Saturday, October 6, 2007

10/6/07 - 1000 MFH

went to firewater to support my buddy chris batman bender and his band 1000 Miles From Home. only one other guy from work showed up - where were you, bitches!?! had to get loaded before i got there cuz i can't afford to drink there. stage set up outside - pretty damn nice. lots of punkass bitches in straight-brim ball caps cocked to the side. that's firewater, eh?

Elocation - such the typical firewater band. if you've ever been there, you know what i mean - lead singer who doesn't play, spiked hairdo, grabs mic with both hands and emotes painfully, screams a lot bent over. definitely played way too long.

1000 Miles from Home - definitely NOT the typical firewater band. OK, so these guys don't fit into my favored sub-genre, but seriously - if you're into modern alt rock, and you haven't given these guys a shot, you really should. Check them out live if you can, it's much better than the cd or myspace - they've improved greatly over the last year or so (partly due to the addition of a second voice (in my opinion, but i have a thing for harmonies)). they've also added a fantastic drummer (and I don't usually notice the drummer). these guys play a slew of thoughtfully-crafted modern rock songs, so much better than most of the bands you typically hear at firewater. despite my usual attitude towards bands of this genre, i can truthfully say i really enjoy their shit.


left after that. was hoping to shoot down to pastime to catch sean kirkpatrick's set, but my buddies in elocation screwed that up for me by playing for-f-ing-ever. tried to scare up some fun on the way home, but no one was up for it. an early night, then.

and so the search begins for a sunday show...

Monday, October 1, 2007

9/30/07 - Do Make Say Think

convinced myself I couldn't miss the DMST show at Hailey's. That's what I get for drinkin in the afternoon. $14 cover - yikes.

History at Our Disposal - some interesting experimental tunes, some not so much (was he trying to sing out of tune? couldn't tell). OK.

Do Make Say Think - instrumental band from Ontario; horns, sax, guitar, violin, machines, drums. some really beautiful, sprawling, orchestral songs. some I couldn't wait to be over. wasn't really feelin' it after a while - left early.

btw, what's up with denton? must be somethin in the water, cuz there seems to be an unusually large percentage of short people there - very bizarre (not the first time I've noticed that).

Sunday, September 30, 2007

9/29/07 - Paul Banks, Last Gasp

started out at lucky's roadhouse again, this time the joint was empty (no more $.25 drinks, eh?). went back to car to, uh, fetch something and stepped in ankle-deep mud pit behind lucky's. in sandles. shee-ut. got to use bathroom at cavern for somethin besides pukin', tho. heh heh. joe finally showed up. missed first band - no loss, based on their myspace/purevolume. went back and forth from cavern to lucky's between bands, watchin mr. q make time with ultra-wasted a&m drop-out chick (that's right, darlin, i graduated in '98) who's name we forgot but had bachelorette-party gal friends with s&m gear. how does he do it? must be his stylin' shirts. anyways, the show:

paul banks - this man is a musical genius. listen to his cd - i dare you to disagree. the next rufus wainwright, i tell ya. amazing voice, as i've said before. fantastic songwriting. wish he had closed with "color", instead of sam cooke/beatles/bowie medley. both songs show off his pipes, i just think it's best to close with your own material, especially when it's so goddam strong.

the last gasp - 2nd time to see. excellent, as before. loved the harmonies from the keyboardist. really enjoyed the set. met christian afterwards - super nice guy, gave me their demo cd.

a pacific model - 3rd time to see. some songs in definite radiohead territory, some more ordinary. powerful lead vox. Cure cover - bleh.

pretty good crowd at the cavern, which means the usual annoying louder-than-the-band chatter and scuse-me scuse-me as people try to get to the bar. was entertained by preternaturally short dude with pony tail and goatee makin time with the ladies, or was that his 50-something sugar daddy boyfriend behind him pretending to groove to the music? i don't know, i should be nicer.