Hard Rock: Sarcasm - Live in Concert, Monday, April 4, 2005, La Crosse, Wisconsin,

The hardest working band in rock ‘n’ roll. That phrase has been applied to many bands, I suppose, but on last Monday night (April 4) in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Sarcasm truly earned it. They played the Warehouse, located in historic downtown, an all-ages club in an old building up 49 steep steps to the third story. I’ve never seen anything like it, and neither had the band as they stared up from the street entrance before the show, still more loads of gear to go. I pitched in to carry the last of Justin Gershowitz’s drum set upstairs, and in the process, got to know one of the friendliest bands in hard rock.

Hailing from Long Island, NY, Sarcasm has been on the road almost constantly it seems for the last two years. After an extended tour ended last December, their original lead guitarist quit. Now with Mike on board for lead duties, they appear to be gelling, cranking out music and energy.

They’re playing through pain—physical and financial. Physically, they all seemed worn out by the April 4th gig—by the Warehouse’s 49 steps up; a full-speed, sweat set; and then 49 steps down. Physically, though, the King of Pain is Mike, playing a mean lead guitar despite the ache of a failing kidney and a possible slipped disc in his back. Prescription drugs help the pain; doctors’ orders help him avoid carrying any loads up or down 49 steps (although you could tell he wanted to do his part).

They’re playing through the pain—financially. An independent band with no safety net, driving around in a van with a trailer as gasoline prices are skyrocketing, doesn’t make for much money at the end of the day. At the merchandise table, the band’s donation jar for their Ramen noodle fund tells the story: You’ve got to be a hard working band to make music.

You see, that’s the thing: Sarcasm has the music. Hooky power rock emerging from an Emo sound that blends back into full-on hard rock, the blend found in Sarcasm’s top inspiration, Our Lady Peace, but a blend also heard in Smile Empty Soul, Breaking Benjamin, and Thrice. While rhythm guitarist Brad Franklin handles lead vocals, when bassist Keri Boyd adds her vocals on sections like the chorus of “What We’re Made Of,” there’s the operatic chime tones in the vocal line like Amy Lee and Evanescence. A major ingredient in Sarcasm’s music is the 3-part harmonies of Brad, Keri, and Mike that rain down over the power rock, a melodious approach often not found in hard rock of this type. Our Lady Peace may be the first inspiration name-checked by Sarcasm, but there’s none of OLP’s whine in Sarcasm’s style. While many bands have chosen to take the pop hooks of classic rock combined with screamed out vocals of hard rock, Sarcasm uses well-placed screams, using them as punctuation and exclamation, such as on the dynamic dimensions of the call-response chorus of “Say It Again.”

While the teenage groupies of the opening bands were still outside smoking, Sarcasm opened their half hour set with “Just Go,” the first track from their upcoming second EP. The opening blitz on this song sounds like “Beggars and Choosers” from Hang Time-era Soul Asylum. Sarcasm doesn’t really remain in the Garage Band vein, but there’s hints of that sound crossing over. Also, while Justin noted that he was more of a fan of classic rock than his bandmates, riffs like Mike’s lead guitar on “Just Go” are undeniably classic.

And that’s good, because so much of hard rock has become a constant wall of guitar and screams, with very little space given for creating anticipation or differentiation. It’s like one constant knockout punch with no jabs, fakes, or footwork. With Sarcasm’s classic sense of rock as part of their revved-up Emo, you get separation in guitar work. You get the anticipation of Keri’s bass entrance. Justin’s drum fills and breaks work to heighten or release tension. Here the only thing I kept wanting was more than full breaks from Justin. Most of their songs hit a punch with a complete band break. I think Justin could lead the band to find smaller, just as effective, break points.

You can hear the band’s ability to use rhythm to create that rising action and turning point in a song like “Say It Again,” which hits a ¾ waltz section. Hard rocking waltz tempo that Grandma never imagined, and neither does a hard rock listener. Sarcasm grabs your attention with moves like this, and they’d do well to utilize such punctuation even more.

Finally, from their tireless touring comes a stage show more than worth the cover charge, more than worth the time of any festival audience this summer. Using all wireless guitar packs means Keri, Brad, and Mike are constantly on the move, spinning, dodging, ducking, and pulling the music of the motion. Mike can go from looking far too casual for hard rock to a throw down thrash guitarist using a cymbal to play a guitar solo. Brad kept the rhythm vamp going while standing on Justin’s kick drum. This is music just made for the visual of a skateboarder or snowboarder on a half pipe, racing with intensity and speed, hitting the top rail—pausing, maybe spinning in the air, catching air and everyone’s breath—before diving right back down with just as much speed, cranking out the song all the way to the finish.

Please check Sarcasm’s Website for upcoming tour dates and EP release info.

Hard Rock: Elvehjem
Opening the evening at the Warehouse was Elvehjem whose songs were full-on, thrash-punk-hard rock fueled by screaming but songs that also have an art or prog rock aspect of being like one minute pieces collaged together. Their first song had a Smashing Pumpkins-like overture led into a hard rock sound.

While Elvehjem’s set was plagued by bassist Fred Ludwig breaking two strings, the band courageously pressed on, as on “Atonement,” featuring Ludwig’s valiant effort to continue only on three strings. This actually was one of the strongest songs for the set due to its straight-forward punk rhythm.

Rhythmically, the band is led by drummer Scott Fischer, who also marches snare for the University of Wisconsin-Madison band. Fischer has the chops, using his marching band stick work to help lead these collage-like songs. However, his precision and attempts towards complex rhythms doesn’t seem to fit the abilities of the others. Fischer has trouble keeping everyone together as they shift tempos and rhythms.

Garage Rock: Promise the Moon
As the daylight savings time light faded through the uncurtained windows of the Warehouse, Promise the Moon played their ska-infected skate punk. Reminiscent of Relient K, Five Iron Frenzy, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Promise the Moon’s ska sound is pushed along by trombone and the rhythm section.

However, what’s strong here are some melodic qualities in the double vocals with guitarist and bassist playing off each other in sparked-up fashion. They need to be careful, though, to make sure their drummer doesn’t overpower the melodious lines with too much hard rock driving force.

The La Crosse show was the band’s first in quite awhile, but the band is starting to get back on the stage more often. They’re hoping to play the Lifest Christian Music Festival in Oshkosh, WI this summer, and there’s enough potential in Promise the Moon that I’d be glad to see them on a Lifest stage.


The Warehouse
Steve Harms owns and runs the Warehouse in downtown La Crosse. Begun in 1991, the club was almost lost 12 years ago when the building they rented space in was almost sold out from under them. With no banks wanting to give Harm and his then-business partner a loan for such a project, it looked like the club would be a brief-lived venue. However, a last minute letter to the editor from local teens who didn’t want to lose such a club moved a local bank to step forward to make it possible for Harm to buy the building. Always all ages, always no smoking, and always 49 steps into the La Crosse skyline, the Warehouse seems to be a part of a revival of downtown La Crosse which makes downtown a great place to be. Find some great eats in downtown, and then you’re sure to find some incredible music at the Warehouse.

Thanks again to Keri, Brad, Justin, and Mike (Sarcasm) and to Steve and the staff at .