OBN III’s
Live In San Francisco
Castle Face Records [2014]
Fire Note Says: Explosive live set from aggressive Texas punk rockers.
Album Review: Castle Face Records hits another one out of the park with their latest entry in the Live in San Francisco series, this time out featuring Texas punks OBN IIIs. I didn’t know much about this band when I first heard this album, but I now know that I want to learn as much as I can, because this is right in my wheelhouse. Loud, aggressive, sneering attitude, slash and burn guitars, confrontation, danger, you name it, it’s all here on Live in San Francisco. Frontman Orville Bateman Neeley III is in your face from the get go, doing his best to illicit some sort of response from the crowd, either adoration or hatred, it matters not to him, he just wants something, and it is this element of confrontation that really kicks this recording up a notch, he pushes the band as hard as he can into a classic Detroit fury echoing the greats, The Stooges, Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band in both style and substance. This record is like a higher fidelity and better performed Metallic KO, and believe me, that is high praise.
“Off the Grid” opens things off with a punch to the groin, its chugging guitars buried in distortion and chaos. Neeley’s vocals are at times reminiscent of Jon Spencer, but here they are flat out full throated punk rock from the Iggy Pop school of rock vocals. “So What If We Die” is another face melter that begs to be cranked to maximum volume, heck the whole record is begging to be cranked, you better reinforce your woofers and tweeters. The real highlight of the record for me is the between song banter, particularly where he takes on the crowd, telling them they look like shit, and the guy in the v neck t shirt. It’s awkwardly hilarious, elsewhere, he tells someone that the band is crashing with him at his house, he scolds the audience for not being able to follow directions, little seems to provoke the crowd, they just seem to take it, almost like they are afraid to say anything, like they will get their ass kicked by Neeley. “God ruined a perfectly good asshole when he gave you teeth” is the line that had me rolling. By the time “No Time For The Blues” closes the album with it’s absolute perfect blend of punk and garage rock punch, I’m ready to start the record again and grab another beer from the fridge and do it all over again.
Live in San Francisco may not be the perfect live album, but it is certainly a perfect live album for the OBN III live experience. If you like your rock loud, fast, aggressive and catchy, get this record! This record is a worthy followup to both the White Fence and Fuzz entries in the series, here’s hoping that Castle Face keeps this series going for a while!
Key Tracks: “If The Shit Fits” / “Off The Grid” / “No Time For The Blues”
Artists With Similar Fire: The Stooges / Sonic’s Rendezvous Band / Radio Birdman
OBN III’s Website
OBN III’s Facebook
Castle Face Records
– Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
