i didn't know squat about the opening bands B.E.A.R.D. or Bound Stems (aside from an 'ex-Harvey Danger' blurb in the local listings...whoa!) but the clear highlights were to be Major Stars and Six Organs. got there at what i thought would be a good time to camp out for a prime photo spot yet not have to endure too much bad music, but the sound check ran late and the schedule was 15 minutes off. not too psyched because i had to get up at 6:30AM the next day to drive 3 hr into deep western MA for some weekend biking.
i get in around quarter of ten after scoring a sweet parking spot and B.E.A.R.D. is howling on stage. local psych band, decent enough sound, so i grab a beer and head in. interesting front man (kinda like david berman on amphetamines), decent guitar player, staid but solid bass player who also broke out an electric sitar which was unusual, and good drummer.
they had some neat textures and the singer was pumping as much feeling and emotion into the performance as possible. i thought it was a solid set. i'd see 'em again.
singer:
sitar thing:
amplifed angst (or ass):
next up were bound stems, which had a huge array of instrumentation, a full 2' x 4' plywood console w/ tons of pedals, and fake ivy draped all over the mic stands and drums. ok... they started playing and immediately i knew this was gonna be the worst band i'd see in a while. imagine taking the worst bits of Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes vocals and rhythms, ratcheting them up a few logs, and tossing in total non-sequitur rhythm changes and other bits. ugh. this was awful. the tandem vocals left me no choice but to vacate the room immediately, so i hung outside on the street by myself for enough time that i thought was safe, so i'd be able to get a good spot for the next bands. i didn't bother wasting any CF capacity on them. HORRIBLE - AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
bring the rock, ****ers. yeah, twisted village in the RED style...last i'd seen of Major Stars was in '02 at Terrastock V and they have upped their game considerably. Sandra Barrett joined as vocalist, leaving Wayne to roam the stage like a beast w/ a headful of speed, creating sonic distress in his wake. kate was totally abusing her guild as usual, and it was an absolute joy taking shots of her. i can't remember when i had such a good time behind the viewfinder. i just wished i'd had a faster, wider lens, because i was literally 2' in front of her w/ nowhere else to go. the bass and other guitar player (pretty sure it's tom leonard of luxurious bags fame) were anchored in spot, the drummer pounded the friggin' dust from the ceiling, and sandra probably spent more time in the crowd than on stage. wow. go see them if you have a chance, i was thoroughly impressed. much better than the times i'd caught crystalized movements or magic hour (speaking of which, local luminaries and ex-rhythm section Damon and Naomi were in attendence).
wayne, pre-excoriation (about the only time he was still):
sandra:
kate, in a blur (technically not a great picture, but truly evocative of their sound):
kate, wringing the life out of her guitar:
what's sexier than a luscious Guild being throttled by a woman? nothing.
more:
more cascading hair:
psych guitar encyclopedia of riffage:
sandra's sensible footwear, long since discarded:
punter's PBR pressed into service:
i must say that i didn't envy Ben and co (the dude from Hush Arbors and drummer from Sunburned Hand of the Man) having to follow that maelstrom, and Ben was in kind of a bad mood. flipped off a semi-heckler, didn't seem all that into the show, and very grudgingly played one song as an 'encore' after he urged people to leave or go to the bar. not sure what was up w/ him. what i can report is that i highly prefer the solo, acoustic 6 organs to the band format...it seemed like a cloudy, murky water rather than the clear creek of his steel-string playing. maybe it was the sound, but it just didn't have near the same emotional impact that shows @ terrastock or the '04 show w/ devendra had...the drummer was very good though, and brought a less frenetic Corsano jazz sound to the proceedings. i've not seen SHotM in a while, so it's time i check them out again.
conclusion: go see Major Stars
i get in around quarter of ten after scoring a sweet parking spot and B.E.A.R.D. is howling on stage. local psych band, decent enough sound, so i grab a beer and head in. interesting front man (kinda like david berman on amphetamines), decent guitar player, staid but solid bass player who also broke out an electric sitar which was unusual, and good drummer.
they had some neat textures and the singer was pumping as much feeling and emotion into the performance as possible. i thought it was a solid set. i'd see 'em again.
singer:
sitar thing:
amplifed angst (or ass):
next up were bound stems, which had a huge array of instrumentation, a full 2' x 4' plywood console w/ tons of pedals, and fake ivy draped all over the mic stands and drums. ok... they started playing and immediately i knew this was gonna be the worst band i'd see in a while. imagine taking the worst bits of Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes vocals and rhythms, ratcheting them up a few logs, and tossing in total non-sequitur rhythm changes and other bits. ugh. this was awful. the tandem vocals left me no choice but to vacate the room immediately, so i hung outside on the street by myself for enough time that i thought was safe, so i'd be able to get a good spot for the next bands. i didn't bother wasting any CF capacity on them. HORRIBLE - AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
bring the rock, ****ers. yeah, twisted village in the RED style...last i'd seen of Major Stars was in '02 at Terrastock V and they have upped their game considerably. Sandra Barrett joined as vocalist, leaving Wayne to roam the stage like a beast w/ a headful of speed, creating sonic distress in his wake. kate was totally abusing her guild as usual, and it was an absolute joy taking shots of her. i can't remember when i had such a good time behind the viewfinder. i just wished i'd had a faster, wider lens, because i was literally 2' in front of her w/ nowhere else to go. the bass and other guitar player (pretty sure it's tom leonard of luxurious bags fame) were anchored in spot, the drummer pounded the friggin' dust from the ceiling, and sandra probably spent more time in the crowd than on stage. wow. go see them if you have a chance, i was thoroughly impressed. much better than the times i'd caught crystalized movements or magic hour (speaking of which, local luminaries and ex-rhythm section Damon and Naomi were in attendence).
wayne, pre-excoriation (about the only time he was still):
sandra:
kate, in a blur (technically not a great picture, but truly evocative of their sound):
kate, wringing the life out of her guitar:
what's sexier than a luscious Guild being throttled by a woman? nothing.
more:
more cascading hair:
psych guitar encyclopedia of riffage:
sandra's sensible footwear, long since discarded:
punter's PBR pressed into service:
i must say that i didn't envy Ben and co (the dude from Hush Arbors and drummer from Sunburned Hand of the Man) having to follow that maelstrom, and Ben was in kind of a bad mood. flipped off a semi-heckler, didn't seem all that into the show, and very grudgingly played one song as an 'encore' after he urged people to leave or go to the bar. not sure what was up w/ him. what i can report is that i highly prefer the solo, acoustic 6 organs to the band format...it seemed like a cloudy, murky water rather than the clear creek of his steel-string playing. maybe it was the sound, but it just didn't have near the same emotional impact that shows @ terrastock or the '04 show w/ devendra had...the drummer was very good though, and brought a less frenetic Corsano jazz sound to the proceedings. i've not seen SHotM in a while, so it's time i check them out again.
conclusion: go see Major Stars