highlifer

Month of Music: Second chances

Gang of Four-Sonar. I mean, how can you miss them if they won’t go away? However, this show was the best of the three I’ve seen, and even included, for the first time, “I Love a Man in Uniform,” considerably different without the female vocal. Each show has actually been longer and more energetic. However, one more show veers them into Pixies territory, so I’ll be satisfied with 3.

Reigning Sound-Iota, Arlington. The Reigning Sound show I saw in Columbus in the spring was one of the greatest I’d seen this year; one that so moved me that it caused me to almost cry. This show they were opening for the Detroit Cobras, who Greg Cartwright also plays with. So as they were setting up, the Husband, who’s not seen them before and is NOT a fan, says, “I didn’t know the Reigning Sound has a girl in the band.” “They don’t” I say, but indeed they do. The band I’d seen in Columbus was largely touring with Freakwater. This incarnation was founder Cartwright, a drummer and, well, to say the girl bass player was mediocre would be kind. Oh , and she couldn’t sing. To the Husband, I say “Who knew with 2 weeks of bass lessons, I could have been in the Reigning Sound?” And he says “Make that 1 week of bass lessons.” I didn’t even stay til the end of their set it was so bad and disheartening. After returning home, I discovered that said girl bass player is actually from Ohio and dates a friend of mine. Well, she still sucks, I’m going to have to stick to that gun.

My Morning Jacket-TLA Philadelphia. My Morning Jacket are the new Meat Puppets. A hippie band for frat boys who think they are indie rockers. However, my trip to Philly did get me to see the Bodyworlds exhibit that I can’t recommend enough to everyone. Worth every cent.

Acid Mothers Temple-Ottobar. The greatest rock band today. They played for about 90 minutes, and about 7 songs. Loud as hell walls of sound that made me wish I still had the energy to trip. As you’d look around, the whole crowd would be smiling,(at a rock show!) and I don’t think the whole crowd was tripping either – it’s just that overwhelming. No throat singing like last time, but, who’s complaining really. Plus, they’re so funny – cracking jokes, sticking the guitar in the ceiling.

Miss Kittin – I/O lounge, Miami, Florida. Supposedly, but Miss Kittin cancelled due to Hurricane Wilma. My travel companions got there earlier in the day, but I had to work –left Baltimore at 8, got to Miami by 10.To find my travel companions had spent the day drinking and were passed out cold. Decided to go out anyway Was at club at midnight. Somewhere between the time I left here and the time I got there, she cancelled. Since I’d already cabbed into downtown Miami from South Beach, I decided to stay for Otto von Schirach, the opener, who I knew nothing about, but was told by the guys in front of me that he was “live.” I also decided to drink kamikazes and beers as fast as possible, which got me very drunk, since after work, I’d gotten right on the plane and basically had nothing to eat. The club was small (it would have been AWESOME to see Miss Kittin there) and it was Pop Life night (Pop Life = Taxlo, complete with a nearly identical playlist). So, what I remember through the liquor haze is that Otto played Kid 606 style beats through a Dell laptop. The beats were fast, and he “sang” at about half speed through a vocoder thingy, Prince songs, and “I’m too Sexy.” Some of this he did while wearing a long gray beard. Fun enough, but not my cup of tea. Later in this trip , I did get to watch Hurricane Wilma blow down Collins Ave., and got stuck there 2 extra days. (if only it had been 3, I could have seen Carl Cox. But I guess if I couldn’t get out, he couldn’t have gotten in.)

Kylesa/Coliseum/Torche/Triac-Ottobar. Missed Triac, but the last few times I’ve seen them, they’ve been better than ever. Torche was like Ozzy Osbourne singing over “Slip It In” era Black Flag. Except not that good. Coliseum-traditional Florida death metal. Kylesa is like Mastodon, Junior, only with a super super hot girl guitar player. Only she….can play.

Peanut Butter Wolf-Ottobar. Halloween Saturday in Baltimore is probably not the greatest time for a show, there’s just too much else going on. Tops – there were 40 people there. This can go several ways – the artist can be a dick, and take the low turnout out on those who did show up. They can be smoking, so that you tell all your friends how smoking it was, and the next time there’s 400 people. But Peanut Butter Wolf did something I’ve never seen before – he bought a round for the entire bar. Really! I think he is good, but not as great as, say RJD2. It did allow the Husband and I to trot out one of our favorite arguments. My take: The ONLY difference between, say Miss Kittin or Felix da Housecat and Peanut Butter Wolf or RJD2 are the types of records they spin. Both are spinning records, sampling, and relying on some preprogrammed stuff. The only reason I like the former and the husband likes the latter is that I like house and disco and he likes rap and soul.He maintains that the “hip hop” djs rely less on programmed beats, so are better live performers, and that the “dance” djs have almost everything prerecorded and therefore it’s not really a “live” set.
Feel free to weigh in on this one.

posted by jamie @ 8:20 PM