Babes – Memphis Flyer

Los Angeles psych band Wand play the Hi-Tone next Monday, their first time back at the venue since opening for the Ty Segall Band last fall. Wand come from the same school of psychedelic rock as California bands Thee Oh Sees and White Fence, representing the softer side of sun bleached rock and roll. Front man Cory Hanson also played in The Meatbodies and Together Pangea, two other prominent garage rock bands from southern California. While those two bands can easily be pinned to a genre, Wand’s music takes a little bit longer to digest.

Justin Tenney

Wand

On the band’s debut album Ganglion Reef, Hanson and company focused heavily on guitar tone, running their riffs through multiple synthesizers and effect pedals to create the spaced out, Frippertronics-influenced songs. Ganglion Reef goes pretty deep into the nerd zone with its references, with song titles like “Generator Larping” and the cover image essentially being fan art for the video game Final Fantasy VI. After touring for much of 2014, Wand found time to record their second full- length record Golem, and the album will be released while the band is on this month long tour.

Touring with Wand is New Orleans party rockers Babes, a band that is pretty much impossible to search for on the internet. Babes has a record on New Orleans label Pizza Burglar Records, and they’ve already developed a following in Memphis after stopping through town on several occasions. While they don’t have any songs about larping, Babes do have catchy garage rock hits like “We are the Babes” and “My Poor Friends Suck”, and they shouldn’t be missed on Monday. Locals Aquarian Blood open the show.

Over the past few months, the weeknight show has made a heavy comeback, with some of the biggest shows in the underground music community taking place during the week and not on the traditional Friday and Saturday nights. This week is no different, as Murphy’s is offering up a pre-music fest gig that boasts two impressive punk bands, Nots and Buldgers, opening for New Orleans’ garage punkers Babes.

Googling a band called Babes proves almost impossible, which puts them in a category with other internet-proof bands like Girls and Merchandise. But if the name leaves a shroud of mystery, the music certainly does not. Babes play fast and fun punk rock-and-roll, and there’s definitely a nod to the Memphis and New Orleans super group the Bad Times in their sound. There are no frills or hang-ups here, just the same riffs blasted over and over on top of a primitive beat. It’s a formula that’s worked for everyone from the Ramones to the Reatards, and it works here, too.

While it’s fair to call Nots and Buldgers punk music, it should be pointed out that they come from two very different sides of the genre. While Buldgers bludgeon the listener with fast and heavy hardcore riffs, Nots rely on the same tactics that bands like Rakketax perfected in the 1970s. With sharp guitar stabs and repetitive vocals, Nots don’t take the same hardcore approach to song writing that Buldgers do, but the songs still feature a jagged edge and enough snot to fill a tissue. Buldgers also have some familiar faces in the hardcore scene, with members who have played in No Comply and Hosoi Bros. — Chris Shaw

Nots, Buldgers, and Babes will perform at Murphy’s, Thursday, May 1st.

Doors open at 9 p.m. $5.