What’s in a name? A name can be something to hide from (case in point: A Boy Named Sue), something that builds an enigma around you or describes something perfectly, leaving no room for speculation. For Lawrence band Müscle Wörship, the name tips a hat to punk rock, where uncomfortable names like The Circle Jerks were often used and the muscle and power that inspired them, while the lyrics and music hearken to bands like Gang of Four, Fugazi, The Cure, and the jittery, off-kilterness of Bloc Party and Sunny Day Real Estate. The name could very well be nod to any number of ‘90s underground bands that had the strength to stand by their musical convictions.
This Thursday, December 19, Müscle Wörship (comprised of singer/guitarist Sean Bergman, bassist Anthony Piazza, and drummer Nathan Wilder) will celebrate the end of a two-week long tour that took them from Brooklyn to Moline, Illinois, and many a place in between. The show—a homecoming extravaganza at the Replay Lounge—will undoubtedly see the bar packed from pinball machine to the sidewalk as the band do their best to blow out speakers (I’m told they are the loudest band in Kansas) and convert the non-believers, the unsure, the ones not yet basking in the warm, deafening glow that is Müscle Wörship.
Formed by members from Paper Airplanes, Ad Astra Arkestra, Volara, Proudentall, and Ricky Fitts, Müscle Wörship pushes boundaries of melody and speaks about the human condition as they blast out one post-punk-colored gem after another. The band’s eponymous album is a testament to growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s: there is melody and joy hidden among stilted rhythms and powerful guitars, emocentric vocals with a backbone. No tears to make the mascara run, just powerful words laced within great music. So kids, do yourself a favor and join the welcome wagon; come make it a night that the conquering heroes will not soon forget.
Müscle Wörship’s homecoming show will be this Thursday, December 19 at Replay Lounge, featuring special guests American Cream and This Is My Condition. Facebook event page.
–Danny R. Phillips
Danny R. Phillips has been reporting on music of all types and covering the St. Joseph, MO music scene for well over a decade. He is a regular contributor to the nationally circulated BLURT Magazine and his work has appeared in The Pitch, The Omaha Reader, Missouri Life, The Regular Joe, Skyscraper Magazine, Popshifter, Hybrid Magazine, the websites Vocals on Top and Tuning Fork TV, Perfect Sound Forever, The Fader, and many others.