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Where the Wild Things Are By Mike Connor SURE, Texas Terri made a name for herself via some wild antics with gummi worms and electrical tape, but she's all grown up now, and don't need no artificial flavors to put on a kick-ass show. She's hyper, she's hot and she's got a shirt that tends to fly off as soon as the sweat starts to drip. But don't come out looking for a porn show--TT's antics are strictly rock & roll, more Iggy Pop than Carmen Electra. You won't get a lap dance at the show, but if you get close enough to her when she's strutting around on the pool table, you might get a swift kick in the face, if you're into that. Not that she's mean--TT is, in fact, sweeter than gummi worms. But she'll set you straight if you step out of line. Texas Terri and the Stiff Ones are riding a wave of popularity in L.A.--quite a feat in a city full of notoriously jaded rock fans. They're bringing their raw and trashy brand of rock & roll back to the Aptos club on Aug. 17, along with pro skater and ex-U.S. BOMB Duane Peters, who's now rockin' and rollin' with the ever-savage Hunns. Call 831.688.9888 for more info. Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto D'Gary is notable because of his robotic left arm and bionic left hand, which looks remarkably lifelike as it flashes around the fretboard of his guitar. But, like the scene in Aliens where the android Bishop does the knife trick around Hudson's hand, it's obvious that human hands could not possibly move so quickly, and with such flawless precision. But even if his talents are inhuman, it's nice to see technology used for artistic purposes, rather than creating fancy bombs, or some unstoppable superhuman death-bot. D'Gary's robotic augmentation enables him to play beautifully crisp, rollicking arpeggios that, while technically perfect, are also infused with a refreshing buoyancy of spirit which is so often lacking in robot music these days. As far as I could tell, D'Gary's backup singers were entirely human, although they were also suspiciously talented. I could actually feel their ululations readjusting the neural pathways in my brain into a more efficient, happier state. Marley Revival Later on that same night, a reggae revival set fire to the 800 souls that showed up for the sold-out Damian "Junior Gong" Marley show. SC locals Free Energy warmed up the crowd with their alt-rock approach to reggae--a combination of music that's hard to imagine if you haven't heard it. But their music works, and the crowd was pumped to see Bob Marley's ilk rip up the joint. In-between sets, phantom reggae DJs revved up the crowd with dancehall, prompting a bit of breakdancing from the few heads who could spin on theirs without breaking them. More superhuman robots? Maybe. But Damian and the Ghetto Youth Crew absolutely blew up the Catalyst with their revolutionary vibe and a fusion of dancehall, hip-hop and a dash of R&B. Far from being a mere nostalgia trip for Bob Marley (but including some great Bob covers), the show was fresh and electric, and felt like some kind of revival, or revolution, or both. Maybe it was the guy who ran around the stage waving a flag during the entire show. Or maybe it was the combined Marley energy of brothers Julian Marley, Steven Marley and Ky-Mani Marley, who also graced the stage. Whatever it was, it made everyone dance their asses off, and raised the temperature in the Catalyst to about a million degrees ... talk about catching a fire (and making bad puns). Legendary Loser After pumping up the Living Legends and talking loads of trash about not enough hip-hop, I was abducted by family-oriented aliens who decided it would be a good time for me to visit Gramps down south. How was the show? [ Santa Cruz | Metroactive Central | Archives ]