Dumbek's Random Stuff

2/ 7/90 The Residents @ Lisner Auditorium-GWU - Washington, DC

This was the first time I had seen The Residents - and definitely my favorite show of theirs. This was on the "Cube E" tour. The premise was basically that Cowboy music + Blues/Slave music = Elvis. As the formula suggests, the show was in 3 parts and each focused on a highly bastardized interpretation of the 3 genres of music. The first 2 parts were a bit disturbing, but the Elvis part was just freaky. Completely Residents-ized versions of Elvis classics. Familiar, yet downright frightening. The King and Eye came out around this time. If you want to scare people - put it on at a party.

Here's a nice little medley of "Teddy Bear" and "Viva Las Vegas."




Great show. I love The Residents. I hate the fact that they play at 9:30 these days. They deserve to be seen in real theaters and auditoriums. It's just not the same with bar-noise and distracting movement and lighting. It's a performance - not a gig.






2/ 7/97 JGB @ The Bayou - Washington, DC

This band was basically the remains of The Jerry Garcia Band, which had obviously stopped playing when Jerry died back in 1995. I remember Melvin and the girls, but I'm not sure if anyone else from the original band was there. I don't remember anything they played, but I do remember the emotional wallop we took hearing Melvin play that organ and the girls singing those backup vocals. I was kind of surprised it hit me so hard. I remember thinking the guy singing and playing Jerry's parts was adequate, but it really wasn't about him. This was all about Melvin, Jackie and Gloria and saying goodbye to the JGB. It hit the spot perfectly.




2/10/04 The Shins/Cass McCombs @ The Black Cat - Washington, DC

I remember nothing about Cass McCombs. Nothing.

The Shins were touring for Chutes Too Narrow, which I love. I believe they played 2 shows at The Cat and they both sold out really quick. I remember thinking they were good, but not great. They just didn't seem to have any fire to them. Like they were just going through the motions. I came away thinking they were a decent band that made great records. There's nothing wrong with that, but the show came off a bit lackluster to me. My one sentence review from my original entry for this show kind of backs up my memory. As does my next time seeing them in 2009.




2/11/05 The Wrens/Army Of Me @ The Black Cat - Washington, DC

The Wrens are a good band, but why, oh why, don't they put out any new music? I don't think they're released anything since this show, but they still tour. They were really good, but my main memory of this show was the chatty chatty chatty crowd. I know people complain about noisy crowds all the time, but this was just ridiculous. STFU already. Much more can be found in my original review.


2/ 9/06 Mary Timony Band/The Aquarium @ The Black Cat Backstage - Washington, DC

I love The Aquarium. I haven't seen them in a while, but they sued to be primarily instrumental and would play before screens showing a variety of movies behind them. Not Hollywood-type movies, but the kinds of movies we used to see in school back in the day. I'm not sure why they don't get more attention here in DC. They're a great band.

Mary was good - as always. The BF was there with me for this one. I think we met up with this guy, as well. Original review here.




2/ 9/07 Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins @ 9:30 Club - Washington, DC

I can't believe it took me this long to see Jonathan Richman. I've been a fan for over 20 years, but never got around to seeing him. He didn't disappoint. He only played a few songs I knew - but it didn't matter. His story-telling and charm were thoroughly entertaining. I'll gladly see him again anytime. I thought it was cool that people brought their kids. What a perfect show to bring your kids out to. The only bad thing I remember about this show was when the "whooping guy" showed up late and started yelling "Roadrunner, Roadrunner!" very loudly in the middle of one of Jonathan's other, more quiet songs. Congratulations. You've been promoted from being a general annoyance to being a full-blown dick.




2/ 9/09 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart/The Depreciation Guild @ Black Cat Backstage - Washington, DC

This show was a last-minute decision. I totally fell for the Pitchfork hype. Normally that's a disaster for me, but this time they were spot-on. Both bands have a shoegazey sound with some very melodic, happy-sounding tunes going on underneath. This show sold out at the door and was jam-packed. I may have actually liked Depreciation Guild a little better, but both bands were terrific. DG didn't have a cd yet, but they gave everyone who wanted one a website link where you could download their record for free. I got it as soon as I got home. Good stuff. I love it when I walk into a show knowing next-to-nothing about the bands and walk out a fan of every band that plays. It's nice to know that can still happen.

Both bands are worth checking out. If you like one, you'll like the other.