Akimbo

(pic courtesy of Akimbo's MySpace)

Having been deprived of decent live music while the boat was in the Hamptons, I was glad to find options options and more options here in Baltimore. I chose a dive club called The Talking Head because the Vivian Girls were playing there last night, and Vice had recommended them in their latest issue. So off I went, me myself and I.

There were a bunch of opening bands, and this trio called Akimbo blew me away. Or maybe it was the force emanating out of their Marshall stacks. Holy shit they were good, and loud. Really loud. I think they are the loudest band I've ever seen in a club. They played their new album, "Jersey Shores." Great stuff. Heads were bobbing and banging.

I talked to Nat the drummer outside after their set when the whole place emptied out as people took a smoke break. He was a really nice guy, very appreciative of the props, and told me they're from Seattle and are on tour right now as they make their way to the annual CMJ music festival next weekend at the Knitting Factory, which they've centered their tour around. Their website describes their sound as "hungrily devouring the corpses of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Who; dissecting the still quivering bodies of Black Flag and The Jesus Lizard; infusing the essence of the still beating heart of The Melvins. . ." There's a great review of them here.

I suggest checking them out if you can. Their MySpace site is here with the schedule and a bunch of songs. Akimbo's official website is here.