Helping make the D in Detroit stand for Dirty, SSM rolled through Cambridge, Mass. like a swamp tornado. Kicking up some serious mud, the trio, replacing Dave Vaughn on drums for Dave Shettler, rocked a fevered set that drew from their EP1 and their self-titled LP. Busting out bayou blues giving the D's rock even more vigor, they played one of the loudest sets the Middle East Upstairs has heard in a while.
The group opened with one of the S's (John Szymanski) vocals on "Exit Strategy" and kicked the show off with a solid jolt of adrenaline. M (Marty Morris) took over vocals on the punchout song, "No Looking Back", as well as "2012". In one of the more intense moments, they rode the strobe lightning on the fuzz-core "Ain't Love". During a break, a member of the audience announced it was her birthday and requested a song, while Vaughn immediately belted back that it was his birthday too. At the end, they blasted through "Fiction Rock and Roll", a fierce, but catchy grind that explodes on every beat like DFA79 used to. "Put Me In" was last, but certainly not least, and put the last coat of sweat on.
It was a quick, but powerful set, and proved that SSM has nowhere to look but up, as they climb into the high echelon of blues rock coming out of Detroit. Their huge sound explodes on stage, and when you see them, at the times that your not full-tilt rocking out, you're completely shaking your ass.
