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A Big Emptiness

By ben

Friday April 1, 2005

And A Guy On Stage With A Strap-on

Music Waste is not happening for another two months, yet somehow this past week I went to 7 shows and saw a total of 18 different acts (yes, I get enjoyment from counting these things). There’s really not enough space here for me to discuss everything in detail so I’m only going to touch on a few highlights here and there, hoping that I don’t confuse all of you. I’ll start off with Café Montmartre, I was there midweek and it’s a decent space for the mellower acts – it is cozy and the acoustics are okay, but the servers’ embarrassing French berets have got to go. Speaking of which, The Lamplighter is turning out to be a nice venue, although I’m not a big fan of the divider/counter near the front of the stage, some nights you just have the crowd hiding behind it and a big emptiness right in front of the band. I caught The Weather there Thursday and I witnessed a bit of that happening. The band had a guy on stage with a strap-on marching band bass drum that was way too big for him. It looked like he was about to die banging it, but it made the band far more unique and interesting. And the Precious Fathers at the Butchershop on Friday – to be honest I wasn’t 100% sold on their new disc the few times I heard it, but I definitely enjoyed their performance at the shop, especially when they dove into their heavier, more powerful (almost Fond of Tigers-esque) numbers. The same evening I caught the end of Cadeaux’s very [financially] successful CD release party. I have a hard time getting the second track on that album out of my head – the one where Katie screams “Woooow!” while Dani sings. Saturday on a friend’s recommendation I went to Red Room to check out the much-hyped out-of-towners The Kills, and they were excellent. The sexy VV complemented perfectly the geeky Hotel, and together the duo was mesmerizing to watch. Like a well-crafted play where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You’ll be hard pressed to find any act with better chemistry on stage. And then the big Erase Errata/Bloc Party show at Richard’s Sunday. Erase Errata’s set was tons of fun, although I was hoping to recognize a few more songs from their last album (despite the new lineup and all). However, Bloc Party did nothing for me. I don’t understand the big attraction. Rough around the edges and having zero charisma on stage, I’m surprised that they are labeled the UK’s Next Big Thing.
I’m beginning to sound like an iPod stuck on repeat but once again there’s a ridiculous amount of quality shows happening this Friday. The Doers and Run Chico Run will be kicking off their cross-country tour in style at the Railway Club, joined by Hank & Lily, Au Secours and You Say Party! We Say Die! I believe Au Secours features our own John Cow, Josh and Robb from They Shoot Horses, plus a fourth guy I don’t know much about. Freshly recovering from a tonsil surgery, Toronto’s ever-so-hot Death From Above 1979 is at the Red Room with Controller.Controller and Elizabeth. Over at the Lamplighter, it’s Bakelite with the Raking Bombs, Primes and The Parallels. New Years Resolution and The Polys are at Pat’s Pub. And for some nostalgia – can you believe that Shonen Knife have been around for almost a quarter century? The Japanese pop-rock trio is at the Brickyard with The Evaporators and Raised by Wolves and it’ll be a blast.
On Saturday DFA 1979, Controller.Controller, and Elizabeth are playing a second show in town, this one in the afternoon at the Mesa Luna. A very cool idea. That night you might want to check out Mecca Normal playing a special set at the Butchershop for a combination Spartacus Books benefit and a book launch for author Allan Antliff. Other than that I guess there’s D.O.A. at the Asbalt, and Reverend Horton Heat with Supersuckers at the Commodore. As for the rest of the week, on Wednesday it’s The Soundtrack of Our Lives with The Dears at the Commodore. Thursday night you can see Metric at the Commodore, or check out Mt. Eerie with Woelv and P:ano at Mesa Luna. Mt. Eerie have something to do with The Microphones.