Time for some mediation

I think everyone needs to simmer down. I think the problem here arises from the fact that the S-K tickets were purchased before the inception of Rock Club proper. I do believe that if Rock Club was in existance prior to the S-K ticket pre-sale, then Erin would have purchased a ticket. Unfortunately, he did not purchase one and we decided that this would be the RC sponsored event. The question of James SO coming along is moot, as this only turned into a RC event after RC was formed. Therefore i think this week is an anomoly and will probably never happen again. Erin, I am sorry you were too lazy to get a ticket for this show, however, we do have 3/4 of the members present for S-K to qualify as an event. Can we put this issue to rest and move on to next week? Lets move forward, not back....In fact, in order to solve this issue I will offer to pay the difference you have to pay(over $20) for a Craigslist S-K ticket.

Checking out some albums II

Thank you, Danimal, for your record reviews. I drove up to Danbury this weekend and burned some CDs for the car, so I'd like to add some quick reviews of my own. By the way, the reason I was burning CDs is that I couldn't find my iTrip attachment for my iPod. Jason, do you by chance have this? I remember I brought it to Harford. Anyway, here goes (ratings on a scale of 0-10):

1) Belle & Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister: pretty good stuff from the wuss rock kings. Their first album--Tiger Milk--is a lot better, but this one's pretty solid too (7.0).
2) The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo: I burned this b/c I saw that the Guardian had included it in its "50 Most Influential Albums" list. I'm sucker for any kind of list. This was the first so-called "country rock" album, but it's more country than rock. Gram Parsons plays on most of these songs. I liked it a lot, an excellent album, but if you don't like bluegrass/country as a rule, stay away (7.5).
3) Neko Case, And the Tigers Have Spoken: More country-fried shit. She's got awesome pipes. This is a live album, and most live albums suck, but this one's good. The same country/bluegrass warning from (2) applies, however. (7.0)
4) Jesus & Mary Chain, Darklands: I loved this one in college and had the cassette. Not as good listening to it now, which surprised me. But still not bad (6.75).
5) New Pornographers, Mass Romantic: I was especially psyched for this one b/c it got great reviews and I'd heard some songs on it that I liked a lot. Which made it all the more disappointing, it just kind of got on my nerves after a while. The good songs are really good, but there's only like three or four of those, and most involve Neko Case (see (3)) (5.0).

Controversy Rocks Rock Club

Oftentimes we here at Rock Club face a situation where a friend, despite all advice to the contrary, refuses to get tickets to a highly-recommended show. "Come see this band with us," we say. "They're fantastic. I have the CD, it just hit number 32 on the Belgian Top 40. They're awesome live."

And then, for whatever reason--laziness, stupidity, willfullness, obstinacy--this friend does not get tickets.

Later, e-mails go back and forth--plans are made as those who were smart enough to buy tickets correspond. Excitement builds. People say things like, "Man, I hope they play that remix of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. I'm gonna lose my shit if that happens."

The ticketless loser is often copied on these e-mails, and he reads them, and his interest is piqued. Perhaps I should have gotten tickets to this show, he thinks to himself. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps.

Anyway, we have such a loser in Rock Club, who was forwarded the 9:30 pre-sale e-mail (with access password!) for the Sleater-Kinney show, scheduled to take place on Aug. 1. Odds are he will be saved from his quandary, as Jason got a ticket for Mike B., who will likely miss the S-K show with an inflamed labia, thus freeing up a ticket for our unnamed knucklehead, who, sad to say, is a founding member of Rock Club.

But the object of this post is not to belittle this member. It is to inform the other members of Rock Club that this member now insists that the Sleater-Kinney show will not, in fact, count as an official Rock Club event, due to the cost of the ticket. This behaviour is known in the field of psychology as transference, where one attempts to blame one's shortcomings on others, and to shift the ground of the argument such that the participants no longer focus on the transferer's dopiness.

So, okay. As our man pointed out, I am responsible for picking shows for this week (7/31 to 8/4), so now I'm on the hook. I objected at first, but then I said, hey, you want more rock? You want more rock? I can't object to that. I can't stand in the way. I'll question your motives, but I will not stand in the way of your wish for more rock. So here are some shows for this week that we should consider:

1) Gordon Lightfoot, Wolf Trap, Aug 2 (Wed) (lawn tix $22)
2) The Clientele, Iota, Aug 3 (Thurs)
3) Faster Pussycat, Jaxx, Aug 4 (Fri)

So let's hear it, Rock Club. First, do you accept the premise--i.e., do we need an additional show this week, after S-K? The ticket price argument is powerful, but as of today three members are attending, and that makes a quorum. And if so, what's your vote?

I vote Lightfoot, then Clientele.

Checking out some albums

I try to listen to at least one new album a day. It's not that hard w/ Rhapsody. I can program away w/ my headphones on and no one cares. Anyway, this morning I checked out WWI by White Whale. They're on Merge which is a great label, so I gave them a listen. They garner a lot of Bowie comparisons. Instant Review: eh. Next I listened to Vehicles of Travel by The Curtains. They feature the former guitarist member of Deerhoof and are playing at the Warehouse during a week where I choose the shows. I wasn't that impressed. I cut the album short. I'll give it another listen in a week or so, but needless to say, it's no Deerhoof.

Tomorrow night is Sleater-Kinney and The Rogers Sisters are the opening band. Since the plan is to get there early and stake out our spot on the ledge, I loaded up their new album, The Invisible Deck. Very good stuff. In fact, it'll probably go in my permanent library. I can see why they are on tour w/ S-K. It's going to be a great 1-2 punch. People compare them to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and even the B-52's (minus Fred Schneider's vocal and the campy crap).

Konono #1

First and foremost, I apologize that my review is coming after the Bang, Bang, Bang review. I was on vacation last week and we only had the antiquated dial-up service. I also did'nt spend too much time on the computer as we were enjoying the sand and surf of the Outer Banks. So anyway, on with tthe review:

When I arrived at the Black Cat for the Konono #1 show I was greated by a small crowd in the Red Room and a nice pleasant room temperature. Met up with the other members of RC, minus Potsy and promptly enjoyed a frosty beverage. Gradually the room started to fill up and I must say I was expecting a lot of "world-music" types (i.e Tim Robbins character in High Fidelity, I think his name was Ian or Ray) , however, it was a genuinely mixed crowd of 40-something dudes, young punk rock girls, and of course married 30 something guys like us.

Dan went upstairs to check out the opening band and returned after only a few minutes complaining about the heat. Apperently the AC was out and there was even a warning posted as you went upstairs. When we went up for the headliner it was indeed quite hot. It felt like the Congo, without the river blindness...The band got underway and it was an interesting sound. Tribal, Congolese beats with singing. The band consisted of drummer (was there 2?) a keyboardist, a bongo player, and 3 dudes playing this strange electronic finger plucked instrument. It appeared to be handmade and produced a sound almost like a steel drum and a Jews harp, yet amplified . Anyway, we enjoyed a few tunes (although it sounded like one, long song) and I finally had to head back downstairs due to the heat. There wer many sweaty girating bodies enjoying the music and it was an interesting sound. However, the temperture got the best of me a I could only stay up in the front for about 20-30 minutes. Oh, did I mentioned the old Redd Foxx guy playing the homemade instrument. Fucking guy was wearing Dockers and a long sleeve shirt and I did nt see one drop of sweat. Meanwhile, my shirt needs to be wrung out and I smell like Dans running shoes. All in all, a good night out. Would I go see them again, probably not, but it was nice to see something a bit different from the alterna-pop that I am used too. This week Sleater-Kinney, time to rock.

Bang Bang Bang Bust

Three fourths of RC ventured down to the Velvet Lounge underneath the weight of heavy humidity- typical of a DC summer night. Seeking the comforts of 21st century luxuries like air conditioning and cold beer, RC entered the Velvet Lounge to find a busted ac unit and $2 cans of Schlitz (albeit cold). After waiting 15 minutes for the "hair-don't" bar tender to finish his phone call and return to the bar, we managed up stairs to catch the last half of the last song of the opening act, Life in Bed, Schlitz in hand. I enjoyed this half-song as the rhythm section seemed to carry the band, although the guitar sounded as though it had been tossed down the stairs, coughing up discorded sound step after bumpy step. Little did I know that I would long for this sound as the night progressed. I counted 17 people in attendance. I later learned that at least 6 of the 17 were members of bands scheduled to play later.

Schlitz number 2 followed with act number two, Imogene. This band featured two bassists, a (moog-like) organist, and drummer. The bassist/singer also weilded an 8-string bass, which was pretty rad when he played it like a guitar. When the band began, they quieted the 9 of us watching with their bass-heavy sound, until the Will Forte (SNL) look/sound alike singer busted out with the "Sunny day, honey child" lyric, and I knew then that Etienne de Rocher was across the river pissing himself. I think I had 2 more Schlitz at this point. There were 3 times as many people down stairs in the sweltering heat than there were upstairs.

After a while we returned upstairs to check out Bang Bang Bang. This band was fronted by a guy who looked like Jin from Lost, which wasn't a problem, just surprising, but immediately they established themselves as the modern day Spin Doctors. I felt uncomfortable after the first half of their first song, the same way you'd feel if an old guy rubbed his ass against you in the locker room at the gym...wait, no, hang on... did I mention how many Scloitz I've had by now
? This typing thinfd is tough., Anyhow, while there was some ass-crushing opportuinities upstairs, I soon found myself the sole RC member watching this Old Town Alexandria cheese band, and quikly decended downstairs to the unair conditioned bar for another tasty Schlitx.

So the bands weren't great tonight, but such is the luck of RC. I think the highlight of the night had to be the conversatuion aroud Rock Club Club House. That was a fantastic. Ample parking, prime location. A get away from the ladies, but a stripper pole for special occasions... Ah, the club house. Power ball is $155 million this weekend., Buy your tickets before Satureday and invest in RC club house!

Where's the Beef?

Okay RC mates, I'm finally on this thing. Sorry for neglecting my duties, and thanks to Danimal for filling in and recounting the Bang Bang Bang saga (although he left out the part where he was afraid he'd bust a nut over Etienne De Rocher - "I think it moved, Jerry.").

Speaking of neglecting duties, while I have heard that last week's RC excursion was without AC and, therefore, hot as H-E-L-L, I've heard nothing more about the show itself. What gives? If RC were college, I'd have some members on double secret probation. (That's what they teach you at Dean School, James.)

Anyhow, for those going back to chronicle the exploits of RC, you can learn more about Bang Bang Bang through their site: bangbangbangband.com

Show Updates

I checked the Black Cat listings and saw a few things I had missed previously. Silversun Pickups is playing the backstage on Sunday, Aug. 6. I've only heard one song but I thought it was quality, and have since heard it in a car commercial, which is a sure sign of a good song these days. Also, Band of Horses on August 13 (Black Cat again). Good band. Finally--are you ready, Rock Club?--Art Brut makes their triumphant to DC on Oct 17.

Bang Bang Bang

It's Erin's week to choose a band. We were given the options of Bang Bang Bang at Velvet Lounge on Thursday the 27th or Etienne De Rocher at Iota on Tuesday the 25th. Rock Club was surveyed and the decision was Bang Bang Bang.

So why am I writing this instead of Erin? Good fucking question. Erin, sign up so I don't have to waste my time posting shit you should be writing.

Wow, where did that anger come from? I think Jason is rubbing off on me. Wait, that doesn't sound right...

Response to Dan's Post

First band (Soft? Flaccid?) I thought was pretty solid if you like that English wuss-rock sound, which I generally do. He did use the word "blog" in his onstage banter, however, so demerits for that. The Japanese band was pretty good, although the lead singer was about the size of Webster. Sounded like a shoegazer band, had some good synth going as well. Kind of New Order-ish which we don't seem to get a lot of these days.

Danimal, is there some way to let us vote for the rating in your post, and then take the average?

I would give the opening band a 5.5 and the Asians a 6.0. That may sound harsh, but anything above average is pretty good in my book and I'm reserving the 9.0 rating for my deathbed, when I will reveal the greatest show I ever attended. I will never give a 10 because perfection in this world simply isn't possible.

Review of the Asobi Seksu Show

There was great excitement for the inaugural outing of Rock Club. At first it didn't look like Jason would make it, but he came through and got to DC9 a little after 9:00. We felt bad he had neglected this wife and daughter to be there, just for us to kick him out of Rock Club, but history will show it was the right thing to do.

Luckily there was only one opening band, Soft, which meant that Asobi Seksu wouldn't go on too late. We opted to skip Soft and hang out the back room. The only thing I know about the band:

• the guy sings like a women
• they claimed to have a huge hit single on blogs (?!?). Sorry, not this blog
• they weren't too bad.

The crowd for Asobi Seksu wasn't too big so we were pretty close to the band. I was looking forward to the show because I had been listening to their excellent new album, Citrus, almost daily for the past few weeks. They ended up playing all my favorite songs including Strawberries, Pink Cloud Tracing Paper, and New Years. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising since they only have two albums. Anyway, Jason and I stayed for the whole show while James and Erin went downstairs after 4 songs. I think Erin had some ass crushing to do and he needed a wing man.

My overall impression of the band was pretty good. The guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and bassist were solid. They're a tight band. The lead singer was easy on the eyes and had good stage presence. One thing I don't quite understand is why she sings some songs in Japanese ad some in English. No matter. Since I don't know what we're using for a grading scale, I'll use a number 1-10. And that number is 8.1. A VERY good show, mostly earned because I already liked the music, but also because they put on a good show. It was the best band I've seen this year, except for Art Brut, which had a sweet banner.

So, let's hear from the other members of Rock Club. Erin and James, what did you think of the first four songs?

Rule #4 of Rock Club: No Last Names

Jason has made a sensible point regarding my last post, the one where I savaged him and destroyed his reputation--no last names shall be used on the RC website.

So many dumbassed criminal schemes broken up by the five-0, so many incipient high school massacres cut short, so many job offers rescinded--all because of the magic of Google.

So rule 4--no last names.

The Schedule

Here's the schedule for the rest of the summer of who chooses the concert.

July 8-14 - Dan (Asobi Seksu)
July 15-21 - Jason (Konono No 1)
July 22-28 - Erin
July 29-Aug 4 - James
Aug 5-11 - Erin
Aug 12-18 - Jason
Aug 19-25 - Dan
Aug 25-Sept 1 - James
Sept 2-8 - Dan

I know, I still owe a concert review of Asobi Seksu. Stay tuned.

The Rules of Rock

If the first rule of Rock Club is you do not talk about rock club, then why do we have a blog? Never mind because rule number two is much more important: Everyone must rock tonight.

Here are the basic rules as describe by our not-President, Jason:

• The schedule will run Saturday-Friday.
• You will be assigned a week and will research the shows for that particular week.
• You will need to come up with a 1st choice show and a 2nd choice show. If we all can go to the 1st choice show, then we do that one, if not, then we go to choice #2.
• The $$ limit on the shows will be $20.00.
• The person picking the shows for that week has the final say.

There are other rules which have been bandied about, but not officially adopted. These include:

• No Jazz
• At least 2 Rock Club members must be present for a quorum.
• Jason is kicked out of Rock Club