The Muffs At Amoeba, Tuesday July 29th 2014
The Muffs
The Muffs haven’t released music for ten years, but fans should rejoice because they have now a new album on Burger Records … I already knew this because I had seen them play at Burgerama a few months ago, but on Tuesday night, the trio was having a release party at Amoeba. The store fitted them like a glove, and if bassist Ronnie Barnett seemed to be good friends with all Amoeba’s employees, it is because he was working there just a few years ago. Meanwhile, Kim Shattuck was joking around and seemed to have definitively put the Pixies thing way behind her.
The most striking thing about seeing the Muffs live is their laid-back attitude, as well as the casual chatting and deadpan humor between the songs as if they were some stand-up comedians doing the Muffs routine before bursting into their short punk songs. Kim looked almost exactly as she did at Burgerama while Ronnie had decided to put a shirt, a bow tie, and a yellow pullover on so that he was wearing two layers by a 90ºF day outside. He was elegant but also a bit goofy while Kim was showing her usual witty and cherubic charm.
‘That was like the first side of the new album!’ said Kim after 5 or 6 songs, The new album is called ‘Whoop Dee Doo’, and appears to sound exactly like the rest of their older songs, fueled by the same punk energy, animated by the same fast and catchy melodies with Kim’s raucous vocals and Nirvana-like screams at any occasion. They played with the same fire they are known for, only cooled down by the stoic and eccentric presence of Ronnie, who, legs apart, was delivering some killing bass lines and occasional vocal harmonies.
Ronnie had a funny anecdote from the time he was working at Amoeba, and this was involving Paul McCartney and candles… Apparently, the Beatle had left scented candles in the bathroom when he played an in-store at Amoeba in 2007. Paul McCartney probably needed the place to smell good but Kim and Ronnie suggested that he may have done this ‘because he is a vegetarian and his poop may smell… bad’,…. ‘I say bad Kim!’…’Don’t even think to talk about McCartney’s poop in front of me ever, ever again!’ she joked.
They continued with more of their garage-y-punk-rock tunes that would easily become sing-alongs – the songs were catchy enough for this – always boldly delivered at everybody’s face…. I was just surprised to read that Kim is 51, it’s true that the Muffs have been active since the 90s, but honestly, with her bicolor hair, her schoolgirl outfit and high tights, she had kept a real adolescent spirit, as alive as her songs,… they just should never mention McCartney’s poop in front of me ever again.
Setlist
Weird boy Next Door
Paint by Numbers
Like You Don’t See Me
Take a Take a Me
Up and Down Around
Where did I go Wrong
I Get It
Because You’re Sad
Honeymoon
Ethyl my Love
More pictures of the show here
