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Anna Wang & the Oh Boys
Anna Wang & the Oh Boys, 4 Aspirin Morning and Lords of the Trident Kick Off MAMA Fundraising Series
Photos by Heidi Johnson
Yes, it’s a 4 aspirin morning as I write this, in case you were wondering. Way too much fun was had last night, February 20, at the Great Dane Downtown. The event was the first in a series of fundraisers set up by the Madison Area Music Association, now in its eleventh year of supporting music education for Madison-area youths and providing musical instruments. The organization recently expanded upon its mission statement to include engaging and promoting Madison’s music community as a whole. Good things will come of that as they look to expand upon benefits of membership and other program work. This is especially timely in light of other initiatives that are bubbling up, more of which you will hear about in the coming months.
Anna Wang has put the Oh Boys back together after a brief hiatus and they were sounding sharp as they kicked the show off with their catchy brand of alt-pop embellished wonderfully by the talented Jeremy Van Mill on guitar. Most of the songs came from the band’s 2012 EP Drive Fast. The band’s new lineup also features MAMA Award-winning drummer Paul Kennedy.
4 Aspirin Morning
4 Aspirin Morning came on next and brought the energy level up with a three-piece horn section and the twin guitar attack of Chandon Vicarious and LeX. Vicarious fronts the band as well, being the main vocalist and sings with strength and conviction. The band sports an original sound of punkified ska delivered with attitude. Powerful blasts from the horn section seal the deal.
One of my personal favorites, Lords of the Trident closed the show with aplomb, even being hailed for an encore despite the dwindling Thursday night crowd and horrible weather conditions. At first blush it may seem like LotT are a parody of heavy metal, and Judas Priest in particular, but these guys mean business in the end. The band has a lot of fun with stage props, outrageous costumes and posing, even using flaming guitar and microphone props. At the same time the musicianship is stunning. Both guitarists, known as Socrates of Shred and Asian Metal are superior players and lead vocalist Fang Von Wrathenstein does his best Rob Halford with conviction. Capable of entertaining showmanship yes, but also able to belt out some glass-shattering screams. LotT know how to do it and are ambitious on the promotion side, their merch table display standing about eight feet high. It’s great fun and for an amusing read check out the band’s bio. All hail!
Lords of the Trident
