Prisms: Meek is Murder/Drive-By Bukkake/Mary Todd/Wreath of Tongues @ Brooklyn Bazaar's Cellar- 04/14/18

Meek is Murder
Drive-By Bukkake - Mary Todd - Wreath of Tongues
​Brooklyn Bazaar’s Cellar: 04/14/18

In June 2013, I attended that year’s annual Punk Island, which is a completely free festival that shines light on some underground acts. For the most part, if we’re being completely honest, these bands are mostly unremarkable, but I did have a reason to come to Punk Island. I had checked out Meek is Murder and their debut LP Algorithms, and I was amazed at the speed and aggression it produced in its 19 minute runtime. I waited the entire festival because I knew Meek is Murder were going to be something special, and as soon as they started, my day was made. They performed with twice the passion they showcased on the LP, and through their brief set, I started to truly understand the essence of the DIY scene. Since then, Meek is Murder has been my favorite local act. I’ve caught them five times between that show and this one at venues like the legendary ABC No Rio and the fairly new bar-space Gold Sounds. They’ve also released a ton of music, getting better with every project, up to their last LP Was which, as I wrote in my review when the LP came out, is as good as modern mathcore gets. Unfortunately, vocalist/guitarist Mike Keller (ex-The Red Chord) is moving out West, so they’ve announced that this show will be their last one for the foreseeable future. Of course, they didn’t fuck around with this lineup. Boston death-thrashers Drive-By Bukkake came down, and we got local support from two of the best in the game right now: techy-grindcore trio Mary Todd, and up-and-coming crusty grindcore act Wreath of Tongues (who just put out an incredible two-track EP, Like Rats.) Saying I was stoked about this lineup is an offensive understatement.

    I’ve also seen Wreath of Tongues five times, once as The Haunt. These guys put their all into each of their performances; this show they went even harder. They pummeled through an intense, angry eight-song setlist and took it upon themselves to start the pit. One of the most beautiful things about this show was that everyone participated; even people I’ve seen at shows like this that would usually just stand to the side and jam out there, myself included, knew that if there was ever a night that asked for everyone to give 110%, it was this night. This was easily the best I’ve seen the boys. I linked it above, but make sure you check out Like Rats, and while you’re at it, check out their debut EP, Out with the Good, for some crusty, heavy, angry music.

    Next were chabois in Mary Todd. The first time I saw these guys was also my first time at ABC No Rio, where they opened up a triple release show for Meek is Murder’s Everything is Awesome Nothing Matters, black metallers So Hideous’ debut LP Last Poem/First Light, and post-metal act East of the Wall’s Redaction Artifacts. I saw some serious potential with them, but I could also tell they were still getting used to being a band. I’ve seen them seven times since, from lineups with acts like the currently-popping Artificial Brain to opening up a show with the legendary PsyOpus. Ashley was even kind enough to give me a first listen to Bone Stock, which I reviewed here roughly a year ago. It’s safe to say I’ve watched Mary Todd grow up over the years, leading up to what was easily their best performance on this night. It was a typical set of late, mostly featuring tracks off Bone Stock and Scraping Under the Barrel, but I have never seen them as energetic as they were at this show. The audience reacted very well to them, moshing along to their set. I’ve waited a long time to see a Mary Todd set that left me completely and utterly winded, and boy, did it happen at this show.

I’m going to be completely honest: I only caught the end of Drive-By Bukakke’s set. My main reason is simply that I was completely worn out and needed to ease up so I could go really hard for Meek is Murder. Also, my party wanted to get something to eat and relax a bit, which this venue is perfect for, having a lounge area on the ground level. What I heard was all right, but I’m not into thrash metal like I used to be. They take some influence from death metal, but it doesn’t do much for me; however, if this sounds like your thing, check them out here.

I saw on my Instagram at roughly 6PM, an hour before doors, that Mike Keller had broken his ankle but was still going to perform, writing: “Welp, tonight’s show should be interesting.” Every bit of me was ready to give more than my all for Meek is Murder. As soon as Meek is Murder started with Algorithms’ intro track, “Hello, World!,” the room erupted into one huge mosh. This continued to grow through “Algorithms” and the punky “The Same Mistakes” off of 2016’s Was and Algorithms’ “(null).” The band tossed in a  song off Mosquito Eater, “The Blessing and the Curse,” which I do not believe I have ever heard live before. I chilled out during this song and “Foo,” but the room wasn’t slowing down. Once Everything is Awesome Nothing Matters’ “Ashes & Glass” kicked in, it was time to party again, on through Into the Sun’s “Marty McFly (88 Mph).” There were people doing fucking pull-ups on the venue’s exposed piping, which was incredibly dangerous, but fuck it: it’s a Meek is Murder show.

They played the majority of their Onward EP, which built up nicely to the conclusion of “Onward Towards the Red Horizon.” Mike Keller, who literally just broke his ankle, played his heart out, and you could see the love and passion he had for these tracks in his no-holds-barred performance. Sam Brodsky and Frank Godla held the rhythm down. The crowd response was just beautiful; there’s just something so fucking beautiful about a show without a stage full of surfing.

We got a few more tracks off of Was and Everything is Awesome Nothing Matters, including “A Prison, a Life Raft,” where Russ Savarese (guitarist of Wreath of Tongues) picked yours truly up and swung me through the crowd, which was absolutely wonderful. The set then went into “More Always More” and “Less is More,” which is always a high point of a Meek is Murder set This night was no exception. “Play Dead,” the final track off of Everything is Awesome Nothing Matters, was bound to send shit through the roof. People took away Keller’s crutches and the stool he was sitting on, and then picked him and Sam up. Keller fell right onto Frank’s drums, which made me feel for him, but the show went on. Very few things have struck me as hard as Mike screaming “He said that everything is awesome but that nothing fucking matters, so just live your life and choose your own path” this night. That has always been a favorite lyric for me, but it meant so much more in that electrified setting. Algorithms’ “Recursions” concluded the night and an era with an eruption of madness.
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This was the best local show I’ve ever been to and there is not a shadow of doubt in my mind about that. It was a great lineup of bands in an excellent little venue, full of friends just having a good time supporting and respecting each other. So many local shows lack these qualities, that it’s nice to see one that brought it all together in the spirit of ABC No Rio in its heyday. I doubt I will ever see a local show like this again, but to have witnessed it is a privilege in its own right. Long live Meek is Murder.

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- Alex Brown