Quadra-guitar party jam at Soda Bar

Author

By Dryw Keltz

Publish Date

Oct. 5, 2013

Whereas the early ’90s were all about 20-somethings drowning in a sea of grunge, the onset of this decade seems to find its youngsters awash in a sea of folk and indie-pop. So it was jarring to witness Nashville's Diarrhea Planet lay waste to the stage at Soda Bar with their untimely onslaught of Rock.

I was a newbie to the band, but let me tell you, I am sold. Four guitarists exchanging — and sometimes doubling — lead duties, a solid bassist, and a ferocious juggernaut of a hairy-shouldered drummer. Onstage, the band comes across as a collision of Nirvana, Iron Maiden, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Perhaps the most original aspect of the group is how openly they embrace the heavy-metal guitar heroics of yesteryear. A lot of the time I felt as if I could have been watching a Seaweed show in which two of the guitarists had been replaced by Randy Rhoads and Glenn Tipton. Even better is how much fun these guys are having onstage, as if Diarrhea Planet was born out of some insane quadra-guitar party jam that was just too much fun to not turn into a touring band.

The southern boys burned through a full-set of originals before they were joined onstage by openers the So So Glos (another promising group of rocking young guns) for a suitably silly, completely over-the-top, relentlessly rocking version of the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party).” It’s comforting to see that the kids are, indeed, alright.