iamserio.us

There is a lot of writing to be done in order to fully explain this concert. If you like reading then feel free to do so, otherwise you can scroll to the bottom and just download.

I drove over three hours from Seattle to see this show in Vancouver. I got to the supposed venue which turned out to be a triplex. This didn’t make sense to me so I loaded up irc (lol nerd) on my phone and got some third party help:

mojo> need help
mojo> im in vancouver
mojo> for this twdy show
merk> you drove four hours for that shit? i thought you were kidding
mojo> im at the house where its at but im not sure if im at the right place
merk> you need an addy?
mojo> 3316 grand bld vancouver, wa
mojo> place is called ex-communicate house
mojo> just double check
mojo> and try to find a picture of the outside
merk> you got the address right
merk> this place has no website
mojo> ok
mojo> yeah i know
mojo> there are no band vans or trailers outside the place either.
mojo> maybe i'll knock on the door
merk> that would seem to be a logical next step
mojo> no answer
mojo> this is a triplex
mojo> any mention of a unit #?
merk> nope
mojo> hm
merk> show time is 8
merk> hm, twdy's bill had no info, but the other band has more
mojo> yeah
merk> it says 3316 grand blvd ..1
merk> 1? is that the number?
mojo> 1 has a lockbox on it
mojo> hm
merk> now just find the key
merk> wait, lockbox? al gore must be near
merk> he's the key master
mojo> dude at #1 has nfi what im talking about
merk> lol
merk> this is like a joke
mojo> yes
merk> well i found a photobucket of a show there
merk> but all shitty indoor photos

I knocked on each of the doors and finally got an answer when I inquired at the unit that was being renovated.

The guy at the unit had no clue what I was talking about, but he decided to help me out and give me some directions and I returned to irc for more help:

mojo> i talked to dude
mojo> took i5 down to camus hwy
merk> that other band, the band that's playing with twdy, they had the fucking zip code wrong
merk> they had a zip code form fucking portland
merk> i'm looking at google maps now
merk> grand blvd is a north/south street
merk> and the arrow that should theoretically be pointing at the house is on the west side
merk> of grand blvd
merk> just a bit past e 33rd
merk> north of e 33
mojo> im back to where i was

The guy gave me directions that didn’t really help. I had just come back full circle to where I was in the first place. The funny thing is that the bands rolled up in their vans shortly after I returned and they had no idea what was going on either. The long and short of it is was that the guy moved (and, since his house is the venue, so did the venue) and hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone. One of the guys from Sparrows Swarm And Sing called someone and got the new address and I commissioned a fellow irc nerd to get me directions:

mojo> mike
mojo> call me please
mojo> 206 412 6711
mojo> need help
mojo> or anyone with a computer
mojo> and internets
tnl> i've got a quarter of an internet. i fail
mojo> someone seriously
mojo> i need google maps
merk> what
merk> why
merk> you not staying for the show?
mojo> i need google maps directions
mojo> to the new venue.
merk> whats the address
mojo> 1005 ne 88 circle vancouver wa
mojo> itll be easier if you call
merk> no you call me
merk> *** *** 5122
mojo> the bands are already late
mojo> ok

I called Mike (merk) and he gave me directions. I rounded up the guys in the two bands and we ran a convoy to the new venue, only arriving 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Now, the venue is something else. It’s a house with a detached garage and the bands play in said garage. The garage is about the size of a normal two-car unit, but the actual playing space is only half of the structure. The other half of the garage has a dirt floor where bands can stage their gear. I’d wager a guess that the actual playing space is about 8′ wide and 14′ long so that when a four or five piece band is playing, about a dozen people can fit in the room to watch:

The host of the show performed his noise set as Blowupnihilist and a Seattle punk band called Playing Enemies followed. I set up to record TWDY’s set and witnessed what is probably the most moving and impressive performance I’ve ever seen. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I hung out with the guys before the show and saw what nice people they were. I also think it has a lot to do with the intimacy of the tiny-as-hell venue (only 10 people witnessed this show). Even still, a lot of it has to do with the fact that these guys make beautiful, awesome music.

Following TWDY, their tourmates Sparrows Swarm And Sing played. A different brand of post-rock, Sparrows follow the tradition of GYBE! by employing a cello, a violin, alternative percussion and a xylophone. They had somewhat of an off-night due to the fact that a lot of their gear was stolen the day before so they were playing with new and borrowed instruments. Even still, I enjoyed their set a great deal. They had some very interesting takes on the genre that are worth listening to again… AND NOW YOU CAN DO JUST THAT!

Sparrows Swarm And Sing
2006-08-03 Excommunicate House – Vancouver, WA
Download: sss2006-08-03.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: sss2006-08-03sample.mp3

This Will Destroy You
2006-08-03 Excommunicate House – Vancouver, WA
Download: twdy2006-08-03.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: twdy2006-08-03sample.mp3

This entry was posted on Friday, August 4th, 2006 at 12:11 PM and is filed under Main, Taping.