Reviewed and Pictures by: David Locklear
Psychostick know how to have a good time.
I knew it was going to be a fun show when they began tearing through their third song, “Quack Kills”, from their 2014 release “Revenge of the Vengeance”, and a random audience member, outfitted with a duck costume, jumped on stage and began dancing with/attacking the band. You cannot be sad if this happens at any live performance, unless you’re a damned ogre.
The comedy-metal four piece, fronted by vocalist “Rawrb” Kersey, guitarist Josh “The J” Key, bassist Matty J Moose, and drummer Alex Dontre, wrestled their songs into submission during their roughly one hour set. Outfitted with moose antler helmets, colorful spiky baseball caps and Japanese warrior bandannas, their level of wackiness in both performance and sonic artistry was very reminiscent of 80’s lunatic merchants, M.O.D. Psychostick paid wacky tribute to many things in their time on stage, warbling about everyone’s favorite chin, Bruce Campbell, on the obviously titled “Bruce Campbell”; to an insane cover version of Kenny Loggins’ shitastic Top Gun anthem “Danger Zone” (replete with aviator shades and homoerotic volley ball high fives); to singing about why men make most of their decisions, on the bouncy “Because Boobs”; and then finally rounding out their set with a command to their faithful followers on “Obey the Beard”.
In another part of the club, Mushroomhead were also playing, and I could occasionally hear them rattling through one of their oh-so-serious performances, replete, I’m sure, with new, intenser, we-are-much-more-scary-now masks. And this made me realize that Psychostick are what the metal scene will always need: a band playing metal with a palpable respect, but never letting the audience forget they should always have a good time. Godspeed, you group of loons.