Recap: Shitty Weekend, Magnus Honey at the 2040

Magnus Honey at the 2040 on June 24. Photo by D. Brawlins.

Portland goofpunx Shitty Weekend came out to the 2040 on Chicago's south side at the end of June for a rollicking DIY show. Including members of the Taxpayers and Transient, Shitty Weekend combine bouncy goofpunx horn lines with hardcore sensibility. Their debut album, Shit Week, made the Sweet 16 of Change the Rotation's best albums of 2014 bracket. The album struts confidently between horn-driven songs and straight-up hardcore songs. Their live set leaned decisively in the hardcore direction. "Employee of the Month," which opens Shit Week, was the highlight of the night for me. It's 56 seconds of exploded pent-up energy on the album and that is exactly how it came off in a basement full of people. The band's sense of humor was apparent in their banter between songs and in their cheeky determination to finish a cover of "Crazy Train" after the sound on the lead guitar went out mid-shred. The crowd was quick to egg them on into starting the song over from the beginning, which they did with amusing results. If you haven't heard Shit Week yet, stream it right here.

I have managed to catch Magnus Honey twice so far in their nascent months. They opened for Pat the Bunny and Ghost Mice at Gnarnia a couple months ago and they played this show at the 2040 last month. If you are not familiar, let me get you up to speed. Magnus Honey is the "experimental campfire rock n roll" (says Facebook) project of Davey Dynamite (who also writes for Change the Rotation) and Rigby Nix. Davey hits the drums, yelps and makes Rigby laugh while Rigby plays the bass, sings, shouts and adeptly engages the audience. The words of their songs may not be immediately recognizable, but the emotion behind them and the tenor with which they are delivered call back to a collective past that we cannot deny. Catch Magnus Honey when you get the chance. They play their tour kickoff show at Gnarnia on July 23 with Sloth Hands, Saint Lost and Plus Sign with stash4D. Tour will take them around the Midwest, then south and eastward, more on that here.