BLOODJINN TEAR 10 PEOPLE NEW ASSHOLES AT THE KNITTING FACTORY
Have you ever seen a touring band in their prime rock the fuck out of a mostly empty room? It is truly a sight to behold and I have the utmost respect for Bloodjinn for doing exactly that on Monday, August 20th at New York’s Knitting Factory. Let me tell you folks, touring is NOT the glamorous lifestyle it’s made out to be. You’re driving around the country with 5 dirty, stinky dudes in a dirty, stinky van that could break down at any moment, you’re eating beef jerky and fast food for every meal, and you have to constantly smell the farts of said dirty, stinky dudes produced by said beef jerky and fast food. You crash on whatever floors are offered up to you, drink the cheapest possible beer, and if you’re lucky you’ll get to shower once every few days (only to put on the same old sweaty clothes – laundry is out of the question.). Add to all of this the fact that Year of Desolation, the band headlining Bloodjinn’s tour, had to cancel Monday’s gig the day of due to van troubles (what else?), forcing Bloodjinn to be moved upstairs to a different room to play 3 hours after their planned time slot.
Discouraged? Never. Bloodjinn has been staring into the face of adversity for pretty much all of their 8 year career, and they have never backed down. Monday night was no exception.
By all accounts the band members should have been pissed off, tired, and lackadaisical, but if they were any of these things they certainly didn’t show it. The band certainly brought new meaning to the phrase “This Machine Runs on Empty.” Bloodjinn played with a fire, ferocity and precision more fitting for a room packed with several hundred than the 10 or so people in attendance politely bobbing their heads [Note: the above photo was not taken at this show]. Jesus, did the band slay it — “tight” would be an understatement; “tight as a 3 year old virgin” might be more appropriate, if decidedly less PC. The band tore through a set mostly consisting of songs from their stellar new album This Machine Runs on Empty. The rhythm section was absolutely pummeling, provided a template for guitarists Kyle and Jeff to do their showman-like handywork and vocalist Joel his ferocious growl.
According to Joel, Bloodjinn has had 21 total members since their beginning in 1999, and has toured as support for, well, pretty much everyone. It finally seems as if Bloodjinn is getting the attention they deserve from This Machine Runs on Empty and it seems as if they’ve found a winning formula with this 5-member unit. If they continue bringing barbarous live onslaughts like the one they delivered Monday, they will soon have many, many more believers and won’t have to run on “empty” for much longer.
-VN
