Dumbek's Random Stuff

hmm... You know you probably drank too much when you run into a friend a week later and he says "Well...You look a lot more sober than the last time I saw you." Yeah...well...there's no denying that. I started way too early on Saturday. A few at The Science Club and a few too many at The Hold Steady show. Damn bartenders and their free drinks. :-)

The opener on Saturday was a band called Statehood. I went to see them completely cold and was pretty impressed. There was something very familiar about them, but I couldn't quite place it. I kept thinking "Q and not U", but that wasn't quite right. Eventually, I realized that Statehood was made up of a good chunk of Dismemberment Plan. That explained it. They're playing tonight with Radio 4 at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Check 'em out.

The Hold Steady were terrific. Craig has turned into a very convincing front man, belting out the songs with abandon. The band was tight and looked like they were having a great time. Almost too great. It was kind of weird seeing Craig smiling while singing these rather dark, depressing tunes. If you weren't paying attention to the lyrics (which can fly by like a jet plane) it would be rocktastic.
I found it a little disturbing though. Killer show though...ending with 50 or so people on stage dancing around. Can't wait to see them when I've had a few less beers and can pay closer attention.


Back to The Cat on Sunday for Little Steven's Underground Garage show thingy. Now THIS is how a show should be run. I got there in the middle of The Chesterfield Kings, who look like punks, but sound like a Nuggets-type band. And they're not some new garage-band bandwagoners. They've been around since the late 70s. Fantastic. It's a shame most of their stuff seems to be out of print. I've got to track down some of their stuff.

As The Kings were playing their last song, 3 go-go girls (looking like they came straight out of Laugh-In) came on stage and started dancing with them. The curtain closed after the band finished, but the girls kept dancing. Within 15 minutes the curtain opened again and the next band (The Supersuckers) were ready to go.

I only knew these guys by name, but they have a great rep as a live band. Quite a few people were there just to see them. They did not disappoint. They reminded me a bit of Social D mixed with The Eagles of Death Metal, but with a bit more twang. They almost sounded like your basic country/roadhouse band that discovered punk along the way. Rockin' country with a lot of swagger. Helluva show. Same closing deal as above. The go-go girls came out during the last song and danced throughout the 15 minute set change.

Next up were The New York F-cking Dolls. They were terrific, as usual. I had spent the afternoon watching this, so I was ready to be a little let down, realizing it was never going to be the same. I wasn't disappointed at all though. They sounded great and were a perfect mix of sloppines, silliness and rock 'n' roll fun. My only complaint is that considering the abbreviated set time they played too much new stuff. I really like the new record, but we all know why we were there. We wanted more classic Dolls. Really nice show though. I'll see them anytime.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. We went to The Lantern last night, where it was impossible to have a conversation with anyone, so a few of the regulars headed over to The Eagle, where we could actually hang out and talk. Ended up being kind of a nice, quiet night.

We're heading to 9:30 on Saturday to catch Dark Star Orchestra. Stop laughing. They're really good.

I took today off, so my weekend has already started. WOOHOO!