Korean Gut

Vancouver's Korean Gut have the right attitude for what they do. They play like they're in their parents' basement, and they constantly poke fun at themselves and their situation. Fortified by his experiences as a playwright, Weird Canada contributor and member of several noted local bands, lead guitarist Jarrett Evan Samson (aka JES) knows what he's doing. As his band took the stage, JES wearing the stunning combination of a denim jacket and black short-shorts, he announced that this was comedy night, that they were the Sasstones, and he was going to say "bath salts" repeatedly for cheap laughs. Korean Gut later manically free-styled a bar from "Free Bird" upon request, saying deadpan that was the first time anyone ever asked for it at a show. Unfortunately, the band's self-awareness was a large part of their charm this evening, as the rock gods were not kind to their set. There were little things, such as a mic stand receding like a turtle's head halfway through "If You Want," which forced JES to bend in half for a verse, but most pressings, their levels were off. The drums were relatively quiet and the rather sloppy bass was way too loud, which may have been exacerbated by JES's amp problems, to which he professed that he had no money to fix. With JES's twang out of the mix, so gone was the dirty tube and reverb-drenched surf guitar that completes their sound.