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March 22, 2008 @ Exit/In — American Bang American Bang Rocks the Exit/In, One of 2008's Best Shows How is it that a discriminating music critic like myself, who enjoys meditating on a John Scofield guitar solo, finds himself in the front row of an American Bang concert in Nashville, TN with one fist held high and the other clenching a PBR? I'll tell you how: American Bang taps into my (un)conscious desire to be a rock god, and I can't help but live vicariously through JBang's incomprehensibly cool vocals and Ben Brown's iconic guitar-hero posturing (not to mention his playing). From the first Gibson SG-driven power chord, every ounce of analytical inclination and high-brow criticism in my bones dissolves into a vision of the lone cannon on the cover of AC/DC's 1981 For Those About to Rock, and I flashback to my first vodka-soaked AC/DC concert back in 1988, when general admission arena shows were still legal (see photo). There's something uniquely brilliant about the chemistry these four guys have. Indeed, American Bang brings a new meaning to the phrase "tight set," as I've not encountered a sound as fluidly tight as theirs probably since early AC/DC. Lead guitarist Ben Brown is clearly ready for the arenas. This fiery guitarist rarely looks at his bandmates. Rather, he stares at the audience seemingly frustrated with the limitations of a small stage. Indeed, Brown sometimes gazes off during riffs as if fantasizing about a time in the near future when he'll be able to run 20 yards to the very corner of the stage while adoring fans grab his shoes, only to turn around and charge back to his stage position (see photo). Drummer Neil Mason makes it all look easy. He's a key factor in the super-tight sets these guys deliver night after night, as his timing on the numerous mid-song stops and starts is an integral part of the American Bang sound (see photo). JBang's harmonies with bassist Kelby Ray are on the money every time, and when all of these individuals come together to unite in an American Bang show, the chemistry among these four guys is something to behold, and hear (see photo). The end result is that American Bang doesn't just tap into my unconscious, pre-conscious, and conscious desire to be a rock god, they tap into everyone's adolescent rock-god fantasies—and living through American Bang in this vicarious way during a two-hour set with fists raised high, two feet from the stage, is a remarkable feeling. There's no stopping these guys. The set ended with JBang launching off Mason's bass drum, from the drum riser, delivering a solid interpretation of the famous mid-air split by David Lee Roth—only JBang does it with an SG in hand. With their full-length Warner Brothers debut on the horizon, American Bang is on the cusp of super-stardom. Don't miss the chance to see these guys when they come to your town. —Vincent Wynne |
