Preview: Hank IV @ El Rio

Symptomatic - Hank IV

Ever wonder what it would've been like to live in Cleveland in the late '70s? Me neither! But I have wondered what it would be like to hang out in the "Mistake by the Lake" clubs of that era, when proto-punk bands like the Pagans, Electric Eels, Deadboys, and Rocket From the Tombs all rocked hard as trigonometry. And now, thanks to Hank IV, you -- and I -- can do just that, sorta.

Hank IV is a bunch of old dudes from hard-drinking, loud-rocking bands like the Icky Boyfriends, Bum Kon, and the Leather Uppers. Plenty of bad liver cred here. The SF quintet's second disc, Refuge in Genre, fits perfectly on Siltbreeze, with that label's penchant for scuzzy guitars and Marlboro-weathered vocals. Listening to the album is kind of like getting a shiatsu massage from Hulk Hogan: There's a lot of body blows, but somehow it feels good too. Maybe it's the bits of melody that poke through the caterwauling guitars and bludgeoning drums or the catchiness of the harmony vocals or the righteous lyrical destruction. Whatever it is, Hank IV hits hard and takes no prisoners. Watch out, Iron Sheik!

Hank IV, Mayyors, Traditional Fools @ El Rio on Saturday, December 6; doors 9 p.m., tickets $7.

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