New group - Ultrabomb

My buddy, Finny McConnell of The Mahones fame, Jamie Oliver of UK Subs fame and Greg Norton of Husker Du fame got together a last year and messed around to see if something would emerge. Something did, Ultrabomb. Finny let me know that something real special happened and started sending me some mixes to see what I thought. I thought that the material was excellent and was waiting to make this post just before they hit the road in the fall. That plan went off track when Greg was diagnosed with cancer and so that he could get the right treatments, the tour was canceled until further notice. The band did decide to honor one gig, a hometown festival for Greg in Minneapolis. It seems that they blew the doors off of the festival and this was their first ever gig. That usually is a very good sign. Below is a snippet of the local newspaper's review and a link to the full story. 

https://twincitiesmedia.net/blog/roots-rock-goes-to-11-at-the-hook/?fbclid=IwAR1-3PbJEucoSLcfhyMYJJDSySWn3oXXzf4ZTtVKTskfs8Dbw1RI0zJybXk&fs=e&s=cl

Then came Ultrabomb.  The ultimate mystery.  A unicorn.  And flat out, the coolest, rawest, most authentic punked up rock show I have seen in a long, long time.  Certainly since the The FleshEaters Reunion Tour blew up the Turf Club at some point in that pre-Covid murk. For what it’s worth, that particular show topped my list that year.  As this one may well end up being in 2022.

If you didn’t connect to the Ultrabomb name, you aren’t alone.  (Maybe one reason the crowd was down is one of your headliners is a band that’s never played a gig?)  Except, remember all those industry types I referenced?  They were there because they had a pretty good idea of exactly what Ultrabomb just might BE.  

Maybe the band name is apt.  Maybe it’s like those scientists gathering round at the first test at Los Alamos.  Everybody knew some part of the Manhattan Project but not the whole thing  Nobody had a clue what exactly was going to happen. But word around the test site was that the thing might just go off.  I mean really go off.  And if it did, everybody wanted a front row seat to watch it happen.

Oh, right!  Who is Ultrabomb?  Local music fans know bassist Greg Norton from Husker Du.  The band that paved the way for all the killer punk and rock bands that defined the Minneapolis sound in the 80s..  What happens if he’s thrown together with Irish guitarist, raconteur and Mohones frontman Finny McConnell and UK Subs drummer Jamie Oliver?  You get kind of a punk supergroup.  If punk supergroup is actually a thing.

It began as an experiment.  Three guys with serious punk pedigrees huddle up in a UK studio and bash out an album in two days.  It’s so good they decide to take it on the road.  European and American tours get booked.  And then Greg Norton gets diagnosed with cancer which derails the whole thing.  Not to worry, folks, Greg assured us all he’s in good shape and in good hands.  But the decision is made that they’ve got to honor one gig.  RRDB.  Another indicator that this festival may be small but it’s mighty.  

So who knows if what we witnessed was a one off?  Or if the guys will find a way to re-package this tour and hit the road?  All I know is it was a revelation.  A privilege.  The crowd packed to the front.  Raw and gritty.  Lots of stops and starts.  Spontaneous ideas that tore up the set list.  Plenty of interplay with audience members.  Punk with a capital P and unabashed rock fun.  Shades of Husker Du, figuratively as well as literally.  Some dynamite Husker classics delivered; added to the show because this was homecoming and Get Well Soon for Norton.  My favorite set of 2022.  Hands down.  If I catch a better one, this will be a hell of a year.

Was I alone in this opinion?  Nope.  I heard the same thing from local players, radio people, bookers, long time club workers and well versed music fans.  Promoter Jackson Buck said to me:  “That was the best show we’ve ever presented at The Hook.”  Ultrabomb was just one of those special moments, I guess.  Rare as stumbling upon a unicorn in the woods.  I remember thinking that it was like flipping over a rock in a muddy creek and having this huge dinosaur rise up dripping from the mud.  Fully formed.  Lop off a few heads, smack those proverbial lips and then look for another chomp.  You can’t run away.  Kind of glued to the spot thinking “Are you f*ing kidding me?”

I have a feeling that you will be hearing a lot more about this band and if you want a taste of what is to come, head on over to YouTube and search Ultrabomb. I can say for sure it is not at all influenced by anything Grateful Dead and might not appeal to some who frequent this board but if your musical tastes run all over the place like mine, you may just find a gem.