by Jim Hanas & Mark Jordan
"Well, I think that's pretty clear," says Nils Frykdahl of Idiot Flesh when asked why rock must die. "There's just too much rock and there has been for a while, you know. We all grew up on too much rock, and ... look at us."
Look at them indeed. This Oakland-based freak outfit hits the stage looking like evil clowns, spewing frantic, metallic agit-noise all in the name of their pet cause: Rock Against Rock. Plenty of props and stage-business are enlisted in the struggle to kill rock-and-roll with the only weapon available, which of course is rock itself. If you want to passively watch a band with your head vaguely bobbing, shop elsewhere. If you want to be accosted by Bay Area weirdos, the Idiots are for you.
Admittedly, it's kind of sad to behold when their big puffy suits fail to inflate (they claim such malfunctions are a side-effect of the destructive force of Rock Against Rock), but in that event, just laugh at them instead of with them. I doubt they'll mind. They'll just be glad to be supporting their latest, Fancy, Saturday at Barristers. -- Jim Hanas
Though I have yet to set foot through its doors, friends are frequently telling me that the Alternative Restaurant is a happening venue for young punk rock bands. What they neglect to mention, however, is how young. I'll drive by the place occasionally, and all I'll see are these pubescent, stubble-faced, big-pant-wearing, skate-punk types hanging around. And so I'll drive on, saying to myself: Jeez, there's no way I'm going in there. What if there's a fight; I don't want to get my kneecaps all bruised up.
So, all this just makes it all the stranger that one of Memphis' premier bands from the '80s has chosen the AR to stage their big comeback. Playing a mixture of progressive art rock and jazz, K-9 Arts were probably the most out-there band from the late '80s alternative scene, which also included the likes of the Scam, FreeWorld, and Group Therapy. They were also one of the few local bands who could convincingly work jazzy elements into their music because all three members -- bassist Craig Shindler, guitarist Jim Duckworth, and percussionist Rich Trosper -- were budding virtuosos.
Sometime around 1991, though, the band pretty much dissolved. But now apparently they're back, and there's no telling what the last six years have done to them musically. In their heyday K-9 Arts could always be counted on to deliver a heady show, occasionally going right over their audience's heads. But one thing's for sure: You could always be sure you were hearing some of the most challenging music in town.
-- Mark Jordan