Monday, March 06, 2006  


Strike Anywhere
Washington Post, Monday, March 6, 2006; Page C05

Fists and feet were flying everywhere Saturday at the Black Cat. The Richmond hard-core quintet Strike Anywhere inspired the same sort of manic energy it gave off, and the slam pit rollicked from the opening note of "Chorus of One" to the finish of the group's 40-minute set. But because Strike Anywhere is pro-vegan and antiwar, there wasn't too much violence in the madness; just good clean bone-bruising fun. If a slam-dancer's hand or leg connected with someone else, you can bet the recipient was helped up, dusted off and sent back to the pit to get pummeled some more. One love, punk style.

The dreadlocked Thomas Barnett is a little guy with a big voice and even bigger ideas. But rather than preach from the stage, Barnett let his lyrics in songs like "Laughter in a Police State" and "You're Fired" do the talking to a wound-up audience that seemed to know every word.

Barnett has the compassion and charisma to inspire, but it doesn't hurt to have guitarists Matt Smith and Matt Sherwood blasting through Marshall amps to help. Their melodic yet shredding sound recalled that of the District's legendary hard-core band Minor Threat and the proto-emo group Dag Nasty. That's not the only similarity between Strike Anywhere and D.C. punk history: Dischord, the grass-roots company that released albums by Minor Threat, Fugazi and other progressive-minded punk bands, bears a direct influence on Strike Anywhere's activist aesthetic. Giving props where props are due, Strike Anywhere big-upped Dischord, along with social-change organization Positive Force D.C., before performing "New Architects." --Christopher Porter

Posted by CP | Link |




Who cork the dance?