Tunes for Washington DC

Ahhh DC, what's not to sing about? This one by The Nightmare Adventure Society also happens to include some friends.


"WASHINGTON DC" -The Nighttime Adventure Society from Victor Suarez on Vimeo.

Looks like they had fun, eh? Other songs you might enjoy about DC? The Magnetic Fields.

The Band That Changed My Life

I would never be the person I am today without you. I don't just mean that musically, I mean that in total. The Shelby Lynn Thompson you know and love today, could have only been possible by the discovery of the Archers of Loaf. This is the ultimate in truth. I know, I know... others may claim they had a place in line first, and I still love you Fats Domino, and I always will - but I owe my life to the Archers.


The memories are always fond -

• Like driving around Chattanooga in Molly's gold Volvo turning up the volume when another one of Trey's mix tapes looped around to "Web in Front".
• Waking up every morning for high school and cranking up Icky Mettle, much to my mother's dismay.
• Sitting in Tim's living room, chain smoking cigarettes to a background serenade of Vee Vee.
• Making a mix called "Shelby Vs. The Greatest of All Time" in which I dared try to go up against the EP Vs. The Greatest of All Time. Needless to say, I lost. I might try again now that I know even more bands that would never make the noise they do without the Loaf.
• Seeing Crooked Fingers repeatedly at The Grey Eagle so I might get to meet Eric Bachmann - then actually meeting him, and having a beer at the Bier Garden of all terrible places to do so, and being too nervous to say anything intelligent. Le Sigh.
• Learning that Matt Gentling lived in Asheville and played in lots of awesome local bands and knew the same people I do. 
• Of getting my blue Vee Vee t-shirt in the mail and discovering that wearing it made me feel less homesick for NC while in my first year of living in DC.

I know - I'm starting to sound like a fan freak, and am trying not to truly earn the name "Audiowhore", because I hear the girl this song was written for was a real cunt.

Not unlike Neutral Milk Hotel, the Pixies or other mystical bands of the 90's that I came to know and love... I wouldn't have become the musical fan I am without the help of All the Nations Airports, or any of the other Loaf albums that still blow my mind from start to finish. And people say no one listens to records anymore. Psssh. 


I digress. The point is, when I read this afternoon that the Archers of Loaf had a secret reunion show at Cat's Cradle LAST NIGHT opening for The Love Language, I about fell over and died. I wish, more than anything in the world, that somehow I could have known that was going to happen, and managed to get my car-less and license-less self to North Carolina to catch the 40 minutes of glory that the lucky few managed to see. 


Here's hoping there's a next time, or that the island on Lost is real, and time travel is possible.  

Best of 2010

Yep. It's that time again... time to list the best of the year. Since this is the music blog, then let's start with my best musical moments of the year.

Bear Hands - "What a Drag"
The El Ten Eleven show - A-mazing.
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor - Completely beautiful album.
The Love Language - Libraries
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Best Coast - "Boyfriend"
Freelance Whales at Black Cat
The Dead Weather with Brooke at 930 Club
First Aid Kit - "Tiger Mountain Pleasant Song" video
Guided By Voices!!
Netherfriends - "Friends With Lofts"
Jeff Mangnum re-emerges for a show in NYC that exploded online.
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Warpaint - "Elephants"
Spoon - Transference

Impressions

I am continuously so impressed by Merge Records. Today I was perusing the site (because their website is awesome), and stumbled on the blog. First up was a mix made by Stuart McLamb of The Love Language (a favorite band of mine!) that is damn good. It's 45 minutes of all NC bands, most of whom I have never heard of, which for me is such a treasure. Hearing more and more new tunes through artists I know and love is something I often forget to be thankful for.

Speaking of  being thankful, while I often groan about living in DC, I must admit that it has certainly allowed me to see so much good music. And for cheap! This year alone I have seen the following:

Frightened Rabbit
Brendan Benson
The Dead Weather
Arcade Fire
Spoon
El Ten Eleven
Telekinesis
The Love Language
The Walkmen
Bear Hands
Freelance Whales
Bowerbirds
Floating Action
Guided By Voices
Delta Spirit
The Pixies
Tokyo Police Club
Wye Oak

I'm likely forgetting something. Also, some of these folks I saw twice. 2010 was a good year for music!

For You Blue

Because.
Because he made us all feel like there was just the Two of Us.
Because I never had to say "Don't Let Me Down".
Because I truly believe he has nothing to hide when Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and Monkey.
Because It's Only Love and he's no Mean Mr. Mustard.
Because even when I'm So Tired,
or when I'm Only Sleeping,
or had A Hard Day's Night,
Happiness is (still) a Warm Gun.
and you will always be Here, There and Everywhere.
Because Baby It's You.

Most Amazing Thing Ever

Otherwise known as hilarious. Especially if you've ever had a group on tour stay with you...

"How to Tour in a Band or Whatever." by Thor Harris.

Dare to Compare

I hung up the phone after a nearly two-hour catch up with one of my besties, sipped my wine, and weighed the pros and cons of going to see Brendan Benson at the 930 Club. I've seen him before, at the same venue in fact, and it was a great show. I had no real reason not to go, I just didn't really feel like heading out again, so I said to myself, shut up already and ride up there. 

The house was sparse, but not empty, unlike last time when it was over-crowded even on the top level. Maybe last year he was able draw a bigger crowd from riding the coattails of The Raconteurs fame. Not that it matters, but I knew of Brendan Benson long before he paired up with Jack White. Which is more of the reason why I finally showed up on Wednesday night. When he played the 930 Club in December 2009 with Cory Chisel and others, the show was fun, exciting, happy even (considering all Mr. Benson ever sings about is heart ache). Hell, they even closed with a cover of American Girl! This time, backed by The Posies, I dare say, they seemed sluggish, sad, heavy-ended even. What is usually a poptastic set, was genuinely somber. It even seemed like the band was bored. It came as quite a surprise to me when halfway through the show Benson announced that it was being recorded live. 

Could have fooled me...

That's not to say I didn't have a good time, I did. And Brendan played most of my favorites like "Garbage Day" and "Tiny Spark". There was just something significantly not-rocking about the vibe of the whole night - personal state of mind aside. Perhaps it was the addition of The Posies as the opening band and back up. I never have been enough of a Posies listener to call myself a fan, but I know they are a talented bunch (that much shines through the assortment of black clothing). Core members John Auer and Ken Stringfellow seemed to be having more fun playing Benson's songs than the lead himself was. Auer is a heavier rocker, and his sound seemed to overshadow Benson's to the point of distraction. Stringfellow is a great bass player, and a decent keyboardist, but during "Feel Like Taking You Home Now" he looked like a little kid learning to play the keyboard for the first time. Fingers jammed the keys in hefty strokes and his face looked down at the keys like some bad secretary. 

Which is ironic because as a whole, they are a bunch of goof balls. I watched this terrible interview of them (only terrible because the girl asking questions was an idiot) in which they just joked around and seemed really comfortable together. When the interviewer asked them if they had anything else to say, Auers suggested she try the hummus. I mean, The Posies have been around for like 35 years and Benson seems like the kind of guy you'd just really like, despite his rigid outer shell. This kind of brotherly banter streamed through the show, which likely made the crowd feel more like they should have fun then sit and stare blankly through the melancholy. At one point as the round of band introductions took place, Stringfellow pointed out the tech guy who had been mightily handling the stage all night and said, 

"And the tattooed fellow running around is Trent. Say hello Trent! Trent is the guy who plugs things in. Yeah,  he's the plug-in guy." I was about three rows back at this point, feeling pretty good, so I smirked and shouted out into the expanse of the crowd, "That's what she said!" Whether or not the band heard me is neither here nor there, as I thought it was funny, and I got a few chuckles from the folks around me, and a hearty laugh from the gentleman directly to my right. 

All in all, not my favorite performance, but like I said, I had a good time. I'd say 3 out of 5 stars. Actually, make that a 3.5... they did close the show with a cover of "September Gurls". RIP Alex Chiton.