the pacific northwest rules (mostly)
I have half an hour to kill here at work on a Thursday afternoon, the day after my paper's deadline, the day of atonement and gnashing of teeth and eventually occassionally retraction, and my boss is on the road, probably not even out of the state yet, so I think I shall regale you, dear reader, with an account of last weekend, when Michelle and I ventured out into the world through the Texas highway system, all the way to the capital, to witness the Decemberists and Built to Spill.
AC/DC once said "it's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock and roll," and I hereby present an addendum: it's a long way from Fort Stockton if you wanna rock. We were not quailed by Hurricane Rita or exorbitant gas prices either. As I've said before (http://waterydomestic.blogspot.com/2005/04/mel-loy-mel-loy.html), the Decemberists are worth the effort.
We stayed once again with friends in the quaint Austin suburb of Kyle, arriving late Saturday afternoon after an arduous (not terribly) drive. Had a few beers, caught up on the day's college football action, and were soon off to P.F. Chang's downtown location. A 30 minute wait seemed reasonable enough, and in no time I was testing new delights upon my fragile palate. I know it's nothing outlandish, but it was new and pretty tasty overall.
The show was at La Zona Rosa, and I'm assuming the terrific pairing stemmed from the fact that the Austin City Limits festival was in full swing that weekend. One day I'll pony up the cash and do ACL right (i.e. drinking and watching bands all day and night) but this show, initially, seemed like a fair substitute for going all out. I've got bills to pay, after all.
Michelle decided to hit the town with her friend Leslie, so Leslie's boyfriend Nick used my second ticket. Soon we were in line at La Zona Rosa, although we were early.
Venue impressions: nice, cozy place- a really good room to see a band up close. Nick and I grabbed a couple Lone Stars and planted ourselves before the stage.
Sons & Daughters opened; I believe they're Scottish. My first, glib thought was, 'when did Franz Ferdinand get a girl singer?' They were alright but kind of eh, as I couldn't catch many of the lyrics. The female bassist was pounding beers throughout their thankfully brief set.
I say thankfully because it was all prelude to the Decemberists, who were great in April at Emo's and who remain great today. They're on tour, and they deserve your money and adoration. Another great, albeit abbreviated, set. I really missed "The Mariner's Revenge Song" and "The Tain," but both of those are epic and I'd heard them live before. Maybe next time.
Funny stage banter throughout, including a silly Oasis parody- a few bars of "Champagne Supernova," as the Gallagher (sp) bros were playing ACL that night. Tough choice, I know. Sure. "The Sporting Life" was a definite highlight, as was "We Both Go Down Together." That's not very hip, pointing out two newish songs, but it has been a few days and my memory isn't incredibly clear.
The set was too short, and closed with "Chimbley Sweep," which Colin introduced in a goofy monologue about George W. Bush. Nick was blown away (not by the Bush ref especially), and I of course knew they ruled. At the end Colin made us all kneel down quietly. Then everyone jumped up as the band kicked in again; a great moment.
Built to Spill seemed to take a long time to set up, and weren't exactly what I was hoping for. Maybe the two bands were just mismatched, but after 50 or so minutes of pure exuberance I wasn't prepared for wanky guitar pyrotechnics. We got dragged up to the front right corner, by the amp. Good points: leaning against the wall, getting a good view of the second guitarist, whose axe had "Kill Bush" scrawled on it; Bad points: muddy sound, loud, can't hear the vocals well. "Center of the Universe" was cool, and at this point it's the only title I recall. We left early, for a variety of reasons not really worth recounting. I'm just not that into jam bands, and on record BtS are a LOT better.
Or it could be they're not showmen like the Decemberists & we had a shitty spot & the vocals were too low, etc. Moral of the story: I won't be putting down $25 to see Martsch & co. again any time soon.
My time's almost up. Quitting time, that is. Michelle and I have made plans to see indie rock legends/Matador stalwarts Yo La Tengo weekend after next, as they're somehow playing a free show at a little town not too far from us. Marfa, to be exact, home of freaky lights and artsy people. Should be a good time, and hopefully we'll get some pictures.
AC/DC once said "it's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock and roll," and I hereby present an addendum: it's a long way from Fort Stockton if you wanna rock. We were not quailed by Hurricane Rita or exorbitant gas prices either. As I've said before (http://waterydomestic.blogspot.com/2005/04/mel-loy-mel-loy.html), the Decemberists are worth the effort.
We stayed once again with friends in the quaint Austin suburb of Kyle, arriving late Saturday afternoon after an arduous (not terribly) drive. Had a few beers, caught up on the day's college football action, and were soon off to P.F. Chang's downtown location. A 30 minute wait seemed reasonable enough, and in no time I was testing new delights upon my fragile palate. I know it's nothing outlandish, but it was new and pretty tasty overall.
The show was at La Zona Rosa, and I'm assuming the terrific pairing stemmed from the fact that the Austin City Limits festival was in full swing that weekend. One day I'll pony up the cash and do ACL right (i.e. drinking and watching bands all day and night) but this show, initially, seemed like a fair substitute for going all out. I've got bills to pay, after all.
Michelle decided to hit the town with her friend Leslie, so Leslie's boyfriend Nick used my second ticket. Soon we were in line at La Zona Rosa, although we were early.
Venue impressions: nice, cozy place- a really good room to see a band up close. Nick and I grabbed a couple Lone Stars and planted ourselves before the stage.
Sons & Daughters opened; I believe they're Scottish. My first, glib thought was, 'when did Franz Ferdinand get a girl singer?' They were alright but kind of eh, as I couldn't catch many of the lyrics. The female bassist was pounding beers throughout their thankfully brief set.
I say thankfully because it was all prelude to the Decemberists, who were great in April at Emo's and who remain great today. They're on tour, and they deserve your money and adoration. Another great, albeit abbreviated, set. I really missed "The Mariner's Revenge Song" and "The Tain," but both of those are epic and I'd heard them live before. Maybe next time.
Funny stage banter throughout, including a silly Oasis parody- a few bars of "Champagne Supernova," as the Gallagher (sp) bros were playing ACL that night. Tough choice, I know. Sure. "The Sporting Life" was a definite highlight, as was "We Both Go Down Together." That's not very hip, pointing out two newish songs, but it has been a few days and my memory isn't incredibly clear.
The set was too short, and closed with "Chimbley Sweep," which Colin introduced in a goofy monologue about George W. Bush. Nick was blown away (not by the Bush ref especially), and I of course knew they ruled. At the end Colin made us all kneel down quietly. Then everyone jumped up as the band kicked in again; a great moment.
Built to Spill seemed to take a long time to set up, and weren't exactly what I was hoping for. Maybe the two bands were just mismatched, but after 50 or so minutes of pure exuberance I wasn't prepared for wanky guitar pyrotechnics. We got dragged up to the front right corner, by the amp. Good points: leaning against the wall, getting a good view of the second guitarist, whose axe had "Kill Bush" scrawled on it; Bad points: muddy sound, loud, can't hear the vocals well. "Center of the Universe" was cool, and at this point it's the only title I recall. We left early, for a variety of reasons not really worth recounting. I'm just not that into jam bands, and on record BtS are a LOT better.
Or it could be they're not showmen like the Decemberists & we had a shitty spot & the vocals were too low, etc. Moral of the story: I won't be putting down $25 to see Martsch & co. again any time soon.
My time's almost up. Quitting time, that is. Michelle and I have made plans to see indie rock legends/Matador stalwarts Yo La Tengo weekend after next, as they're somehow playing a free show at a little town not too far from us. Marfa, to be exact, home of freaky lights and artsy people. Should be a good time, and hopefully we'll get some pictures.
