In the Rock-Paper-Scissors game of life, Cold can’t stop Rock. This was proven in the gothic halls of Rebel NYC, where Generals and Majors and the Mooney Suzuki took flight in an aerial show of guitars and whiskey.
Generals and Majors, a new melting-pot product of other NYC rock factions, is a sight to behold. Swaggering on R&B-based blues with nods to the Stooges, G’nR, AC/DC, and the Heartbreakers (think Johnny Thunders not Tom Petty), the hometown boys seem in a constant state of musical arousal, sputtering and crashing on stage. Augmented with a sax for the first few numbers, the energy level of the band tripled that of the audience and was barely contained by the narrow dark club. GnM are still gelling but party tunes like “Drink From My Cup” and “Every Nights a Bust” are powerful in fueling the live chaos.
Generals and Majors’ style is best suited for a seedy, cheap bar where there is room for the woman to shake and the boys to blitzkrieg bop around. They are the first band I have seen to make me sad that CBGB’s is no more; GnM would have thrived in that lovable dungeon.
The Mooney Suzuki closed by playing an extended set that featured older songs mixed right in with numbers off their soon to be released (much delayed) new album. Once the darlings of the NYC indie scene, they have grown up but still take all of your favorite riffs from the 70’s, Zep to Buzzcocks to T-Rex to the Velvets to the Faces to the Stones, plop them in a cuisinart and exude a retro-mashup that is pleasant without overwhelming. The Black Crowes pulled this off last decade, and this decade the Strokes along with a legion of other retro-mod hipsters.
Mooney Suzuki’s garage sound, especially the ripping leads from Graham Tyler, can motor but usually end before really taking off with extended jams, which would be nice to see them bite into. All around a satisfying set from the Suzuki’s, who have one of the best names in the business, but in a few years if these bands are still around it wouldn’t surprise me to see their roles as opener and closer reversed.
