(Live Review) SUPERSUCKERS + ATOMIC BITCHWAX + SUPPORT - Chicago, IL (11/6/24)
By
The Beard & Little Johnny
Good day friends, fans, and followers, it is your reviewing duo of destruction, The Beard and Little Johnny. Tonight, we welcomed the oncoming winter with a warm blast of music as we headed out to our final 2024 Reggie’s Rock House stop for show #68 and bands #222-225.
This evening, we will be covering the very eclectic punk/alternative/country band that was once described as the bastard sons of AC/DC, FOGHAT & ZZ TOP. Arizona’s own Supersuckers. The boys will enjoy support from Atomic Bitchwax, The Midnight Calls, and Dust Biters. As this is our final Reggie’s stop this year, I told Little Johnny, I would match him beer for beer this evening. He laughed and said, “Awesome, tonight the old man finally hits the Pit.” Well, let’s not get crazy here Johnny.
After grabbing a Purple Haze (for me) and a Permanent Funeral (for Johnny), we wandered the merch area amongst a very thin Wednesday night crowd before finding a viewing spot and prepared for opening act, Chicago’s own Dust Biters.
DUST BITERS
A Chicago quartet, hardcore act the Dust Biters are still working on their first EP and were making their first appearance on Reggie’s stage. They had a scratchy sound mixing punkish elements with some post hardcore. The guitar work was not bad, but it was pretty easy to tell these guys have not done too many live shows. The lyrics were legible, but again, I would not call the delivery memorable singing. Dust Biters did execute a few rock poses and interactions which showed me they get it about presenting good visuals as well as audios to make a show.
For a band still working on their first EP, I am going 71/100.
What did you think Johnny? “I don’t know how that singer kept his hat on all set Beard.”
THE MIDNIGHT CALLS
Next up was Chicago area classic rock band The Midnight Calls who have been around for a couple of years and pattern their music after Aerosmith mixed with some Rolling Stones. Admittedly, the Beard liked this choice of musical direction.
The Midnight Calls had clean singing from Taran De Pablos who had a touch of Bon Scott’s bluesey/whiskey growl and a solid classic rock beat. Their guitarist actually looked a bit like Keith Richards (which I realize is hardly a compliment), while their bassist sort of resembled Sid Haig.
Overall, while I enjoyed Midnight Calls, (which is to say I liked their songs and musical style), one issue I had was that while I see them as a good bar band, I did not see them as a true touring band. They have opened for several other tours and are currently planning their own in 2025 to support the release of their first full length album.
All that said, while I think at any local bar/club hearing a set by Midnight Calls would be an entertaining evening, I do not see myself just going to see them as a headliner. (Note: both Johnny and I did really enjoy the song “I’m in love with my shotgun.”)
I think Midnight Calls were good for what they were 78/100.
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
Coming up third was a band the Beard had seen and enjoyed a couple times previously, east coast stoner rock band The Atomic Bitchwax.
Although you could trace this band’s origins all the way back to the birth of grunge in the early 90’s, (when they were largely just a jam band), in the ensuing thirty years, Atomic Bitchwax have become a second musical vehicle for stoner act Monster Magnet (as all three Bitchwax members currently also perform in Monster Magnet).
Atomic Bitchwax is an opportunity for the guys to do something different in a live setting with both original songs and uniquely played covers so each show can go just about anywhere. This evening, the boys opened with Edgar Winter’s "Frankenstein" before segueing into a nice stoner rock number with good guitar leads from Garrett Sweeny and energetic drumming from Bob Pantella.
Keeping with the evening’s theme Atomic Bitchwax stuck to mostly up-tempo stoner-based songs. I have heard these guys occasionally go doom very well, but only one song in tonight’s set was slower paced. This was a good performance, but the thin crowd limited how much energy was flowing either direction and although the guys tried hard and played well, I can only hand out an 84/100 for tonight’s jam session from Atomic Bitchwax.
SUPERSUCKERS
Supersuckers live
Finally, our headliners the Supersuckers fronted by remaining original member Edward “Eddie Spaghetti” Daly took the stage. With thirty years and a dozen releases that comprised punk, alternative country and hard rock, I was not sure what to expect from tonight’s first listen.
I have never been familiar with the Supersuckers careers, but I had to say any band that performed live on stage with both Willie Nelson and Eddie Vedder was probably worth paying attention to.
Right away from the first song, my initial thought was if Lemmy Kilmister had been a cowboy, he would have looked and sounded like this. Edward Daly, with dark glasses, cowboy hat and a chewing-on-gravel voice, certainly invited the Motorhead comparison.
Supersuckers were a three-piece band that reminded me of Motörhead meets Midnight meets ZZ-Top. Guitarist Marty Chandler was Supersuckers' own filthy Phil Taylor meets Dusty Hill and I enjoyed seeing him play. Yes Johnny, I will stop all the comparisons now.
Supersuckers covered songs throughout their thirty-year existence including "Coattail Rider" from their first album The Smoke of Hell (1992.) All the songs were consistently solid, and they did gain crowd support despite the low numbers. After introducing the band, Supersuckers ran through a few more songs that again were good but also had that Country quality.
As usual Reggie’s house lights were pretty under efficient, and the band was dark most of the time. The sound was decent, but not amazing and I think that overall, this was a band I enjoyed seeing, but will not seek out on any regular basis. (Ed: Shame! Check out The Evil Powers of Rock'N'Roll, one of the greatest rock'n'roll albums of all time.)
What did you think Johnny? “Party band Beard. Did you see that number with the two hot chicks dancing on stage? I say drink some brews and ride the wave. I did think the Country influences were kind of odd, but they were a good time, and I liked that they took a picture with us all flipping them off.”
Fair enough little dude. How about we go 85/100?
So, this wraps up show #68 and bands #222-225. Remember to catch our live review column every Wednesday on your home for metal music The Mighty Decibel. View all the video footage on our TikTok site by going to Thebeard0728 and of course follow all our non-metal reviews by friending and following Mark McQueen on Facebook. Until next time, this is The Beard & Little Johnny saying “Live Life. Stay Heavy and Horns Up.”