The Total Fest bands that I tend to get the most excited about are the ones whose set leaves me drenched in sweat and nursing a massive headache from all the night's head bashing. Somewhat related, I also like to drink whiskey - a lot. So when a band like P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. gets added to the TF lineup I find it somewhat amusing that I can pinpoint an exact time in the future when my brains will feel like they were crammed down a garbage disposal, my body will smell like a rundown distillery, and my face will hurt from the accompanying shiteating grin. These, to me, are the signs of an excellently successful show.
It should come as no surprise at this point that a band as crushing as P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. hails from the only metropolis in the country that I could tolerate living in - Portland. It should also come as no surprise that this band rocks as hard as it does when you take a cursory look at its members. I've seen Kelly Halliburton shred in the obliterating Severed Head of State while being equally commanding behind the drums in your and my favorites, Pierced Arrows. Throw in the fact that Poison Idea's original drummer plays on their more recent EP and you get the fucking idea. Think the Hellacopters without their excessive wankery, or the Supersuckers without the goofy country overtones. Get off the tracks man, this shit will run you the fuck over!
