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Finally: Show Review: Manganista/The Mighty Six-Ninety/The Amalgamated @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

Anti-Monday League was all-local this week. I had never heard of any of the bands playing, but even by Monday I knew it was going to be the kind of week where I needed to get out while I could.

The Amalgamated were the first band up, and they were already playing when I arrived. They had a decent crowd, with a photographer who was alternately taking photos and dancing around like crazy. Good, fun vibe, if you like ska. I’m not saying that I don’t, and it was cool to see a girl rocking a clarinet on stage, but it’s just not the type of music that I can get into very easily. It’s funny how when I’m not so into a band’s music, it directly affects the number of photos I take of them. Also, the lighting for The Amalgamated was pretty low, and I still hate using flash at the Casbah, with nothing to bounce the light off of.

The Amalgamated @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

The Amalgamated @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

The Amalgamated @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

The second band that played was The Mighty Six-Ninety, and well, they were definitely the black sheep on the bill that night. I have no problem with derivative music per se, and this band was pretty solid…in their rendition of Cure/early Depeche Mode. This is completely a matter of personal taste/opinion, but I am so sick and tired of bands that sound like they came straight from the 80’s. It’s the stance I take on the recurrence of 80’s fashions as well. I wasn’t into it then, and I’m not into it now. Granted, I was 8 years old when the 80’s ended. Thus, I have more nostalgia for 80’s cartoons than for bands of that era. But seriously.

I remember having a conversation about the influence of The Cure on new bands with my then-boyfriend…almost four years ago. At that point, I was already fed up with it. I’ve never felt an affinity toward The Cure (or Radiohead, but that’s another story). That synth-y type of music just calls up a decade’s worth of cheesy movies for me, and it just seems dull, especially when everyone’s doing it. Find another band to worship/emulate, to at least change things up a bit. Or, have multiple influences from different types of music!

That being said, if you like The Cure or any other modern day version of them, you’d probably like The Mighty Six-Ninety. Pete did. I felt bad for them, because even though their set was good, pretty much everyone vacated the front room while they were playing. I guess ska fans don’t like The Cure either?

The Mighty Six-Ninety @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

The final band of the evening was Manganista, who had an Oingo Boingo vibe to them. Again, not really my bag, but they were fun to watch for a bit. The singer was wearing a “Tim Pyles Hour” t-shirt that I found humorous, and the amount of people they had on stage (including a full size xylophone/marimba thing, pit orchestra-style) was impressive. The crowd once again seemed to be into the music, hanging out on the dance floor and even dancing along a bit. Unfortunately, I was feeling pretty beat at this point and decided to head home to catch some sleep before a long day at work.

Manganista @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

Manganista @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

Manganista @ Casbah, 7/16/2007

Before leaving though, I managed to get a shot of the sticker-adorned pool table in the back room:

Pool table @ the Casbah

And, on the way to my car, I noticed this on the side of a dumpster:

Tim Pyles