Dumbek's Random Stuff

The screening of Burn To Shine: Chicago was fun. It was literally the very first screening, with them just finishing the editing hours (minutes?) before showtime. Brendan Canty said he hadn't even seen it yet. The opening animation/films were fun. I fully admit they were a bit difficult to follow, but they were fascinating to watch. The improvised music and live narration were a nice touch. The Weird War video was pretty cool. You can see it here. It showed a sillier side of the band I never knew existed. I like them more and more every time I hear them. The Dead Meadow video wasn't my thing, which is too bad, because I've heard lots of great things about them.

The highlight, of course, was Burn To Shine: Chicago. I assume most people were attending to see this. The place was packed. Maybe 80 or so people in attendance. A far cry from the screening of the first DVD, when it was me, Bob Mould and about 15 other people. The film was terrific. Same setup as the first one - an old house, ready to be demolished, bands arriving every hour on the hour, one song each, then the house is destroyed. I wasn't familiar with any of the bands (other than Wilco). They were all very different, and very entertaining. Everything from punk, to folk, to a one man band. Lonesome Organist was a great way to kick the whole thing off. Tight Phantomz were pretty crazy. Every band was quite engaging and the film just flew by.

Overall, I'd say I still prefer the first film. I didn't get as attached to the house as I did in the first one. Maybe because I wasn't as familiar with the bands in this one. I was already a fan of most of the bands in the first film. I also thought bulldozing the house didn't have the same impact as burning it down. But it's very easy to see why it had to be done that way, given the house's location. This is still a wonderful film though. It's a great series and I can't wait for the next one. I guess I need to be patient though, since this one isn't even out yet.