MFNW, Day One - Redd Kross at Dante's

Redd Kross' performance was one of the most buzzed-about events at last year's MFNW, and after taking just one look at the line that had formed, I gave up on even trying to get into their KEXP show at the Doug Fir.  So tonight's performance at Dante's was a chance to make up what I missed.

Redd Kross are a veteran band, having been around for some 30 years now.  They sound to me like the quintessential LA band, and one can hear traces of so many Los Anglocentric trends in their music, from early punk, to skater punk, to glam rock, to hair metal, and so on.  They play loud and fast (punk), but retain pop structures, melodies, and harmonies (glam), and are not shy about engaging in a little guitar pyrotechnics (hair metal).  There's a documentary film out about the Sunset Strip and the music scene that's developed around it which documents all of the disparate trends mentioned above.  These trends are far from my favorite musical genres, but to people who do like those genres, Redd Kross are a favorite.  At Dante's tonight, they played a long, 60-minute set without once ever letting the energy level drop despite the heat, and eventually won everybody over out of sheer force of willpower.

After a weekend at Bumbershoot, seeing "only" five bands in one day seems a little anti-climactic, but today did include an Amtrak trip from Seattle to Portland  ("Jump Day").  Also, MFNW used to start with only one venue on Wednesday evenings, but it's now expanded to starting on Tuesdays with events at two venues (hip-hop night at the Roseland and high-volume night at Dante's).  We're just getting warmed up, and tomorrow includes the first of two sets by Chvrches.