Steady As She Goes

It was a busy weekend:

Electric Eel Shock - I got an email freebie for this show, so I decided to run down to the Bluebird and give this Tokyo band a try on Friday. I have actually seen them once before, during the tail end of my time in Seattle, but I honestly hadn't been that impressed - they were a bit too metal for my tastes. Well, they're still a metal band, but I found them much more enjoyable than last time. Part of the reason was that they seemed to have slowed things down a bit; I remembered them being kind of speed-metal before, but they don't sound like that now. Also, their stage presence has greatly improved - like most Japanese bands, they appear to be having a blast onstage. The bass player was particularly fun to watch, with a few enthusiastic jumps from the amps that resulted in him tumbling to the stage. And the drummer was clad in little more than a strategically placed sock. Lots of funny stage banter as well from the singer/guitarist: "Do you rike punk rock? (The crowd cheers in response.) I don't care for punk rock...I rike HEAVY METAL!!!" Not exactly the kind of music I'd throw on at home too often, but this was a pretty fun show.

Thank God For Astronauts - After getting an earful of Japanese heavy metal, I zipped over to the Larimer Lounge. There was no cover that night, and I arrived just in time to catch this D-town act who were headlining. I've seen these guys a few times before, and I've always been impressed - they are definitely one of the best local bands I've seen since moving back. I get a real Television-vibe from these guys. I hear they have a new album recorded, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to check that out.

The Briefs - I received another email freebie, and made another trip to the Bluebird. No real surprises, just the usual fun set from these Seattle pogo-punks. Judging from the last couple of shows I've seen this band play, they're finally starting to catch on with the kids. It used to be, whenever I caught the Briefs, that the bar would be packed and the all-ages section would be empty. That's more or less turned around - the 21+ balcony was a lonely place, indeed, this past Saturday. Then again, the gig was pretty sparsely attended overall - I think everyone who could scrounge the money was catching Social Distortion at Red Rocks! At least that's what one of the warm-up bands thought. Oh, and it's funny to see the ridiculously tall Mohican haircut making a comeback with the young 'uns. Damn, these kids are hardcore!

The Raconteurs - Sunday evening found me at the Fillmore, surrounded by annoying people downing $7 beers, eager to catch this garage rock "supergroup." If you haven't heard about these guys yet (i.e. unlike me, you actually have a life), this band is a collaboration between Jack White and Brendan Benson, joined by the rhythm section of The Greenhornes. I have their album, Broken Boy Soldiers, and it's one of my favorite releases of the year so far. They don't sound like the White Stripes (outside of the occasional Jack White vocal tic), and the songs are much less pop than Brendan Benson's releases. I get an early 70's feel from the album - at times, it reminds me a bit of Zeppelin and the Faces. Onstage these guys turn it up loud and play it loose and ragged, stretching some of the songs out. I thought they were really good. Not a very long set, maybe 70 minutes, which isn't too bad for a band with only one 35 minute release out. In addition to all of the songs from the album, they also played a few cool covers - It Ain't Easy, popularized by David Bowie on his Ziggy Stardust album, and Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down). This was a really good show - I hope these guys stick around long enough to put out another CD. And I even got home early!

Overheard leaving The Raconteurs show: "Wow, it was really wild seeing Jack Black (??!!??) playing with a real drummer."

What comes first - the music or the words?

It feels like I haven't posted anything in ages. Stupid summer, making it busy at work and cutting down on my goofing off (i.e. blogging) time... I've done a few things since the last time I wrote:

The Epoxies - My buddy JT and I caught these Portland new wavers three Fridays ago at the Hi-Dive. It's been a few years since I last saw them, and they really haven't changed any - retro new wave tunes, duct tape costumes, cheesy laser pointers on the guitars, and a manic stage presence. So, no surprises, but it was still a good time. The main selling point for this band is ultra cute singer Roxy Epoxy - her energy and enthusiasm are something to behold. I was surprised to see the kids start a big mosh pit for part of the show. There's something funny about seeing people slamdance to a band that uses a "keytar."

The Black Angels - After the Epoxies show, we rushed over to the Larimer Lounge to catch this Austin neo-psych band. Not the most original sound going - a bit of the Velvets here, some Jesus and Mary Chain drone there - but wow, these guys were really good. I'm not sure how to further describe them - maybe a less pretentious Brian Jonestown Massacre? Whatever, they put on a great show, and their tunes were downright hypnotizing at times. I picked up their album, Passover, and it's really good as well.

The Fiery Furnaces - Okay, this show wasn't what I expected at all. Judging from the CD's I have, I was expecting piano and keyboard based quirky pop tunes. I was surprised when the band hit the stage and there wasn't a keyboard in sight. Even more surprising was that the band totally rocked - the songs I recognized were often played at 2 to 3 times the speed of their CD counterparts. It sounded pretty punk rock! They have a really interesting approach, often incorporating snippets of other tunes into the songs they are playing - creating medleys of sorts. I've read that they're constantly changing their set list and how the tunes are approached, and I believe it. A really great show, I'm just sorry that it took me this long to see them.

Sonic Youth - The first time I saw this band was 20 years ago, in the summer of '86, and since then I've seen them many times. I've seen some amazing shows, some good ones, and a few really dull ones. The last couple of times I saw Sonic Youth fell into the latter category, so I figured they pretty much owed me a good show at this point. With this rationalization in mind, I headed down to the Gothic a few weeks ago to give them another try. The show was a sellout, and I was surprised at how many kids were there - by kids, I mean people in the early to mid 20's. I honestly was expecting a bunch of old dudes like me, so it's heartening to see that younger people are still discovering this band. The show this time was solid and thoroughly enjoyable, much better than the last couple I saw, if falling a bit short of amazing. A nice mix of old and new tunes (I was happy to hear several from my personal fave album, Sister), and the band really seemed to be enjoying themselves. A girl in the crowd asked them to play some "oldies," to which Thurston responded by singing a few seconds of the Bob Seger atrocity Old Time Rock n' Roll. That really cracked me up. The warm-up act was Awesome Color, and they were pretty good, if not quite awesome.

The BellRays - On a whim after going out for a few beers, JT and I caught these guys at the Larimer Lounge. They put on their typical strong show of high energy rock and soul - no real surprises, but a great time for the true believers. Unfortunately, despite getting there late, we still had to seek refuge on the back patio from locals Machine Gun Blues. The best description I can give of their music would be "machine gun shit." I honestly couldn't find a single redeeming aspect of their music; it is some truly awful stuff.

Ray Davies - We saw the former Kink last week at the Paramount Theater, and the show was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I've seen him three times before doing his solo Storyteller show, all enjoyable, but this was the first time I've seen him with a full band. In my opinion, the band was almost too professional - I would've liked to have seen them really rip it up a bit more. He's touring behind his first solo release, Other People's Lives, of which I'm only familiar with a few of the songs. He hit that album pretty heavy, and for me some of these songs tended to drag a bit. He did play quite a few old Kinks favorites - 20th Century Man, Oklahoma USA, I'm Not Like Everybody Else, Sunny Afternoon, Tired of Waiting For You, You Really Got Me, the inevitable sing-along to Lola, and Low Budget to name a few. The problem with someone as vast a catalog as his is the stuff he leaves you wishing you'd heard. Personally, I would've loved to have heard Waterloo Sunset, Autumn Almanac, Stop Your Sobbing, A House in the Country, or anything (!) from the Something Else or Village Green Preservation Society albums. So, while not exactly a disappointment, I wasn't nearly as blown away by this show as I had hoped I would be. It was good to see him in such high spirits (especially after getting shot a year or so ago), I guess I just left feeling a bit unfulfilled. On a side note, the Paramount Theater has got to have the most uncomfortable chairs in town - ouch!

And there you go...say, that wasn't so hard!

RIP - Syd Barrett