A Fond Farewell or "What the Blind Man Saw" APTBS/Holy Fuck/Sons and Daughters-RNR Hotel 3/19/08
Yes, once again an extremely late show review from I, Sacklunch. I was even prodded long with the following image:
It's true. I do have a side job dancing at numerous ALL MALE NUDE strip clubs up and down the Mid-Atlantic and it often interferes with the timeliness of my posts. Anyway, on to the "review".
Since this was to be the final Rock Club show before Jumboslice moved to Austin, we decided to have a going away feast prior to the show. We had planned to go to Granville Moore's plenty of times in the past, but had never actually gone (although I did go once with my wife). We gorged ourselves on mussels, fries (or frites, if you roll that way) and a few Belgian beers. We were all very pleased with the food and will definitely be back for some pre-RNR Hotel eats. BTW, I should also mention that Jimbromski hoarded the best mussel preparation (the one with the bacon) all for himself. Don't ever go eat Chinese food with this dude, he likes to get his own dish and refuses to share. Who the fuck does this? The whole point of going out for Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.. is to get multiple dishes and everyone shares. Selfish ass.
We got to the show in time to catch the last 2 or 3 songs of A Place To Bury Strangers. We had seen these guys before during the wonderful DAM! Festival and the scene was pretty much the same, except there were like 3 times as many people there. APTBS sound like a mix of Jesus and Mary Chain/My Bloody Valentine with a bit of Joy Division thrown in for good measure. They play incredibly loud and this is one show that I will definitely wear earplugs to next time. I like them as an opener, I am not sure if my brain and ears could withstand a full set. Also, they get bonus points for using a smoke machine and lots of strobes.
Speaking of the smoke machine. As everyone was clearing out, Jimbromski and I were commenting on how smoky it was (because of the before mentioned smoke machine). Standing next to us was this guy who said "Is it smoky in here?". We quickly realized that he was blind and could not therefore not see the smoke. We ended up talking to him for a bit and I must say I was rather impressed. It turns out he attends numerous shows, often on his own. Kudos to you, blind sir. I should also add that when we were leaving at the end of the night we drove by Galluadet University. I commented that maybe the blind guy was a "reverse student" . I think I meant to say exchange student. It was funny at the time, not so much now.
We were all really here to see Holy Fuck after their excellent performance opening for Super Furry Animals. Once again they did not disappoint. We all parked ourselves close to the stage, on the right hand side. I believe this to be the prime viewing spot for shows at the RNR Hotel (along with our special balcony spot at the 930 Club, the risers at the BC Backstage, and the short riser stage right at the BC Mainstage) . The 35 minute set was pretty similar to the last time we saw them and the crowd seemed to fully enjoy every minute. Again, I am not a huge fan of live electronic music, but for some reason these guys bring the noise and energy that translates into an excellent live show. They have a great rhythm section, with a bassist that looks like he would be just as comfortable in a metal band. Other things to point out include a weird ticker tape type device that produce noise, lots of effects pedals, the playing of an instrument with a butter knife, and lots of cool looking old school Casio keyboards. Oh yeah, the drummer played barefoot.
I really didn't know too much about Sons and Daughters before the show. I listened to a few songs from their Myspace page and found it to be just okay. Sort of like The Long Blondes, but maybe not as good?? (or as good looking?) We stayed for most of their set, but I found myself a bit underwhelmed. For some reason the lead singer put off a weird, annoying vibe. Also, I thought the vocals got a little lost behind the guitar work. I think once again the openers upstaged the headliner and we left about halfway through their set.
All in all, another great night out and a fine farewell to Jumboslice. We wish him the best of luck in his new found home of Austin (I case you didn't know already) and with the arrival of his 1st offspring. Can DC Rock Club survive as a threesome? Perhaps we should recruit the blind guy.
3 comments:
I shared my mussels as much as you homos did and you know it. Let also add that I share my Chinese food but basically I focus on what I ordered. If I fucking wanted your kung pao, I would have fucking ordered it. But if you fucking want some of my General Tso's, go right ahead. Fucker.
The resemblance is uncanny. It's good to see that you still dance in that fuzzy sweater just like you did in college.
Granville Moore's was outstanding. I insist we return there when next time I visit DC.
APTBS was good but after a while I was ready for the sonic assault to subside.
Once again Holy Fuck was great. It was funny to see Sacklunch, not exactly an electronica guy, bobbing his head and grooving to the music. BTW, did you know Rachel Ray asked them to play at her SXSW party? I fucking hate her but she knows good bands. Whore.
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