Fun Fun Fun 2010: This year's odd comeback: The Gories - obscure 80s Detroit garage-punk

Fun Fun Fun - Austin's Best Music Fest?

Not to be outdone by ACL, Transmission Entertainment has put together another ecclectic lineup for this year's "third festival," the Fun Fun Fun Festival. Not as big or glitzy as ACL or SXSW, Fun Fun Fun -- with its small crowds, easy parking, mild weather and great music -- is like a little gift to the locals who complain that it feels like Austin gets overrun during the two biggies. This year, we're gonna be out of town and will miss it for the first time since we moved down here. Bummer! This lineup is loaded.

Click to enlarge.

Lots of hip-hop, electronic music, and rock of many kinds: punk, hard, metal, indie. From lots of different eras, too. And to top it all off, speaking of punk, they scored "Weird Al."

The Gories: Before Jack and Meg ...

The Gories (l to r): Mick Collins, Peggy O'Neill, Dan Kroha

A deep lineup isn't the only thing this year's Fun Fun Fun has in common with last year. If you read my post, I wrote about the interesting and unlikely reunion/comeback of Detroit punk pioneers Death, who was one of the big stories last year. This year also features a reclamation project from Detroit: The Gories. Apparently this Detroit trio was playing swampy blues-infected garage punk while Jack White was still in school. After a brief period of moderate local success in the late 80s and early 90s, the group disbanded, only to reappear unexpectedly in 2009 for a short tour across Europe.

I guess the reception was good? Regardless, The Gories decided to do it again in 2010, this time hitting spots across the States. So, what's the verdict? Are The Gories worth checking out, or are they just a novelty act that lots of hipsters will go flock to see just to put notches on their belts? Well, do you like lo-fi rock with hints of punk, blues and rockabilly, played with garage-band shwerve? If it helps, think The Cramps crossed with The Stooges. After watching the video (one of the few they shot) for "Nitroglycerine" on Youtube, I can easily see why fellow Detroit rocker Jack White has expressed his devotion to them. You might even wonder if drummer Peggy O'Neill served as an inspiration for using Meg to drum, unless you really think it was Meg's drumming skill that was the primary factor. Plus, if Death was any indication, I'd go see The Gories. Sometimes a little time off does wonders.

The Gories: "Nitroglycerine"