A Welcome Change of Pace

PLEASEEASAUR, JOE JACK TALCUM (of Dead Milkmen) $8 backstage at the Black Cat - Monday 11/13/06

Backstage!! Hell yes, bitch. We scored back stage passes for the latest Rock Club event at the Black Cat this past Monday night. Suck on that Baltimore Rock Club! You guys are soooooooo lame! It promised to be a very exclusive Monday night. I think only 12 people had these precious passports to DC's Behind the Music. But come to find out, these back stage passes weren't all that hard to get, and the "Back Stage" at the "Black Cat" is really just a "back room" on the "first floor," behind "the" Red Room Bar. A couple of the RC members seemed hesitant to commit to the show, despite the opportunity for close-up-and-personal attention from the acts. Loose Lips heard one RC member complain that "if there aren't enough people in there, I won't be able to make fun of the band." And this same member claimed that Rock Club was "starting to feel like a job." How sad. Either you're with us or you're against us. But eventually there seemed to be a rush at the door, and RC x 3/4 sprang into action Jackson to round out the even dozen of geek rockers present. And our friend Don Rickels managed to get himself a seat to rest his tired old bones. The first act was Joe Jack Talcum of Dead Milkmen ah...fame?. Were/are Dead Milkmen famous? I can't decide. But Joe Jack Talcum was the perfect geek rock appetizer for the night.

Did you notice how I managed to slip "but come" into the paragraph above? When we entered the Back Stage, it looked pretty grim. JJ was singing the song about Scotty dying from the toxic waste factory, or whatever it was. Yeesh. Way to build a crowd. Hey Joe Jack Talcum, play something better. And he did. Some of it was serious but much of it was old Dead Milkmen stuff (what JJ could remember of it). I love that new "Sex Sting" track. It's a fable, really. It says: "Be careful on the internets." Especially this one. He, of course, played Punk Rock Girl. Which was nice. I'd see him again. I think TJ's mom should hire Joe for her birthday bash. While JJ had this sad, American Splendor quality to his appearance, he really belted it out. He was poignant at times, and amusingly ironic at others. Like I said, he was a good set up for the antics of the "headliner."

The dorky dozen took 5 and awaited the arrival of Pleaseeasaur on the Backstage. I had urged the other members of RC not to snoop around looking for the Pleaseeasaur back story, as it really is best going in fresh. Now, I had seen Pleaseeasaur open for Pinback at the Black Cat earlier in the year, so I was prepared. Seeing this act for the first time can be somewhat uncomfortable given its ridiculousness, but that discomfort quickly fades when you see just how insanely funny the main performer, JP Hasson, is. If you missed the show (TJ), you needn't be ignorant to the inzanity, check it out here. Or another example below.


With crowd pleasers such as "I Hate Dog Shit," "LA Nights 2," and "Strangers Have The Best Candy," Pleaseeasaur provided quality, low-cost - nearly individual - entertainment. My feeling from the group was that this was a nice change of pace. Not annoying like Weird Al, but with the low-fi multi-media to complement the shameless Bill Murray-esque performance of Mr. Hasson, this show was memorable. For another perspective, I found this review on the DCist.

This show was well worth the $8. And now I know the secrets of the Back Stage.