Smile Empty Soul
PUDDLE OF MUDD
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Smile Empty Soul |
Some
things never change. Teenage angst will continue to fuel the corporate monster known as
“modern rock” as long as kids are getting grounded for “talking back”
to their parents. It’s okay. That’s the way it should be. Case in point: Smile
Empty Soul. The California trio’s leaden material shows absolutely no sense of fun or
humor. Whether it’s a song about escaping daily drudgery and problems through the use
of drugs (“Bottom Of A Bottle”) or a well meaning, but naïve attempt at a
protest song (“This Is War”), with Smile Empty Soul, it’s all dark and
bleak as far as the eye can see. Fortunately
for this band, middle class white kids need some darkness (even if it is totally
manufactured) to feel alive. Swigging directly from a bottle between songs,
singer/guitarist Sean Danielsen riled up the mosh pit with his version of
Silverchair’s version of Nirvana. It’s not that the band was bad…far from
it. They were quite well versed at their instruments and in just the right velocity to
head-bang. They even appeared sincere. It’s just that they’ve got nothing unique
to say or even a new spin on an old topic. Still, they managed to whip up a fervor during
“Nowhere Kids” and suitably warmed up the sold out crowd for Puddle Of Mudd. |
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Puddle Of Mudd |
Some things do change…thank
God! A couple of years ago, when Puddle Of Mudd first came out, they were one of my
“pet peeve bands.” You know the kind. It’s not just that you don’t
like their music but they actually make you angry. I went to see them and the highest
compliment I could muster was that they were a “redneck Nirvana.” Two years on,
I was surprised to see that they’ve lightened up significantly. Gone is the brooding,
moody, pissed off front man Wes Scantlin and in his place is the smiling, playful, rock
star front man Wes Scantlin. It makes all the difference. Don’t get me wrong. I still
don’t want to listen to a Puddle Of Mudd record, but I’ve got to say that
they’ve become adept at putting on a satisfying rock show. In addition to the usual
guitar picks, the Mudd boys even delivered fresh fruit to the crowd (although I can’t
imagine throwing a pineapple into a mosh pit is good for liability issues). Scantlin was
even able to poke fun at himself by introducing the melodramatic hit “Blurry” as
“Chicken Fried Steak” and singing the words to Grease’s “Summer
Nights” over “She Hates Me.” These may sound like small steps but
they’re actually giant leaps for modern-rock-kind. It is, after all, only rock
‘n’ roll. And Puddle Of Mudd appears to understand that now. Rock on, boys. (Chris McKay / concertshots.com) |
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