I meant to write this stuff in with the last post, but seeing as how I forgot and I think it can stand on its own, here it is.
Things I like about the Che Cafe:
1) Cheap, intimate, independent venue (okay that’s really three things lumped into one)
2) Decent sound system
3) Decent lighting – amazing how with only three lights over the stage they manage to be brighter than the Casbah. Probably due to the brightly painted walls.
4) It’s a short walk from the on-campus pub, which is a short walk from the lab I work in.
Things I don’t like about the Che Cafe:
1) More scenester-y than the Casbah. Seriously, folks, crossed arms is like soooo 90’s.
2) I really wanted a beer the whole show.
3) The fact that I can see my lab from right outside. Convenient for a weeknight, but it would probably take a lot to get me up there on a weekend.
Warning – this post will have a lot of photos. That’s what happens when you have a lineup of four bands…
Photoset here.
By last Friday I was pretty much dead to the world. That night was my fourth show in six days, and my two “off nights” involved hanging out with friends and not exactly relaxing. Combine that with work days topping out at over 10 hours each day, and you get a recipe for antisocial Natalie. But since the Che Cafe is on campus anyway, it was the easiest choice for a Friday night that didn’t involve just going home and passing out.
So I walked the 100 or so yards to Porter’s Pub, had a few beers and hung out to kill some time (thanks Tim for the heads up that even if a show was listed at 7:30, it probably wouldn’t be starting until closer to 10). We still ended up there early (showed up around 8:45 or so), and because I had only been to the Che Cafe once before, we managed to walk in the wrong door, and thus bypass the line. Oops. No matter because we were on the list anyway. I ended up chatting with Charles “I don’t spit on people” Rowland of The Vultures (and also bassist of The Prayers) and Brandon Welchez of The Prayers until showtime.
Silverbird was up first, and they were pretty good. A little twangy, with some slide guitar and keys in the mix. It seemed like the drummer and keyboardist may have had some jazzy background, because before their set started, they were playing a little jazz riff for sound check. I also kind of picked up on some jazz tendencies in a few of the keyboard solos. But other than that, the band was straight alt-country – think the Old 97’s. They were pretty solid too, although the beginnings and endings of their songs were a little rough. Maybe they just need to play more live shows?
Next up was Swim Party, who brought their own lighting setup with them. Neat! I had heard a lot about them previously, but never actually got the chance to see them live. I was definitely glad I caught them. Now I believe all the hype surrounding them – they played a really great set and had really good energy. Bassist Alex also had a pretty inventive way of playing his bass guitar – sometimes strumming, sometimes hammering down on strings as opposed to just picking them.
Following Swim Party was The Vision of a Dying World. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from their name, but they had the harmonies of folk music, the drumbeat of fast-paced country rock, and the attitude of punks. And did I mention that Jackson was wearing a black wifebeater? HOT!
Finally, the reason for the evening – The Prayers, who were celebrating their EP release, finished off the evening with an incredible set. Frontman Brandon Welchez definitely has “it” – that charisma that grabs the crowd’s attention and keeps it on his band for the entirety of the show. I can definitely see these kids going places, with their Brit-rock influences and haircuts. It was also cool to see Charles of The Vultures onstage with them, playing bass and putting on a completely different persona from the one he uses in The Vultures. Arrogant punk rock frontman to shadow-swathed bassist with mystique in 3 days. At any rate, the kids stuck around until the end of the show, and the ones up front were definitely getting into the show. I can’t wait to see these guys play agian, although they don’t have any San Diego dates listed on their Myspace page currently…
P.S. Favorite Prayers’ lyric right now, from “Loose Lips” – “I hear some people/talking about me/They got tongues like razor blades/They don’t think twice/About fucking up your life.” Word.
How is it that I always manage to walk out of these gigs without picking up CDs? Idiot! At any rate, after the show it was back to lab to pick up my stuff (I’m worthless without my laptop), then home to crash. For two days straight. You heard me. Didn’t go out Saturday or Sunday, due to trying to get things done around the house. As a result, I now have a working darkroom in my house and I even managed to develop 3 rolls of film and scan most of it into my computer. I’ll try and post some of those in a little while, but for now it’s back to the day job and stuff.
My ticket karma has officially run out.
I had a feeling that it was running pretty low on Sunday, when Joe and I must have managed to get two of the last remaining tickets for the Pipettes show.
So as I was surfing the web yesterday, reading show reviews for Menomena, I couldn’t help but notice that every single review mentioned 1) how hot the venue was, because 2) the show was sold out and the room was packed. As waves of paranoia hit me, I went online and purchased a ticket for the show in advance. No way was I missing this one.
But at the same time, I felt a little silly for thinking the show would sell out. In San Diego. So I didn’t mention anything to Joe, who was on the fence about going anyway.
After leaving work at 8 PM (11.5 hour workday – awesome!), a quick shower, and a bite to eat, we headed down to the show, even joking about what would happen if we got there and it was sold out. Would I drive Joe back home? Would he take a cab? Would I give him my car keys and find my own way home? As we get to the door, we were behind two guys who were trying to get a refund for a friend’s ticket. The bouncer wouldn’t buy it back, though, and suggested that he try to sell the ticket at the door. Just as I asked the bouncer if the show was sold out (to which he replied affirmatively), the guy in front of us turned around and asked if we needed a ticket. “Actually, yes.” Phew. That was a close one. I better play it safe from now on.
Anyways, in all the confusion and lateness of the evening, we managed to walk into the Casbah during what must have been All Smiles’ last song. We missed that one entirely as we made our way to the back bar. Drinks in hand, we scouted out a spot up front while the band was setting up. And oh boy, we were in for a treat.
Menomena is a difficult band to describe, as I’ve already noted in a previous post. There is no genre that can contain their musical antics. If forced to pigeonhole them, I’d probably go with experimental jazz, not in sound, but in philosophy and spirit. Take a bunch of truly talented multi-instrumentalists, a blazing-hot drummer with schizophrenic limbs, and then let them do whatever the hell they think they can get away with.
And oh god, does it work. They all sing, they all play multiple instruments, they all pour everything they’ve got into their live show. Even though it’s impossible to replicate all the instrumentation on their albums during a live show (without adding a significant number of band members, that is), I didn’t have any problem with how the songs came across.
Their setlist consisted of a pretty equal mix of songs off of Friend and Foe and I Am the Fun Blame Monster. The crowd was really into them too, although that was apparent more through vocal enthusiasm than physical movement, this being the Casbah and all.
An interesting thing to note is that they bring their own sound guy along on tour. I guess with so many instruments and mics on stage, it’s almost necessary. I’m kind of glad too, since the Swedish Models were complaining that their sound wasn’t mixed right on Tuesday night, and Menomena has more stuff going on during the show than the Models do.
After they left the stage, a James Brown song came on, but no one left because the house lights never came up. I don’t think the band had planned on doing an encore, because even after they came back in, they stood deliberating about what to do. They also had to track down their keyboardist, who, according to himself, “sold two t-shirts while you guys were messing around,” to which the lead singer remarked, “He probably even got a blow-job while he was at it. He’s a fantastic multi-tasker, you know.” To be in that band, you really do have to be good at multi-tasking. Even when blow-jobs aren’t involved.
They ended up playing a two song encore. Both songs must have been older, because I didn’t recognize either one, although the last one managed to start off jazzy and melt fantastically into a noise/metal rock out. All in all, it was a great time and I was glad I pushed my tired ass (and Joe’s as well) out the door and to the show. Make sure to catch them next time around, and if they’re playing the Casbah, get your tickets in advance.
Here’s the setlist, which I managed to snag before a bunch of people came looking for it:
Decoded:
Ghostship
Twenty Cell Revolt
Weird
Strongest Man in the World
The Pelican
My My
Wet & Rusting
Muscle ‘n Flo
E. is Stable
The Late Great Libido
Rotten Hell
Trigga Hiccups
Evil Bee
Anyone else think the keyboardist sounds like Britt Daniel of Spoon on Evil Bee? Or that the keyboard line and chorus of “Rotten Hell” sounds like the “Welcome Christmas” song from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? Damn my associative memory!
The rest of the photoset is here. I think I finally managed to figure out how to use flash in the Casbah – don’t use much, aim it slightly higher than the performer, and diffuse it a bit. I was happy with how it worked out in these shots, and the fact that it let me shoot at 400 ISO. They look so much prettier that way.
This is where I’ll be tonight, the lack of list love notwithstanding.
Eclectic friend Jason introduced me to Menomena a few months back, by saying that their newest album, Friend and Foe, was “just perfect.” While I don’t agree with Jason on everything music-related, I do so wholeheartedly in this case.
Another friend asked me to describe them earlier this week. Wincing at the use of the word, I said “eclectic,” to which he replied, “When I hear that, I think of Architecture in Helsinki.” My response? “Yeah, like that, but a little more…digestible.” And that’s really the best that I can come up with to describe this band. Their songs are full of stops, starts, and stutters, abrupt rhythm changes, and multitudes of unusual instruments. All of which made for an excellent album, and a great live show, I suspect. In fact, check out two recent show reviews here and here. And Menomena’s Myspace page.
Opening band All Smiles consists of Jim Fairchild, who used to play guitar in Grandaddy. From the few songs I’ve listened to, it sounds like good solid indie rock with an alt-country twang to it. I’m pretty damn excited for this lineup, and you should be too.
For those of you not in the know yet, San Diego’s local music scene has got it goin’ on. And last night only served to reinforce that belief.
All three bands playing at the Casbah last night were local. And all were pretty freaking good. And, perhaps more importantly for a local scene, they were diverse.
The Swedish Models, playing only their second show as a band (although all the members are veterans of the local scene), put together an impressive set. Most of the members jumped around on various instruments between and sometimes even in the midst of songs. With two drum kits and a host of other instruments, it was surprising to me that the stage could contain their antics, but it did well enough. Although Dusty did mention later in the evening that every time he went back to his drum kit, “something was fucked up.” Didn’t seem to hurt them any though. I was getting a sort of twangy, almost alt-country vibe from them, which is pretty much always good in my book. Keep your ears open for these kids, and make sure to catch them next time they play around town.
Next up was The Vultures, who quickly switched the musical genre to more punk-ish fare. It was an intense set, with the lead singer swaggering around and even spitting on the stage. He also kicked my jacket off the stage at one point after I had set it down to root around in my camera bag. He did make a point to apologize to me for it later that night – no harm, no foul. Hey, if it helps the stage show, go for it.
The last band of the evening, The Muslims, was the only band that I had seen previously (at a San Diego House Party). This time around I did catch a little more of the Velvet Underground vibe, but maybe that’s becuase I’ve been listening to Loaded a lot this week. At any rate, sure there are comparisons, but The Muslims have there own brand of sound. And it’s good. Bouncy, jump around good. Their sets are full of energy, and it’s always a pleasure to see them play.
The rest of the photos are up here.
There were a lot of high profile names in the local scene at the show last night, so I stuck around for awhile afterwards to catch up with some people and meet some new ones. A decision which I should be regretting right now, with only four hours of sleep under my belt, but I’m not. It was a damn fine evening, and a damn fine show that I was happy to be a part of.
On another note, I appreciate that the Casbah is trying to be a little more creative with their lighting, but to be able to do that, I honestly think they need to put some more in. Ideally, what I’d like to see is another row of track lighting about halfway back on the stage. Install that, put about 7 or 8 lights on it, and position a few (maybe 2 or 3) on the drummer, and the rest on the forefront of the stage. That way I might actually be able to get photos of performers’ faces, instead of how it is now, with most of the light falling on their midsections. But you know, that’s ideally. Right now I’m just happy that they fixed those two lights and put something other than red filters on them.
Local bands The Muslims, The Vultures, and the Swedish Models are playing at the Casbah tonight. I’ll be there, so come say hi. AND it just happens to be my friend Kelly’s birthday, so buy her a drink or a shot while you’re at it.
I’ll be snapping photos as usual and enjoying the smooth sounds of the local underground. Dammit that sounds like a tagline for a radio show. Maybe I unintentionally lifted it from somewhere?
It’s one of those days where work is going slowly and my brain is going warp speed. I get all antsy and have to occupy my brain with word games. Sometimes I just wish I could turn it off…
Also, half of my chemicals for developing black and white film arrived today and are presumably waiting on my doorstep for me to get home. The other half should get here tomorrow – which is great because I’m planning on finishing up a roll of film at the Casbah show tonight. I just hope I don’t muck it all up developing it – it’s been awhile.
I’m always the slow one in reporting on shows. Partly because I have to actually write the review, which takes time, and I don’t have as much of it at work as I used to because the science is taking off lately. But also because I have to process my images. I don’t edit them too much – no cropping, usually as a rule, just slight color adjustments and exposure compensation-type things. But it takes time. Oh, and also going through the photos and pulling out the small percentage that portray what I want them to. Lately I’ve been getting more and more stringent with what I post to Flickr. I like to think that this means I’m developing my own sense of style. Or something.
Anyway. I skipped out on the Independence Jam on Sunday for a variety of reasons. I was unable to wrangle a photo pass, and using a point-and-shoot just isn’t worth it for me anymore (unless I’m drunk and paranoid about wrecking an expensive camera). Also, paying $40 for a show in which I’ve seen all 3 headliners before wasn’t worth it either. Spoon I saw at Street Scene a little while back. I like their recorded stuff, but live they didn’t really do anything for me. Same goes for Interpol when I saw them at Soma about two and a half years ago. Meh. And Kings of Leon? I still hold a grudge against them for what they subjected my ears to when they opened for Ben Kweller back in 2003 or 2004. Have not listened to an album or gone to a show of theirs since out of protest. Stubborn? Just a tad.
Wow, can you say digression? After not making it to the Independence Jam, I did manage to get myself to the Casbah for the official afterparty. Missed Monster Bobby completely. We must have gotten some of the last tickets to the show (no list love this time) when we arrived at about 9:45. The place was a little more crowded than I had imagined, and it filled in quickly. I had no idea so many people would be rallying after being at the Independence Jam all day.
Smoosh took the stage shortly after we arrived, and I positioned myself nicely at the front left of the stage. I love, love, LOVED that they had the drum kit front and center. Drummers are usually the more interesting musicians to photograph, and this girl was no exception. It was great to see her big-ass grin everytime she got to beat the shit out of the drumkit.
The girl on keys was a little more reserved, but still looked like she was having a great time.
Which anyone would, if they were in their teens and making tons of new fans among older hipster-types. It was really amusing to see people twice and three times these girls’ ages getting so into their music.
And then there was the littlest sister, who came out to play bass on two songs. All I could think was, why wasn’t I playing bass guitar when I was 10? Why weren’t my parents cool enough to buy me a bass guitar? Or a drum kit?
These kids are good. Yeah, maybe there are comparisons to Hanson, with the long blond hair and young ages. But these kids don’t write goddamn annoying songs. And that makes all the difference in the world to me.
During the set break, I got into a conversation with Paul, a photographer who was on assignment to shoot the Pipettes for the cover of Pollstar Magazine. I filled him in on the few details I knew of the Pipettes and Smoosh and some local bands that are making some noise, and we exchanged cards, so maybe something will come of it.
Then the Pipettes’ backing band took the stage, followed by the Pipettes themselves after a short drumroll. Some thoughts about the backing band first – I felt bad that they were forced to wear prep school sweater vests. At a sold-out Casbah show. With hardly any ventilation. Also, I noticed that all of them were short and not-so-very-attractive. I couldn’t help but wonder, was this on purpose so that none of them got involved with the girls in the band? But no matter, because they were damned tight. I was actually kind of in awe of them, and again felt bad, but this time because they were backing a gimmicky band.
Although the gimmick works, at least for now. I was kind of surprised at the burlesque-type outfits the girls were wearing, as they are a throwback to 60’s girl groups. But I guess that’s the “update” for the new millenium. Regardless, those polka dots just begged for a high contrast B&W shot.
I was pretty happy with my spot in the crowd, because I managed to get a shot of all three of the girls together.
At this point I must add that I find it amusing how each girl seems to represent a specific “type.” From left to right in the above photo, there’s the blonde cheerleader, who seemed the most fake out of all three. Then there’s the girl-next-door brunette, who appeared to be having the most fun on stage. And finally, there was the smart blonde with glasses and tousled hair (yay!). Maybe these “types” aren’t as contrived as some girl groups, such as the Spice Girls (Scary Spice? I still say wtf.). But then again, there aren’t as many of them. It’s still a gimmick, but a gimmick that still works, I think, in part because they’re British. I can’t really explain that one any further, but somehow it makes it less…obnoxious? I dunno. I did feel like I could sit down and have a beer and a chat with any of these girls, so maybe that’s part of it.
They were nice enough to keep the lights bright, at one point even asking for the house lights to be turned on (unfortunately this didn’t happen). They engaged the crowd a lot, imploring people to dance and not just stand around trying to be cool, because “that’s a load of shit,” as the brunette put it. During “Your Kisses are Wasted on Me,” they even asked the audience members to raise their index finger in the air, in a sort-of “tsk, tsk” fashion.
They seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage, as was the audience. I swear there was even some kind of “dance pit” in the middle of the room, consisting of mostly males. That was odd to see. All in all, it was a good show, even if the Pipettes weren’t engaging in any sort of thoughtful indie rock. Sometimes you just want to dance to some old-fashioned songs about boys.
The rest of my photos are here.
Their album, which I somehow managed to snag almost a year ago on eMusic, officially comes out in the States in August.
I also took some shots on a very old Canon AE-1 film SLR camera because of two reasons: 1) 3200 ISO black and white film that I picked up on Saturday, and 2) wide angle lens. Unfortunately, those won’t be posted until a) I process the film (hopefully happening Wednesday or Thursday, but realistically more like next weekend), and b) borrow someone’s negative scanner. Wow, it’s funny how quickly you forget what patience is. At any rate, I’m intrigued to see the results. The wide angle lens actually allows me to capture most of the stage at the Casbah, even when standing right up against it, but unfortunately it doesn’t let as much light in as my 50mm lens on the digital SLR. Which is why I went with 3200 ISO film. Sadly, the light meter was pretty impossible to read in that dim of light, as was the focusing meter, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
Yeah, this post is a little late in coming. And I’m not in any way, shape, or form trying to review this show. I’m just using this post as a vehicle to express some of my opinions and observations about hip hop and to share some photos that I took at the show.
First off, I don’t understand why at a hip hop show the vocals would be pretty much unintelligible. Now I realize that On Broadway isn’t a typical live hip hop venue, but for the performers that I enjoyed, I would have appreciated being able to understand their lyrics. For a music format where the vocals are of utmost importance, wouldn’t you want them to stand out over the beats and be clearly heard?
Secondly, it was amusing to see the range of performers on stage that night. You had intelligent hip hop (the kind that I would actually listen to on my own), to routine dull hip hop of the “Smack That” variety, to the performer who we dubbed “the Shakira of hip hop” – she had her own backup dancers and was basically given a mic because she was attractive. Vomit.
My view of hip hop has always been tenuous. I appreciate acts like Outkast and The Roots, but in my mind I hardly classify them as hip hop. Sadly, the hip hop I’ve mostly been exposed to is that of the radio/club variety, which is, as always, music in the form of the lowest common denominator. The way I see it (and most everything I know about hip hop comes from watching 8 Mile), the basis for hip hop is to prove that you’re wittier or more intelligent or funnier than the next guy. There’s a lot of posturing that goes on, naturally. This form of hip hop I like. I like people putting together strings of words that just flow right, so by this means, I should be a fan of hip hop. But sadly, when people aren’t wittier or more intelligent than the next person, the challenge dissolves into the simple “I’m better in the sack than you” argument. Which, really, can’t be proven. And this is what offends me. It offends my sense of intelligence and creativity. It’s dull and boring and just stupid music for people to dance to in a club. So I guess it serves some purpose, but not one I’m interested in.
All that being said, all the posturing makes for some interesting visuals during a live show. And the lighting at On Broadway was actually better than I expected.
The rest are up on Flickr. Oh, and the reason I was there in the first place? I was supposed to be photographing a performer who never went on because the other acts took too long. Oops.
I’m planning on entering Pitchfork’s contest to be a photographer at their music festival in Chicago in July. I know, I know, y’all hate Pitchfork because it’s too pretentious and too many people know about it these days. But fuck it, I’m not a hater. And I’m pretty much salivating at the chance to photograph their festival with it’s amazing lineup. Plus, I wouldn’t mind a free trip to Chicago (with a guest, even!) and $500 cash to spend in the city, not to mention VIP passes to the festival.
Anyway, a photographer can submit up to 10 photos, and the ones I’m probably going to enter are here. Or, wtf, I guess I may as well post them on the blog. Any comments or suggestions you folks have would be much appreciated. Submissions are due June 15th, but I’m aiming to get them in at least a day ahead of time.
First up, we have several photos from the Hold Steady show at Canes last Friday. Why? Because everyone knows that Pitchfork loves the Hold Steady, and so do I. Plus, I think this is one of the best shows that I’ve shot yet, given that the band is so, umm, not boring during their set:
Galen drinking a beer while playing. I think that’s what the Hold Steady are quintessentially about.
Craig Finn reaching out to an audience member. I really love this photo, even though it wouldn’t be useful in most publications. I’m hoping this one makes me stand out from the pack of “celebrity headshot” concert photographers.
More Craig Finn. This man is photogenic, what can I say?
Last one of Craig. I just had absolutely perfect placement in the audience to take shots of him, thanks to Baby Heisman and the random older dude who noticed my camera about halfway through the show and then insisted I stand in front of him. Also thanks to Andrea and some random chick who were acting as my barricade from the mosh pit…
Here’s one of Dynamite Walls at their CD release party at the Belly Up:
I really love the backlighting on this shot and the way it puts a border around Allen as he’s singing into the mic. Then again, I’ve always been a sucker for high contrast black and white shots. This one almost looks like it was actually shot on film.
Bright Eyes at Soma:
A friend of mine was really impressed with this photo and said it could be an official poster. I’m hoping that Pitchfork feels the same way.
Mute Math at House of Blues:
The lighting at this show was incredible, and I really like the colors it gave.
Again with the lighting. And well, the keytar.
The Frames at the Belly Up:
I really like how this one came out all monochromatic, with the violin player set against a mostly black background.
And finally, JJ Grey and Mofro at the Belly Up:
I like the colors and the emotion on display.
Like I said, any thoughts and/or suggestions would be very much welcomed. And for those curious to see what other people are submitting, that can be done here. Wish me luck!
Sorry folks, but it’s been a long week of work for me, which leaves me wanting to do nothing in the evening but melt into my couch. But things are going extraordinarily well at work, which is good because I just scheduled my major proposition (aka advancement to candidacy) for August. It’s kind of a big deal. Which means I should probably get to work on writing my proposal soon.
I’ve got a hip-hop photo blog from last week in the works, as well as a post on a local San Diego band that hardly anyone seems to know about. For my other blog, I’m working on both a Harrisburg and State College (home to Penn State University) photo blog. It’s going to be a busy weekend for me, especially considering I’m going in to work both days and possibly doing a photo shoot for Dynamite Walls. Yikes.
I have a tendency to sit on my downloads until the very last week I can use them. It’s weird. For some reason I tend to look for new music when I’m not really in the mood to find it. Like at work, while I’m analyzing DNA sequences or something like that. Anyway, here are the ones I settled on for this month:
- Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham – L’Aventura
- This was an old, and quite random pick. Don’t really remember how I stumbled upon it, but it’s good. Real pretty.
- New Ruins – The Sound They Make
- I was curious when I saw that they were recommended to people who like the National. Of course, nothing surpasses the National in my opinion, but these guys kind of sound like the National crossed with Modest Mouse. For the most part it works. Especially those violin bits.
- The Headlights – Kill Them With Kindness
- I want to say that this sounds somewhat like the Blow, but a little less sugary sweet. That comes with the disclaimer that I haven’t listened to the Blow in awhile, but I plan on rectifying that soon. It’s pretty good. Apparantly I was in a real mellow mood this month.
- Postal Blue – Postal Blue [EP]
- I’m having Belle and Sebastian flashbacks listening to this. Not a bad thing at all.
Whereas church = music and state = everything else.
I’ve decided to make this blog strictly about music.
For posts about other things (including science, non-music photography, politics), see my other blog Standing Close to the Edge.
The Hold Steady loves San Diego, and San Diego loves the Hold Steady. But why? The Hold Steady’s lyrics center around Midwest teens with nothing to do but drugs and religion. Why do San Diegans identify so much with this band?
The answer lies in the fact that San Diego is a town of transplants. People from the East Coast and Midwest come looking for surf, sun, sand, and success. It’s a town of restless youths, maybe slightly older in numbers than the characters Craig Finn writes about, but maturity-wise, they’re right on the money. And maybe they don’t seek refuge in drugs and religion, but there are plenty of other cures out here.
But why do I love the Hold Steady? It’s a given that their fans have a tendency to possess testicles. I do have a restless streak – three years in a town and I’m looking to move on. And yes, I grew up in small town America, although it was a little further East than the Midwest. But there’s more to it than that.
The Hold Steady love words, and that’s why I love the Hold Steady.
Their lyrics are riddled with references to writers and poets (Tennyson to Berryman to Sal Paradise – aka Jack Kerouac). Their song subjects center around Scriptures and stories. More than a songwriter, singer Craig Finn is the poet laureate of the iGeneration, backed by a kickass bar band. He’s a Dylan, a Springsteen, a Kerouac. His characters aren’t necessarily noble or sad, but he knows them inside out. And so do we. The Hold Steady’s songs are contoured to his lyrics, never letting the music get in the way of the words. Because the words are the important thing. Even if words alone never could save us, last Friday night they got awfully close.
From the first note of the first song, it was obvious that the Hold Steady was in San Diego to make some noise. Grinning like kids at Christmas, they jumped around the stage, ripping out masterful licks. And if any of them noticed me at the front of the stage, they would have seen their grins reflected right back at them. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, either.
It was clear that they were overjoyed to be playing for such a responsive crowd. Song after song poured out of them as freely as their sweat, and many of their lyrics were shouted back at them by the crowd. All of the band members have great stage charisma, and the friendships are easy to see even on stage. This isn’t a band controlled by petty arguments or a drive for money. This is a band that’s driven by a love of making music and bringing their stories to the masses. Oh, and by partying. Bassist Galen Polivka can not only play bass one-handed while drinking a beer, but he can also play one-handed while taking out his wallet, opening it up and finding a spare pick inside it. Now that’s hardcore.
I don’t have any more words to describe what happened at Canes Friday night. This will go down in history as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and I hope to see this band again and again and again. So instead of using puny words to describe the show (I’m sure Finn could do a stellar job of it, but I’m not anywhere near that caliber of a writer), I’ll leave you with an illustrated setlist for your viewing pleasure:
- “You’re pretty good with words/But words won’t save your life.” (Stuck Between Stations)
- “She said I really like the crowds at the really big shows/People touching people that they don’t even know.” (Hornets! Hornets!)
- “Some nights the painkillers make the pain even worse.” (Chips Ahoy)
- “You can wear his old sweatshirt/You can cover yourself like a bruise.” (You Can Make Him Like You)
- “She said I think that all those things I did/Were just momentum from the Party Pit.” (Party Pit)
- “We had some massive nights/Every song was right/All that wine was tight.” (Massive Nights)
- “She said it’s good to see you back in a bar band, baby/I said it’s great to see you’re still in the bars.” (Barfruit Blues)
- “Do you want me to tell it like boy meets girl and the rest is history/Or do you want it like a murder mystery/I’m gonna tell it like a comeback story.” (Charlemagne in Sweatpants)
- “I was unfurling a flag of defiance/Aimed at my guidance guy.” (Hot Soft Light)
- “We didn’t go to Dallas/’Cause Jackie Onassis said that it ain’t safe for Catholics yet.” (Don’t Let Me Explode)
- “She got strung out on the scene/She got scared when it got druggy/The way the whispers bit like fangs in the last hour of the parties.” (Stevie Nix)
- “And song number four on that thirsty floor/You want the scars but you don’t want the war/Now that’s just hardcore/These kids are clever to the core.” (Girls Like Status)
- “She said I ain’t gonna do anything sexual with you/I’m kinda saving myself for the scene.” (Your Little Hoodrat Friend)
- “Southtown girls won’t blow you away/But you know that they’ll stay.” (Southtown Girls)
- “She crashed into the Easter mass/With her hair done up in broken glass/She was limping left on broken heels/When she said Father, can I tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?” (How a Resurrection Really Feels)
- “I’ve had kisses that make Judas seem sincere.” (Citrus)
- “She was golden with bar light and beer/She slept like she’d never been scared.” (First Night – end of regular set)
- “I drank until I dreamed/When I dreamed I always dreamed about the scene/All those kids look like little lambs looking up at me.” (Most People are DJ’s)
- “We found out Virginia really is for lovers/Philly is full of friendly friends that will love you like a brother.” (Killer Parties)
The rest of the photos I took can be found here. And remember folks, no matter how famous or cool your indie rock band is, you still gotta tie your own Chucks on stage:
