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Concert Review Storm and The Balls February 21, 2004 Sweetwater Saloon ( www.sweetwatersaloon.com) Mill Valley, CA

I thought that Nirvana was in Seattle but Saturday, February 21 she came to Mill Valley, CA and I was fortunate enough to be in the audience. I had planned to take my wife on her birthday trip (the BIG one) to our favorite town in the USA and I also wanted to spend some time at the famous Sweetwater Saloon which also happens to be in Mill Valley next to our hotel. When I checked their website for entertainment and saw that Storm & The Balls was on the schedule during our visit my wife wasn't the only one that got a gift. The description on the billing read "Imagine a Vargas pin-up girl come to life and shot up with a cocktail of PCP and rabies - that's Storm". It doesn't do her justice. She is larger than life (six feet) and far more beautiful than Vargas could do justice.

Storm (her name real name is Susan Storm Large) came out early dressed like a roadwhore - trust me - she would consider it a compliment and did a set of acoustic, mostly original music that to say was outstanding would be an understatement. After a short intermission, Storm (now dressed to the nines in a red gown) brought out The Balls and got even better. The Balls are bassist Davey Nipples (late of Everclear), pianist James Beaton (late of Everclear) and drummer Brian Parnell (late of Motherlode). They are all extremely talented yet understated to allow the real star to shine. Storm's shtick is take songs or groups of songs that you have heard from punk to rock to ballads to… you name it… and throw them into a blender with her bra and thong and mix them up. What comes out is some of the most intriguing music I have ever heard performed in a professional, sexy, edgy, theatrical treatment by a songstress with a range of unparalleled and unerring musical magic. She turns all of these types of music into "lounge" songs and you think you are in Vegas except on drugs (strong drugs).

They opened with Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" followed by a sultry little tune by Metallica (that's right Metallica). Storm then showed her demure side by playing one of her crowd favorites by The Cramps - "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" As if on cue the next song out of the chute was dedicated to her new Snapper Snatcher friend from Alabama (one can always dream) titled "Sweet Homey Mother****er" and it shared some sentiments with Neil Young. She, however, can get away with it! Next was a combination song "In the Light Wedding" whereby Billy Idol's "White Wedding" meets Led Zeppelin's "In the Light". All of this music was done without a break between songs leaving the crowd ready for a breath. While we all ordered a fresh beer and some went outside to smoke (note to Montgomery City Council - no smoking in bars in CA) Storm went into a very witty, informed and intelligent rap about the state of affairs in our country and the current "you're either with us or against us" mentality of the current administration. In order to show her patriotism she burst out into The Star Spangled Banner. I'm not talking some jived-up, hip-hop, vibrato voiced rendition either. She sang a beautiful version that topped anything I have heard at the Super Bowl. All of a sudden the song morphed into an instrumental that I recognized as being from the cult classic Superfly - it was Curtis Mayfield's The Pusherman. After grooving on Curtis for awhile she morphed back into and finished The Star Spangled Banner. It was a moment!

After a few more blended songs (including one of the finest renditions of "Moondance" you can imagine renamed "Van Ministry") Storm did an original about her feelings toward an old lover - "I Want You to Die". It was obvious that she loved him and now really hated him - pure top grade, two thumbs up Broadway theatre! After singing "Abba-Gadda-Davida" (Abba's "Take a Chance on Me" and "Dancing Queen" sung to the classic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", and Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" and making you really want her, Storm was called back for her encore. She sang a very haunting tune from Grease by Olivia Newton John but with a twist. If you look closely at the words to "Hopelessly Devoted" you can see a demented stalker who will not leave the lover who scorned her alone. With a butcher knife flailing and her gut wrenching soul flowing, a crazed Storm absolutely brought the house down. I realize that most of this music is cover music but trust me - I've never seen anything like it (and I've seen a lot). When I travel to the West Coast I will check the schedule on her website to see where she is performing and I will not miss it. I strongly suggest you do the same. Check her out at www.stormlarge.com where you can look, listen and I suggest order the CD from the concert - Hanging with The Balls. Sign in and tell her the Snapper Snatchers sent you. Oh by the way, will the friendly Scotsman who is the maintenance engineer at Berkeley send me an e-mail - I lost your card.    AW