The fact of the matter is, nothing rocks as pure and raw as Garage Rock. Stripped down of all pretentions, theater, smoke machines, weird stage accoutrements, this music has never sounded newer or fresher or more wild. Try contrasting it with the pop/pap of today - it wins every time, (black-gloved) hands down. There actually could be a glimmer of hope on the musical horizon - rock and roll can still save lives; it can still energize the synapses like nothing else.
This was completely evident on a packed night Saturday, March 31 at the Village Underground in New York City. The club was nothing if not reminiscent of a 60's basement beat club, dank, small, and dimly lit, jammed with hipsters frankly digging the sounds.
Host Lenny Kaye announced the opening band at around 10pm. This was the Greenhornes, who hail from Cincinnati. 
These guys are delectably young and innocent-looking yet they remain completely true to the Garage ethos. They did a 45-minute set of their own original songs that had the locals grooving in the extreme. There is a lot of well-deserved buzz about these young fresh fellows.
Richard & The Young Lions followed with a stunning set of their own songs mixed with some covers. These guys reunited last year for the first time in 35 years, and they can still work a room like nobody's business.
Richard, the lead singer, took to the stage looking like a lion with his long mane of wild curly hair, sporting a shaggy leopard spotted coat. He stares balefully into the void as he sings, shaking the mike stand like a shaman. You might not want to meet this guy in a dark alley - he's equal parts danger and wild-hearted vision.
The Young Lions were joined in the latter part of their set by another Garage legend, David Aguilar of the Chocolate Watchband, who looked and sounded fantastic as well. Squint a little bit and you could almost believe yourself to be a jump-jiving extra in "Riot on Sunset Strip" with Dave shaking the maracas.
The headlining act was Question Mark and the Mysterians. From the opening chords on the farfisa, they frantically rocked the place for a record one and a half hours, fronted by QM himself in a frilly pink shirt and tight black slacks, black fedora and black sunglasses. Now we know who Prince really ripped off (and all along I thought it was Sly Stone).
To sum up.... Man O Man, I highly recommend making the scene for the next installment of this frothy Garage madness at the end of May. And by the by, there were 300 eager folks outside the club last Saturday who were turned away since the show was completely sold out in advance. Tickets for the next shows (May 25 and 26) are already going fast so I advise everyone to get going and buy yours now. You can buy tickets at the Village Underground,
130 W. 3rd St., or call 212 777 7745 for info, or buy them on the internet at Ticketweb.
~holly~
