Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Endtables Reissue

I’ve never heard of The Endtables before receiving this email from Drag City records.

The Endtables were the crazed brainchild of guitarist Alex Durig, brooding
chess-master of the amplified freak-out, and singer Steve Rigot, a flamboyant
transgender giant from the shores of southern Indiana who reinvented himself as
a Warhol Factory superstar. Like Scarlett O’Hara wrapped in a green velvet
curtain, Rigot crafted his own glamorous reality from what was available in the
blasted cultural landscape of 1970’s Kentucky. Gold spray paint, duct
tape, Ace bandages ... a spectacularly other trailblazer who caused folks to
toss their received ideas of beauty twenty years before Gossip’s Beth Ditto. The
band also features Alex's little brother Albert During (fifteen at the time) on
bass, and Steve Jan on drums.

What makes this whole story so
exciting, is the band hasn't been in touch in three decades (except Albert and
Alex). Because of this re-issue, they are all talking again and even considering
a reunion show. It's been really fascinating hearing the stories from each of
them and witnessing the kick they are getting out of all this. I invite you to
be a part of it...

From what I’ve heard, I like.

Very primitive, early punk/art punk. The guitarist reminds me a lot of Greg Ginn and the amateur video looks like it could be from any college back in the day when people just pushed shit to the side, set up their equipment, borrowed a primitive p.a., and called it a concert.
Check out how the vocalist goes down for no apparent reason and then comes back up with his shirt ripped.

1 comment:

Kiko Jones said...

Spot on references to both the surroundings and Greg Ginn: I can hear Rollins singing over that tune. Pretty cool.

(I do think the guys' t-shirt was ripped from the outset, tho.)