Hamell on Trial (10/30/05)



This was my third time seeing Hamell on Trial here at the Beachland, and it's always a great experience (probably the reason I keep coming back). Watching a Hamell on Trial show is not necessarily an easy-going experience. He demands energy and reaction from the audience, and rightly so for as much as he gives. One such example is when he walked out on stage... people clapped and the first thing out of his mouth is "Now Fuck you people..." He couldn't believe he didn't get a bigger reaction. He went back stage, waited, then came back out to a roaring crowd. He then gave us the finger and said it was too little too late. It may seem crass - but if you get it - it's worth it.

He started out with God Came Down From the Mountain, and plays the guitar with a thunderous sound that you wouldn't believe one man could make. He then proceeds to sing songs about your Mom being hot, lying to your kids, and how stinky Ann Coulter's pussy is. However rude, he is poignant and hilarious. He was definitely in rare form this night... Even his diatribes between songs are as good as his songs. At one point he went off on a story about blowing a monkey, and wondering if God was a monkey too (it was quite a long story).

If there were ever a good musician to bootleg, it would be Hamell.

He has a new album on Righteous Babe Records called Songs for Parents Who Do Drugs. While I would always recommend his albums, I would more highly recommend his live shows. There was another band playing this same night, but I truly believe that seeing Hamell for a third time is just as good / if not better than seeing a new band for the first.

Here's "Values" from his newest album:


Hamell's Righteous Babe Page.
Click here to see my Flickr Photoset from this show.

Posted: Fri - April 7, 2006 at 06:20 PM           |

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