Junkyard
w/ Enuff Z’ Nuff
Saturday, February 17th, 2018
Buford, GA – 37 Main
Hard rock music in the late 80s/early 90s was, well, a bit on the pretty side. I don’t mean that in any disrespect at all because I liked a lot of these bands but bands like Poison, Warrant, Winger, hell, even KISS seemed to be putting so much emphasis on their image that forced the music to play 2nd fiddle. With their perfect teeth, their flawless hair, and their thin, Christ like bodies, the girls just loved them and it left us ugly guys wondering, “What about us?”
I knew I had no chance with the chicks. I had horrible hair, bad skin, fucked up teeth, and I was far from cool. All of the sudden a whole new breed of bands started to surface. Bands that were homely looking and the antithesis of what those pretty bands were all about. Little Caesar, Dangerous Toys, Circus of Power, and Junkyard are just a few of the bands that I suddenly felt like I could relate to. Hell, these guys were downright fucking ugly and I absolutely loved it. If bands like Poison and Ratt were talking about getting in fights and fucking chicks, bands like Junkyard and Little Caesar were the guys sitting at the back of the bar watching it all happen while they drank and were more than content to just take it in.
As much as I loved these bands, to me, there were two bands that did it better than any of them and that was Dangerous Toys and Junkyard. I fucking loved these bands. I loved that the gritty, bluesy influence behind the music, I loved the lyrics that spoke of the seediness of living in the underbelly of rock n’ roll, and most of all I just loved the fucking attitude. Like many of their peers, Junkyard was swept out to sea after the 90’s grunge takeover so you can only imagine my excitement when it was announced that Junkyard was regrouping (3/5 ain’t bad) for a run of shows that was bringing them back to Atlanta for the first time since 1991.
37 Main in Buford, I have to say, I say is a cool little place. The people watching is absolutely off the fucking hook. Soccer moms with their friends and/or husbands who were pumped as fuck to have a night out without the rugrats. The sold out room was packed full of Junkyard fans and this made me super excited. I talked with many people who were at the famed Junkyard/Dangerous Toys show in 1990 and we all shared our excitement about seeing Junkyard again after all of these years but like every great show, there has to be an opening act. Unfortunately for me, that act was Enuff Z Nuff.
Now I will say this, I kind of dug those first two Enuff Z’ Nuff albums back in day. Their kind of hippie hard rock was pretty different and I thought they had some pretty cool tunes. I dug songs like “New Thing”, “In The Groove”, and “Mother’s Eyes” among a few others. I never really raved about them but I was willing to give them a chance. The only original remaining member of the band is bassist Chip Z’ Nuff who is now also the singer. The minute the dude opened his mouth I felt my eyes roll back into my head so fucking far that I’m surprised someone didn’t dial 911 thinking I was having a seizure. Boy this was going to be a long set.
Musically, Enuff Z’ Nuff’s set was lackluster and just flat out bad. They were like a 5th rate Cheap Trick with no good songs. The stage antics that these guys were doing may have slid by back in 1990 but in 2018 they just looked contrived and downright silly. The guitarists even did the classic “lean back to back” and “whisper in each other’s ear and laugh” move which was just lame. Then Chip started with his banter again. “Buford, GA has the best marijuana in North America… and the best looking trim I’ve ever seen.” Wow. That’s all it took to send me to the other room to meet up with a friend and to get away from this vulgar display of absurdity. It’s no wonder that these guys never made it. Hell, it’s not wonder that Chip is the only guy left in the band. They couldn’t be done quickly enough.
Finally it was time for what I had been waiting all night for. The promoter, Scoley (who does an amazing job at bringing these kinds of bands here to town) took the stage to proudly introduce Junkyard. Just as he starts talking, here comes Chip Z’ Nuff taking over the microphone yelling all kinds of stupid shit like, “This next band took more cocaine than Pablo Escobar.” Dude you had your fucking moment, get your Cheep Trick meets David Lee Roth wannabe lame ass off the stage and let the guy who made this all happen have his words.
Anyway, once that annoying shit was done Junkyard hit the stage with “Life Sentence” from the debut album and immediately a jolt of energy just shot through my body. The band sounded absolutely amazing and lead vocalist David Roach seemed virtually untouched by time. Either this dude slowed down when he needed to or he’s been pacing himself like a pro because on stage he sounded fantastic and the energy was just off the charts.
It was so great to hear how amazingly well a new song like “Cut From the Same Cloth” fit in with classics like, “Back on the Streets”, “Simple Man”, and “Shot in the Dark.” “Blooze”, hands down, was the hit of the night and Roach had everyone singing along. “All the Time in the World” sounded so fucking great. The last time I saw Junkyard was 1990 so I never got to hear songs from their 2nd album Sixes Sevens and Nines live. It was cool to hear those songs because while that album was a bit less gritty than the debut, the songs sounded every bit as gritty and nasty as the songs from the debut.
With all of the ridiculous showboating and asinine banter that Enuff Z’ Nuff had, they couldn’t even barely impress me but here’s Junkyard up there, barely any banter and no cheesy stage moves and they’re ripping the faces off of every goddamn person in the room. Long time rhythm section of Pat Muzingo (drums) and Todd Muscat (bass) sounded as bad ass as they ever have and guitarists Jimmy James and Tim Mosher played like they’ve been in the band since day one. The chemistry on stage was absolutely electrifying and the band literally let the music to the talking.
All that stupid shit, Junkyard ain’t got time for that. Roach’s between song banter consisted of a few thank yous and even stated, “I’ve never been a bit talking between songs guy but lets try this. Make some fucking noise!” The entire room erupted and he just laughed and said, “Wow, that shit really works” and then the band went right into “Hollywood” which had everyone going nuts. Now that is how you put on a fucking show.
If you’re music is truly good enough, you don’t need all those other ridiculous gimmicks to cover up the fact the lack of quality material or ability to put on an honest, sincere, and soulful rock n’ roll concert. Enuff Z’ Nuff came off as amateur, trying way too hard, and just kind of sad. Junkyard on the other hand proved that the songs they made over 26 years ago are absolutely timeless and forever young. Much like The Rolling Stones, Junkyard can play these songs all these years later and as opposed to sounding and looking ridiculous, it sounds like life. It’s aged, it’s rough around the edges, and it’s ugly as sin. It’s Junkyard and honestly I don’t want them to change a fucking thing.
