Dumbek's Random Stuff

I knew it was going to be a good night when I walked into 9:30 and they were playing 9353's "Famous Last Words." Within 5 minutes of walking in the door I had a free t-shirt in my hands and a brand-spankin'-new copy of Cybernetic Dreams of Pi - complete with bonus tracks. Yeah - it was definitely going to be a good night.

It was a bit weird going into the club during daytime hours. Going from the bright sunshine into the dark club was a bit unnerving. I literally couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of me for about 5 minutes. Sorry if I bumped into anyone. Apparently, it wasn't just me, based on the number of people that bumped into me over the next half-hour or so.

The movie started shortly after 7:00. 930 F Street is your basic documentary, featuring the history of the club's old location. Lots of interviews with band members, Seth and Dodi, people that worked at the club, etc. Some great old footage of a few bands (Embrace, Rites of Spring, Scream and a few others). Just enough footage to make you drool over what someone must have in a vault somewhere. I'd love to see more of that footage get released. The Devo footage was amazing.

But the movie isn't about the bands. It's not a running list of all the cool bands that have played there. It's about the club. The physical space. The stage, the rats, the smell, the hallway, the phone booth, the porn shops around the corner and the overall vibe of the place. That's great for those of us that were there, but I imagine it won't be as interesting for anyone who never went to the old space. Nice film though. Brought back a ton of old memories. It was great seeing that hallway again. And those damn poles - lol.

Keep an eye on their website. One of the film makers said they may start selling DVDs sometime soon.

Then we have The Slickee Boys. Once dubbed "The Band That Refused To Die", the Boys rocked the club hard. To be honest, I thought they were a bit shaky at first. The first 3 or 4 songs seemed a little ragged. But things came together with "Gotta Tell Me Why" in a big way. After that the Boys were on fire. The Slickee Boys are one big giant rock and roll party. You gotta love a guy who wears a fez and drinks from a bottle of Jim Beam all night.





It was your standard Slickee Boys set: "Going All The Way", "Invisible People", "Jailbait Janet", "When I Go To The Beach", "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", "This Party Sucks", "(Are You Gonna Be There At The) Love-In", "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked-In", etc. One definite highlight was "Glendora", which featured none other than 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz on drums.






And, of course, "The Brain That Refused To Die".




All-in-all Tons-O-Fun. I drank way too much, danced way too much and ate way too much at Annie's before heading home. I'm a little groggy today, but I can't stop smiling. God Bless The Slickee Boys.

And a very happy 25th anniversary to the 9:30 Club. It's hard to believe I've been going there for over 20 years. Thanks for everything.