THE BRIEFS
FABULOUS DISASTER
BLUE COLLAR SPECIAL
The Glasshouse
February 17, 2003
by Bret Miller
Fat Wreck Chords continues to put out CDs from bands that care about substance over style. The latest Fabulous Disaster CD, Panty Raid is from Fat‘s sister label Pink & Black Records and is sure to put a smile on your lips and a goose in your pants. But first, let’s talk about tonight’s show.

The ladies in Fabulous Disaster are a blast live. Every song says “Good Times!” with their buzzing guitar, solid rhythm section and Laura Litter’s girlish yet muscular vocals. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a “chick” band, any of them could likely kick my ass, but their music expresses all that can be good about music. Imagine Pretend We’re Dead by L7, or The Go Go’s with tattoos and denim and you’ll get some idea of what you’re in for at a Fabulous Disaster show. These ladies rocked!

Washington State’s best kept secret, The Briefs, headlined the night, driving the fans crazy with their revved up and comic tunes. The band has a new CD out now on Dirtnap records called Off the Charts and the songs show a marked improvement over 2000’s Hit After Hit. Their latest tunes, while still fun, have much more depth and attention to detail. (Looking Through) Gary Glitter’s Eyes was memorable, as was Outer Space Doesn’t Care About You and Piss on the Youth. We Americans was a timely taunt at arrogance and the “My Country Right Or Wrong” mentality. I don’t remember hearing it so much the first time I saw the band at the Garage last year, but the guitars were damn good! Guitarists/vocalists Daniel J. Travanti and Steve E. Nix really got into their playing and worked off of each other splendidly. All four members of the band took their turn singing songs, with bassist Lance and drummer Chris Brief’s distinctive voices also adding harmony. The whole show was a tight yet sloppy, mess with the band’s signature 80’s wear, mussed hair and cheap sunglasses adding visual flair to their solid and trashy set. Find their new CD and rock out like its 1983 all over again. Go to www.thebriefs.com to learn more.

Also on the bill was Blue Collar Special, a bunch of friendly guys whose melodic rock tunes got the audience in a good mood. Their song about the high security at the Roxy was a riot. Sample lyric: “Fuck the high security at the Roxy, and the Troubadour too.” Well, nothing deep about these guys, though they had good vocals. More about Blue Collar Special in the Damnation and Joe's Memorial reviews.