scene but not herd

I'm 36 years old and there are people who I'm sure believe that I should have grown out of my interest in music by now, but it is really all I have. I can't count on anything like I can music or for that matter movies. I saw the Ponys Monday night at Spaceland and last night at the Troubadour. I already wrote about their album so now I can say that live they did not disappoint me. Really good, catchy songs. The Ponys are just a band, though. The Hunches, who played on the same bill last night, are a force of nature. This is why I'm 36 and still going to shows. There are probably a lot of people who would dislike the Hunches if they saw them play, but those reasons are probably why I like them so much. The Hunches are loud and out of control. Simply stated they are a mess and I say that as a strong compliment. Comments about musicianship can be thrown out the window. The drums pummel you and the guitar is feedbacking sheets of noise with notes occasionally emerging from the squall. The singer's style reminds me of the vocalist of Negative Approach and Laughing Hyenas. It's more intense screaming and shouting than actually singing. I've seen them twice before and the singer spent most of the show in the audience. I thought playing at the Troubadour on a real stage would maybe keep them a bit subdued and during the first song that seemed to be the case, but then I was proven wrong. I really like the way the guitar player moves. It's like the sound coming out of his guitar is throwing him around the stage and eventually both he and the singer ended up in the audience. These Hunches shows are the closest thing lately to remind me of early eighties hardcore shows. Much has been written lately about "garage rock" like the Strokes, White Stripes, and the Hives, but most of these writers don't know what they are talking about. Good bands that use guitar, bass, and drums have always been around, but the critics are too busy fretting about whatever happens to be the flavor of the month to notice. The Hunches are just pure primal energy. Those other bands are ok, but they pale in comparison. Those bands are more for people concerned with image rather than the ability to make your jaw drop simply by what they are playing. The Hunches make my jaw drop and remind me of being a teenager still overwhelmed at discovering sounds I had never heard before.

One of my best friends, Sarah, is in the new issue of Rolling Stone. It's the one that has the cover that states, "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll." There's an article about Nirvana and one of the pictures is taken from the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. Kurt is on the left, there's a cheerleader in the center of the frame, and Sarah is on the right. If you watch the video you really can't miss her because she's prominently dancing in slow motion. Just something that is kind of neat. A few of us went to see Nirvana at the Roxy on August 15, 1991. I don't think Nevermind had come out yet and I don't remember if this show was even sold out. I don't think that it was even all that crowded inside. They put on a good show and afterwards there were people recruiting audience members to appear in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video shoot which occurred the next day or two. I think I had to work so I didn't go, but Sarah and a few other friends went and Sarah ended up getting some decent screen time in the video. Little did we know what was going to happen within the next few months when Nirvana started to explode. My friend Tita was going to school in England at the time and I still have letters from her recounting some of the early Nirvana madness that was going on over there. It was pretty unbelievable when that album reached number one. Here was a band that we would see in dives like Raji's, Bogart's, and Jabberjaw and suddenly they were the biggest band in the world.

Tuesday night I watched BIG FISH and I really liked it. Call me a pussy, but that ending really killed me. All power to the imagination!

I went to see Lambchop last night and I probably should have just stayed home. Mind you, they were good, but I was in a little down mood and the music didn't help me break out of that. Who would have thought that an eight-piece band could be so quiet. Really nice melodies would appear throughout the hushed music, but I guess I was in the wrong state of mind to really enjoy it. I guess their last record was like this so I really should have known what to expect. I love their album, Nixon, and I guess I was hoping the live show would have more of that type of sound which is very soulful and somewhat countrypolitan. I guess I can just live with their records or I will really have to check my mood before I try going to another of their live shows.

Tortoise is tonight and I'm really intrigued by the concept of this live show. Tortoise will be playing live and Scientist will be doing the mixing. I'm not a huge fan of reggae, especially the type forced down your throat at bars and commercial radio stations, but I do like dub quite a bit so this could turn out pretty interesting. I'm just not sure if it sounds interesting enough to get me to go. I've seen Tortoise before and they are another band that I can probably just live with their records, so we'll see...

Possibilities. Possibilities. Possibilities. Wherein the game begins of noticing a few shows I would be interested in checking out and whether I will actually end up going to check them out.

Wednesday: Lambchop at the Knitting Factory.

Thursday: Tortoise vs. Scientist at the Echo. Tortoise mixed live by dub legend, Scientist.

Friday: Quintron at the Echo. Played on an Oblivians record so I'm curious after missing his shows every other time he has come through town.

Will I go out three nights in a row or will lethargy overtake me? Stay tuned!



Random thought... Why does beauty fascinate? My eyes are moths and women are light. Indifference is a bad trait, but sometimes it would be nice to have that trait. I sometimes wish I could close my eyes, but it is so hard to avert ones' eyes when confronted by beauty.