If Spinal Tap really existed and were ironic as opposed to delusional, and were less commercial, they might sound a lot like the late lamented Lesion, my nephew in law Michael Podnieskinski ‘s band. Lesion were a heavy metal band cum performance art piece faux-rockers, with each of the band members using a feigned back story of dis piss and despair.
It is self-aware stuff and the music itself, they released three albums, is substantially vicious hard rock riffarama more than happy to fall into obstreperous annoyance.
Their website offers this:
“Since the late 90s, LESION has proven itself one of New York City’s best, most original live bands, appearing regularly at venues such as Arlene Grocery, Mercury Lounge, The COntinental, Sin-É, CBGBs, The Knitting Factory, Luna Lounge, Limelight, and Don Hills. Originally from Essen, Germany, these transplanted New Yorkers have consistently pushed the limits of traditional rock performance.
Besides LESION’s legendary live shows, the band has made a reputation for presenting mind-bending “specialty” gigs, once performing as their own Swedish tribute band at the now defunct Coney Island High. In 2001, LESION permiered Destroyours, a live show that combined the songs from Kiss’s Destroyer with tracks from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, a performance later featured in British rock magazine MOJO. In 2002, The Onion and Warsteiner Beer co-sponsored the LESION LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE at Arlene Grocery. An incredible once-a-week month-long residency that yielded 4 original short films directed by lead singer Dr. Gustave Hurtz, a remix CD by DJ Dekker. In 2004, the band launched LESION: See Sniff Rub Lick Listen, a five-month performance series that focused on the human senses. The shows premiered five new short films (including “Eyes, Bloody Eyes!” featuring comedian Judy Gold). In 2005, Lesion performed Saturday Night Bollocks at Crash Mansion, a show that ingeniously mashed songs from Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols with the Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever. In 2006, the band debuted DER LESION ROCK UND ROLL SHOW, a three-week overview of their career that also premiered their first feature-length movie, “The One Inch Punch!” In Septmeber 2006, LESION was honored to be one of the final acts to rock the stage at the legendary Continental in NYC’s East Village.”
So this is multi-media extravagant, headbanging weirdness. But listening to it, and with no real interest in the video, debunking art form of it all, or its attempts, quite successful, to position itself as an alternative to an alternative, a mammoth sneer at the world of rock and roll.
It is all guitar play as sword play, a childish world of smashes and crashes and sounds torn to shreds and, like so many things, sorta faded away as the band members got straight jobs, got straight and joined the world at large. Ore loss us, though they did play in Connecticut last week, a reunion and Mike promises more of them. Till then here is their 2008 masterpiece Senior’s Ball.