I’ve always appreciated the idea that punk music was created by people who couldn’t play, which inspired other people to start their own bands. It’s not necessarily true — members of the Ramones, Sex Pistols and the Clash were all in bands before they started punk bands that made them so famous — but I always liked the idea.

Little Claw is a prime example of how basic chords, noisy guitars and the absence of desire to challenge one’s talents can still produce music that sounds new and exciting. Think a combination off-kilter female vocals, mixing UT with Bikini Kill, backed by Pussy Galore’s early desire to destroy rock and roll with rock and roll.

Sure, Heath from the Fells and Tyvek is one part of the trio, but the rest of the members even admit they didn’t know how to play before the band begun. Because Heath knows his way around a guitar, he acts more as the rhythm section than the drummer does, providing both momentum and a steady hand in the songs. Really, everything else in the band is just color.

The crowd was sparse for their show at the Knockout (I think the set from my band, Red Nurse, might have had something to do with it) but those of who stayed did get into it. Obviously it wasn’t pit music, but four dudes in the front seemed to nod their heads the entire time; a pretty good response in San Francisco.

My one complaint was that almost every song seemed to be building up to something great. Sure, the build up turned out to be a great song, but I thought that the climax would be some real fucking ROCKING! Yet, like a pot of water when it boils over, it just produced a mess. (But maybe you like that…)

I believe all of these songs except Moss Has Fangs are going to appear on their upcoming album on Ecstatic Peace, Thurston Moore’s label. I personally think these recordings are better than those that are going to appear on the new album, but make sure to check that out for yourself by going to the band’s Myspace page.