POP MUSIC REVIEW : 24-7 Spyz: A Blend of Idealism, Stage-Diving

With HUGE urban grooves, shards o’ metal guitar and a thrashin’ attitude, dude, Bronx-based rock quartet 24-7 Spyz headlined the Hollywood Live club on Wednesday before a capacity crowd of multiracial teens and professionals. Drawing most of the hour-plus set from their first as well as their new, aptly titled “Gumbo Millennium” LP, the Spyz pushed the house PA to the point of muddiness, and the band’s relentless attack--the obvious (and facile) comparison is with Bad Brains--left nospaceforthemusic to breathe, eventually exhausting the the enthusiastic, stage-diving audience.

San Francisco power trio Primus, a more progressive funk/metal combo, opened the show. Lyrics, vocals, harmonics, compositions, everything here was intentionally eccentric and totally devoid of pop elements. The execution, however, was excellent, and vocalist Les Claypool is a MONSTER bass player. Way out stuff, mostly found on their “Frizzle Fry” LP, and the crowd was way into it as well.

An idealistic, open-minded, very American evening, proving there’s definitely an audience for this sort of thing--no thanks to (or clue on) Madison Avenue.