The Catheters

The Catheters

Static Delusions and Stone-Still Days (Sub Pop) This here album is a big ol' loogie in the face to the whole "kids today" mentality being perpetuated by aging punks who once swore they'd never say such a thing. Singer Brian Standeford and guitarist Derek Mason formed the Seattle-based Catheters when they were only 15, and though the quartet claims hard rock influences such as Mötley Crüe and Guns N' Roses, their sonic attack hearkens further back to the Stooges, New York Dolls, and the Dead Boys. Lots of bands plunder this vein, but the Catheters do it particularly well. Standeford's sneering, slightly mush-mouthed delivery recalls Stiv Bators at his most menacing, while Mason adds weight to the mix with Ron Asheton-style riffs that pack a distinctive hint of pop aspiration. The band's m.o. is best expressed on "Nothing," a convincing paean to the ability of loud, angry music to salve frustration. Standeford intones the couplet, "When I feel like shit, nothing cures like this" like it was the 23rd Psalm. The Catheters nail the soundtrack of your worst hangover in the slowly slurred bombast of "Bleary Haze," and then pull off a cool stab at Motown punk with "Endless Avenues." Unlike the standard three-chords-and-an-attitude offering, this band actually writes songs. Maybe that's what they learned from the Crüe. (Saturday, March 16, Room 710, 8pm)