iamserio.us

What a great night for instrumental rock. I mean, how often do you get to see three amazing instrumental bands all play in one night? Last night at The Nectar Lounge in Fremont, Caspian, You.May.Die.In.The.Desert and Joy Wants Eternity all played to a crowd of about 30 people and everyone who was there really wanted to be there. It wasn’t like there were people at the bar who didn’t really care about the music… everyone there really wanted to hear these bands play and they were ready to pay attention.

Actually, Caspian wasn’t officially on this bill. They had a lot of trouble booking a venue in Seattle and had even taken the date off of their myspace tourdates because there wasn’t anywhere for them to play. I’m very thankful that You.May.Die.In.The.Desert let them play the show because Caspian puts on a really really awesome show. The new songs are epic and amazing. I’m so excited for the album to drop in February.

The guys in Caspian were so nice too. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have a member of a band ask me “Can we put this recording on The Archive?” That he even knew about archive.org made me smile and that he wanted the recording to go on the site made me grin even more. How awesome is that?

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert impressed the hell out of me too. I think they are a perfect example of how different instrumental rock can sound when you really try to break out of the box. All three of these guys are amazingly good at their instruments and they use those skills to craft Don Caballero-esque songs that sound like you’re hearing them in that transitory state between waking and sleeping. I fully expect these guys to blow up the scene and get the recognition (and record contract) they deserve.

Caspian – 2006-10-15 Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
Download: caspian2006-10-15.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: caspian2006-10-15sample.mp3

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert – 2006-10-15 Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
Download: ymditd2006-10-15.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: ymditd2006-10-15sample.mp3

Joy Wants Eternity – 2006-10-15 Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
Download: jwe2006-10-15.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: jwe2006-10-15sample.mp3

Snarl is a framework that can be used by any application to display popups (ala Toaster, Miranda, etc.) Instead of every app making its own popups, Snarl provides a central platform.

Always bring your second recording device. Always.

If I had brought my JB3 to the show last night I could have easily gotten a soundboard feed and this was one show where that would have been very helpful. The Sunset Tavern is a bar and people will pay the seven dollar cover charge to go there and talk while all the bands play. Color me confused because I don’t understand this practice. Why these people refuse to go to a bar where there isn’t a cover charge escapes me completely.

That said, I love Math & Physics Club so goddamn much. This is the type of pop music that should be made forever and ever without pause. Charles’ vocals remind me heavily of Jason Korzen (Barcelona, Sprites) but with that soft sheen that you get from singers like Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian). It really is something quite soothing and beautiful. Too bad the drunk crowd was too loud for anyone to hear anything. The beginning of the set was very hard to hear but it got better near the middle when people either quieted down or left. I really wish I had brought my JB3. So angry.

Boat 2006-10-14 Sunset Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: boat2006-10-14.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: boat2006-10-14sample.mp3

Math & Physics Club 2006-10-14 Sunset Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: mapc2006-10-14.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: mapc2006-10-14sample.mp3

It’s funny how The Blood Brothers keep getting older but still truck on making music. I guess the funny part about it is as they age and progress in musical maturity, their audience seems to remain trapped in a perpetual state of puberty. See, that’s what I love about Blood Brothers fans: I keep getting older, they stay the same age.

I guess that’s one of the pitfalls of making the style of music that they do; whiny, eccentric, spazztic rock that no sane 20-something would care to bounce around to at a concert. No, us mature folk like to stand at the bar and blithely sip our Manhattans. To tell the truth, I honestly don’t know why no one ever “grows up” with The Blood Brothers. Well, no one but me it seems.

The Blood Brothers played to a fairly packed house of teens at The Old Firehouse in Redmond last night. The crowd was obnoxious and annoying and everything that an all-ages show at The Firehouse should be: full of awkwardly dressed, half-formed, young adults. In all honesty, I go to Blood Brothers shows just to get a quick dose of what horrible fashion some teens are trying to pass off as acceptable. Seriously, next time I’m taking a camera.

Mikaela’s Fiend opened to an unenthused crowd. I don’t think the kids were too keen on being entertained by their peers so they didn’t respond much to Donnie’s between-song banter (which was compounded by the fact that it was hard to understand the winded drummer). The set was fast, unforgiving and vicious. This is why this band will go far. They just don’t quit.

The Blood Brothers took the stage at about 9:00. God bless all-ages shows for starting and ending so early. The band does what they always do and I love them for it. Jordan holds the side of his head like the microphone gives him a migraine. Johnny shakes his head violently in between vocal spews as if it gives him a sickness he has to forcibly remove. Mark destroys the drums in a way that convinces you he really wants them to break. Morgan gracefully handles his bass and keys quietly. Cody brings the jams. It’s The Blood Brothers. There isn’t anything to say that they haven’t said the dozens of times I’ve seen them in the past, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop going to their shows and buying their albums.

Mikaela’s Fiend – 2006-10-13 The Old Firehouse – Redmond, WA
Download: mf2006-10-13.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: mf2006-10-13sample.mp3

The Blood Brothers – 2006-10-13 The Old Firehouse – Redmond, WA
Download: bbrothers2006-10-13.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: bbrothers2006-10-13sample.mp3

This app lets you use Pandora without having to keep a browser window open. Works with Last.fm too. Nice.