An Epiphany in One Dark Night

One of the good things about living in Los Angeles is that occasionally a band like Dinosaur Jr. will play a free show. "Wait, free??? Are you sure it's not the cover band, Dinosaur Jr. Jr.?" This was my first time seeing the Dinos since June 14, 1991 at the Hollywood Palladium ... with Nirvana opening. Woot! FYI, I attended that gig on crutches, having had my right knee scoped two days prior. 1991: the year both punk and I broke.

Tuesday night's gig at The Troubadour was ideal for several reasons beyond price. It was crowded, but not packed, loud, yet not deafening, and done by 11 pm. Basically, a perfect show. A geriatric mosh pit even broke out, which was great to see and totally justifiable. It was also my first time seeing the original lineup: J. Mascis (Fender Jazzmaster, Marshall stacks), Lou Barlow (bass, half as stacky), and Murph (drums). That '91 show featured Mike Johnson on bass. Yes, for one night at least, dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Dinosaur Jr. - Almost Ready (Beyond, 2007) [CD] [mp3] [vinyl]

Dinosaur Jr. - Ocean In The Way (Farm, 2009) [CD] [mp3] [vinyl]

It's easy to forget how viable this band still is. Beyond and Farm are as good as any album since Where You Been (1993). Granted, the band's songwriting and album structures are a bit formulaic ... 3 midtempo:1 ballad, Mascis solos, 1-2 Lou songs ... but, what's wrong with that? No one sounds like J on guitar and Lou's gothy songs and melodic bass perfectly complement the Mascis drawl-and-squall. And while Murph is the 2nd best drummer in the band (after Mascis), he and Barlow lock into a tight, muscular groove that allows J to ride on top with the Fender puke + cry.



It's also easy to take for granted that Lou Barlow is in this band. Just when you're getting Mascisized, Barlow throws down a moody, clove-smoking anthem to remind you why you also fell in love with this band. In its own way, it's a better version of Dino Jr. and Sebadoh. And in hindsight, it makes sense that The Troubadour was pummelling the audience with pre-show Joy Division. Lou's role in Dino Jr. is to write Joy Division songs, except he sings like Lou Barlow, not a Kafka-esque Fred Schneider. And you get the White Witch of Marshallstackylvania. Amps will tear us apart, yo.

"Forget The Swan" is the first song on the band's debut album, Dinosaur. It's fascinating to listen to the Rollins version and then the album cut. The newer version makes the original sound like the product of a moderately-interesting Cure cover band, which they kind of were. To be fair, Dinosaur was recorded within months of the band's formation, so they were still figuring out how to be a band. As a performing unit, they're miles ahead of where they were at the time of that recording (1985) and probably comparable to (if not better than) their Green Mind-y prime.



Did someone mention Cure covers? God bless guitar pedals.

VISQUEENS OF THE SLOAN AGE

Speaking of chick rock, Seattle's powerpoptastic Visqueen played Amoeba-Hollywood on Wednesday as a three-piece. Rachel Flotard (guitar, vocals, pure hilarity), Christina Bautista (bass, vocals, rowr), and a cellist named Barb. Maybe 6-7 songs, concluding with "So Long," the cello-driven heartbreaker from their newish album, Message To Garcia. If you're a fan of the Fastbacks and Muffs ... and what rational person isn't? ... you'll love the Visqueen.



This video is from last year's Bumbershoot Festival, with Tom Cummings on guitar, Ben Hooker on drums, and Seattle on rain. I know, shocking. Anyway, that's the rock side of the 'Queen. Here's the 'Queen who breaks hearts with cello, steel guitar, and Flotard's killer voice.

Visqueen - So Long [CD/mp3] [according to Hooker, vinyl is coming]

Now's probably a good time to mention that previous Visqueen bassists have included Kim Warnick (Fastbacks) and Ronnie Barnett (Muffs), so the connection to those two bands is less happenstance and more proper eugenics. For those of you unfamiliar with Teams Fastback and Muff, allow me to introduce.

Fastbacks - I Never Knew (1982) [CD/mp3]

"Also known as 'the sixth favorite.' Recorded at the same session as the Play Five Of Their Favorites 12" (1982), but to this day unfinished, and only a crummy cassette tape existed before now. Released (albeit briefly) as the B-side to the promo-only In America 7". Mastered from the same crummy cassette, put out by different birdbrain with equally big ideas in Belgium. Courtesy of WIK-TUH."
--From The Question Is No liner notes, 1992

One of my favorite memories of Seattle is going to Fastbacks shows and watching the audience get so hammered that Kurt Bloch would play beer cup baseball during guitar solos. Ahhhh, the good ol' days ... that I'm only able to piece together in fragments.

Muffs - I'm Confused/Just A Game (1995) [CD]

Oh, Kim Shattuck ... I could never quit you. Here's the final two tracks on Blonder And Blonder, the first album featuring The Muffs (pictured right) as a three-piece: Shattuck (guitar, vocals), Barnett (bass, vocals, glasses), and Roy McDonald of Redd Kross (drums). The album title references a comment Courtney Love supposedly made about Kim's hair at Moe's in 1994-95. If this is true and it's the show I'm thinking of, Courtney wobbled in late, looking like she came straight from a Fastbacks show. Hey-OOO!!!

By the way, THE MUFFS ARE PLAYING 2 SHOWS AT SXSW!!! If you're in Austin for the fest, you'd be a numbskull to miss both.

Barney Ties Me to the Chair: Remembering Nirvana

Not sure if you're familiar with Magnet's ongoing Over/Under series, but their writers choose mostly well-known musical artists and discuss their overrated and underrated songs. In theory, it's a pretty clever idea and the writing isn't too bad. However, as it's played out, the series has been a hipster nightmare. The overrated pile is invariably populated by popular or anthemic material, as if by definition, a song appealing to more than 47 people is overrated. The best/worst example of this hipper-than-thou mindset is in the Rolling Stones Over/Under. When justifying his selection of "Wild Horses" as overrated (laughable), here's what Stephen Sigl writes:

The best (and weirdest) analogy I can come up with for including this and "Satisfaction" on the overrated list is by admitting that I went to a Fugazi show about 10 years ago with some hard-core Fugazi fans and told them (at least more than once), “I hope they play 'Waiting Room.'" That had to have been annoying, and that’s the criteria I’m using for this list.

This is the textbook definition of hipster nightmare. A guy who penalizes himself for liking a song that other people like and want to hear live. Obviously, it's the song's fault. Stupid catchy hook. Come on, dude. "Waiting Room" is a great song. "Wild Horses" is a great song. And "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is also a great song. Wait, why bring up "Teen Spirit"? Because Magnet's latest Over/Under tackles the Nirvana legacy and in a total shocker, "Teen Spirit" is (over)rated #1. Unfortunately for Magnet, this is empirically wrong. "Teen Spirit" is neither overrated nor underrated. It's properly rated. It's a fucking classic, so deal with it. Sure, we probably don't need to hear it for another decade because of cultural saturation, but that changes nothing. It isn't, never was, and never will be overrated.

But, since we're here and Nirvana is one of my favorite bands, why don't I address their most underrated song? Magnet says it's "Serve The Servants," followed by "Sappy" (aka "Verse Chorus Verse"), "Lounge Act," "Frances Farmer Will Get Her Revenge On Seattle," and "Marigold." "Marigold?" Well, it is obscure and that certainly appeals to hipsters, but it's more of a Dave Grohl solo song than it is a proper Nirvana song. And it's decent enough I guess, but ultimately more of an historical curio than great. So sorry, it doesn't make the cut. As for the other 4, they're all great songs, but underrated??? Who doesn't love "Lounge Act" and "Sappy"? If you find that person, lemme know. And I'd probably say the same about "Servants" and "Frances Farmer." Maybe they're slightly less catchy than "Lounge Act," but is any Nirvana fan underrating them? I don't think so.

Frankly, I'm not sure any track from Nevermind, In Utero, or the unplugged dealio can make the underrated cut. Because those albums were so popular, every song has had time to work itself into the mainstream discourse and come out with an essentially appropriate rating (+/- personal taste). That basically leaves Bleach, Incesticide, and various non-album tracks, but even some of that material ... I'm looking at you "About A Girl" ... has been totally consumed by the mainstream. Nevertheless, it's a track from Bleach that earns the coveted top spot. After due consideration, Nirvana's most underrated song is "Floyd The Barber."

Nirvana - Floyd The Barber [purchase]

One of Nirvana's earliest recordings (1988), it functions lyrically on 2 different, yet equally high levels. On one, it's classic Cobain black comedy, the kind of song that died on the vine after Nevermind went plutonium. The premise that the protagonist is trapped and tortured by the cast of The Andy Griffith Show is darkly comic. There's references to Andy, Opie, Aunt Bea, Barney, and of course, the titular character (pictured below right). However, if you actually read the lyrics, it's a harrowing mind-fuck. "Floyd" is "Polly" before "Polly," a catalog of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse juxtaposed against the superficially all-American backdrop of Mayberry. How can you draw any conclusion other than Kurt Cobain was a lights-out artistic genius? That question may be rhetorical.

Bell on door clanks come on in
Floyd observes my hairy chin
Sit down chair, don't be afraid
Steaming hot towel on my face

I was shaved (x3)

Barney ties me to the chair
I can't see, I'm really scared
Floyd breathes hard, I hear a zip
Pee-pee pressed against my lips

I was shamed (x3)

I sense others in the room
Opie, Aunt Bea, I presume
They take turns and cut me up
I die smothered in Andy's butt

I was shamed (x3)

"Floyd The Barber" is equally top shelf musically. I love how it lurches back and forth, never sitting still, never comfortable in one place. Given the lyrical content, though, doesn't that restlessness make sense? Granted, it helps that the drummer isn't Chad Channing, but The Melvins' mighty thumper of skins, Dale Crover (pictured below).

Crover actually played with Nirvana throughout the '80s and early '90s, sitting in for demos and the occasional show/tour. In fact, the first time I saw Nirvana ... Crest Theater, Sacramento, August 20, 1990 ... Crover was behind the kit. Just listen to that kick drum and snare pop. Only Dave Grohl got heavier than that and just barely. This is no small matter.

"Floyd" was essentially a preview of the rhythmic assault vehicle that Nirvana was to become with Grohl in the driver's seat. Crover and Novoselic lock in and free up Cobain for a short solo that's looks ahead to the break in "Teen Spirit." Economic, powerful, catchy, everything great about Nirvana was present from the beginning. And what's the last sound you hear? That's right, Crover. "Floyd" wins.

Read more about Nirvana: Your Mouth's a Mile Away, 1/11/11

Pretty Things Lying on the Floor

While I finish up my next post, I figured I'd keep you busy with a grab-bag of adiosloungeica.

THELONIOUS MONSTER

The Monster's set at The Echo (Thursday, February 4) was the beautiful mess I expected. Polished? Yeah, not exactly. Well-rehearsed? Of course not. But, when the boys locked into their groove ... "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" and "So What If I Did" ... they reminded me why I keep coming back. Every time I've seen Thelonious play, there's always transcendence amidst the dishevelry. God bless a lack of pro gear and pro attitude. FYI, the picture above is me and Bob Forrest taken after the show. Thanks to my homeboy, Tom Engfer, for the mad photo skillz.

For shits and giggles, I jotted down the setlist:

Start Me Up [Stones]
Psychofuckindelic
Shattered [Stones]
For My Lover [Tracy Chapman]
Walk On Water
So What If I Did
Yer Blues [Beatles]
Anymore (acapella)
Lena Horne Still Sings Stormy Weather
King Of The World tease [Tom Petty] > Zelda
The Gun Club Song
Lookin' To The West
band intros
Body And Soul > Dear Prudence [Beatles]
Colorblind (false start; can't remember if they actually finished)
Try
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean [Blind Lemon Jefferson]
The End tease [Doors] > Sammy Hagar Weekend

GLEESON

Gleeson - The Engine's On [purchase CD or download MP3 album]

Gleeson - It's Alright [purchase CD or download MP3 album]

These are my Texas homies and I think you'll agree that they keep their tricks cheap and voices guided. These two songs come from their new album, The Very Very Best Of Gleeson, which doubles as both greatest hits and debut. Yeah, you read that right. Last week, I saw them play their record release party at the Hole In The Wall ... with Channing Lewis of Grand Champeen on guitar/vocals (pictured above right) and Phillip McEachern of Mandible on keys ... and was blown away by their teenage fanclub. I don't just mean they remind me of the Fannies, but that there was an actual gaggle of cute young girls at the lip of the stage, singing along to every song. When did that happen?!?! Most of the shows I went to in Austin had drunk dudes up front wondering about tunings and pedals. Good for you, Ty (pictured above left).

GLOSSARY

Glossary - The Natural State [purchase]

Glossary - Pretty Things [purchase]

I've talked before about the old oak tree that is Glossary, all deep roots and sturdy, bitter branches. If someone asked for a schematic of modern americana, you could do a billion times worse than sending them to the discography of this Murfreesboro, TN, band. Well, Glossary has just released their sixth album, Feral Fire, and I'll bet you a six-pack of PBR tallboys that it takes you to your Blue Mountain/Slobberbone/The Band happy place.

REIGNING SOUND/WFMU

Speaking of kickass rock bands, remember my unabashed love for the Reigning Sound? Good. Well, I got a few nuggets of reigning joy to pass along, most of which come from WFMU. That would be New York's radtastic, anything goes online station that you should bookmark and visit regularly. Back in December, they had the RS come in for an in-studio Christmas set. Here's the link to those 30 minutes of bliss.

The station also has a playlist called Songs The Reigning Sound Taught Us, a downloadable collection of 1950s-70s obscurata that has been scientifically proven to clean and straighten teeth. You get everything from Sam Cooke and Flamin' Groovies to Gene Clark and Carl Perkins.

Finally, here's an interview with bandleader, Greg Cartwright (pictured right), conducted by Turn It Down. Spoiler alert: The dude rules.

Though not musical in nature, the awesomeness of WFMU is confirmed by today's long feature on early Woody Allen. Decades before the cinematic brilliance of Annie Hall, Crimes And Misdemeanors, and Love And Death, the former Mr. Konigsberg was a writer during the Golden Age of Television, a brilliant standup comedian, and a budding screenwriter/filmmaker. Who talks about this stuff??? WFMU, that's who.

MEMPHIS/MINUTEMEN/REPLACEMENTS

Did that get your attention??? Yeah, me too. Apparently, an '80s-era punk rock movie is in pre-production that is seeking to replicate the sounds of the aforementioned Mats and Minutemen while being shot in Memphis. Here's the story in the Memphis Commerical-Appeal. By the way, have I ever mentioned my incredulity and dismay that the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is not in Memphis? No offense to Cleveland, but Memphis is the only location that makes historical and musical sense. Ugh. I'm moving on before I start a 10,000 word rant and make enemies in the general Lake Erie vicinity.

TIM ROGERS/YOU AM I

I leave you with a video from the singer of one my favorite '90s bands, You Am I. Anyone heard of this badass Aussie band?!?! If you have, you're probably nodding, air guitaring, and saying something like, "Fuck yeah, flapjack!" while fixing a whiskey and coke. Well, here's their frontman, Tim Rogers, playing a quasi-medley of Who songs ("Christmas/See Me Feel Me"). This was part of an Australian Christmas show this past December and should probably be thought of as alternative Super Bowl halftime show. At least that's my plan. Enjoy!