(Rt: Pic by Jasper) Before jumping into last night, it’s imperative you get out this evening to check out some of the rock in your neighborhood. Please review these options and heed my advice:
1.) The Big Sleep w/The Redwalls & Go To Town @ The Mercury Lounge: You’ve heard me ramble on about the beauty of The Big Sleeps droning blues rock, and tonight you have a great opportunity to see and hear why the boys at 186 love this band. They are cooler than Bogart and hotter than Bacall. Come early for the young Chicago based four-piece The Redwalls who do their best to reference the golden era of rock ‘n roll.
2.) The Epochs @ The Knit Tap Bar: This Brooklyn band is coming off of a month long residency at Nublu hosted by Justin C. They’ve jumped into another residency at the Knit Tap Bar. Bahamas bassist Kevin Smith has joined the line-up and will certainly add a new element to their already dynamic tunes.
3.) The Exploding Hearts @ The Luna Lounge: The ever changing Adam Ghory Band has resurfaced in the 212. Tonight is your first and last chance to see him as The Exploding Hearts. Stop by to find out what a year in Boston does for a young pop band. My guess is penning more tunes that call to mind our beloved Weezer.
As the NFL season grows ever distant in my rear view mirror, I am reminded of the last hurrah; the Pro Bowl. This game is much akin to post break-up sex. You participate, but you know it’s wrong. You enjoy it, but the act is meaningless. You want more, but we both know it’s over. These were the feelings guiding me through Monday. Thankfully rock doesn’t have an off season. The post work late afternoon was quite boring until Noah showed up to hang before our trip to the club. Ryan and Kyle eventually showed up, and we enjoyed some Bob Saget hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos. This reminded me of the good old days when my sisters and I would gather round the TV on Sunday night to watch Saget prattle on about some bunny rabbit shitting in living room.
By 8:30pm we set out for the long (read: short) walk to the Mercury Lounge. Sometimes I feel bad for my smoker friends who come over before shows at the Mercury. They are now subject to the No Smoking rule at 186, and when we leave for the club, they have a little more than a block to suck down their sweet nectar. They must hate me which isn’t a new concept. We said hello to Greg, who was outside being scholarly, before heading into the club. Thanks to Mr. Empire for the sweet hookup. As we made our way to the back room, Jin and her friend Jeff greeted us. We slid in the back to watch Dirty On Purpose go through their pre-show motions onstage. We were joined by other regulars like Dave, Essie (I have no idea how to spell her name) and DTL who wouldn’t allow a case of the Monday’s trip them up.
(Rt: Pic by Jasper) Dirty On Purpose took their cue from Marc and within the first few bars of the first song, I could tell this show would be more vibrant than the Friday gig. For some reason, I can’t remember the name of the first song they played, (cue Jin to put it in the comments section), but it set the tone for the entire set. The trading vocalization between George and Erika created a nice atmosphere that was accompanied by Erika’s lovely work on the keys that reminded me of early New Order, (way before they became the biggest shit in the U.K.). Upon hearing the intro to the second song, my ears perked up. The sharp cadence on the snare indicated it was time for one of their solid gold tracks, Go Back To Sleep.
Even after seeing Dirty On Purpose play a number of times, (most of which I do remember), there are still new discoveries to be made. Doug’s transitions are strong enough to help smooth out the broad musical canvas as the band shifts gears during most of their tunes. Sometimes it feels that not only his physical positioning, (Doug’s drums are often placed on stage right), but also his playing sets him apart from the band. If you close your eyes it sounds like the rest of the band acts as one autonomous piece of composition while taking their cues from Doug. In this way it felt like he is the conductor guiding the Dirty On Purpose orchestra. This is only validated by the intricately woven guitar parts that have a constant emotional pull in opposing directions.
(Rt: Pic by Jasper)The band often feels like they share an all business attitude. This is until Joe decides to dose the crowd with witty banter in an effort to fill the gaps between songs. My favorite example of this was Joe thanking the crowd and saying, “It’s hard for me to do something on a Monday night that I don’t get paid for,” before flashing a sly smile shadowed by his too-cool-for-school moustache. Dirty On Purpose proceeded to jump into All New Friends which features Erika on vocals. Last night was the first time I understood how big of an asset she is to the group. Her sexiness lies hidden behind a deceptively shy exterior, but her voice carries a sober confidence. It almost sounds like she found the perfect balance between Courtney Love’s howl and a Bjork’s sugary delicacy. Take for instance her 2rd echo on the chorus of Mind Blindness versus the harmonizing she does with George on his new song. This vocal style adds another credible reference to their resume.
The last two songs showed the dual nature of the band. The lead into Monument was very sullen. It was lead by Erika’s work on the keys, but it quickly got blown away by the haunting distortion George forced out of his guitar at the beginning of the epic song DJ penned. While watching George freak out on his guitar it becomes apparent that he wasn’t lying to me when on Friday he mentioned he’s listening to some very noisy bands these days. It felt like Dirty On Purpose went for it last night and it translated into a solid show. My only question is when are they going to work Spider Eyes back into live rotation?
We stuck around to hear a few songs from the Two Gallants. They sounded a bit looser than Friday, but still top notch. The lead singer has got the lonely blues man bit down like science while the drummer’s consistent hard hitting keeps their music in the garage. Noah and I ducked out after a bit of the set. We stopped over at 186 to waste the rest of the evening starring at the wall and talking to Builder.
*** Dear female Strokes fans. We are sorry to inform you that Julian has been taken off the auction block, but he has been replaced by Fab. Start your bidding.
*** For some reason I can’t believe this article especially when bands such as Razorbite due so well. The jab at American music at the end of the piece makes me wonder if they’ve heard of this label called Sub Pop. Maybe they should hold off while EMI is getting trashed.
*** Can’t we just let Suge Knight be? And, say it ain’t so Bill?
*** The newest victim of the digital age: The Hit Factory. Now where will the potential 50 Cent murders congregate?
*** If everything gets smoothed out and this documentary sees the light of day, it could be life changing.
2 Comments:
oh jay. you are one of my heroes. the first song that dirty on purpose played that night was an unrecorded track called "marfa lights." it's one of their best openers, in my opinion. beautiful, lush and yearning.
jin, much obliged and much agreed. it was good to see you pumped up for the show and no longer sicky.
Post a Comment
<< Home