Oh, rock bands. March 20
I think it’s possible I go to concerts for all the wrong reasons. Primarily, to girl-watch and to have something to blog about. ONTO THE REVIEW!
So gmail indicates that I ‘discovered’ A Place to Bury Strangers ~Nov 30. Sometime between then and Feb 7th I figured out they were in town tonight, and regardless of my inability to pester any of my cobloggers or housemates into actually listening to the album, I was determined to go. They were splitting a bill with Sons and Daughters, which I hadn’t bothered with, but The Maestro and Meatball and Tweaks were all on board with them, so - concert!
Also on the bill was something called “Holy Fuck”, which somehow pushed APtBS to the opening slot. The RnRh website said doors at 8, show at 8:30, and even though that is always bullshit I didn’t want to take chances, so I raced home from work (having the Maestro order me some Mr. Chen’s ahead of my arrival) at about 7:30, did some remarkably quick prep-work, and we were off. Off to pick up Tweaks, who has some boring-ass GMAT class shit going on, as always. The point is it’s about 8:40 already when, halfway there (it’s kind of far) TM realizes: NOT WILL CALL TICKETS. So…. we race back to the Castle, pick up the tix, and speed back double-time.
As we approach we see a large crowd - line really - outside the front door, so we figure, as usual, the venue is behind schedule. Earshot goes a long way with this band, though, so it wasn’t long before I realized we were missing APtBS. Sweet christ, what a slow fucking line. As we finally opened the door to walk in, we were blasted with machine-generated fog and absolutely soaked in feedback/reverb/infinitely-processed guitar drone. There were a couple of guys going nuts on stage, from what I could tell, and some very stark lighting, sheer white in a very black house. It was spectacular. It was their last song. I caught like a minute of the band I came to see. And, oh yeah, they sounded amazing. Fuck. FUCK.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into with these “Holy Fuck” rascals. Wiki informed me that they’re indie/electronica from Toronto. So far I’m on board, I guess. Dudes spent a long time setting up their random gizmos - there were two guys playing gadgets of undetermined variety. One of these dudes looked like bearded Dave Grohl meets Adam Goldberg, the other pretty much exactly like the dude from Silversun Pickups. For whatever that’s worth. The bassist looks like someone too, I thought it was Wiley Wiggins but turns out I’m wrong. Neither here nor there - they were fine. Even talented, I guess. But it wasn’t until afterwards that Tweaks nailed them - they’re a fucking jam band, people. I mean, sure, different instruments, whatever, but totally just a jam band. Ugh. I knew there was something about them that rubbed me the wrong way, and not just the dramatic overselling of their button-pushing (kind of a pet peeve). Basically, I expect them to be playing with String Cheese Incident within the next three years, so I’m definitely siding with Tweaks here - thumbs down.
That said, I actually managed to do my due diligence and listen to the newest Sons and Daughters album today before the show and - hot damn! - that shit is good! No, like, really very good. Hard poppy rocking good. With a badass female vocalist good. Who writes songs that make sense and are clever! It’s pretty delightful. I was excited. They did not disappoint. Adele Bethel has some serious pipes. The guitarist, Scott Paterson, is a pretty incredible guitarist for someone who looks like young Anthony Michael Hall. That said… the highlight, for me, anyway… is the new hottest female bassist ever. I mean, I feel like I’m possibly forgetting someone? Help me out here, legion of commenters? But for now I’m saying Ailidh Lennon for the win (sorry for the small pic - best I could do). Holy Fuck could learn a *lot* about how to be awesome at a rock concert from Ailidh. Basically, she chewed gum and just barely bobbed along to all the songs, making playing her bass part look almost incidental, totally second nature (which I’m sure it would have to be for pretty much all professional musicians). Anyway, she looked like the goth diner waitress of my dreams. She was a treat. She is, apparently, married to some d-bag named Roddy Woomble (no seriously, that’s made up, right?) who is in a band called Idlewild, which also sounds made up. I mean, ok, I’ve heard of Idlewild, but I’ve never listened. I guess I should? But then I find this on the wiki: “Idlewild, named after the quiet meeting place in frontman Roddy Woomble’s favourite book at the time, Anne of Green Gables…” AILIDH! C’MON! Anne of fucking Green Gables!?! Are you goddamned shitting me? Roddy fucking Woomble. Well, you win this round, I guess. Crazy fucking Glaswegians.
As a final note: dude (or lady) in front of the bar who dumped what I hope was water *ALL DOWN MY BACK* during my favorite song- I did not win a football game. This is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I am *still* waiting for my apology. Just standing there looking at each other and pretending like it didn’t happen does *not* make it go away.
Bobby McObvious Mar 20
Ailidh is indeed pretty hot, but it’ll take more than that to sway me from Ms. Dave Grohl.
http://www.cdtimes.co.uk/images/covers/MelissaAufDerMaurpic.jpg
The Maestro Mar 20
Bobby has a point. Reenie, on the right on the couch in this pic should be in the discussion as well.
Also, maybe it was just the fact we were further up front than normal, or the fact that the concert was louder than many I’ve been to here, but it seemed like the stereotypical conversations that DC concert-goers like to have while bands are playing were virtually non-existent, which was a nice change.
Matthew Barney Gumble Mar 20
I knew I was forgetting people. Sweet christ those are some nice ones.