Scull Soup invaded A Hideaway in Johnson City. Earlier in the week, I described this band on WCYB as ferocious and although this adjective is a little over the top for a rock band … the shoe fits.
Last week, Brad Lifford and I enjoyed another three minutes of fame on WCYB as we appear every Thursday afternoon at 5:20 to talk about the best bets for weekend entertainment here in the Tri-Cities. GoTriCities is sharing a special partnership with Channel 5 and it’s a thrill to hang out in the halls of Merrill Moore, Johnny Wood, Steve Hawkins and Ann Carter. Besides being the most attractive woman on local television, Ann has a love for music and movies and we have no trouble talking about our opinions about where to go and what to do each weekend.
As the robotic cameras sweep around their control room, the red light comes on and Ann greets us both and for a few moments we share the best information we have about the local scene. This past week, one of my “best bets” was the Scull Soup performance at The Hideaway in Johnson City.
I saw this phenomenal band from Greene County, Tenn., for the first time last year and recognized something radically original and truly believe their act to be the region’s best original soup of hyper-rock energy stirred up with blue-collar style and a little dirty hippie humor. The band doesn’t like the “punk” label, but their music is fast and furious and even though they have been together since the late ’80s, Scull Soup has endurance on stage that would rival anyone on the block at any age.
We arrived in Johnson City a little late Friday. We stopped off to have dinner earlier with Scott Dorton, the new owner of The Woodstone Deli on Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport. He recently reopened above the Fort Henry Dam and besides the return of “The Kitchen Sink,” this legendary sandwich shop will present live music on the weekends. We had lots of things to talk about and saw a few old friends, but finally made it to A Hideaway around 10:30.
If any one venue rules the underground scene in the Tri-Cities, A Hideaway on Main Street in Johnson City is “the place.” Over the next 60 days, they will present over 150 bands from all over the country!
How do they do it? It’s not the money. Instead, the bands that play A Hideaway have a spirit like no other. They simply love to play music and on any given night, you may find up to five acts rolling up in front of the small venue in rusty vans and belching station wagons unpacking their gear and moving from the street to the stage.
Would we take our grandmother or kids to The Hideaway? Probably not. There’s something decadent about this room though that attracts the most esoteric music lovers. I presume that to be the result of the owners and promoters, but always wish them well because they have been working hard for several months to make this place what it is today.
My buddies heard me mention earlier in the night that I hoped Scull Soup would play my favorite song, ‘Eep, Opp, Ork, Ah-ha’ which appears on their latest CD titled “The Green Creamsickle.” This nutty song caught my attention from a video on the band’s Web site at scullsoup.com and I discovered later that this title referred to an old Jetson’s cartoon show and means … “Meet me tonight.”
The crowd was anxious, so when Tartool sat down on his drum kit and lifted the sweaty green T-shirt over his head and banged away the first notes of my favorite song the craziness had begun. I rushed to the edge of the stage with my camera and joined the crowd for a 60-minute roller coaster ride that jerked this way and that. I even came away with a little injury, but it was worth the ride!
Up front for the band is the avant-garde hillbilly jester named VanBuscar. I’ve said it before — he reminds me of Iggy Pop — and the reason I feel this way is the fact that his performances are always intense and entertaining. His facial expressions give the music and the experience an emotional charge, too. Tonight, he was dressed in a old Beastie Boys T-shirt with a ball cap cocked to the side and seemed unmoved by the fact his fans jumped up on stage to join him on the mic, and he’s not afraid to drop to the floor with a volley of sarcasm and wit.
As captivating as VanBuscar appears on the microphone, this four-piece band includes Steve Visine on guitar, Poop Johnson on bass and Tartool on drums. Together they hammer out a dust devil of high-energy music.
Poop Johnson and Steve Visine are dynamic players when it comes to working together on stage. Visine carries a couple of Vintage guitars with him including a retro flying V and Poop really impressed us with a funky, slap bass sound that was reminiscent of Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Their sound is forged together by Tartool on the drum kit. There are a lot of people that consider him one of the most entertaining drummers around and if you ever see this band, you’ll understand what I’m talking about, too.
Despite the craziness that goes on between songs, Scull Soup is a polished rock band that deserves the attention of anyone who appreciates original music. Throughout the rest of their set, it was hard for me to remove myself from the front of the stage, even when the melee in front of the stage knocked me into a pole.
Nevertheless, I’ll be back to see Scull Soup real soon. Vanbuscar introduced a couple of new songs called “Issues” and “Head’s Up” from a new recording they are working on in Bristol. This is their third CD and I can’t wait to spin the disc and turn up the knobs.
Scull Soup is a band that cooks on high and their passion is best experienced by their live performances. Their recordings are great, but the ride is the best part. Their fans continue to grow and include everyone from twentysomethings to grubby old hillbillies that like a little Tabasco in their music. It’s spicy, thick and ready to spill, too.
If you like your music a little on the wild side, don’t miss Scull Soup! Seriously, their music is like no other and Greeneville should be proud of these eclectic artists that continue to culture a saucy and shockingly original sound.
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David Cate is director of new media for the GoTriCities Network. E-mail him at dcate@gotricities.net.