As always, it was a fun year for live music and there were plenty of great shows that I was lucky enough to catch in 2024. Who made the top 25? Let’s get started.
#25: Dry Cleaning – Far Out Lounge, Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024
It was a nice warm night in Austin, just a day after Halloween, when Dry Cleaning played a wild, fascinating set at Levitation Austin. They’re always intriguing, and they rock harder than most people realize.
#24: Mac Sabbath – Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo, MI, August 27, 2024
This was part of Mac Sabbath‘s tenth anniversary tour, and the crowd was really into it. A lot of people at this gig hadn’t seen them before, and most of them were laughing the entire time.
#23: Death Valley Girls – Parish, Levitation Austin, November 02, 2024
This was my first time seeing Death Valley Girls‘ new guitar-less lineup, and the uplifting spooky music they now create is stellar. They were one of the most talked-about bands at the 2024 Levitation Music Festival.
#22: Grocery Bag – Hotel Vegas, Levitation Austin, November 02, 2024
These Austinites were a pleasant discover this year. They threw down a strong set, changing instruments multiple times, and fired up everyone at Hotel Vegas…and they did all of this opening for Osees no less. I hope they get out of Austin for a tour soon.
#21: Meatbodies – Far Out Lounge, Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024
This was the second time I saw Meatbodies in 2024, and this fun, loud set at Levitation was a blast and even had added bonus tracks I hadn’t heard in their first set.
This was the first time Mac Sabbath played in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so many people there only had a vague idea of what to expect (My girlfriend among them.).
Thanks to road construction and a detour that took us at least five miles out of the way, we missed the first opening act, Spaceman Bob, but did get there in time to see the second band – Tejon Street Corner Thieves.
They played a fun set of dark country, alt-folk, and psychobilly about subjects like drinking whiskey, unprotected sex, and curses upon enemies.
The buzz for Mac Sabbath was strong by the time they came on stage in tuxedos to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band.
They soon shed the tuxedos and proceeded to shred through a fun set of “drive-thru metal” including songs like “Chicken for the Slaves” and “Organic Funeral.”
The crowd was instantly in on the jokes (“We’re not going to play anything by Pantera Bread.” / “There is some other drive-thru metal we like. International Bauhaus of Pancakes. They have a song called ‘Taco Bela Lugosi’s Dead.’ It’s pretty good.”) and the rock. I don’t know how many others got the Roy Orbison / BlueVelvet reference, but I love it every time they do it, as well as the Catburglar‘s time to step down from the drum set and sing “Bread” – a riff on KISS‘ “Beth.”
In dreams, Ronny Osborne walks with you.
“I haven’t laughed this hard since I first saw Gwar,” said a man behind me. A lot of people were like him, loving the gags and the constant jokes about Cake. Another fun, new bit was them playing an “Iron Maidenny’s” song about a fish sandwich called “The Grouper” that included lead singer Ronny Osborne having a sword fight with a man in a military uniform and fish mask.
They ended with the powerhouse duo of “Pair-a-Buns” and “Frying Pan,” getting a rousing send-off from the crowd.
Mac Sabbath’s Employee of the Month catches a giant straw after pouring Ronny a (Gasp!) Heineken!
Mac Sabbath’s fun stage show makes it easy to overlook how good they are as musicians. Slayer McCheese can shred a guitar and make it look easy, while Grimalice puts down bass licks that can rumble an entire building.
There’s rumor that Mac Sabbath might be retiring after this tour, so don’t miss out on seeing them while you have the chance.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]
[Thanks to Annie at Adrenaline PR for the press pass!]
I didn’t get to see as many bands last year as I would’ve liked thanks to many work conflicts and other travel that kept me away from music festivals, but there were some gems. Here’s the first half of the top ten.
#10: Mac Sabbath – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th
I’d been meaning to see Mac Sabbath for a couple years, and they finally came close by (relatively speaking), so a buddy and I went to see them in Indianapolis. I knew there would be lots of Black Sabbath parody songs, but I didn’t know there was going to be so much performance art and comedy. It was a fun mix, not unlike a Harlem Globetrotters show.
#9: King Buffalo – Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo, MI – April 22nd
I don’t know how King Buffalo have the time to make new records because they always seem to be touring – giving Reverend Horton Heat a run for their money. Seeing them in a small venue like this is becoming rarer and rarer a treat, because they’re playing more festivals in the U.S. and Europe each year. Don’t miss them.
#8: The Well – Reggie’s, Chicago, IL – April 05th
Speaking of bands you don’t want to miss, The Well are among them. They never disappoint and always put down a heavy doom set. They also are always smiling whenever I see them play, clearly having a good time while playing songs about creepy things in the shadows, weird cults, and groaning spirits.
#7: Playboy Manbaby – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th
No one at the Vogue knew what to make of these guys as they began their set. Were they an emo band? A punk band? A new wave band? I still don’t know. I just know they were a blast and had the whole crowd engaged within three songs, even holding a small election at one point.
#6: The Cybertronic Spree– The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th
The middle band of this triple bill turned out to have the best set, as these robots-in-disguise rockers shredded the entire time, leaving a lot of us slack-jawed with amazement. The lead guitarist played most of the set with one broken string, and barely anyone noticed. You have to be good to pull off a gimmick like this, and The Cybertronic Spree are very good, indeed.
Who made the top five? Come back to tomorrow and see!
Drive-thru metal rockers Mac Sabbath are about to launch a short western U.S. tour with psych-rockers The Darts, starting at the legendary Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown, California and ending at the wild Area 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Don’t miss them. Tickets are on sale now.
01/17/24 – Pioneertown, CA – MAC SABBATH – Pappy And Harriets
01/19/24 – Flagstaff, AZ – MAC SABBATH – Orpheum Theater
01/20/24 – Tucson, AZ – MAC SABBATH – Rialto Theatre
01/21/24 – Las Vegas, NV – MAC SABBATH – The Portal Inside AREA 15
I took a friend to see three crazy bands in Indianapolis not long ago. Those bands were new wave / no wave punk rockers Playboy Manbaby, Transformer rockers The Cybertronic Spree, and “drive-thru metal” giants Mac Sabbath. He had no idea what to expect, and is pretty much a 1980s metal guy. He’d heard from another friend that Mac Sabbath were some sort of killer clown band, but that’s about it.
I hadn’t heard Playboy Manbaby either until this evening, and they were great. They came out looking like average dudes and then tore up the stage with a wild punk set and even held a mini-election in the crowd decided by a game of rock-paper-scissors.
“Oh wow…” was all my friend could say when The Cybertronic Spree came onstage in their Transformer outfits. He was even more stunned when they shredded for their entire set, playing originals from their new album, Ravage, and covers of fun tunes like AC/DC‘s “Thunderstruck” and Weird Al‘s “Dare to Be Stupid.” You have to be able to play well if you’re going to have a gimmick like this, and The Cybertronic Spree play very well. At one point, co-lead singer Arcee was hitting such high notes that my friend said he thought his eardrums were going to rupture.
“We’re the toy in your happy meal!” – Hot Rod on bass (3rd from left)
The “main course” was Mac Sabbath’s weird and wild rock / comedy show, full of heavy Black Sabbath parodies like “Sweet Beef” and “Frying Pan,” bad fast food-rock band puns (“Dokken Donuts,” “Dairy Queensryche,” “International Bauhaus of Pancakes,” etc.), water sprayed on the crowd, bizarre characters, and even a tribute to David Lynch‘s Blue Velvet and Roy Orbison.
Again, you have to be able to play well to do stuff like this, and Mac Sabbath have no problems doing so. Slayer McCheese can change riffs on a dime, The Catburglar is a sharp drummer and comedian, Ronny Osbourne never stops moving, singing, or joking when he’s onstage, and I don’t know how Grimalice plays bass in that outfit.
My friend was happy and dumbfounded by the end of the show. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he said. I hadn’t either, and I loved it. This was the last show of the first leg of their “More Than Meats the Eye” tour with the other bands, so don’t miss your chance to catch the second half.
Keep your mind open.
[Thanks to Annie at Adrenaline PR for the press passes!]
“The waiting is over! I mean When it comes to “drive-thru metal”, who needs waiters!?! With our debut album release we are about to “pop-up” all over the states for the first time in years! So head over for a triple decker helping of the cheese you need! on sale now!” – Ronald Osbourne
MAC SABBATH will return to the road this Fall to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive-Thru Metal on the 2022 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour, featuring special guests Speedealer, southern rock heavier and faster then anything this side of Motorhead and shoulders,and Lung, the electric cello and drums female duo, kicking off one heck of a party feast for the senses! A food fight to the death!
“MAC SABBATH will be popping up all over the States – just like in our debut release,” says the band’s perplexing clown faced frontman Ronald Osbourne. “Confusing the USA one more time!”
MAC SABBATH on tour:
09/27/22 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
09/28/22 Goldfield Trading – Sacramento, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
09/30/22 Dante’s – Portland, OR – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/01/22 El Corazón – Seattle, WA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/04/22 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/06/22 WAVE – Wichita, KS – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/07/22 Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/08/22 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/09/22 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/11/22 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/12/22 Afterlife Music Hall – Lombard, IL – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/13/22 Red Flag St. – Louis, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/14/22 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/15/22 Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+
10/18/22 HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex – Indianapolis, IN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/19/22 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/20/22 The Crafthouse Stage & Grill – Pittsburgh, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/21/22 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/23/22 Wall Street Theater – Norwalk, CT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
10/26/22 The Foundry – Philadelphia, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/27/22 Black Cat – Washington, DC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/28/22 Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center – Harrisburg, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
10/29/22 The Underground – Charlotte, NC – with Speedealer and Lung -All Ages
10/31/22 The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
11/01/22 EXIT/IN – Nashville, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+
11/03/22 The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/04/22 42nd Street Tavern/Reggies – Wilmington, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/05/22 Jack Rabbits Live – Jacksonville, FL – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
11/06/22 Tuffy’s Bottle Shop/Lounge/Music Box – Sanford, FL with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/08/22 Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/09/22 Chelsea’s Cafe – Baton Rouge, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+
11/10/22 Zony Mash Beer Project – New Orleans, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/11/22 Come and Take It Live Austin, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
11/12/22 Trees – Dallas, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/14/22 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+
11/15/22 RockHouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
11/16/22 Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM – with Lung – 21+
11/18/22 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
11/19/22 Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
12/16/22 Vinnie’s Bar & Grill with TBA – Concord, CA – 21+
12/17/22 The Catalyst with TBA – Santa Cruz, CA 16+
MAC SABBATH will return to the road late this Fall to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive-Thru Metal on the 2022 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour, featuring special guests Speedealer, southern rock heavier and faster then anything this side of Motorhead and shoulders,and Lung, the electric cello and drums female duo, kicking off one heck of a party feast for the senses! A food fight to the death!
“MAC SABBATH will be popping up all over the States – just like in our debut release,” says the band’s perplexing clown faced frontman Ronald Osbourne. “Confusing the USA one more time!”MAC SABBATH has revealed details on their first book, Drive-Thru Metal, but don’t expect a stereotypical biography from the fast food-themed parody kings. There’s plenty of “juice” inside, albeit in the form of burgers cooking in the kitchen as the four members of MAC SABBATH take fans on a journey through a dystopian fast-food world polluted by its own waste in an innovative hybrid pop-up book. Mysterious MAC SABBATH frontman Ronald Osbourne comments on the book, “What’s that? A pop-up book is not what you were expecting? Well SUFFER! ….and you’re welcome.”
Available via Poposition Press, Drive-Thru Metal features illustrations by Gris Grimly, well-known for his darkly whimsical children’s books and the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of his Pinocchio book,and will be available in Regular and Special Editions. Both editions are available in limited quantities, so be sure to get your copy of this piece of “Drive Thru Metal” history! Both editions of Drive-Thru Metal include pop-up scenes highlighting “The Factory,” “The Ascension” and “Utopia” and include a special vinyl surprise with seven MAC SABBATH stories, including “Organic Funeral,” Sweet Beef” and “N.I.B.B.L.E.” The Special Edition is a super limited version complete with a foil stamped cover, a Gris Grimly art print and ketchup and mustard splattered vinyl surprise.
Mixing raucous comedy with borderline-horrific theatrics, the only thing more petrifying than impending health problems resulting from years of overeating is a MAC SABBATH show. MAC SABBATH puts on a theatrical, multimedia stage show – complete with a smoking grill, laser-eyed clowns, bouncing burgers and many more magical surprises… basically anything and everything an unwary show-goer could ever want in their wildest dreams. The band has been named by Buzzfeed as one of the “13 Metal Bands You Didn’t Know How to React To”, and as LA’s “Best Tribute Band” by LA Weekly.
MAC SABBATH on tour: Tue 09/27/22 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Wed 09/28/22 Goldfield Trading – Sacramento, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 09/30/22 Dante’s – Portland, OR – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/01/22 El Corazón – Seattle, WA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 10/04/22 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Thu 10/06/22 WAVE – Wichita, KS – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Fri 10/07/22 Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/08/22 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sun 10/09/22 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 10/11/22 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/12/22 Afterlife Music Hall – Lombard, IL – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Thu 10/13/22 Red Flag St. – Louis, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 10/14/22 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 10/15/22 Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Tue 10/18/22 HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex – Indianapolis, IN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/19/22 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Thu 10/20/22 The Crafthouse Stage & Grill – Pittsburgh, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 10/21/22 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/22/22 The Vault Music Hall & Pub – New Bedford, MA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sun 10/23/22 Wall Street Theater – Norwalk, CT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/26/22 The Foundry – Philadelphia, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Thu 10/27/22 Black Cat – Washington, DC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Fri 10/28/22 Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center – Harrisburg, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 10/29/22 The Underground – Charlotte, NC – with Speedealer and Lung -All Ages Mon 10/31/22 The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Tue 11/01/22 EXIT/IN – Nashville, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Thu 11/03/22 The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 11/04/22 42nd Street Tavern/Reggies – Wilmington, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 11/05/22 Jack Rabbits Live – Jacksonville, FL – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sun 1/06/22 Tuffy’s Bottle Shop/Lounge/Music Box – Sanford, FL with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 11/09/22 Chelsea’s Cafe – Baton Rouge, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Thu 11/10/22 Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 11/11/22 Come and Take It Live Austin, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 11/12/22 Trees – Dallas, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Mon 11/14/22 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 11/15/22 RockHouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Wed 11/16/22 Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM – with Lung – 21+ Fri 11/18/22 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 11/19/22 Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages
MAC SABBATH has revealed details on their first book, Drive Thru Metal, but don’t expect a stereotypical biography from the fast food-themed parody kings. There’s plenty of “juice” inside, albeit in the form of burgers cooking in the kitchen as the four members of MAC SABBATH take fans on a journey through a dystopian fast-food world polluted by its own waste in an innovative hybrid pop-up book. Mysterious MAC SABBATH frontman Ronald Osbourne comments on the book, “What’s that? A pop-up book is not what you were expecting? Well SUFFER! ….and you’re welcome.”
Available via Poposition Press, Drive Thru Metal features illustrations by Gris Grimly, well-known for his darkly whimsical children’s books and the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of his Pinocchio book, and will be available in Regular and Special Editions. Both editions are available in limited quantities, so be sure to pre-order now to reserve a copy of this piece of Drive Thru Metal history! Pre-orders are available at https://macsabbath.bigcartel.com/.
Both editions of Drive Thru Metal include pop-up scenes highlighting “The Factory,” “The Ascension” and “Utopia” and include a special vinyl surprise with seven MAC SABBATH stories, including “Organic Funeral,” Sweet Beef” and “N.I.B.B.L.E.” The Special Edition is a super limited version complete with a foil stamped cover, a Gris Grimly art print and ketchup and mustard splattered vinyl surprise.
Mixing raucous comedy with borderline-horrific theatrics, the only thing more petrifying than impending health problems resulting from years of overeating is a MAC SABBATH show. MAC SABBATH puts on a theatrical, multimedia stage show – complete with a smoking grill, laser-eyed clowns, bouncing burgers and many more magical surprises… basically anything and everything an unwary show-goer could ever want in their wildest dreams. The band has been named by Buzzfeed as one of the “13 Metal Bands You Didn’t Know How to React To”, and as LA’s “Best Tribute Band” by LA Weekly.
