The Crystal Method

Related Content

• Ask a Mexican on Pronunciation and Texas Football Fandom
  January 5, 2012
• French Quarter Tour Diary - Week 1
  September 24, 2011
• Dengue Fever: "It Doesn't Matter...They Don't Know What the Hell We're Saying Anyway"
  January 24, 2012
• Dozens of Teenage Boy Scout Explorers Have Been Sexually Abused by Cops; Should Scouts Share the Blame?
  December 1, 2011
• A Sublime History: Looking Back on What Happened to One of the Best Ska Punk Bands of the 90s
  January 13, 2012

More About

• Crystal Antlers
• Long Beach (New York)
• Victor Rodriguez
• Kevin Stuart
• Jonny Bell

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Long Beach’s Crystal Antlers have mastered the art of thrash, that combustible buildup of noise and melody that so many others have tried to harness, only to fail in a miserable pool of fuzzy annoyance. Blending messy, raspy vocals with pummeling drums, writhing riffs and strident organs, the band produces a kaleidoscopic tornado of inflection that’s so right-this-very-moment. Not that these guys would seem to give a fuck about what’s hot right now. They’ve got the rugged, turbulent presence of a band that would trash your house party – we’re talking holes in the walls, vomit in the front yard, the pet goldfish missing. Not that Crystal Antlers would do that, per se; they seem to have good karma on their side. The band’s van was recently stolen with their equipment inside, only to be found later with all the gear intact—something that’s probably never happened in the history of vehicle-jacking. Crystal Antlers — Kevin Stuart (drums), Damian Edwards (percussion), Andrew King (guitar, organs), Jonny Bell (vocals, bass), and Victor Rodriguez (organs) — bridle raw, seething energy and funnel it into a purple rage. “A Thousand Eyes” is an urgent cry that bounces from bellowing convulsions to jittery murmurs. The slightly slower “The Owl” may lower the tempo, but it keeps the intensity tight and uneasy. “Until the Sun Dies Part 2,” meanwhile, is a spastic, frenzied howl.
Tue., Nov. 4, 7 p.m., 2008