Live review by Kiko Jones

Wilco fan and indie rock blogger Kiko Jones' review of the record release show
(3/27/08) at Southpaw.

What Comes Around Goes Around

Good old ‘70s hard rock, of the kind championed by the likes of Aerosmith back in the day, hasn’t curried much favor with the mainstream rock audience since Guns ‘n’ Roses reminded us 20 years ago what the fuss over Toys in the Attic and Rocks was all about. Even the stoner rock scene with its re-fried Black Sabbath riffs has enjoyed a lot more press and acclaim. But all across the country, pockets of local scenes are flying the riff flag high and rockin’ like it’s 1975, Grand Funk Railroad are all the rage, and the ‘80s never happened.

Influenced equally by hard rock, Motor City mayhem and punk of the SST variety, with lyrics that clearly would’ve made them poster children for Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No!” anti-drug campaign, Mighty High celebrated the release of their debut CD, In Drug City, headlining a no-nonsense bill with a blistering set of meat-and-potatoes rock and roll, and putting on some well-received arena-sized rock star moves for the assembled crowd. Yes, a tree grows in Brooklyn but of a very different kind for these guys.
Two of Mighty High’s Brooklyn brethren rounded out the bill: Federale, with a bluesy, twin-guitar fireworks approach that shows off how tight the band really is; and Saloonatics, a ballsy, high-octane outfit whose raw energy and old-school punk-influenced assault gives new meaning to the term power trio. All in all, it was an evening of true believers giving it all in the most direct of ways possible: loud, hard, fast. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday night, huh?

http://kikojones5.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-comes-around-goes-around.html