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Manic Metal Monday: SuidAkrA, Cormorant, Ashkira @ Thee Parkside, 3/15/10

by hardrockchick [about 1 day, 8 hours ago.]

I caught myself peeking out the window to see if it was dark yet.

I spent all weekend in a self-imposed solitary confinement- on a strict diet of brown rice and veggies, no vices, and more than four hours a night of sleep- which is what I try to do between HRC binges (last week AiC / BRMC, later this week, SXSW). Normally, I welcome the solitude; I mean, I’m an only child…..but for some reason, this weekend I felt all Lydia Deets….

Tip #1: When you’re feeling blue, don’t watch a film about a dude in isolation up in space talking to himself (Moon)

Tip #2: When you’re feeling blue, don’t watch a period piece about one of the most well known Romantic poets (Bright Star)

Even though we lost an hour, I was actually ready to go to work on Monday. Then I got to the office and the people around me were out….I didn’t have any meetings…….my email was empty, my RSS feed…empty…..the phone….silent…..

And then, all of a sudden, a butterfly flapped it’s wings somewhere and BOOM, somehow I began to exist within the world again.

One of those things was that Alan had a +1 for a show I was considering going to anyway, so I gladly snatched it up.

As we walked up to Thee Parkside, we could hear that the first band was already on even though we were only about 5 minutes late. Ashkira is local, and though I hadn’t heard of them before tonight, I’m definitely going to put a watch on them. They are Lamb of God influenced, with some Scandinavian metal sensibilities mixed in. The vocalist does a pretty intense crowd stare-down as he plays the bass.

I saw Cormorant open for Jello Biafra a couple weeks ago. It was great to be able to see them in such a different venue for comparison. Their sound just fit better at Thee Parkside. I was tripping out watching this high school aged metal kid filming the show with a Flip camera, headbanging at the same time. I wanted to go up to him and be like ‘ummmm….I’ve done that and trust me you’re NOT going to be happy with the video!’. As I watched the set, I thought about how atmospheric their music is, and how I could easily see it integrated into a soundtrack for a movie or videogame. Their songs, which average in the 8-10 minute range, are all little self contained journeys. If I had to pick a winner, tonight’s highlight for me was ‘Uneasy Lies the Head’. It just embodies everything that’s unique about this band….the songs starts one way- dark and brooding- and ends another- triumphant, perhaps, with a power ballad guitar solo in the middle. They played a new song- which is still an instrumental at this point- but it sounds great.

One day I will get a clear pic of these guys….they move around a lot!

It always trips me out to see a band come all the way from Germany to this little bar for 75 people. Last time I saw a German band here was Secrets of the Moon. SuidAkrA may have the largest height disparity between guitarist and lead singer/guitarist. The guitarist was so tall that every time he raised his fist in the air, I thought he might hit the ceiling.

Calling SuidAkrA pagan metal is a bit of a misnomer. Those elements are definitely there in some songs, but they were more straightforward metal than I expected based on what I’d heard about them. The vocalist may be the first one I’ve ever heard ask ‘how’s my hair’ after a song. Another funny moment came when he said ‘I usually ask for people to show me their hands, feet, and tits; but I got too many man-boobs’.

I was standing back in the corner, watching the crowd as much as the band. At smaller shows that are less packed like this one, with a band that I’m not as vested in, I like to look at the bigger picture. I’m seeing the people in the front latched onto the barrier, the looks on their faces, their mannerisms syncing up to the music. The way they look satisfied when they hear the next song that’s coming, when for me it’s just a word. The way they glisten when the band says that this song is for them. The general feeling of everything coming together that allows a fan and a band from half way around the world to share an experience in a little bar in Potrero Hill on a Monday night.

Sometime during that set I bottomed out. That’s my term for the sort of mild manic depression I suffer from….after last week’s extreme highs (front row for three of my all time favorite bands, seeing one of those bands three times, plus meeting some of them) downward spiraled into the weekend. But once I saw those fans feeling the music, I snapped out of it. In two days I’m going to be on a bender of all benders!!

Somehow life has become blank space between shows. What happens when there’s nothing coming up on my calendar?

One day at a time.

The show ended on a funny note when some heckler/regular bar patron time shouted ‘Stalin sucked!’ at the band. Once we figured out what they were trying to say, there was a murmured apology from the crowd for our California school system.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3610Comments (0)2010-03-16+19%3A03%3A44hardrockchick

Shuffle Your Feet: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Slim’s, 3/10/10

by hardrockchick [about 5 days, 19 hours ago.]

Time won’t save our souls
Time won’t save our souls
Time won’t save my soul…no

I’m walking down the street towards Slim’s, fully aware that a) I am exhibiting full blown addictive behavior and b) this absolutely certifies me as having BRMC stalker status.

This would be my 3rd BRMC set in 30 hours.

But I did find $5 on the ground before getting up to Slim’s.

It’s 9:45p, and the fact that only venue security is outside is a key indicator that the band is already on. There is some confusion as to whether they went on at 9 or 9:30, but once they clarify it was 9:30 and I’ve only missed about 15 minutes, I forked out my card for the ticket.

The place was packed, but I walked to the back, around the bar, and about two songs later I’m up close to the front. The first song to play once I can see well is my newly beloved ‘Aya’, which begins and then ends about 30 seconds in when Robert doesn’t join in on bass. Once he’s up and running, they start the song over.

I’m on my own tonight, and being further back and away from the pure intensity gave me some space to think. I’m kind of going into review mode…I haven’t even started the previous evening’s piece, but I have a lot of what I want to say bouncing around in my head. Because it was my ‘big’ birthday, and I was able to spend it with two of my favorite bands, they’re really personal. I’m standing there watching the set, thinking about some of the things I know I’m going to write about, and I am reminded of a thought that I have periodically: the fact that I openly write about my slightly crazy ways, my true feelings about things, and my erratic emotions might kind of work against me. While I get emails that make me feel good about sharing such personal stuff, in the sense that people empathize with it, I also think that it drives some people away. Which brings me back to the ongoing issue- it’s hard to find people who accept me for me.

I’m kind of lost in thought over the music, when Robert is chatting with his tech between songs and says, “well, I think we are getting shut down…..it’s good to be home.” I’m horrified! I bitch and moan and read about the Slim’s noise ordinance issues a lot, but I’ve never been at a show that’s been threatened. This ironically led into ‘Punk Song’.

I fell in love with the sweet sensation
I gave my heart to a simple chord
I gave my soul to a new religion
Whatever happened to you?
Whatever happened to our rock’n'roll?

Then the guys switched to their acoustic material to be a bit quieter.

Luckily, the cops left and they were able to resume playing the louder songs.

During ‘Conscience Killer’ the song started to sound funny, and then stopped. Peter had busted a string, so they just cut the song short.

Right then, Jello Biafra emerged from the center of the crowd with his ladyfriend in tow.

I noticed at this show that I can almost sense what the next song is going to be before the first note is being played. This is a surefire sign that I’ve seen these guys enough lately to be able to sense the energy or setup of the different songs. It was like I could hear them before they even began.

Once we got to ‘Red Eyes – Reprise’, which I was afraid I had missed, I let the feeling of ODing on BRMC go away. It was worth it to come just to hear that song again.

But tonight, the last few minutes of seeing the guys play ‘Open Invitation’ really did me in. So beautiful.

On and on
I’ve been waiting on the open invitation
Your silence show me no relation
In the rising cold
Don’t you feel alone
I’ll be standing with your sorrow
All you left me’s gone away tomorrow
And we may never be here again

Before leaving, I went up to Peter’s guitar tech to tell him thank you for what he did last night, that it meant a lot to me and really made my birthday.

Who knows if I’ll see you again

Maybe at SXSW.

Setlist anyone?

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3602Comments (0)2010-03-12+09%3A11%3A46hardrockchick

Into the Fuzz: io echo, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Great American Music Hall, 3/10/10

by hardrockchick [about 5 days, 21 hours ago.]

I pulled up close to the Great American Music Hall and parked. I turned the car off and sat there for a second. I’ve already seen BRMC today, dropped off my friend at the airport, and now I’m about to go see two more bands I love. And I’m already thinking that I’ll probably leave before the headliner to sneak back over to Slim’s….I’m really lucky that everything fell into place after feeling so weird about my New York trip.

GAMH is probably my favorite venue in SF, but there are only shows I want to see there every once in a while. After checking in at will call, I show my ID to the doorman, who’s like, ‘hey you!’ I haven’t been there in several months. He goes to stamp my hand, which still has a faded Slim’s stamp from the night before.

I’m able to walk right up to the front even though the show was supposed to start in 10 minutes. The place is pretty empty, which is a shame, because io echo is a great upcoming band. This was my third time seeing them- they opened for NIN at their final show and She Wants Revenge last year.

The band comes out, black clad in boots. American bands in boots (not Cowboy ones, obviously) tend to correlate nicely with my affinity for them. The stage is dark, and it gets loud really quickly. Io’s angelic voice cuts through the fuzz, which is led by the awesome work of Leopold Ross on guitar.

Io can go from statuesque to thrashing around easily. She slowly moves her hands along with the song, and might utilize the mic cable like she’s coiling it in preparation for strangling someone. Whatever she is doing, she has the audience in the palm of her hand.

I tried to video a song, and immediately was tapped on the shoulder by security, who stood there and made me delete it. When did GAMH become a no tape venue? It was always open before.

‘I’m on Fire’ and ‘Doorway’ are great songs….but really I like all of their songs. Their set was only 30 minutes. I hope this tour gives them great exposure.

Video from the night before in LA:

I love watching Oliver Ackermann set up his gear; the chaos cables rat nest, the beat up guitars turned over in submission. When people ask me about good new bands, I always tell them that A Place to Bury Strangers is the last band I truly fell in love with. But now that I think about it, I can’t really say that anymore. I’ve been following them for 3 years now. This would be my fourth time seeing them.

These guys next to me were obviously drunk. As soon as the music started, they began thrashing around. I’m mixed about this, because while I can tell they are actually fans, this means that the young and the reckless have now discovered my band, and one of them might really give me a Gash in the Head.

But this out of focus moment is only temporary, because I am finally standing right in front of Oliver. I can see all of his crazy maneuvers up close. This set was short- only 6 songs- but he fit the energy of one of their usual sets into this. He was more chaotic and violent than the last times I’ve seen him…there were times when I thought that I might get taken out by his guitar swinging around. I liked the danger, though. Getting a Gash in the Head from Oliver’s guitar would have been an awesome story. And after every song- plunk- guitar dropped on the floor.

I was really thrown off by the set starting with ‘Ocean’, when I’m used to that being the closer. But it made it unpredictable. I’m looking over at the bassist….maybe my face was already melted at this point- but is he new? He looked different. The drummer, JSpace, is the same for sure. As usual for them, the vocals are muted in comparison to the squeals and wails and thuds of everything else. It’s almost pitch black, except for a multitude of projectors spewing colored rays of light all over.

The set ended in an explosion, and Oliver turned over the drums.

The people next to me, while annoying, were blown away by the set. When Oliver came back out, everyone wanted to touch his magic hands. The girl a few down from me told him it was the best show she’d ever seen. I beamed as if I had something to do with it. He crouched down to start undoing all of the doo-dads, and I said, ‘Oliver, can I have the setlist please?’ He turned around and grabbed it without looking up, and then almost handed it to another girl until he said, ‘wait- who said that?’. “Me!”, raising my hand. He stood up and handed it to me with a big smile on his face. This made me insanely happy.

I actually stood there watching him put up the rest of his stuff and listening to people’s reactions before bailing on the headliners.

Apparently, the bassist did get a Gash in the Head.

Video from the night before:

I walked out of the fuzz and into the dirty streets of the ‘loin, clutching my setlist, my precious.

And then I was off to part 3 of my evening.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3598Comments (2)2010-03-12+07%3A51%3A57hardrockchick

For the Record: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club In Store, Amoeba SF, 3/10/10

by hardrockchick [about 5 days, 23 hours ago.]

We weren’t planning on going, but Mel’s flight was delayed two and a half hours. So it just made perfect sense for us to run over to the Haight to go to the free Amoeba in-store performance of BRMC. After everything last night, we didn’t end up picking up the new record, so we needed to buy it.

I’m looking for parking close to Amoeba when I have to squeak to a stop behind a cab that stops in front of the store. I’m watching the door slowly open as I impatiently wait for the cab to move. I see a boy in a leather jacket with a cigarette, and quickly realize who it is. “Um, Mel, that’s Peter!” And out pops Robert right after him. We’re laughing hysterically that I almost ran over BRMC. What funny timing, but now we know we’re not late!

We loop around the block and end up finding a spot right where they had just gotten out of the cab. While it’s pretty packed inside, we find a place to stand in the first aisle. Unfortunately, it’s behind a really tall guy and his little girl. “I’m having the same feeling you did at that Oakland AiC show“, Mel says.

The man over the loudspeaker tells us that we can have our CDs signed after the set. Mel goes and grabs us CDs and some free posters they are giving away.

The set begins with ‘Beat the Devil’s Tattoo’. It’s an acoustic set, and the sound leaves a lot to be desired, unlike when I saw Black Cobra here a few weeks ago. The camera man recording the show moves in front of my view of the stage, and the tall guy in front of me keeps moving around. So we can’t really see, and the sounds kind of sucks….but, hey, it’s one of our bands and it’s free.

I hear a girl scream ‘PETER!!!’ and then hear the crowd gasp. I turn around and a girl is flashing him from towards the back of the store (almost in the metal section). WOW. Bold move in fluorescent lighting….at least they were a decent pair of boobs. I looked at Peter to see his reaction and he has a funny look on his face and mutters something. The little girl in her dad’s arms in front of me looks at him and goes, ‘Daddy, why did she take off her shirt?’ Awkward!!! The dad ignored the question.

Suffice it to say, boob flashing -> kid’s question -> ‘The Toll’ was….odd.

Afterward, we go to see where to line up to have our CDs signed, and end up being told we would be at the beginning of the line. We didn’t want to be the first ones, especially after last night! So we let a few people go in front of us….

Mel went first. The order of the table was Peter, Leah, then Robert. When I got up there, Peter asked me if I had recovered from my birthday. I said yes. My first thought was, ‘OMG, he remembered!’ Then I thought, I only had one drink so it wasn’t like I had a rough night or anything…did I act like I was drunk? Oh jeez… I just said hi and thank you to Leah. Robert was standing while the others were sitting, wearing his sunglasses indoors. “You were there last night, weren’t you?”. “Yes”, I said. “Are you coming back tonight?” I told him I was going to try to, but I don’t have a ticket yet. He said that he thought it shouldn’t be a problem. So I said ‘great, see you later’, or something like that. I have trouble talking to people wearing sunglasses. I like to read people’s eyes.

As soon as I turned around, it hit me. Whoa, both of the guys remembered me from last night! Really?! That is a first…..

Mel and I giddily went back to the car with our loot. I sped her to the airport, and then immediately sped back to the Tenderloin for part 2 of 3 for the evening.

The setlist was something like this:

Beat The Devil’s Tattoo
River Styx
Shuffle Your Feet
666 Conducer
Rifles
The Toll

Mel’s pics from the event can be viewed here.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3590Comments (2)2010-03-12+05%3A30%3A40hardrockchick

BRMC Birthday – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Whigs @ Slim’s, 3/9/10

by hardrockchick [about 6 days, 0 hours ago.]

I inadvertently added 3 hours to one of my least favorite days of the year by flying home from the NYC Alice in Chains show on my birthday.

Then I had to get in a fight with someone. But just when I thought I might star in The Bridge Part 2, Mel arrived, the clouds parted, and the rest of the day ruled.

This would be my second show of the BRMC tour. It was 5:30pm, and doors opened at 7. We weren’t hungry, so we decided to go ahead and go to the venue.

There were only a few people in line, so we knew we’d get to stand exactly where we wanted right away. We’re freezing, standing in line against the wall, but we are smiling because we can hear soundcheck going on inside. A casual version of ‘Love Burns’ pours through the cracks in the doors and into our ears as we shiver. We check into foursquare, and Mel alerts me that I am now the mayor of Slim’s! I find this highly amusing.

The girls in front of us have followed BRMC around on every show of the tour, we overhear. Mel and I exchange knowing glances, as we are having NIN flashbacks. We met standing in line for NIN shows, listening to the girls who followed that band to every single show of the tour. Deja vu.

As the time approached for will call to open, I hopped over to that line. I wanted a printed out ticket with my birthdate on it for this show. I’m waiting in line when the older man behind me strikes up conversation. He’s wearing a Whigs shirt, and apparently is very into the drummer. He doesn’t even know BRMC, so I’m explaining a little to him. I also ask him who his other favorite drummers are, since I’m into drummers myself. He seems to think I probably won’t know any of the names he’ll say. Then he asks about BRMC’s drummer, and I tell him that ’she’s great’. And he goes, ’she?!?!’. And I was like, ‘oh hell no’ and turned around.

We get inside and get to the right spot. We’re so cold we have to stand there trying to defrost before we can even think about drinks. Then I hear a familiar voice behind me, and am surprised to see my friend Laurence wishing me happy b-day.

The Whigs came out promptly at 8pm. I literally have to drop my head back to be able to look at the singer/guitarist- I’m that close underneath him. He’s jumping around doing his altered version of Angus Young’s duck walk, much more so than in Sacramento. It often looks like he’s kicking a cymbal to help out with the drumming. I enjoy the set, it’s just that this time I saw them it confirmed that their music just isn’t ‘me’. Their song ‘Half the World Away’ somehow reminds me of The Beatles’ ‘A Day in the Life’ though, which may be my favorite Beatles song.

Between sets another familiar face pops up- Victoria. The last time the four of us were together was the final NIN show.

Mel and I can’t resist peeking at the setlist when it’s taped down in front of us. At first I think ‘Red Eyes’ is missing, but am glad to see ‘666 Conducer’. Then I realize that ‘Red Eyes’ is just moved up near the beginning.

As the lights dim, Mel and I exchange the glance that’s like, ‘this is gonna be good’.

At the end of the opener, ‘War Machine’, Mel leans over and whispers that this is like that Cantrell solo but for the whole set! We’re literally underneath Peter’s guitar.

‘Red Eyes – Reprise’ takes my breath away. Literally, I have to remember to breathe. I’ve noticed that when a song comes on that I’m in love with, I tend to put my hands in a prayer position at the beginning. Perhaps it’s part bringing myself into focus, and half a response to being close to a Guitar God. Seeing sweat trickle down Peter’s face like a tear was a nice added effect for the song.

(not from this show)

This night was not only my official 30th birthday, but also the release date for Beat the Devil’s Tattoo. At one point, Robert talked about it being special for them to spend this evening in their home town. He also said that they were nervous, because now we’ll know what the songs are supposed to sound like.

I’ve always noted and loved the dynamic between Peter and Robert. This brotherly love was particularly pronounced tonight, probably because of the release date. They smiled at each other a lot, and at one point they were talking about something and there was a little shoulder pat, butt kick exchange. It’s good to see that their bond is still strong after all these years, which bodes promising for their continued collaboration.

I know the new songs better this time, so ‘War Machine’, ‘Mama’, ‘Evol’, ‘Aya’, ‘River Styx’, and ‘Shadow’s Keeper’ are now becoming old friends like the rest of the songs. And after hearing ‘Love Burns’ outside, it was great to hear it inside, all warm.

Watching them do ‘Spread Your Love’ made me have an epiphany about why I love this band so much. They truly split the song, where they trade off on a lot of the other ones. But that’s just it- listening to BRMC is like getting two distinct styles that you love in one band.

I watched Leah drum a lot during this set. She’s so wide eyed and looks like she’s in a trance as she plays, intensely watching the guys. I really admire her.

Toward the end of the setlist, there was a ??? spot. Robert asked for requests, and I said ‘Rifles’ again (as did others), and I’ll be damned, they actually played it!

There was one point where I was watching Peter finish a song, and he crouched down to adjust his pedals while seamlessly pulling a cigarette from the pack of American Spirits in his chest pocket and lit it. He took a drag and played ‘The Toll’ (I think) with the cigarette stuck between string in the frets. I don’t know why I love watching musicians do this- but I think it’s because it feels spontaneous, maybe a little rebellious, and also kind of intimate.

They finished the set strong, with Robert jumping into the crowd and playing his bass in the middle of everyone.

We stayed in our spots trying to get a setlist and guitar pick for Mel, but everything was handed out on the opposite side of the stage. We’re standing there like ‘hey, over here!!!’ to no avail. I turn around and there stands a familiar face- Peter’s guitar tech. Amazingly, he remembered me from Sacramento. No one ever remembers me. He told me to stay put, that Peter somehow missed me last time and he’d be right out. I said, awesome, that’s perfect because today is my birthday. I asked him for a guitar pick for Mel, which he produced from his pocket- it has a red logo instead of the white one I got last time. Then I got really nervous.

I’m kind of awkwardly standing there with Mel when he walks out, but he’s immediately approached by several people. However, he kind of looks over and goes, ‘Happy birthday- I heard through the grapevine’ or something like that. Then I think he said to wait there. I think I almost fainted. I looked at my phone- it was 11:58p. Peter Hayes was the last person to wish me happy birthday. *Dies*.

So we’re kind of awkwardly standing there watching all of these people come up to him, wondering what to do. Finally he walks over and says he’s sorry to have missed me in Sacramento; he heard I had something for him to sign (it was the setlist I was given at the end of the show). I said something like ‘no worries, but I don’t have it with me now’. And he said, ‘what, did you throw it away or something?’ Mel practically shouts, ‘NO!’. She’s just seen my apartment for the first time earlier- every inch of my walls are covered with my posters, setlists, guitar picks and tickets. Then I can’t exactly remember what we were starting to talk about, because we were interrupted…..

Leah walks up with Jello Biafra, who has a bunch of BRMC merch in his hands and proceeds to inundate Peter with questions. ‘Is this the beginning of the tour? Are you guys drinking? There are a lot of lights on the stage.’ Nonstop questions. Peter keeps kind of looking over as Mel and I awkwardly stand there not knowing whether we should leave or not.

New term: Jello-blocked.

After about 10 minutes of awkwardness, I’m like ‘let’s go’. So I start to walk off, and Mel says, ‘don’t you want your picture with him- I’ll just walk over and ask him’. I was like, ‘yes, but but but……’ and before I could catch her she’s over interrupting Jello Biafra. Kind of ironic that it was for a picture with Peter and not the living punk legend…..but that’s how we roll….

I think I’m a bright shade of red at this point when I go stand with him for the picture. Mel goes, ‘on 3: 1…2…click’ and the camera goes off early. He says, ‘on 2…I like it!’ So she snaps another one, this time on 3. I was so flustered I didn’t even offer to take one of her and him…sorry, Mel

I think I said thanks and then he introduced himself. ‘I’m Peter’. Ummm, yeah….I know! So we introduce ourselves and Mel says she’ll be at the Echoplex show down in LA and I say I’ll be at SXSW. I don’t remember what happened after that, just that I walked out the door with a huge grin on my face bopping myself in the head with my poster saying, ‘I’m a dork’.

We giggled about being Jello-blocked all the way back to the car. It was rainy and freezing, but my heart was warm.

I can’t believe how nice Peter was to us. I’d always heard he was kind of standoffish, but he had a great energy about him. Really great.

Looking back over my pics from the night, I thought it was interesting that the ‘film’ I used in the Hipstamatic application has MAR 80 across the bottom, considering I was born in March of 1980.

Maybe my 30s won’t be so bad.

Big thanks to Mel, as well as Laurence, Victoria, Peter, and his awesome guitar tech for making my birthday end on such an amazing note.

No more fear, no more fear I’m in love

Photo courtesy Capital_M

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3577Comments (0)2010-03-12+04%3A05%3A21hardrockchick

Check My Brain – Alice in Chains, Middle Class Rut @ Terminal 5, NYC, 3/8/10

by hardrockchick [about 6 days, 16 hours ago.]

In early December, I sat at my desk at work voraciously clicking refresh.

I had just discovered about 2 hours before that I would have the opportunity to buy VIP tickets to an Alice in Chains show I was planning on going to in NYC as a birthday gift to myself. This VIP ticket would include a meet and greet with the band, thus allowing me to check that off my bucket list on the final eve of my twenties.

You know, I never thought I would be that girl; the girl that cared much at all about turning 30. But, it turns out it’s just something psychologically programmed into your brain. It’s the full scale life eval, and it began over a year ago.

To make a long story short, I spent my twenties in two long term relationships with the two most opposite guys you could dream up. Both ended in me realizing that I didn’t want to settle. It’s scary to wake up one day and you’re 29 and maybe you’ve never really, truly been in love.

So here I am, almost a year later. I’ve focused on my writing, I’ve made some of my music related dreams come true, and I’m on my own really for the first time. But I’m also the most alone and financially precarious that I’ve ever been. I mean, I knew I needed to be single for a while, but almost a year of it and not having even been asked out on one date yet has made me a little insecure. And doing all of these events hoping to grow my site is not a cheap initiative. So as the fingers of depression slowly grab hold of me again, I’m fully realizing exactly why I go to so many shows. It’s the only way I feel love anymore. Live music has become the prostitute for my soul.

I arrived in NYC a couple days before the show to spend some time there, since my last trips for NIN were very rushed. I stayed with my friend Christine, who gave me the NY experience (art + subways + cabs + car services + 4am bars filled with bad music and guys who love to talk about themselves + pizza + sushi + chinese takeout + a couple of tourist photo ops + a night in with the Oscars). But the show on Monday night was my focal point; the final of 3 shows this tour with one of my favorite bands.

In the town car ride on the way over, I’m helping Christine learn the band member’s names and the songs since she’s not very familiar with them- which gave me a bit of deja vu to when I took her to the NIN M&G with me in Camden. It’s kind of a funny feeling to be teaching her the basics when I’ve been obsessed with this band for almost 20 years. In turn, she was telling me how bad Terminal 5 is, which I had kind of heard from others, but was trying to remain positive. As soon as we turned the corner, I could sense the bad energy of the place. There’s no marquee, no box office, not even a sign. It’s a warehouse front next to some car dealerships, and the entrances are concealed behind large industrial garage doors.

We waited outside for a little while, and then we were checked in while in line and given our laminates and posters. We’re let inside and told to line up against a wall. The organizer gives us what he calls the ‘inspirational speech’. The signing part would happen first- you are allowed to have 2 items signed, do not take pictures in the band’s faces, the flu is going around and Jerry is getting over it but Sean is still sick so don’t touch them. The line moves up a bit and we are about in the middle. The tour manager comes out and introduces himself. He walks down the line kind of eyeing everyone and immediately comes up to Christine. “How many shows are you going to?”. She tells him this is my third but this is her only one. So he invites her to come to more since they are in the area all week, and tells her she can ride on the bus! Bold move. My jaw is on the floor at this point. He starts explaining where they would be this week and essentially starts making plans! I’m cracking up at this point, and the guys walk out and sit down at the signing table. The whole thing probably helped me take my mind of the fact that I got really nervous. I let her go first. The order they sat at the table was Jerry, William, Sean, and Mike. When Christine walked up, Jerry was like, “yes, tall girl!”. I walked up after her and had my poster and setlist from the Fillmore show signed. He didn’t say anything to me, so I was like, “so that is from your show at the Fillmore the night your album came out’. And he said, ‘oh’.

And then I did something that I kind of regret. About a week ago, I decided that I would print out two of my pieces- the Fillmore show and the Palladium show, and give it to them. I just thought that it would be the only way that I could share my feelings about them, that those two tend to get a lot of responses from people, so I consider them some of my stronger pieces, and maybe they would be bored on the bus or something and read it. They were in a plain white envelope that was practically bursting at the seams. I set it down between Jerry and William and told them, ‘this is for you to read if you are interested- I’m a writer and this is some stuff I’ve written about some of your shows’. No response. So I just said thanks and moved on to Sean, who said something like, ‘watch out for this one, she’s the quiet one’. I think I nodded my head. Meanwhile, Christine is telling them that the TM has invited her on the bus for the other shows, and Mike gets this horrified look on his face and says, ‘Do we need to have a talk with him? We don’t even ride on the bus!’. Then when I handed him my poster and setlist he asked me where it was from. It was actually the least rushed signing I think I’ve done.

After that, we were re-queued to go back around and take pictures. The TM comes over and hands Christine what at first I thought was a pass, so I practically yelled, ‘hey, where is mine?!’ He handed me one. ‘I thought you were sisters’. Ha. It was his business card.

The TM took the picture. We’re all kind of laughing about ‘the bus joke’ and how we’re going to join the tour. I’m kind of frozen because I ended up standing next to Cantrell. He was smoking a cigarette. He told me to lean in and then he blew smoke on my shoulder. He says something like, ‘do you have a car, a chauffeur’s license, can you drive us?’, and my response was, ’sure, why not.’ Sure, why not.

Weirdest rock star conversation, ever.

All the laughter caused the picture to be blurry. Christine looked at it right away and realized it, and recommended I ask for another one, but we were getting escorted out, and, let’s face it, I’m not good at asking for stuff.

They made us go back outside and wait, which seemed ludicrous because there was enough space to watch us all inside. Plus, we were supposed to have early entry, which we got, but by making us go back outside we had to go behind the people who had the slightly upgraded ticket that just came with early entry. So we watched these really lame guys party in their limo parked out in front, and then go across the street and pee on the wall, where they got busted by plainclothed police officers. The TM actually came outside to talk to Christine again.

I booked it inside and just barely got the right corner of the stage. Christine had disappeared- the TM let her go shopping at the merch booth! Once she got there, I went and checked our coats and got us drinks. Then we waited.

I had only realized that morning that Middle Class Rut were the openers. I saw them a couple years ago- they are a Sacramento band that went to school with a friend of mine. It seemed like an odd fit, but once they started playing they were different than I remembered-really loud rock music, rather than kind of indie punk rock that I thought of last time. They are a two piece- drummer and guitarist. They share vocal duties- the drummer uses this weird headband contraption with a neon yellow ball that rests in his mouth as a mic. He also has ‘For Rent’ painted across his chest as he did last time I saw them. I felt really, really bad for them. The crowd kept yelling for Jerry. ‘Where’s Jerry!?’. They were getting really agitated, ‘Here’s our punk rendition of ‘Down in a Hole’. They played 4 notes and stopped. People continued to scream for Jerry.

I made a rookie mistake and decided I needed to use the restroom between sets, and Christine wanted another drink. I had to stand in line forever at the stupid bar, and then people were trying to block me on my way back in, spilling drinks on me. I barely made it back in time, and I was shaking from having to yell at people to please let me through.

So much for getting treated like a princess for my birthday!

At least the music started soon. The band was great, as usual, but I could tell immediately that the smaller stage and weird vibe of the venue and crowd was going to make this show less special than the Palladium. They didn’t even have the same visual setup- all of the live video feeds of the band were fed into a screen along the back rather than curtains all around the stage.

During ‘All Secrets Known’, I felt the first of what would be many beer spills on me from the two upper levels.

For me, this set was about holding up a mirror to myself…and I hate looking into the mirror. All these songs have a lot of negative moments in my life attached to them, and on this night, instead of it feeling like an exorcism of these bad things like it usually is, it was more like I relived them.

Have I been going down the wrong path? In doing what I thought was following my heart really an irresponsible, selfish maneuver that is going to leave me alone with my cat for the rest of my life? Is my new ’seize the day’ attitude going to leave me broke and jobless?

Time to change has come and gone
Watched your fears become your God

It’s your decision

Overwhelmed, you chose to run
Apathetic to the stunned

It’s your decision

You feed the fire that burned us all
When you lied
To feel the pain that spurs you on
Black inside

Shit!

After ‘Your Decision’, William said, ‘enough of this kumbaya shit, let’s get back to the heavy stuff’.

Christine was standing next to me in Lolita heart-shaped glasses, life of the party as usual, which is why she’s my date. I’m giving her my commentary song by song: ‘Check My Brain’ is new and GRAMMY nominated and kicks ass. ‘Nutshell’ is a beauty. ‘Acid Bubble’ is my favorite new song. Meanwhile, she’s having Sean pointing at her between songs and Jerry looking down at her and jerking his head back and smiling in surprise of those glasses. It felt kind of like a middle school love triangle- the band I love are actually interested in my friend and don’t know I exist! I’m jealous, but used to be invisible. It’s my superpower.

Another thing I really didn’t like about this venue is that there was a giant clock in my sight line. So after every song I could essentially see the time ticking down on the set, and on the final night of my twenties, to the 11pm curfew that was plastered everywhere on the excessive signage in the place.

When it came time for ‘Love, Hate, Love’, William came over and sang my favorite verse close to where I was, but Jerry stayed on the other side of the stage for the epic solo at the end.

Lost inside my sick head
I live for you but I’m not alive
Take my hand before I kill
I still love you, but, I still burn

When the song was over, I lost control. Tears started pouring out, and they wouldn’t stop. I didn’t like the way I was feeling, but I couldn’t deny myself the emotions. That song is a giant reminder that any time I open myself up to anything, I get hurt…which is why I don’t generally do it. As a result, here I am alone, and no one knows the real me anymore. I don’t even think I do. Is the person I write about on here the real me? Or is it the one that goes to work at my 9-6 job every day? Or is it the one that watches Netflix on my couch until 4 in the morning? I don’t know. All I do know is that my emotions weigh more than my body, and I can feel them screaming for the exit.

The show ended with the usual songs, where the crowd seemed to actually get slightly rough for the first time and a couple of crowd surfers popped up. At the very end, Sean trotted over and handed Christine a stick. She was very kind and tried to give me the stick and the shirt the TM gave her, but I couldn’t accept them. I wanted the story to read, ‘this time, I got Sean’s stick‘. Maybe next time….

We each got a couple guitar picks, and obviously I’m crazy, but I’m pretty sure one of them says Mike Starr on the back. Now that is fucking hilarious.

Afterward, I kind of wandered around in a haze. Christine thought it would be a good idea to take me to Sbarro and take a picture in Times Square to end my trip (and probably try to snap me out of my mood). It’s weird to be in such a lively, bright, energetic center of the world type place when you feel so empty inside.

When I got home the next day, My AiC Fillmore poster had fallen off the wall and the frame was cracked on the corner.

Some excellent photos from the show.

Setlist
All Secrets Known
It Ain’t Like That
Again
Check My Brain
Them Bones
Dam That River
Rain When I Die
Your Decision
Got Me Wrong
We Die Young
Last of My Kind
Sickman
Nutshell
Lesson Learned
Acid Bubble
Love, Hate, Love
Would?

No Excuses
Man in the Box
Rooster

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3575Comments (2)2010-03-11+12%3A00%3A15hardrockchick

HRC’s Top Comfort Tunes

by hardrockchick [about 12 days ago.]

Most of the music I listen to would not be deemed as comforting.

Sometimes life just gets to me. I get annoyed with everything, and that includes my usual music.

Like a warm blanket, these are the songs that I turn to when nothing else works. They’re like old friends that I don’t see very often, but when I do, we pick back up right where we left off. They’re one off songs from bands I generally don’t like but for some reason this particular song stuck. They’re sappy and hippie and usually not me…..but I love them.

The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

And you said, “This is the first day of my life.
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you.
But, now I don’t care, I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy.”

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear

Crawl like ivy up my spine
Through my nerves and into my eyes
Cuts like anguish
Or recollections of better days gone by

Alone, with too much generosity
A theatre mask of hostility attracts
Assaults occur, infrequently
And those who come, to conquer?

Someone told me long ago
There’s a calm before the storm
I know it’s been coming for some time

And I’ve written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones

And if you don’t love me let me go

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
you had a busy day today

When I’m sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
Its alright she says its alright
Take anything you want from me, anything
Anything.

Thinking how it used to be,
Does she still remember times like these?
To think of us again?
And I do.

I know a place where I can go when I’m alone
Into your arms whoa into your arms I can go
I know a place that’s safe and warm from the crowd
Into your arms whoa into your arms I can go
And if I should fall
I know I won’t be alone
Be alone anymore

Nobody shall sleep!…
Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know…
No!…No!…
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!…
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

There’s a club, if you’d like to go
You could meet someone who really loves you
So you go, and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home
And you cry
And you want to die

When you say it’s gonna happen now,
Well, when exactly do you mean?
See I’ve already waited too long
And all my hope is gone

I jumped in the river and what did I see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me
A moon full of stars and astral cards
And All the figures I used to see
All my lovers were there with me
All my past and futures
And we all went to heaven in a little row boat
There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt

My friends are so depressed
I feel the question of your loneliness
Confide…’cause I’ll be on your side
You know I will, you know I will

I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie
I have my freedom, but I don’t have much time
Faith has been broken, tears must be cried
Let’s do some living after love dies
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them some day

Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue

And when I tried it
I could see you fall
And I decided
It’s not a trip at all

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams
They aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That’s never free

Genre(s): Lists

3561Comments (2)HRC%27s+Top+Comfort+Tunes2010-03-05+08%3A30%3A25hardrockchick

$8 Made Them Holler: Cannabis Corpse, Stormcrow, Voetsek, Wasteoid, Sorrower @ Thee Parkside, 2/28/10

by hardrockchick [about 16 days ago.]

$8. 5 bands. 4.5 hours.

That’s $1.60 per band. Or $1.78 per hour.

Thee Parkside might be SF’s premier dive venue that generally makes me want to take a shower as soon as I arrive and I would never ever under any circumstances ever use the restroom there, but that is cheap. And I just received an email this morning stating that the venue is the latest target for The Man- they want to ban smoking on the back patio. My point is, $8 is a small price to pay to support live music.

Shortly after arriving, Sorrower took the tiny stage. The band is a new addition to the burgeoning Phoenix death metal scene. I thought they sounded ok, especially now that I’m seeing they are a brand new band, but the songs kind of blended. Until they got to the last one, which I think was ‘We’ve Left Scars’. That was a stand out.

Wasteoid is a two piece- drummer and bassist- from Nebraska. They carefully duct taped a banner behind them….which may be the first time I’ve seen any band do that at this venue. It fell by the end of the set. They began their set by announcing it was the drummer’s birthday, and no cell phones were permitted, except for sexting. Many of their songs begin with samples from movies I’m guessing…and then they pummel through them as fast as they can- some lasting as little as 15 seconds. It’s the kind of stuff that could only come from meth infected Middle America. While I’m a faster is not always better kind of girl, they seemed to have quite a few fans.

There was this one kid who was just going insane through all of the sets. It was like every band made him have an epileptic fit. Good thing there were no strobe lights.

Voetsek is local, and they are fronted by the hilarious Ami LawLess. Her delivery of introductions to songs had perfect comedic timing. ‘This is a song about drinking vodka’……’this is about how sexy Lemmy is’. They also have a female bassist. Their sound is more punk leaning than the other bands on the bill, but Ami’s screams kept up with the rest of them. Their last song was announced as a cover of Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’…”go home and google that shit!” At the end, she asked the crowd to squeeze together for a picture.

Last time I saw Oakland’s Stormcrow they really didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I liked them better this time- I think the vocalist’s singing style just took me a second viewing to get used to. They took forever to set up, but this was probably because fitting all of them on that tiny stage was a challenge. Perhaps it was the way the sound felt in this smaller venue, but their doom tendencies were a welcome change to my ears in comparison to the other bands. The crowd was going so crazy during this set that security actually had to intervene.

Cannabis Corpse are pretty much exactly what you’d expect. Four dudes who look like they smoke a lot of weed and drink a lot of beer and sound a lot like Cannibal Corpse. However, the lead singer talks quite a bit between songs, and he sounds like he’s straight from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. “Hey, dudes…” That was not what I was expecting, but on second thought, it kind of fits. This band proves that with death metal, it pretty much doesn’t matter what you are saying in your songs because no one can understand it anyway. So they may be going on about bong water, but I’m imagining it’s a cover of ‘Hammer Smashed Face’. Speaking of, this girl was elaborately headbanging near me and clocked a girl in the face with her head at one point. Ouch! Then some guy decided to go crowdsurfing, which is incredibly ridiculous in this venue. Security just kind of walked over for support and to make sure he didn’t rip a light off the ceiling. I was kind of surprised they didn’t light up on stage…I’ve seen many other bands do this….they didn’t even have a pot flag or anything! Oh well. I ducked out a few songs early so maybe I missed a big finale….

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3555Comments (0)2010-03-01+21%3A51%3A21hardrockchick

Petaluma School of Music: Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Ashtray, & Cormorant @ The Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, 2/27/10

by hardrockchick [about 17 days ago.]

I parked my car in front of a grocery store down the street from the venue. As I walked by, I saw a bunch of young high school kids skateboarding in the parking lot, and some about to get into a fight. Ah, the disillusioned youth of small town America. It reminded me of the tiny town where I went to high school; but where my town had Luckenbach bringing country stars to the area, this place has the legendary Phoenix Theater. Bradley Nowell, lead singer for Sublime, OD’ed after playing a show here. Local legends like Metallica, Green Day, and AFI have played it as well. It was almost poetic for me to finally see Jello Biafra perform in such a venue.

As I waited in line at will call, two very young girls in front of me can’t even stand still they are so excited. They turn around and ask me, “What happens if you don’t have a ticket? Like, we just have money?!” I feel bad because I laughed. But I let them know that you could probably buy a ticket at the will call counter.

I walked in and was immediately sent into shock by the uniqueness of this place. I ran into Arthur- lead singer/bassist for Cormorant- right away, who let me know that they’d be on in about 10 minutes. That’s good timing on my part! I walked past the graffiti covered walls and sporadically placed couches and chairs to the main part of the floor. There’s a half pipe on the walls perpendicular to the stage! And it’s not a design technique- Arthur tells me that kids were actually skating on it just before I got there. And people sit at the top during the shows. I’d never seen that before!

I was very interested to see how the crowd would react to Cormorant’s set, considering the other two bands are punk. I mean, Cormorant isn’t just metal, it’s death metal. As they began, the first growl that escaped from Arthur was almost hesitant, and it felt jarring filling the cavernous space of the venue. But after that, the crowd drew closer, the sound settled into the space, and the Phoenix was rattled by the complex, esoteric brand of metal that Cormorant served up. Arthur took a moment to address the crowd regarding their fit with the otherwise punk bill- pointing out that Jello is into metal, citing his involvement with Ludicra, Neurosis, and The Melvins. Arthur is kind of like a wikipedia for metal – read my interview with him here. Their set showcased their variety- from harder hitting death metal, to folk metal, to instrumental prog metal. I was standing in front of guitarist Matt Solis, so I was totally geeking out on his work. I tried to film my favorite song of theirs – Trojan Horses- but the mosh pit started at that exact moment and my Flip camera failed me at the end…but you can get a taste for them:

Afterwards, I was chatting with Arthur and he told me about their plans to release some of their ‘jam sessions’ routinely through the website they are working on, and they plan to have their next album out by the end of the year. They also have a couple of shows coming up at Thee Parkside and The Vine in Santa Rosa.

The lighting in this place is really weird, thus, low-fi iPhone pics are even more lo-fi…

It was really, really jarring to go from history and philosophy filled lyrics to Ashtray. The set began with the statement “This is a song about drinking Robitussin for fun!”…which went into one about running out of beer or something. Vocal duties are shared by a male and a female- who’s Betty Boop singing voice was something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced live before. But after a few songs I eased into it. Then they got me with their song, ‘Back in the Day’. “This is a song about all of those people who try to tell you things were better back in the day”…to which someone in the audience yelled, “they were!!!”. But, in all seriousness, I so share the feeling that went into writing this song. I feel like every single fucking day I get an email or someone tells me about how things were soooo much better back when such and such happened, or how they saw so and so before they were famous, and how today is just lame. Well you know what? Good for you, but please stop showing off. I know I missed out on a lot, but I’m trying to make up for it now. Between songs, the female singer told everyone to come forward and fill in the space in front of the stage, to which the guy goes, ‘aww, don’t do that, I hate when bands do that!’, and she goes, ‘thanks for belittling me on stage’, and he goes, ‘wow, we really are a married couple, aren’t we’. HAHAHA! Classic. The rest of the set I spent watching the ridiculous hardcore dancers…damn, you Flip camera! Why did you have to quit on me? Well, I guess this video kinda shows you what I was dying laughing at:

Their Operation Ivy cover really got the crowd going. At one point, this really, really drunk guy flopped on the floor and used his feet to spin himself around, in a failed breakdance move. I was beginning to think someone had slipped acid to me, or them. Hmmm….

I could just feel the unruliness level surge in the room as Jello’s band walked out on stage, so I moved out of the way and to the corner, behind the stairs to the stage. Yes- stairs- right there. There should be a sign- ‘use these to jump onstage and crowd surf’. I saw this older woman walk up to the stage, and I did a double take as she had what looked like blood on her face and hands and was holding a red cup. I was like, ‘WTF?’ and then security got her and took her backstage. And then out runs Jello in a doctor’s coat covered in ‘blood’ with blood on his hands.

While this would be my first time seeing Jello do a full set, I’ve seen him as a special guest with Tool and Fucked Up. But I’ve stood in a crowd with him countless times over the years- at Mayhem last year he practically stood on top of me with two drinks in his hands. Last I saw him, I was walking backstage at Motorhead behind him and his lady. We were both wearing cowboy boots. Mine > his.

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine is about 70% music, 30% political rally. Jello is the protest leader, educating us on all things fucked up with the government, calling out all of the enemies, and at the same time schooling many vocalists half his age with his energy. He’s all over the place, the poor mic tech scrambling the whole time to keep up with him. He’s crowd surfing during ‘California Uber Alles’ and ‘Holiday in Cambodia’, he’s baptizing the crowd with water, he’s screaming introductions to every song- ‘this is from the Seattle protests’, ‘this is for Gavin Newsom’, ‘this is about Barack Star and his new feudalism’.

The crowd was going mad. I was standing behind this young punk couple; the girl was standing on the stairs and the guy was sitting on the stage. There are no rules here. Intermittently throughout the set, he would run off into the mosh pit and then come back. Once he stood up and ran onto the main part of the stage and dove off. Then she did the same. Each time they would come back and kiss and hug. Seriously.

The band sounded great- they come from a smattering of other bands (I believe the bassist is from Hammers of Misfortune). But the focus is obviously on Jello, who is just one of most physical performers I’ve ever seen. He’s making all of these hand gestures, mimicking things that have to do with the songs, like typing during ‘Electronic Plantation’. I was drawing a lot of similarities between him and Iggy Pop, whose ‘The Idiot’ I’ve been listening to a lot lately.

There were two encores, each getting more and more chaotic.

You can catch Jello and the GSM at Bottom of the Hill on Wednesday, and then on the East Coast towards the end of March.

It was a truly unique evening. I think I’ll keep my eye on the calendar for this venue, as it was well worth the road trip.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

3550Comments (0)2010-03-01+00%3A18%3A36hardrockchick

The Men in Black: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Harlow’s, Sacramento, 2/26/10

by hardrockchick [about 18 days ago.]

On what would have been Johnny Cash’s 78th birthday, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club kicked off their tour in Sacramento, sharing new songs from their upcoming album Beat the Devil’s Tattoo for the first time.

Last time I saw BRMC was their two night acoustic/electric stint at Great American Music Hall. It was a magical couple of nights, and I’d been anxiously awaiting this new album and tour for a year and a half.

The weather was supposed to be really bad for my drive to Sacramento, but it miraculously cleared up in time for me to make the 1.5 hour trek. I picked up my sidekick for the evening, Floraisadora, who I know through our shared NIN fandom. We arrived at Harlow’s, which was not at all what I would expect for a venue for this band. It’s kind of a swanky bar with a tier of booths in the back. But the stage is small and curved, and there’s a perfect spot on the right side that we gladly claimed.

The crowd slowly grew as we waited for the opener, but in chatting with people around us it seemed like a lot of them don’t really know the band. The place might have held 300 people by the time The Whigs hit the stage.

I didn’t have a chance to listen to The Whigs beforehand, and their opening statement that they are from Athens, GA concerned me. I have historically not liked bands out of the Athens scene- they tend to be a bit too indie rock for my tastes. However, The Whigs’ sound is psychedelic tinged enough to capture my interest for their set. Lead singer, Parker Gispert, wears his guitar very high up on his body. We nicknamed the bassist, Tim Deaux, ‘Hot Jesus’. I thought they were a good warm up for BRMC- but part of my attention was focused on Peter Hayes standing off to the side, tweaking the guitars and the setlist up until the very last minute.

I was excited to find out that this would be Floraisadora’s first BRMC show- it’s great to know when someone truly loves a band, and is seeing them for the first time and I KNOW they aren’t going to disappoint her.

BRMC’s music fills a void for me that no other band is really able to touch. It’s true rock ‘n roll that’s dark, sexy, romantic, and psychedelic. It possesses haunting gospel qualities which always takes me back to my Southern roots. The band has a certain mystique and they do their own thing, which has included releasing albums that have alienated some of their core fanbase (Howl, The Effects of 333). There’s been some skepticism regarding the new album and what direction it would take, and I had avoided listening to it so that I could hear the new tracks live for the first time. I love being able to do that, and I’m so glad I was able to do so with this band.

This is probably going to sound weird (well, maybe not, coming from me), but the number 333 has been appearing all over the place for me. Like when you look at the clock, and it’s 3:33. I know other people have this, too- in my teens my number was 23, then it became 666, and now it seems to have changed. I thought it was symbolic considering the last album title and took it as meaning I was going to have a really good show.

We spied the setlist and couldn’t resist analyzing it. Several scratched out songs confirmed my suspicion that Hayes was altering the setlist until the last minute. We could also see that it was very heavy on the new songs, and, as Floraisadora pointed out, contained ‘Red Eyes and Tears’, which she knew was my most listened to BRMC song thanks to Last.fm.

The stage dimmed and became veiled in fog. As soon as the band positioned themselves on stage, they started with the new track, ‘War Machine’. It was so loud I thought perhaps my earplugs weren’t in properly, but they were. Immediately I was reminded of how great this band is to watch; Robert and Peter are both such emotional performers, and the way that they trade off on every aspect of the music makes for a lot of variety. And I would be remiss not to mention Leah, the new-ish drummer, who is an intense, focused performer. I feel bad dismissing her from this piece’s title…but….you know.

I love watching Hayes play the guitar. He truly treats it like his partner, and as I stated in my review before, he almost dances with it. This time I was able to see how he works all of the pedals and switches, which I find immensely interesting even though I don’t understand it. Floraisadora and I watched the Ground Control panel of switches, which had a screen of text as he would switch things up, indicating what song was coming.

The first three songs were new- and they sounded really good- but I was ready for it when they played ‘White Palms’. Then, I had forgotten how good ‘Shade of Blue’ is. ‘The Line’ is so beautiful- Robert is such a great singer to watch. You can just see the vocals emerging from him, and it reminds me that the voice truly is an instrument.

‘Aya’ was the first new song that I truly fell in love with. Slow and piercing, it is distinctly BRMC.

Then I remembered that I brought my Flip camera. The first song I recorded was the foot stomper, ‘Ain’t No Easy Way’.

Robert talked a little bit to the crowd, thanking people for coming out and saying that it’s been a long time. He also mentioned that this was the first time they were playing the new songs in front of strangers, reminding me exactly why I made the trek out there. It was a special night for us all.

At one point, Hayes lit a cigarette and crouched down to take a few drags before resuming playing. Yes, it’s a classic rock star move, and I love it.

At this point, Floraisadora turned to me and said, ‘we still have 9 more songs!’

Robert asked us what we’d like to hear. My choice was ‘Rifles’, but we got ‘Sympathetic Noose’. During these quieter songs, the chatting crowd was ridiculously loud. Next was ‘The Toll’, which I recorded again (quieter songs are easier on the camera).

And then I was able to capture a new song, ‘River Styx’:

It would be ‘Evol’ that instantly became my favorite new track, more for the lyrics than anything. “I wanna feel love again” pretty much sums up my life right now. It gave me goosebumps.

I knew ‘Red Eyes and Tears’ was coming, and I tensed up in anticipation. This song is so amazing live, particularly the rendition they did this evening. I really wish I had recorded it, but I can never do that with the songs I love. They did something to the ending that just took it to another level.

No more fear, no more fear I’m in love
Losing sensation for you my love I fear
Losing sensation for you my love I fear
No more fear, no more fear I’m in love

The set was almost 2.5 hours, and it still left me wanting more. We patiently waited to ask for setlists at the end, and Floraisadora graciously assisted me in getting a crew member to give me the one we’d been staring at, only to have someone take the other one we were trying to get for her. Then someone else handed us guitar picks. We were standing there looking at Floraisadora’s camera (she took 1000 pics- I’ll post some here soon), when Hayes’ guitar tech came over to me and asked if I’d like to have Peter sign my setlist. I was like…ummm…yessss, please! So he told us to wait there. I’m thinking that this is really funny, because obviously he saw me, mouth agape, the whole set in front of him, otherwise why would he have not said Robert? Mildly embarrassing. Anyway, we waited around but apparently he slipped by us and I was not going to go bug him outside while he was smoking a cigarette.

It was 2am by the time we left Harlow’s. After dropping Floraisadora at home, I sped back to San Francisco, arriving at my apartment at exactly 3:33 am.

I will be catching the record release show at Slim’s on March 9th, which just happens to be kind of a momentous day for me as well.

Visit Florisadora’s blog for amazing pictures of the evening.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

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