BRAIN: Citizens of the Midwest... are you ready to testify?

[Bolts of Ungodly Vision]

Joan Jett's popular cover ALMOST has it right, you can stick another dime
inte juke box baby, but it's not everything.

What is everything? Let me tell you, brothers and sisters --- it is the
music's power to MOVE you physically and metaphysically by pushing the
limits and taking that chance on life.

This glowing sermon on the virtues of rock and roll for your mortal soul is
brought to you because of two groups of people: Static Cling and The Brain
Surgeons.
For those of you in, or not in, the know, Static Cling graces "To Helen
With Love" and also comprises the "Skeleton Crew" on Helen Wheels'
posthumous rocker (Buy it at the show!!!). At the friendliest and warmest
bar between Rochester and Syracuse, Our Place, the foursome ripped it up
through lovingly rethought of covers and some rollicking original tracks.
Be Warned: their rendition of "I'm a Man" leads to spontaneous raveup
induced combustion.  At the Tavern on the Flats, they delivered their brand
of hellfire and salvation yet again, with a gleeful foray into Screamin'
Jay Hawkin's hymn "I Put A Spell on You" and the everwonderful "Walking the
Dog." All eyes were on the baby head of incence as the "psychadelic
portion" of the show kicks into depths uncharted by band or devil. Kim,
Cathy and the crew are good folks, too. So if you see them, show your
support by letting the music take your soul and give it back to you.
Honesty is its own reward after all.

But I know why you're all here. The Brain Surgeons. Albert Bouchard,
Deborah Frost and David Hirschberg. Unlike past forays into reporting by
yours truly, I'm not going to give the set list away completely. IT'S TOO
GOOD to be related on mere e-mail and computer screen, dig? But I will say
this. The songs that you have heard them play oh-so-well before are similar
only in name and the intensity of the performance by this power(ful) trio.
Some songs you will know from the days of the Blue Oyster Cult will be very
familiar in performance, and some my friends.... some..... push the laws of
probability in such a way that it's inevitable and unbelievable that what
you will hear on tour will COMPLETELY BLOW YOUR EVER LOVIN' MIND. My
rational mind disintegrated twice each of the two nights... it's that
goooooooooooood. And not just good because the songs are just that good,
but because the performers, Albert, Deb, and Dave OWN the stage when they
play and they hope you feel a part of a happening in that audience.  It was
my birthday during the Seneca Falls show and may lead one to take with a
grain of salt this seeming exercise in hyperbole, but I must say, without a
shoadow-of-a-doubt, the Brain Surgeons KICK OUT THE JAMS. If you have any
glimmer of that song in you, or the feeling of what it was like when you
first felt rock and roll for the first time, you know a fraction of what
awaits you at venues across continental 48 states.

But there's more!! Both shows were wonderful in that, not only do they
actively encourage fan participation in "Godzilla", but the cammeraderie
with Static Cling  brought forth some wonderful variatons of collaboration.
At Our Place in Newark, all seven bandmembers took to the stage to perform
a song I sadly do not know the name of, nor its performer. Festooned with
an impeccably out-there Kim D. guitar solo and Albert on Mandocaster, there
was a real sense of brotherhood for the place and the people gathered round
to here a tune or two, or 20.  In the Tavern on the Flats (ok, here's 2
more songs possibly on your agendas, America) Kim added theremin generated
warnign sirens for a certain great green beast, as well as "Submission" to
the vocal windup before the house was completely drummed into rubble as
bass and lead guitar drove the joyful apocalypse onward. To finish off the
set with an encore, Kim donned his insanely smooth sounding Fender, with
Cathy Lee Otis on Tambourine and vocals as the Helen Wheels tune "Room to
Rage" smashed the atoms of whatever brain cell had survived the hours
behind it. As Albert said, "you can't top that."

And so, brothers and sisters, when you're ready to tesify, testify. When
you see them show them a sea of hands, rejoice in the fact that rock and
roll IS here to stay, despite the ClearChannels of the world.
Batten your hatches boys and girls. The Brain Surgeons are coming and life
is all the better for it. Thank you Deborah, Dave and Albert for taking the
Word to the streets.