Don Perry
Neighborhood Texture Jam
Nothing says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year like the sound of weedeaters and guitars squalling side by side and the sight of Neighborhood Texture Jam (NTJ) frontman Joe Lapsley in a loin cloth, smeared head to toe in mud, with some kind of bone strapped to his face like a mask. Every year or so, Midtown’s favorite post-hardcore, semi-industrial weirdos reunite to kick out funky holiday jams like “Unnecessary Surgery,” “Torsos of Murdered People,” and, of course, everybody’s favorite Yuletide singalong, “I Fell Into the Borax Factory of Your Love.” This year’s concert takes place Saturday, December 27th, at the Hi-Tone.
NTJ guitar slinger/dentist John Whittemore says the band’s fans should come out and see them while they can because he doesn’t know how many more times the Antenna Club favorites will perform together. Then again, this is a band that called it quits in 1996, a good seven years before they finally got around to performing their epic rock opera Frank Rizzo at Colonus, so with these guys, you never know.
NTJ formed in the late ’80s and found a loyal following for their smart lyrics, absurd theatrics, and the use of dangerous percussion instruments and power tools. Though the culture has changed somewhat since Lapsley first belted the words, “You’re a special person, you’re unique, you’re an employee in a mall boutique,” songs like “Rush Limbaugh Evil Blimp” never seem to go out of style.
Neighborhood Texture Jam at the Hi-Tone, Saturday, December 27th, 9 p.m. $10.