My first post for Draw Us Lines! Blake & Jim have asked me to do some live show reviews for their burgeoning blog, and I have happily obliged. Check out my review on their site, and see my additional thoughts below. I'll continue to add here some stray observations and more personal anecdotes that don't quite fit over there, and I'll let you know when something new appears there, too.
The Black Angels, Fillmore Jive Friday September 10, 2010 at Diesel with Leigh, Paul
I grabbed the guitarist's set list from the front of the stage after the show. That's what you see in the pic at the bottom of the DUL review.
Diesel was even worse than I implied in my review. Granted, they are clean, smoke-free (except for the massively cheesy smoke machine blowing down from above the stage), and well-lit, but it becomes clearer every time that they just don't give a shit about the live music aspect of their business, which makes me wonder why they even bother. The stage is very nice, but it's too tall for the best viewing location, which is the floor in front. The upstairs "VIP lounge" area was roped off for this concert, but I could see employees scrubbing the windows, eating their dinners, and setting up liquor table service while the show was going on. Come on! And towards the end, there were actually club patrons up there already enjoying their Ciroc or Patron or whatever they drink, clearly disinterested in the rock music going on down below. The show ended abruptly in time so they could take down the stage and make sure all the clubbers could get in shortly thereafter. Look, I understand, Diesel: this is where you make your money. Dancing & boozing is your bread & butter. Fine. But just do that if it's really what you want to do. Don't aggravate us genuine concertgoers who love the bands you get and want to see a good show because you happen to not really care about that aspect of your business and just see it as a way to make a few bucks on the side. It's disrespectful to the band and the fans. Don't pretend to be something you're not, you know? You're a club through and through, so stick to that.
Fillmore Jive's drummer walked onstage with a cup of hot coffee. First time I'd seen that. Usually it's a bottle of water, a bottle of beer, or a red solo cup.
Merch tables: FJ were selling CDs for $3 and autographs for $20, got a kick out of that. The Black Angels were selling vinyl of all 3 albums for $20 each, CDs for $10 and t-shirts for $15. I really liked the shirt with their Nico logo on it, but I had already bought the new album on vinyl and thought I was spending enough at that show already . . . oh well, next time, I guess.
The lead guitarist in The Black Angels was playing a cool-looking 6-string Rickenbacker that I had never seen, and it had 2 stickers on it. Looking closely, I saw they were both for The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Interesting.
TV Buddhas, The National Rifle, Thin Sketch, Fillmore Jive Friday September 3, 2010 at 31st Street Pub with Leigh, Paul
I had never been to the 31st Street Pub, and I would like to return. I don't think the TV Buddhas would agree with me. Well, I suppose they'd agree I was there, but I can't say for sure whether they'll go back there. The bar was mostly empty and, among the small crowd, nobody was all that enthusiastic. The band members themselves seemed rather apathetic and played a pretty short set, unfortunately. From the videos of them I watched on YouTube in the days leading up to the show, I was expecting a raucous romp; what I did see was some noisy garage rock music, but it was missing that extra pizzazz that characterizes a really good show. Maybe it was the beginning of their tour, maybe it was the lackluster crowd, maybe they had shitty pizza for dinner . . . who knows. Ultimately, I liked their sound but was not blown away. Ultimately, though, I believe the 31st Street Pub can be a great place for a show and I think the TV Buddhas can put on a great show and, in my eyes, they both deserve another chance.
I had been out for dinner & drinks with some friends at Hemingway's in Oakland, and we caught the 54C towards the Strip on the late side, just arriving in time to see the last song by Fillmore Jive, the first local opener. I've seen them before and liked their live sound: super noisy guitar and drum duo with lots of effects-laden riffs and pounding drums. It's a real wall of sound for just two people and they can turn any of their songs into an extended jam session. It's a shame we only caught the end of their last jam, but it was quite a marvel to witness. They kicked on a strobe light while the guitarist was alternately wailing on the strings and then heaving his guitar at the amp to feed the reverb, but then the drummer took control and brought the rhythm down to a crawl, and then they started up again! Fillmore Jive went out with a veritable bang, that's for sure. I look forward to catching them again this Friday.
Next up was Thin Sketch, a local trio with a bassist and drummer that looked like they could seamlessly fit in with The Silver Bullet Band or BTO and a singer that would more likely belong with . . . well, not with them. He was a tall, skinny black guy jumping around stage "singing" (read: yelping and/or talking) about leaving the party because the keg is kicked or how the Burger King on the South Side is closed or talking between songs about how he's gonna "hate fuck" those girls in the taxi that told them they would come to the show but never followed through. Frankly, it was all rather weird and I was glad when it was over. The only funny moment came when the singer found a pick on stage that nobody laid claim to, allowing him to declare it "the pick of destiny".
The National Rifle had walked around the bar during the previous set, handing out stickers, pins and keychain bottle openers bearing their band logo to the dozen or so patrons. It was a nice gesture, at least. They took the stage and announced they were from Philly (which elicited boos and then clarifications that "we like you, just not Philly") and that this was the first day of their tour, so enthusiasm abounded. The lead guitar/singer walked off the stage and towards the front of the crowd a couple times, the bassist took off his shirt after the first song due to sweating so much from bouncing his head up and down and jumping around, and it seemed like the drummer was able to hit every single drum and cymbal on his massive kit in one nanosecond. Meanwhile, the female keyboardist hopped back and forth between vocals and double percussion duties. They clearly enjoyed playing their music, but that didn't really make it any more enjoyable for me. I was generally digging the double-drums and some of the reggae-influenced percussive rhythms and fast-paced bass lines, and the harmonica solo in the last song was pretty neat, but other than that I wasn't too impressed. It was generally lots of bass with little emphasis on the keyboard/guitar melodies, and the vocals were really low in the mix and hard to make out. Maybe that was the sound guy's fault, who knows. They could also do without the fist-pumping, sweaty, shirtless bassist; he just seemed out of place. Overall, I say "meh", but I think it was just the wrong crowd for them: a crowded frat party would have been way better.
The TV Buddhas played last, after The National Rifle had been introducing them during their set as "TV Buddha!" I had been watching some YouTube videos of them playing live, and it looked like a lot of fun: frantic drumming and long, meandering guitar solos, jumping around onstage or, in one, wandering around the sidewalk. In my head, I likened them to Israel's version of The White Stripes, but that seems superficial now: the "male guitar/female drummer duo playing noisy garage rock" comparison only goes so far. The Buddhas' guitar lines tend to be fuzzier, in general, and the drumming a little more restrained (the onstage kit was quite basic, just a tom and snare and two small cymbals) but still the essential, driving component of their songs. I also noticed the drummer choking up a bit on her drumsticks, holding them about 1/3 of the way up, perhaps to play a little faster? They also had a third member onstage, which may be a new aspect for them. He also played guitar and seemed to take many of the solos during their songs, but he really tightened them up and condensed their jams into quick songs. Some of the videos I'd seen showed them playing for around 5 minutes, but none of the songs in this set seemed to be longer than 3 or 4. Their lead guy took all the vocals and mostly the rhythm guitar lines, and they didn't prolong any of their songs into extended jam sessions. This was my only complaint really, but it seemed like such a big aspect of their live show; it was really what I was expecting. Instead, they blazed through a 30 minute set with little more than a super-quick "Thanks. This next song is called ..." between songs. I liked their songs, and I would have loved to see more of them, but that was all we got. Good set overall, just not enough for me. I'd like to see them again, but I don't know if I'll ever get that chance!
Here's a video of their last two songs that I recorded on my Droid phone. As usual, audio & video aren't as good as they could be, but take it for what it is, you know? Maybe chuckle at the fact that you can tell when I walk from my seat at the bar to the front of the stage, at least.
Random observations: There was some dude walking around the room holding a Game Boy apparatus and somehow recording video and audio on it!?!? One of the guys in Thin Sketch said something about it but I couldn't quite hear him, so I still have no idea what that was all about. Also, it's strange to see people I "know" from other contexts out of their element; e.g. at this show I spotted both Manny Theiner and that guy who runs the pub quiz I go to every Wednesday @ the Brillobox. Finally, I "spotted" the drummer and singer from TV Buddhas kinda hugging/canoodling before their set. Whatupwiththat?
At the Big Hurry show at Howler's a few weeks back I saw a flyer for an upcoming show: The Black Angels & Fillmore Jive @ Diesel Club Lounge on the South Side. This will be a good show; I guarantee it. I've been listening to The Black Angels for a couple years after stumbling across them on eMusic, and I saw local duo Fillmore Jive open for The Black Hollies @ Howler's about a year ago. If you like lots of guitars and pounding drums and noisy, droning psychedelic rock then this will be right up your alley.
The show is hosted by Joker Productions, which seems to have a special contract with Diesel since a lot of their shows are held there. Let me get the bad vibes out of the way first and then describe the bands. Diesel is not a great music venue. It's also used as a dance club/lounge and it seems way better suited for that. There is a small area right in front of the high stage which is fine for watching music shows but it gets crowded there quickly and if you end up towards the back by the bar then you may not be able to see all of the stage. There is also an upper level with another bar (usually it's the only bar when the events are 18+ but this show is 21+ so I imagine both up/downstairs bars are open) and a balcony overlooking the stage, but unless you are right on the edge of the balcony you will find yourself staring at the backs of the heads of other concertgoers. If you enjoy just being in a room where people are playing music then this is perfect for you; if you're like me and want to watch the artists performing, then this is not the best place. Others have complained in the past, and I concur with their gripes and suggestions. In any event, advance tickets are available here for $12. They are $15 at the door, so I encourage you to think about whether you want to go and if so let me know and I'll buy a block of tickets. Doors are @ 6 pm and show starts @ 7 so I think I'll make an evening of it and go to the South Side for an early dinner and then go the venue around 6:00 or 6:15.
Okay, enough logistics. Let's get to the music. Oh boy. First, Fillmore Jive: guy = guitarist & vocals, girl = drums, both from the Pittsburgh area. They have a distinct noisy garage rock vibe, much like the White Stripes or the Black Keys, but their guitar sound and lyrics skew more towards the likes of Pavement (duh, given their name) and The VU circa White Light/White Heat. I have a copy of their Rock Bottom demo CD, handed out by them for free at the show at Howler's way back when, and their mySpace page has a bunch of other songs, including several live recordings (to give you a good idea of what they sound like in person), so it looks like they're working on new stuff. It's pretty straightforward rock and roll fare, but it's fun to see and listen to. Check 'em out.
The Black Angels hail from Austin, TX, which seems to be a hotbed for neopsychedelia. And speaking of The VU, their name derives from a choice cut on The VU & Nico. The guitar/bass/drum/keyboard sound combination is incredible, full of reverb fuzz and droning melodies, crafting a cosmic sinkhole from which Alex Maas' vocals emerge like a supernova. In general, they seem to draw from classic 60s psychedelic guitar rock (The VU, fellow Austinites The 13th Floor Elevators, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, etc.) and occasional eastern raga influences (see "Deer-Ree-Shee" or the opening riff of "Manipulation", for example). They've also been selected by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch to play at this year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in NY state (just another VU reference!). Check out the videos below of them playing live and tell me you don't want to see this show. I defy you.
