Artist: The Deafening
Venue: UC Lounge (New York, NY)
Date: 7/9/2010
Label: Independent Artist
Even though the weekend was finally here for all of us to enjoy, I started my own musical adventuring last night with the Charred Walls of The Damned over at the Gramercy Theatre. Now it was time to head down to the Lower East Side to see what it was offering the Hard Rock fans of the Big Apple and one of the main reasons for my doing this was based on the amount of time since I had heard what was happening with the sextastic chanteuse Miss Coco Caine. I had not seen her since she decided to dispense with rainbow colored wigs and swapped them for a jet black coif that matched the spandex and leather she would now sport in her new band The Deafening. Clearly this was going to be a lot different from her material in Cocaine The Band, and it was bound to happen once the singer immersed herself in the teachings of Motley Crue and Guns ‘N Roses. The new members of the band come via Eddie Animal and Blackie Doyle on guitar and bass. The pair replaces those Miami Vice looking dudes from her earlier outfit and while white suits seemed par for the course with that band, it was clear that keeping it black was the logic with The Deafening.
Their set was a last minute surprise for me and being held at a relatively new space for my attention in the UC Lounge. I didn’t find it right away based on misreading the address but once inside I was ready to rock. The drums of Marco Paine were setup sideways but I avoided any comparison to Stryper’s Robert Sweet as I was sure he had enough to worry about in such tight quarters. Since the stage was on the small side, Coco just stood at eye level to her fans and when the band kicked into gear you could tell this was going to be a different experience from her work with Cocaine The Band. The first thing was that the material was noticeably heavier than the Melodic 80’s kitsch that she once did and being a fan of things with a sharper edge I had to say that I was enjoying the difference. “Bass To The Treble” was the first tune up and it had a powerful drive to it that quickly brought you into Coco’s new world. She sported mirrored highway patrol shades during the set and some tight black jeans tonight and she commanded your attention in ways that I had not seen her do over those last few years of supporting her career. The new band sounded solid but after a few songs some sound difficulties in the mix became an issue for the singer who said in the voice that probably should have remained in her head about “could this club suck anymore?” These are things you never want the soundman or owner to hear which of course would be the case tonight. I’ll be the devil’s advocate here and say that I could not blame her since the gig was originally free, then not free, then free again and this had to be annoying since the gathered supporters to her cause were not sure what to make of it.
Guitarist Eddie Animal was relegated off to the side near the entrance to the other bathrooms and then there was a guitar strap malfunction that caused Blackie to sit down for the rest of the gig. In the end that was okay since there really was not enough space to be a mobile band. Coco played it all up with her inimitable style of course and even serenaded a lovely girl who was visiting the club for the first time with her fiancé. She took the girls drink for a few minutes and enjoyed some of it before returning it to her. It was clear that the girl never expected this and now had a Rock concert story of her own to tell, even if it was something as underground as this particular gig. Of the new songs I felt that “Less Clean” really showcasing the absolute powerhouse pipes that the singer possesses. She soars in this one and reminded me a little bit of Anne Wilson in terms of register power. “Rattlesnake Sex Show” slowed it down to a throbbing groove and this led us into their version of “Wrathchild” which I must say was not my favorite offering of the night. I love old Iron Maiden but based on the premise of this group feel that they would have been better serving up some Crue, Guns or something a little similar in terms of Rock and Roll Sleaze. I had some liking for the song “CIA” but the band would omit the number called “44 Caliber” since while on the list was not delivered. It seemed to be over with the song “Demons Of L.A.” and it was around this time that Coco started to hand out some CD’s that they had just recently completed recording. These amounted to EP’s as they featured five of the bands tunes so they were eagerly snapped up by the fans in the room. It was also around here that one of the guys in the band that was up next decided that a little hardcore dancing was in order. Believe me I am not one to chastise those who venture into the mosh pit or want to slam it up but since none of that was going on in this very tight space, his shenanigans were unwelcome by everyone around him. As a closer the band would surprise me by delivering one of Coco’s timeless numbers with “Radion”, one of my very favorites from her Cocaine The Band years. From here the band and their following went to the main bar section of the club and killed off a few beers before heading home to rest before doing this all again.
The new group has some potential but it is straight ahead Heavy Rock with more of a bare boned approach if you needed a quick summation of them. There is not as much glitz and glaze as I had found when she fronted Cocaine The Band, but with new bands come new avenues of approach and ideas. I will very likely check them out again sometime in the future. Now for some views about the venue space. As a club the UC Lounge was an interesting study in hanging out as it is divided into two halves and visually speaking the left side is a long but rather slim bar which makes for a little difficulty getting back in forth if you are one of those people that wanders around the bar as opposed to those who sit down in one spot. If you were at the bar there was not much more than room for one more person to stand almost directly behind you. The other side is where the bands play and there are some small chairs and shelves and what seemed to be a couch type of thing on one side. There is a pool table back there and on the opposite side of this a very small stage area. This is not good for a large lineup at all or a band with a sizable drum kit. The PA also seemed to have its main controls up on the stage and to be tweaked the soundman had to climb up where the drummer was to adjust it. That can really ruin the vibe of a set if it is happening at the same time. I would say that this is perfect for a DJ gig or a singer songwriter with perhaps two other musician’s kind of thing but not for much larger as otherwise the musicians are right in the audiences faces. Personally I don’t like that but maybe you do.
Good luck to Coco Caine and the rest of the gang in The Deafening as they seek to etch their own name into the Book of Heavy Rock & Roll.
Set List:
1. Bass To The Treble
2. Make The Law Kneel
3. Less Clean
4. CIA
5. I Won’t Die
6. Rattlesnake Sex Show
7. Wrathchild (Iron Maiden)
8. 44 Caliber (omitted)
9. Bleed The Innocent
10. Fill It In
11. Demons Of LA
12. Radion
Here’s a shot of the Rock Goddess Coco Caine herself as she was holding court at the venues bar before the show. Even though she was getting her head in order for the Rock to come, she was not approaching this with a leave me alone attitude and would gladly engage in some chit chat with her fans.
The band’s mailing list book and the CD’s that they were giving out at the show. These are now available on CD Baby and you can order yourself a copy right from the main review article. It’s cheap enough so support some Independent Rockers so they can keep doing their thing. Note the “Cocaine” sticker on the band’s notebook.
Here’s Coco Caine after the show with some of her friends. The show might have been over, but the Rock and Roll vibe was going to continue well into the night.
The Hand Of Coco compells you to sign the book and become a part of their insane Rock and Roll nightmare. Dare you refuse her? I wouldn’t recommend that my friend. She bites.
If you were in the band or one of the entourage you got these special beer tickets from the club that gave you an icy cold beverage of your choice. I snapped a shot of one of them while I had the chance and let’s be honest – it was made to be redeemed, so redeem it I would.
This next shot is just being shared because it was one of those strange things that you see at a show and snap a photo of so people will not question your description of it. It’s a young ladies purse and was made up of little fuzzballs. Wild.
Readers might be interested in the visual of the UC Lounge, so I snapped a photo outside of the venue from across the street. As you can see there are two sides as I mention in the review. The left side in this photo is the bar side and aisle that people can stand in, while the right is the pool table and rear small stage area.
A quaint place for sure and perfect for a singer/songwriter kind of thing but as mentioned if you have a reasonable number of players in your band or a big crowd this will be a tight squeeze.
Official Website: www.thedeafening.com