Minute Men, Husker Du, Dicks and Wurm ; At the Fiesta House
     This was a truly amazing bill, four great SST bands for only
five bucks.    The group I mainly came to see are the much talked
about Dicks, from Austin  Texas.  This was about the twenty third
time that the band had been billed to play in Los Angeles, and it
was  also the twenty third  time that they didn't  show up.   The
reason  given this time,  was a run in with the police that  they
had outside Texas, which made them leary about touring out of the
state.  
     When I arrived Wurm were into their  last song,  and only  a
handfull  of  people seemed to be paying  attention.   The crowd,
which  only numbered about seventy was a mellow  mix  of hippies,
Punks  and  Grey Hound bus station deviants, that doesn't seem to
miss a show at the Fiesta House.
     Next up were Husker Du, from Minnesota. This was to be their
only L.A.  show on the current tour.  The band played a fantactic
set of  songs,  including a  handful from the  new  album  "Metal
Circus."   The music they play is an interesting array of thrash,
pop,  and sixties influenced  psychedelic originals  and  covers.
The  crowd,  though small,  responded by keeping  the dance floor
moving throughout their forty minute set.
     Next  up  and  head lining  were the  Minute  Men,  from San
Pedro.  The Minute Men  made  this show special for two  reasons.
One,  this was their  first local show in quite some  time.   The
other  reason being that this was the first time that they played
songs from their newest and possibly their best album,  "Buzz  or
Howl  Under  the  Influence of  Heat."   As a matter od fact they
played all the songs from the album, stright through.   The small
crowd, packed against the front of the stage gyrated up and down,
fallowing the movements of band leader,  D Boon.   The Minute Men
put on  an incredibly  energetic  show,  which  could  partly  be
attributed  to  the fact that  they were  being video taped.   No
matter  what the reason was  they were in top  form.   Their vast
musical  range has even broadened futher.  Displaying a blend  of
punk, funk, jazz, pop, and even rock-a-billy, their music is held
together  by  an infectious feeling of  positive  energy.   After
playing  all the  songs from the new album,  the Minute  Men took
requests  from the audience,  which continued til both  band  and
those attending were left a drained sea of sweat.
     Seeing  great bands like Husker Du and the Minute Men  point
out  just  how far and few between truely original groups  are to
come by,  and the unfortunate lack of support they recieve.  Even
though  the Dicks didn't play I definitly can say anyone who  was
there left satisfied if not moved.(by:Steve Alper)