However long ago it was, I do remember the first time that I saw D.C. Moon and His Atomic Supermen: they were the second-to-last band of many on the bill for a benefit, which included Baak Gwai, Ham Bagby & the Siege, and various others. I asked myself why Moon was nearly the last on the bill, a slot usually reserved for a headlining band, having only heard of his band and not having seen them.
What I found out that night was his originality, stage presence, collection of songs, and spectacle made his band an obvious choice for one of the two headlining acts that night. They quickly became a favorite local band of mine. There would’ve been few who could have followed D.C. Moon and His Atomic Supermen, ending his set with an explosion unfazed by kitsch: all five members of the band playing what seemed like a tribal, African trance beat on five-gallon buckets.
D.C. Moon and His Atomic Supermen transformed the night from just a rock show into a sci-fi punk trip that made everyone forget those pesky, little things that were bothering them like bills to pay, food to eat, or midterms to attempt to pass.
Fast forward a few years, and Dave the Metal Guy, drummer for the Atomic Supermen, had passed away entirely too early. I worried that would be it for D.C. Moon and his collection of sci-fi punk tunes that fit somewhere between Gwar and quaint, yet eerie, early episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” For a long while, that seemed like it was it
Luckily for Tuscaloosa, D.C. Moon still had it in him to perform. His new endeavor, Mary Tylosaur (such a fitting name for a D.C. Moon project), is composed largely of the Atomic Supermen: Celesta Riner on bass and Sandra Hunt on vocals were both members. (Katie Grayson on keyboard and Robby Roberts on drums round out the new members.)
The band has already played a few shows around town and seem to be gaining their old momentum, especially with this coming Halloween’s set planned for Egan’s. To comprehend how vital this is to Tuscaloosa is to have to know a little history. Moon and his incarnations of bands have played various Halloween shows for years and years. In fact, it didn’t seem like an official Halloween without having D.C. Moon strum his brightly colored electric guitar and sing his howling tunes.
To put this in context for anyone still vague its importance: D.C. Moon was on the last bill for the Chukker.
And there you have it.
But this isn’t quite a nostalgia trip as it is praise for a band that has seen its share of hard times and come through the other side to say, “Fuck it, we’re not quitting.” With a new name, tweaked sound, and (hopefully) more sci-fi, new-wave, punk tunes for us, it will finally be Halloween again in Tuscaloosa.
Signed,
-Wellington Riverbottom
*The show will be at Egan’s on October 31, 2012 and is free of charge.
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