We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
The Gris Gris: Live at the Creamery (Birdman)
On the scale of psychedelic emotions—running from mush-brained paranoia to lysergic elation—The Gris Gris placed itself squarely in the center of the dark side. Singer/guitarist Greg Ashley’s songs had more bad vibes than an Alister Crowley dream journal. The titles alone say it all: “Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream”, “Skin Mass Cat”, “Down With Jesus.” Live at the Creamery, a posthumous release drawn from The Gris Gris’ final gigs effectively captures the band in full swing. Saxophones bleat, organs drone, and fuzz-guitars fart forth blues riffs as Ashley spits surrealist word-salad lyrics from underneath an asphyxiating wall of reverb. Who knows where they are now? Probably cloistered in a run down double-wide surrounded by ruined Virgin Mary statues. But Live at the Creamery is a serviceable monument to The Gris Gris’ enduring and alluring weirdness.
The Gris Gris: “Down With Jesus”
[media id=”203″ width=”350″ height=”50″]