Two Days With Gutrot

     I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with Michigan's nastiest, insanely technical dealers of homegrown death-metal, Gutrot. These guys have been friends of mine since about 2006-7, so I was more than prepared for the amount of vulgarity and debauchery that took place, on the road, between Zach Gibson's house and Louisville, KY.  At least I thought so anyways. Bus call was 5:30 am, thought we got started a little late. By 6 am, we were on the road and almost a cannon of a joint deep when the sleepiness wore off for a minute and then the jokes and stories came out. A lot our time, in the van, was spent smoking and listening to music off of Zach's mp3 player. I spent most of the ride on the same bench as Gutrot's Brian Bourque (vocalist), the band's conceptualist and lyricist. Most of the conversation centered around multiple types of sexual deviation/oddities. These guys were full up on the crudest, most inappropriate jokes I've ever heard or will hear. As we got closer to our destination, Diamond Pub and Billiards, I couldn't tell you if I groaned or laughed more. 

     We arrived at Diamond Pub, an oddly shaped Sports Bar with a music venue attached in the back of the bar. The show in question, the Louisville Death Metal Fest, was a stacked deck of different kinds of bands. Some of the more local and independent bands that played the show had a newer brand of Death Metal to offer (i.e. Cattle Decapitation, Necrophagist, etc), some of the older bands clearly were there to teach us all a lesson. Bands like  Artificial Brain and Malignancy brought the old school flavor. I was reminded of old Cryptopsy, Entombed,  Autopsy, Gorguts, Cannibal Corpse, and some Morbid Angel. There is no reason to lie, I'm very new but very astute in learning about genres that sound interesting, so this was a great learning experience in what I don't know. After some hanging around and drinks, we retreated to a friend's house to catch some sleep. In typical fashion, everyone found a surface of some sort and spread out for the night. The following morning, we found a place to grab some morning snacks. It was this great little spot in town called Nord's Bakery. Now, I don't like doughnuts but they had one with bacon so naturally…my hands were tied. We got back in the fan and slowly started making out our way to Cleveland which was only 2.5 hours away. I recall smoking at least two cannons (joints) with the band then passing out for a little bit (can't get sleep on couches like I used to). Cleveland always seems a little different each time I go there, though I think it's cause each time I go, I see a different side to the city.

     I guess there is a tradition in the band that if they play a show or to see a show in the area of Cleveland, they stop at Happy Dog (Euclid Tavern) for some dogs before the show. $9 gets you a quality dog with toppings that range from chunky peanut butter, to a fried egg, to bourbon pork and beans, to coleslaw, to a pear chutney. I could easily spend all night in this place getting drinks and eating dogs. The show was at a venue called The Foundry a sort of dive-like bar in Lakewood, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland). The bar which has been under current management for just shy of a year was a bit smaller and seemed almost familiar in that it had elements of other bars I have come to know during my years as a booking agent/promoter. Unlike your standard dive bar, their beer selection was pretty solid. Can't go wrong with any establishment that sells 24oz bottles of anything by Stone Brewing from San Diego. Two locals played, then Malignancy, and then finally Gutrot. As I said before, Death Metal is very new to me. Seeing Malignancy two nights in a row just proved they are one of the best bands in the genre. Such a tight, unforgiving live band. It's rare when you can say the band sounds better live, that their studio albums do them no justice as a band. This is the case with Malignancy and now I'm a fan. In typical show fashion, by the time the last band went on (Gutrot) a lot of people left. This didn't seem to bother the band and it for damn sure didn't bother me. Gutrot is a band that makes what they do look insanely easy per their comfort in the material they play live. Where most people struggle, these guys absolutely do not. The time to load out and hit the road came and just as quick as Gutrot left their mark, we were gone again on the dark road that lead us home. More doobies were smoked after we got on the highway and just about everyone but Chris, who drove home, passed out. It was some time after 3am when we got back. Kirbey, who did most of the driving, Russ, Brian, and I rolled out of the back and said our goodbyes. Chris's gf was out for most of the time that we spent peeling stuff out of the back of the van. Everyone was still very stoned and partially asleep when we finally parted ways. 

     I've known the guys in this band for some years and it was a true honor riding with them. Finding out that they are indeed the most disgusting metal band I've ever dealt with was exactly a surprise as I would come to find out the day after I got back and read some of the lyrics.  Holy fuck. Here's a little taste…

This human waste, absorbs into my face

Aroused and not amazed, better than getting laid

(And that's not the worst lyrics I've seen either)

The Adventures of William Brick, PI: Trouble at Brick Manor

The Adventures of William Brick, PI: Trouble at Brick Manor

It was 4:30am and the city was just about to get up for work. Half of the city, blue collar workers, is about to get up and start the day. Meanwhile, on the city's eastside, two shots ring out at an estate owned by the Brick family, the city's richest family. Police arrive on scene to find a silver plated, pearl handled .45 with one spent bullet and a dead maid, shot at close range in the chest. Frank Brick, the city's richest philanthropist, and Lady Brick were out of the country visiting Lady Brick's family in Wales. Their son, William Brick, a local PI, got the phone call that something had happened at his parent's house and that he should go check it out. The voice on the phone, that clearly belonged to a officer on scene, also said that there were footprints in the flower bed near the kitchen window. "Will, all I can tell you is you need to have a look at these footprints before they disappear". William Brick, a former police officer, raced to the scene. Upon arrival, the chief and captain ordered officers to prevent Brick from entering the property. "Come on, you roughnecks, it's my parent's house. Let me in now!" shouted an angered Brick. Chief Woods approached Brick who was being restrained by two uniform police officers. Before saying anything, the chief sized up Brick and smiled. "Listen here, Brick. You're not on the force anymore and, quite frankly, none of us want you here. You quit and started telling lies about people in the department, including me. No. Not this time, son. Now if you don't leave now, I'll have these officers arrest you, lock you up with some of the gangsters you put away, and throw away the key. Do you understand?". Brick shook the cops lose and walked away. "Don't worry Chief, I won't muss up the scene anymore than your crooked detectives will. I'll be seeing you around!" Brick shouted as he walked down the driveway. Luckily for Will, there was about 3 acres of woods behind his parent's estate. Brick circled around to the back end of the wooded area and quietly crept through the woods. As he approached the clearing of his parent's backyard, he could hear Chief Woods and Cpt. Albridge barking at the officers and detectives, "If Brick gets in this house or gets any evidence, every single one of you will be in deep shit. Understood?" 

Brick watched the detectives check out the foot prints but didn't take a cast or dust the window sill for prints. By their actions, it was clear to William that they were told to not look too hard. As soon as they went in the house, Brick army crawled right up to the back of the house, stood up and started inching his way under two windows, that's when he finally got to the footprints. He pulled out an engraved lighter his father gave him and could clearly see the name that appeared to be the kind of boot the assailant was wearing. With a military style imprint, it didn't surprise Brick much that the name, Marshal, was an army style boot sold only at the local army surplus store, American Joe's. Will also looked for any dirty finger prints on the window sill and glass: nothing. Foot steps from around the side of the house startled Brick and, with no place to go, he ducked under the wood deck he had built with his father the summer before. It was the Chief and Cpt. Albridge. They both lit up a smoke and talked. "Look, Albridge. We need to keep this one away from Brick. He'll ruin us and what we're all trying to do here. Make sure that if Brick is seen snooping around, that he is dealt with..." To Will, this only meant one thing: if he was caught, he's had it. His assumption, based on other corrupt cases, this one is going straight through the glass ceiling. A branch snapped under his foot and both the Captain and Chief turned and looked around. Albridge asked Woods "Where did that come from?" Woods turned to the Albridge and said "How in the fuck am I suppose to know when I'm over here giving you orders? Put a tail on Brick and order a stake out of his home and office. I want to know his every movement, whether it's to buy booze or to do some broad. Got it? Now get going!" The two cops left the backyard. Brick, nervous and shocked, sprinted through the woods and back around to his car. Knowing they were looking for him and probably knew what his car looked like, he stopped by his friend Freddie's house. Freddie, a known mechanic and former gang member, was Brick's 'johnny-on-the-spot' in situations like this. The two met while Brick was an officer, investigating a car theft ring. Brick called on his old friend for a favor. "Freddie, I need a clean car. I can't be seen in the one I have now" said Brick. Freddie chuckled and told him to drop the car off behind The Silver Dollar, a seedy nightclub, with the keys in the ignition and that a fresh car would be waiting for him behind The Golden Dragon, a chinese restaurant that was a front for the Triads. As William pulled up in front of his apartment building, he could see two detectives staked out in front. There was no way he would get in his place without being seen so he drove on to a hotel he used as a safe spot, The Taj Mahal. Will, mildly apprehensive, sat by the window, watching and waiting. In the morning, he looked out into the parking lot of the hotel for any mysterious cars. Nothing. Before leaving his little hotel room, he called American Joe's and asked if they sold Marshal boots. "Yes, sir, we do" said the voice on the phone. "Can you tell me if you have had any police officers in to buy any boots?" asked Brick. The voice on the phone turned out to be Joe, the owner, a vet of quite a few wars, knew almost all of the officers by name. "Yeah, Chief Woods was just in here a few days ago. Normally, he'll have a cup of coffee with me and talk about what's going on but he looked like he was in a big hurry for what I figured to be a major bust of some sort. I only say that cause the boots he purchased are the same boots that SWAT use." Will knew he was on to something pretty serious. He knew, from personal experience, Chiefs never do busts, just the press conferences after for the photo ops. He thanked Joe for his time and got off the phone. After assuring himself no one was waiting for him, he crept outside and was immediately hit on the back of the head with a blackjack. 

Will woke up in a trunk and could hear two voices. "We'll drop him off in the woods somewhere outside of the city with a note saying 'Don't come back' with a bullet taped to the note and hopefully he'll be smart. The Chief said we can shoot him if he tries to escape and just report it as a robbery gone wrong" said one voice. The other, after Brick gained his senses, gathered not only was it a lady but the voice sounded extremely familiar. "I wonder if he knows what's going on. I wonder if he knows who's involved" said the woman. A loud smack came from the car then crying. "Listen here, He might hear you and, on a personal note, I wouldn't get too concerned with what's going on. Just do what you are told. That's it." The woman, obviously hurt, sobbed quietly for another 25 minutes. Brick, also a former mechanic, was able to pick the lock of the trunk from the inside with a pocket knife. He held the trunk closed and waited for his chance. The male accomplice said, in an extremely annoyed tone, "It's time to stop for gas. If you need to use the bathroom, do it now cause we won't be stopping again for another hour." This was Will chance to make a break for it. After both car doors opened and closed, he climbed out and circled around to the back of the gas station where the bathrooms were located. He could hear whistling in the Men's bathroom, so he gently opened and closed the door. Upon entering the bathroom,  he checked the stalls and saw feet. As to not alarm the man too much, he entered the stall next to him and used the bathroom. He heard a knock on the stall door and a voice said "Hey, buddy. Is there any toilet paper over there? Would you mind handing me some?" Will handed the guy some toilet paper and as soon as the guy reached for it, he grabbed his wrist and yanked the guy to the floor and pulled his upper torso into the stall with him. After a few kidney punches and elbows to the head, the man started shouting,"Wha…what the fuck? What the fuck is going on here?" Will flipped the man over to find out it was an officer he served with, Officer Stinson. "So, Stinson. You're dirty too, eh? Thought you might make a few bucks by making your pal disappear, did you? Well, guess what….you fucked with the wrong guy. Before I kick every single one of those yellow teeth down your throat. I want some answers" said Brick as he stood over the shocked officer. "Look, Brick. I was following orders. You know how it is?" exclaimed Stinson. Brick laughed in his face and stood him up with a knife directly under his adam's apple. "Stinson, remind me, after you discussed how you were gonna get rid of me, did you hit that woman you are with?" asked Brick in a menacing voice. Stinson smiled and said "Always the softy, eh Brick?" then spit blood in his face. "Fine" said Brick, just before he slammed the officer's head off the porcelain sink behind them. Brick broke some ribs before telling Stinson, "If you live through this night, know that the next time I see you…I'm going to make YOU disappear. Tell your superiors who did this and I'll send some of those rough customers you used to love to assault so often over to your house to see your wife. Stay the fuck away from me, Stinson. Final warning". Brick broke Stinson's left hand and walked out. An older man standing near the bathroom and asked Brick on his way out "You alright?" Brick, fixing his tie, looked back at the bathroom and said "Yeah, just a piece of shit that wouldn't flush." They both chuckled as Brick walked towards the car. The mysterious woman was in the passenger seat. Brick crept up behind her said and quickly stuck his knife up against her throat. "If you make a sound, that sound will be your last now scoot over so you can drive. Do it slowly but do it right now." The woman got behind the wheel as Brick noticed that the tank was full. "Alright. We're heading back to the city. Do anything crazy and I will hurt you. Try any superhero business to try and catch me off guard and I will hurt you. Do we have a deal?" said Brick. The woman, shocked, said "They are looking for you. I wouldn't go back into the city right now." Brick thought for a moment and said "Ok, we're gonna go to a cabin. I'll give you directions. Deviate from the directions I give you and…" said Brick before the woman in the front seat said "You'll hurt me". They rode in silence before Brick finally said something to the woman behind the wheel. "Alright, lady. What gives? How are you involved?" He looked in the rear view mirror to realize it was an ex of his from when he was on the force. "Maggie? Pull over, now" shouted Brick. She pulled onto the shoulder of the interstate. It was late and there was no traffic out. Brick told Maggie to get out of the car so they could talk, face to face. Brick, not taking any chances, kept his knife open and ready to go. They got out and sat on the trunk of the car. "Ok, start talking" said Brick as he lit up a smoke. Maggie was a tall, beautiful brunette jazz singer he met some years ago, after he joined the force. She dumped him for a con man and disappeared for a couple of years. This was the first time he had seen her since the day he moved out. "Will, I know I owe you an explanation. I also owe you an apology for the way things turned out between us. I am sorry." She started to cry and turned her back to Will. "Maggie, I just can't believe your mixed up in some serious business like what's going on right now. Who exactly is involved in this thing?" asked Brick. "Someone else. Someone you know well, Will. These people don't want to see your face again. They kind of told me and Tony, the guy I'm assuming you either beat up or killed at the gas station, that if we "wanted to, we could" kill you" said Maggie as she reached in her purse. Brick, unaware, turned his back to her to look up at the stars. Maggie cocked a .38 that was in her purse and pointed it at the back of Brick's head. Being an avid .38 carrier, Brick knew that sound but didn't move. "Maggie, I'm happy to see you though. It's been a long time. What have you been doing?" asked Brick as flipped his blade around so it was facing his female companion. Maggie said nothing. Brick threw himself against her and dug the knife into her arm and twisted as hard as he could. She fell to the ground, clutching her arm that was bleeding profusely. This wouldn't look good if a cop drove by, so Brick knocked her unconscious with the butt of the gun and dragged her in the tall grass near the car and continued on to the cabin they were headed to. The cabin, made of solid oak, was handmade by some friend's of the Brick's, lumber tycoons the Tyson's. Brick walked in and poured himself a still gin and tonic. There were photo albums all over the place, so Brick picked up one and looked through it. There were quite a few photos of Brick's parents and a few different galas. However, one caught his eye: it was a policeman's ball and in the picture was his father, the chief, and the captain. In another photo album, Brick found vacation photos. After a few pages he found yet another "red flag". This time it was a fishing trip, per the fish being held up. His Dad, the captain, and the chief. There had to be some sort of connection but it wasn't made clear yet. Will searched the rest of the cabin for other clues, linking his dad and the police. Nothing. The sun was starting to come up, so Brick laid down on the couch and napped for a few hours. 

It was just after 10am when Brick was awakened by sunlight that had come through a skylight. Going back to the city wasn't even an option. There was a diner and bar a few miles away, so Brick went and got some breakfast and the paper. The front page story, that morning, was of course the murder of his parent's maid, Rita Santiago. 'No clues, signs of forced entry', the usual stuff. "Excuse me, are you a Brick?" asked the waitress. "Yes, ma'am. What's your name?" asked Will. The waitress, an older lady, had been working in this diner since Will was on the force. "My name is Susan. I serve your father whenever he's up here, at the cabin. Him and his friends, actually." Brick looked up at the waitress and described the captain and chief. "Yeah, Tom and Mike. Nice guys" said the waitress. Brick was on to something. Things are starting to point towards his father's involvement with the police. Brick ordered a coffee, black, and a western omelet. He ate and went back to the cabin. The only way he's going to be able to make a connection between his father and the police is searching their house, which is almost impossible. Brick laid on the couch and read his father's copy of Art of War when the phone rang. No one knew he was here. Curious still, Brick answered the phone. "Will, it's your father. Thank God, you're safe. I tried your apartment and there was no answer, so I thought maybe you came up to the cabin" said Dr. Brick. "You must have heard what happened. I don't know anything. The police won't let me in the house" said Brick with a hint of hesitation in his voice. He knew he couldn't trust his father. "Listen, your mother and I will be arriving in a few hours. Come pick us up and have dinner at the house. Ok?" asked his father. "Alright, Dad. I'm excited to see you and Mom. How was the trip?" replied Brick. His father talked about quail hunting with a Duke and playing backgammon with a prince from India. Before they got off the phone, Will said to his father "Dad, do you know anything about what happened?" There was a pause then Dr. Brick sighed and said "Rita was a sweet lady. This came as a great shock to your mother and I. That's why we came home: to take care of funeral arrangements for her family. See you at the airport at 5pm, ok son?" Around 4pm, Brick got on the road and immediately noticed a tail. The car following Brick was occupied twice, as far as he could tell anyways. They did nothing but follow him at a distance. Brick pulled up at the airport and got his parent's in the car. As soon as the tail noticed his parent's were in the car, they disappeared. The Brick's pulled up at the house, where two detectives were still staked out. They were about to come after him when one of the detectives noticed his parent's were in the car. "Take it easy, Steve. He's got his parent's with them. Stand down" said Detective Miller to his partner. They watched the family go inside. "Captain, come in, captain. This is Detective Miller." "Go ahead, Miller" said the Captain. "Captain, Brick just walked into his parent's house with his parents, over" replied Miller. "Ok, shit. I guess keep an eye on the house. When he leaves, if he is alone, take him into custody and bring him in on loitering charges. Got that, Miller? Captain, out."

The Bricks all gathered in the study for drinks and to discuss what had been going on since Dr. and Lady Brick had left the country. "Mom, Dad. I need to know everything you know about Rita. Everything." Lady Brick looked at the good doctor and waited. "Son, Rita is someone we rescued from this human trafficking business that's been going on in the city. I met her at a policeman's ball and offered her a job working for us" said Dr. Brick as his sipped his bourbon, neat. Will cleared his throat and said, in the best stern voice he could muster, "Actually, Dad. I wanted to ask you about that. I notice you are friends with the Chief and Captain of the police department." Dr. Brick explained to his son that he had become friends with them through charity work and fundraising. "Dad, I tried coming over here the night Rita was killed and they wouldn't let me in" said Will. "Son, you are trying to expose them. You had to know they weren't going to be excited to see you" said the Doctor. Shocked, Will stood up, and said "Dad, they tried to have someone kill me. Twice." After a brief back and forth, Will and his father ended the conversation by retreating to separate rooms. Once his parents went to sleep, Will went downstairs to his Dad's home office and snooped around. After searching through medical documents, he decided he was almost ready to give up when he noticed the painting behind his father's desk was a little crooked. Will approached the painting and could tell in a bulge on the canvas that something was behind it. Climbing up on his Dad's chair, he lifted the painting to find a safe that was cracked out. Will opened it to find ledgers and receipt books. One ledger said Mexico and the other said South America. His Dad had made visits to other countries and kept track of everything. These ledgers were different. William opened the one that said Mexico and was immediately shocked to see female names and next to them were dollar amounts. Rita's name was in this book next to the number $120. He realized, at that moment, that his father was more than likely financing the human trafficking ring. Then he looked through the South America ledger. Cocaine. Lots of it. Will got a little weak in the knees with disgust, fear, and anger. The lights in the office went on suddenly. It was his father. "So, you figured me out. The issue now is what do we do about this situation. You see, if you find out how high this goes, you'll expose us all and none of us can afford to deal with the shame of being connected to drugs and the buying and selling of human lives" said Dr. Brick as he walked towards his son. "Dad, if you take one more step…I'll plug you. No questions asked. Tell me, are police involved?" asked Brick. "Everyone is, son. Everyone" replied his father. They glared at each other before his father lunged at him. Brick pulled his gun out and shot his father once in the chest. Brick called 911. His father was dead before the ambulance could get there. His mother, in shock, told her son that she too had been threatened if she went to authorities with this information. "He actually put that gun to my head once and told me to take everything to my grave" said his mother as they walked outside. The police were about to arrest Will when he pulled out the ledgers and held them up in front of the Chief and Captain. "You crooked, poor excuses for cops. You're going down!" shouted Brick. The Chief smiled and said "If you take us down, you'll be ruining your father's good name." Will got right in his face and said "Fuck you and fuck him too." Will was questioned about the death of his father then was turned loose when it was determined that he defended himself. 

The following morning., Will was on the front steps of City Hall giving a press conference. In this press conference, will outlined how the police had his parent's maid killed cause she too had found the ledgers and was sick of the abuse and was threatening to go to the FBI. "Who actually shot the maid, Brick?" asked one reporter. "As the Chief who's shoe print was discovered where the murderer found his point of entry. Chief, you wear an 11 and 1/2 size Marshall boot that you have made for you at American Joe's, is that right?" said Brick. The Chief blew up and lunged at Brick but state police swooped in and arrested the Chief. "Hey guys, you want to grab the Captain per his involvement in the cover up and human trafficking business" said Brick as the Captain turned and tried to run. The next morning a warrant for the arrest of Dr. Brick was issued. He has since disappeared.