The Fake Accents: 07/07/07 at the Galaxy Hut

Having been to a few Fake Accents shows already I expected a good time. I looked forward to this show in particular because they were sporting a three piece lineup for the first (and presumably only) time. A new bassist has been selected but he was out of the country, forcing the remaining Accents to get crafty. That meant one thing - cover songs.

After introducing themselves as The Face Accidents they played a straightforward rendition of a Pavement song (don't know which one - I'm terrible with song names). After that I didn't recognize any other songs. I guess three or four were Fake Accents originals that weren't on "The Big Disconnect". A few people shouted requests from the album, but the missing Accent meant those songs weren't viable options. No matter. The series of cover songs suited their playing style (more fire and passion than precision) - bands such as Flipper, Jonathon Richmond, Jay Reatard, and Psychedelic Horseshit (you read that correctly).

They were clearly not used to the three piece lineup so "We'll make do" became the motto of the night. Zack and Dave shared bass duties on a few songs. Each admitted they didn't have much experience but they handled the duties just fine. As usual Pete, the drummer, pounded away with fury. He beats the hell out the drums, treats them like a red-headed step child, he's pimp like, pissed off, Moon-esque, you get the picture. Zack plays, and sings, with an intensity and brashness that you don't see enough of these days. A band like Robbers on High Street could use some of his fiery presence to liven up their show.

For the last song they handed out noisemakers then launched into a punk-rock sonic assault with reckless abandon. The entire night they walked the line between bad and brilliant. The final song had them squarely on the brilliant side of the line. Overall, I liked seeing them play covers but it doesn't beat them playing my favorites off their album along with their new stuff. If you missed this show, be sure to check out their new lineup as they open for Get Him Eat Him on July 26th.

Two reviews down, one Smashing Pumpkins review to go.

The Redwalls and Robbers on High Street

At the last minute we decided to skip the Fiery Furnaces show and head to Iota to see The Redwalls (above) and The Robbers On High Street, but up first...

Baby Teeth

It appeared they bought their shirts at the Grand Ole Opry gift shop. This is unfortunate. Shortly after we got there something busted on the drum kit. While the lead singer tried to kill time with small talk and banter, we escaped to the back patio. I'm confident we didn't miss much.

Robbers on High Street

As the Robbers prepared to go on we settled at a table not far from the stage. In fact, it was the only table in the concert room. As someone who's lazy and finds standing a chore, I was pretty happy to have a seat for the show. It gave the even a dinner theater feel (as Potsy pointed out) and who doesn't like that? As the Robbers took the stage I noticed the collective weight of the band was around 132 lbs., putting them in the Featherweight division. As for the music, they have potential to be a Cruiserweight in Indie Rock but their performance was equal to their weight class. The Crispin Glover look-alike on bass should have been a dead giveaway.

Their music is most often compared to Spoon, but they're Spoonish in a Cold War Kids way - enjoyable but fall far short of the real thing. The first set of songs with the lead singer on acoustic guitar blended together. Nothing stood out as unique or distinct. After the singer switched to the electric guitar things picked up. There was an up tick in energy but it wasn't enough to get the crowd going. They finally cranked up the rock on their final song. It included a superfuzz guitar solo that brought the crowd to life just as their set was ending. They should have started with that song and then built off of it. Overall it wasn't bad, just not very engaging. I give Robbers On High Street a Rock Club rating of 4.9.

The Redwalls

They took the stage with a confident, energetic, and some might say, pompous attitude. They're a stylish group of lads (except the drummer's frat guy look) who've embraced the rock star image. I doubted I'd enjoy these guys because of their classic rock bent. Plus, I saw the lead singer leave the bathroom without washing his hands. Seriously, wash your fucking hands already. Anyway, they started off with "Hangman". Within 10 seconds they managed to get the crowd grooving and dancing, something the Robbers couldn't manage their entire set.

Unfortunately, Jimbromski couldn't make the show. He would've loved this band. They played '60's inspired Brit-Rock with style. It's right up his alley. He also would've approved of their guitar choices. They had a Rickenbacker looking bass and the guitarist actually played a modified parallelogram. They were wise to avoid the Flying V. Personally, I enjoyed how they continued to rock as their roadie scurried around the stage checking wires and setting up guitars. When we form our band, first thing I'm doing is hiring a guy to pretend to fix things onstage during the middle of songs. There's just something classic about that (and funny).

And now for Rock Club's favorite game: Separated at Birth. This was a good one. The lead singer is a dead ringer for Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. I thought Crispin Glover on bass for the Robbers was solid, but the Steve Nash look-alike wins. Okay, let's wrap this shit up. The Redwalls put on a lively and fun show. It went 3 or 4 songs too long, but that's better than going 90 minutes too long (check back for my Smashing Pumpkins review). I give The Redwalls a Rock Club rating of 7.1. I would've gone a higher, but the bassist said their new album was "going to drop" on Oct. 9th. I had to subtract a few points. That phrase just needs to die.

One review down, two to go. Up Next: the Fake Accents.

Video Testing...

This is a test of my video posting capabilities. I shot this vid, using my digital camera, of my dog (Babette) and my parents' dog (Coco) playing in my back yard a few months ago.

I'm thinking of trying to take some short movies while we're at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this weekend. Wish me luck.

I Beckon, They Respond

See, this is how it should work. I hear a band for the first time, I post something on DCRockClub.com about them, and then, as if by magic, they schedule an upcoming show at a local venue.

The 1990s will be appearing at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, August 3. I posted a video by them here. They sound like Supergrass, a bit, I guess. They're certainly weird looking in the English-sort-of-way, like Supergrass. Anyway, they have a good sound, so let's check them out. This could be one of the last shows before the arrival of Jimbromski Jr., so I want to go out on a high note.

Here's another 1990s vid--the song is "You're Supposed To Be My Friend". I recognize this one from a commercial, although which one exactly I don't recall:



And one more, this is "See You At The Lights":

Tonight, Tonight

If you've read the comments from the last post, you'll notice my interweb savvy neighbor Jim scored two tickets to The Smashing Pumpkins show. Since Sage can't go, that means I'm in. I can't say I'm exactly excited for the show, just very curious.



Right now I'm streaming the new Smashing Pumpkins album Zeitgeist. It's a name only Jimbromski could love. You'll notice the cover art is equally ridiculous. The music? Meh. There are bits reminiscent the band's classic sound, but it's mostly stuff we've heard off Corgan's solo release and the last two Pumpkins albums (Adore and Machina/The Machines of God). Nonetheless, I'm hoping for a good show tonight. We'll see...

I Am One...who's intrigued

The rumor of a surprise Smashing Pumpkins show at the 9:30 Club is true. The show is Tuesday, July 10th and tickets go on sale Friday morning at 10 AM via Tickets.com . They haven't said how much it'll cost but there is a two ticket limit per person. The question is whether we should even care.

I was a big fan when they released Gish and Siamese Dream. Things have gone downhill considerably since then. Anything Corgan has touched in the past 7 years has been a train wreck (remember Zwan?). However, I'm curious to see what the reformed band can do. Anyone else interested in getting tickets?

Founders Day

Continuing on the previous post--this week sees the first anniversary of Rock Club.

But first, please join me as we honor America:



Like America, Rock Club was born in strife, of the efforts of giants. Here is our founding document, our Declaration of Independence. Remember when Nicolas Cage tried to steal this e-mail?


Okay, it's hard to read in it's original format. Here's the text:

In response to [Jumbo Slice's] e-mail regarding upcoming shows, I had a thought. Actually, I had a thought before seeing [Jumbo Slices] [sic] e-mail, but anyway. Being a married, middle-aged guy with a kid, I need some sort of weekly night out/escape from my domestic life. I like going to shows, you all like going to shows, so let's try to go to a show once a week. I propose that each week someone picks out a show they would like to see and then we all have to attend. I think it is a good excuse to get out of the house on a weekly basis, and [Potsy] can use the time to either listen to music, or ( [sic] in [Jumbo Slice's words, "crush some ass." Anyway, who's down? Let's discuss. BTW, I won't be in town the last week of July so I can't go see Axelson's band at Ft. Reno. I am going to try and listen to some of the other bands and see if I might want to check them out.

[Sack Lunch]

So it's only been one year, and yet in that short time DC Rock Club has accomplished more in that time than, say, Canada has accomplished since the British North America Act on July 1, 1867. Well done, men. Well done.

Happy Birthday Rock Club

America was born in July. So was Rock Club. Coincidence?