The Lawrence Arms / A Wilhelm Scream

The Lawrence Arms / A Wilhelm Scream: live in Portlandlive in Portland (2005)
Fat Wreck Chords

Reviewer Rating: 4.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: colincolin
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 19th 2005Ah, Portland, Oregon. I really don't know much about it. It's my first night in town after moving from the southeastern U.S. I know Al Burian wrote a lot about Portland in Burn Collector. I read a bit about it in a book by Chuck Palahniuk. So, for my first night in town, I'm quite excited to see the.

Ah, Portland, Oregon. I really don't know much about it. It's my first night in town after moving from the southeastern U.S. I know Al Burian wrote a lot about Portland in Burn Collector. I read a bit about it in a book by Chuck Palahniuk. So, for my first night in town, I'm quite excited to see the Lawrence Arms are playing in a tiny, crowded room. I can tell I'll like it here.

Enemy You started off the night with a great set. Fairly standard 'Lookout Records' sound, but it sure as hell beats the emopopcore that floods opening acts these days. Even with technical difficulties, the band was nice, easygoing, and made a good impression on the crowd. I highly recommend them if you're into the pretty standard fast-paced California skate punk style of the 90's.

Smoke Or Fire. I can't say enough about this band. I love the new disc and the live show really brought it to a new level of intensity. While some of the production on the album seemed out of sync with the songs, somehow making them a tad less 'full,' the live act really poured it all out and the guys put everything they had into it. Starting with the ferocious "California's Burning," they played a majority of the new album (but for shame, no "Culture As Given," one of my favorite tracks) and a couple old tunes. They absolutely stormed through the set and they're coming back to town with Against Me! pretty soon, and it isn't soon enough.

A Wilhelm Scream is a band I've always had mixed feelings about because Mute Print is both incredibly strong but also has some parts that I just can't get into, but I was pleasantly surprised by the live show. The songs off the upcoming Ruiner sounded fantastic. While the set and intensity didn't match that of Smoke Or Fire, they certainly were still entertaining.

The Lawrence Arms are just one of the bands out there today that I think everybody loves. They did a quick sound check (for the absent sound guy) and then disappeared into the crowd, re-entering to the theme music of the Chicago Bulls. They stormed through a set that included a terrific variety of new and old, but doing well to not just duplicate what's on Cocktails And Dreams. While not in order, the set consisted of "Intransit," "Turnstiles," "100 Resolutions," "Necrotism...," "The North Side...," "Porno And Snuff Films," "Brickwall Views," "On With The Show," "Alert The Audience!," "Chapter 13...," "The Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure," and I think two more that I can't recall.

The boys put on an incredibly energetic show, Brendan doing most of the talking in half-slurs, unable to finish sentences but made a quip about blink-182 wiping their asses with $100 bills and how Oregon is strange for making it a rule you can't pump your own gas. All the songs were right on and the guys seemed genuinely appreciative of the crowd, also commenting on how they prefer playing small venues. While an encore was cheered for, instead they invited everyone to go drinking, promising a strip show.

In the end, it's probably one of the better tours going on right now. If it comes by your area, be sure to check it out. All the band are certainly worth the $10 it costs to get in.

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

tylerdurden8136 (March 31, 2006)

go kill yourself, colin.

Anonymous (July 31, 2005)

Wilhelm beats all these band's asses, I saw saw this tour in Frisco...the Larry Arms are pretty damn mediocre if you ask me, not to mention the fake stage balls with all the drinking, I hope at least a couple members get liver pserosis and get to looking really old soon.

Anonymous (July 25, 2005)

To Almostpunkenough I was at that show too and they didn't close with necrotism but they did play it. I think it was like one of the earlier songs. The last song was off of A Guided Tour of Chicago and called the north side the l and l and any number of crappy apartments. I didn't know this song going into the show but when I came home and looked at their songs I realized it was that because in Brendan's drunk rambling he seemed to say the song title for a long time and this was a pretty long song title that I didn't know. I played it and it was definitely their last song and it's really fucking good too. I want the set list too.

SomeoneAnonymous (July 23, 2005)

No, they all came out within the month of february 2002. So, I guess it was a good month.

Anonymous (July 22, 2005)

correct me if im wrong, but didnt' thrice "illusion of safety", bad religeon "process of belief" and the lawrence amrs "apathy" ALL come out on the same day in february 01? that was quite the good new release day now wasn't it?

paul

Anonymous (July 21, 2005)

I think everyones forgetting about DIARY. thats one of my favorites from chuck. If you remotely interested in art or chuck that books a must.

Anonymous (July 21, 2005)

The image I have in my head of an intestine attached to a pool drain will never leave my mind...

Anonymous (July 21, 2005)

Chicago Bulls theme song? er, wouldn't that be Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project? I get 25 points for that useless and utterly stupid factoid. Now I think about it, the fact that I actually know that, makes me want to fukkin' kill myself.

Anonymous (July 20, 2005)

Score is for Guts and it's uncanny awesomeness.

Anonymous (July 20, 2005)

"The Lawrence Arms, however, write incredible songs and play with some of the most emotion I've ever seen."

i think the word incredible is being thrown around way too much. and if your lead singer needs to spend all his money getting drunk before every show to play with the most emotion ever, then you do that. if that's what it takes.

Anonymous (July 20, 2005)

Score is for Lawrence Arms & Chuck P...I just started "Haunted" and the first story in the book will have you laughing your ass off.

Anonymous (July 20, 2005)

oh wow, you mean Chuck P. isn't James Joyce??? no WAY man. WOW. Next you're going to tell me that the lawrence arms aren't genious like ..fucking...fucking Beethoven...

-paul

corpseofmymotivation (July 20, 2005)

why did lawrence arms headline? they suck ass. the sound of any member of a wilhelm scream farting would sound more complex than anything lawrence arms could or will ever write.

Because, beyond all the technical shit, A Wilhelm Scream is just a mediocre band with a lot of flashy guitar work and a contrived live show (I've seen them twice and stand by this statement). The Lawrence Arms, however, write incredible songs and play with some of the most emotion I've ever seen. They're easily the superior band. If I'd chosen the order, Smoke or Fire would have been above A Wilhelm Scream too.

AlmostPunkEnough (July 20, 2005)

i saw this on june 4th in tribeca, excpet the methadones were there instead of smoke or fire (who i'd love to see). all three bands put on killer shows, though i'd have to say the larry arms were the best, barely beating out wilhelm. these two prissy village bitches wandered in and seemed ammused by the 'punkness' of it all, they were fucking hot though.

anyway, does anyone know the setlist from that show? i think they ended with 'necroticism' and brendan dedicated 'your gravest words' to some fat girl and emo kid who were making out during it, but that's all i can remember. anyone know?

notfeelingcreative (July 20, 2005)

"why did lawrence arms headline? they suck ass. the sound of any member of a wilhelm scream farting would sound more complex than anything lawrence arms could or will ever write."

The headlining band is usually based on who the majority of people are going to see, not just you. Example I saw Less Than Jake with the grabass charlestons and the early november last year, I had no interest in the early november and my Less Than Jake days ended years ago, in my opinion Grabass were the best band on the bill, but more people were there for early november and LTJ, so they got higher billing. See how that works?

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

why did lawrence arms headline? they suck ass. the sound of any member of a wilhelm scream farting would sound more complex than anything lawrence arms could or will ever write.

notfeelingcreative (July 19, 2005)

"Brickwall Views" reminds me of someone I used to know, it depresses me everytime, but I can't stop listening to it, kinda like, when you keep fooling with that fucking loose tooth! Okay that was my nonsensical emo rambling for today.

notfeelingcreative (July 19, 2005)

"Smoke or Fire sounds like a band that you'd have to see live to actually get the intensity of their music."

I've seen them twice (as Jericho), their live show was pretty good, however I have yet to pick up the album, I still dig the Jericho "workers union" EP, though.

RondoMondo (July 19, 2005)

Smoke or Fire sounds like a band that you'd have to see live to actually get the intensity of their music. Their LP really bored me. And was it me, or did his voice sound totally different on some of the tracks?

I really need to see the Lawrence Arms in concert!

notfeelingcreative (July 19, 2005)

I've been listening to the Lawrence Arms, drinking and "Pulp" by Charles Bukowski all day, therefore this show, which I did not attend gets a '10'!

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

Man, Dostoyevsky is like all the other authors that have written some of the "greatest books ever", it's influential, but ultimately boring as hell.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

"Palahniuk and Ellis are total hacks. I am sick as all hell of hearing about them. Go read some Dostoyevsky, Camus, or Joyce instead. Seriously. I'm not joking. Trendy, self-indulgent, "postmodern" literature needs to die."

dude, relax. its just fuckin novels. fiction. for enjoyment in your freetime. no one is saying its genius (at least i'm not).

i hope you dont enjoy any form of reality television at all, otherwise you are a hypocrite

corpseofmymotivation (July 19, 2005)

I caught this tour in Arizona and agree 100% with everything. I still really can't get into A Wilhelm Scream, Enemy You was good simply because they're still keeping the 90's skate punk thing going, Smoke or Fire blew me away, and The Lawrence Arms were incredible.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

Palahniuk and Ellis are total hacks. I am sick as all hell of hearing about them. Go read some Dostoyevsky, Camus, or Joyce instead. Seriously. I'm not joking. Trendy, self-indulgent, "postmodern" literature needs to die.

dazed (July 19, 2005)

This sounds like a good show although the Lawrence Arms sometimes put on some really bad shows when wasted.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

My favorite Palahniuk book is Lullaby, which is also one of my favorite books ever. You can't go wrong with that or Choke. Survivor's probably the weakest. Everything he writes is good though.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

Right now, I'm reading Haunted. It's a weird book of short stories that are linked together with a main story. I read Survivor before this, and it was a very good book. Interesting, but good.

JOSHCBFL

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

what chuck book should i read first? i've been very intrigued for quite a wile.

paul

stevejonestherealbones (July 19, 2005)

i'll check out, that jay guy and frank guy. i love bukowski and have read alot of his stuff already and i dug american psycho by ellis

- jones

wehavecomeforyourchildren (July 19, 2005)

hey steve, i've read everything he's written aside from the new one, "haunted." the three that you've read would be the three i'd recommend. in reponse to brian's comment below me, i thought invisible monsters was alright, but nothing phenomenal. there's so many great books out there, i'd recommend going with something by another author, unless you are just dead set on reading more palahniuk.

i feel like i ought to give you something to read in it's place since i couldn't help you with that.... you can't go wrong with anything by bukowski. brett easton ellis and jay mcinierney are good too. if you're already familiar with all of that though, check out stop-time by frank conroy. hopefully, i've named something you haven't already read.

inagreendase (July 19, 2005)

anyway, i have read surviver, fight club, and choke...what other chuck books should i read if any?

Invisible Monsters was pretty good.

colin (July 19, 2005)

paul;

i might be forgetting a couple, i just didn't want to put any up if i wasn't positive they played it.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

only 13 song set? they played 18 in cleveland, sure u aren't forgetting any?

paul

Ignitedude (July 19, 2005)

Good review

Straight to the point.

Anyhow this show musta been of the wall

Enemy You are awesome im so stoked there on Nitro now.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

choke was hilarious. i hope someone else who read it felt the same.
-TOBB

fistchode (July 19, 2005)

chuck palywhatever sucks and is empty novelty bullshit prententious garbage.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

Enemy You is amazing.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

"Stranger than Fiction" by Palahniuk is a must-read. The stories/articles/essays are a little hit and miss. but some of them are just pure genius. "My Life as a Dog" and the one where he worked as an escort for the hospice.

Read the first twenty pages or so of Haunted- candlewax and pearl diving, hilarious shit!

stevejonestherealbones (July 19, 2005)

i dont like lawrence arms...i dont really hate them or anything...but they are right there with a wilhelm scream as far as bands that everyone seems to dig, but i cant get into...heres to hoping i'll like ruiner...since, you know, i love to love bands!!!!! yay! arent exclamation points fun!

anyway, i have read surviver, fight club, and choke...what other chuck books should i read if any?

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

goddamnit...i was in chicago the day they came to my city...

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

Chuck Palahniuk is the man, sure Haunted isn't his best work, but a few of those short stories are really really good.

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

C'mon-us Canadians need this tour. Please?

Barkley

Anonymous (July 19, 2005)

hey maybe brendan could wipe his ass with $100 bills too, if he didn't spend it all on getting fucked up before every perfomance...

SomeoneAnonymous (July 19, 2005)

I saw this show in Frisco, it was fucking phenominal. Although, Wilhelm played before Smoke or Fire, but every band gave an awesome performance.

Psychoos231 (July 19, 2005)

Good tour indeed my friend