rocktsar road rants

Listening to: sick times ep

last week i went to a pretty awesome show. don't be jealous. i didn't even know. the band, the dials. the place, the melody inn. there were some other bands playing, too and i saw some of that but i forgot all that already. the dials rocked my world. other than their handsome posters, that i'd seen about two weeks before then, i had heard nothing about these guys. my buddy, tom, was psyched when he saw the farfisa being set up. the marshall stack had been "customized" to say, "Marsha". an eastwood guitar that looked like it was having a new wave identity crisis sat midstage in it's rest. and then the count off to four on the sticks... it was like many other openings at the melody inn. the band limbering up, feeling out the crowd. the crowd feeling out the band, the expectation of disappointment and the glimmer of that next big thing. my glimmer grew. as soon as i heard the vocal harmonies i could sense that this group was tight. though some might say that their sound is derivitive of the likes of sleater kinney or le tigre, i believe that they've stumbled onto something much greater. it's not the complex writing skills of later careers, or the virtuousity of younger ones that draw true fans. it's the feeling that these are people just like me that play in a band. at the end of the day i don't want to idolize some figment of my imagination, i want to feel like i belong to something. that night, watching them, nervous (as i'm sure they were), i felt like i was a part of something much bigger. it can't really be put into words. i just hope that whoever reads this has a similar experience.

about three months ago i was in louisville, ky. yeah, i like that town. i don't remember what the venue was called but it seemed to be an old theatre. the ceilings were about thirty feet high and the exposed brick walls, although not lending to the accoustics of the room, were gorgeous. the entertainment for the night was a band i'd heard of, vhs or beta. i didn't know what to expect, as i'd never been to the space i didn't know what was booked there typically, and i couldn't exactly where i'd heard mention of this band. i'd only a vague idea that the source was reliable (i.e. me). the first group that went on was comprised souly of a guitarist and drummer. the harmonies were what made this band, the photographic. the guitarist used a phrase sampler peddle which looped any number of samples that he made on the spot and then layered. the drummer had a jazz background, rooted in bop or funk. overall the performance was not engaging in terms of showmanship but the weight of the music compensated for this in strides. i could just close my eyes and feel the instrumental epics. there was a backdrop with visuals playing, some footage of a rainy car ride from the dashboard. the kind of thing you'd see in a college art class. it was very inspiring the sound that these guys could make with only two members and i'm sure i'll here about them in the future. the next band was called "cabin" and if you've never seen the inside of a log cabin you'd be better off never seeing one of their shows. phish heads with lots of expensive musical toys and virtually no upper register vocally. the singer kept trying this falsetto ala thom yorke that just didn't fit on him right. the headliners took the stage next and what seemed like a five minute sound check sans mic "1-2"s, suddenly rearing it's distorted disco backbeat. the hair, the torn denim, the hi-hats, the drum machines, more hi-hats, drum machine hi-hats... i'm all for this newish electro punk thing. some of it's great and gains ground by exploring other genres. vhs instead chose to fuse the stylings of robert smith with simon labone and casey and the sunshine band. he had the voice down. the guy was the perfect frontman for this type of band. i think the key element that was missing was the amazing drummer. vhs or bs relied on the loop kit programmed into there keyboard. what was a perfectly good three minute tune, consistantly became a five minute ode to audience participation much like a bon jovi show. the lyrics, "put your hands together, light the night on fire" x20. perhaps the studio album is solid. i'm not too anxious to check it out.

so, it's friday night at about ten p.m. and i've no way of knowing if there is anything going on in this town. there is this stripper bar pretty close to the hotel with search lights and neon. although i'm sure the southern belles are something to write home about, that's not what i have in mind. i take for granted all too often the people who are close and dear to me. i don't seem to have anything in common with much of anyone on the road. that's the whole problem, i suppose. i'm trying to find fulfilment in these transient meetings because i've no other outlet/escape. the true quest is within and if i had that inner peace i'd be fulfilled. then my interactions would be more satisfying, but would i actually find anything to do besides staring at my eyelids in a different place every two weeks?

after landing i had to find the hotel. every time it's a mixture of familiarity, dizziness and unrest (airports, lobbies, rental cars, road maps...),then the grocery store. i got directions from the girl working at the front counter, amy. she pointed out two possible local troughs and with my good friend jess i set off to forage. it's difficult to find adequate food on the road but fortunately the hotel/lodge has a kitchenette making some preparation possible. i try to find nourishing foods without added sugars, trans-fats and artificial colors or flavors. while travelling in the midst of winter it's a good idea not to eat lots of dairy, but when in rome (you wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds you). i wasn't overly concerned about falling ill for several reasons. first, i try not to put too much thought or energy into things i don't want. mostly, my job doesn't really require me to be healthy. for that matter, i don't have to do much of anything at my job. which leaves me free to fantasize and dream up other more worthy tasks, while not having enough time to follow these fancies because i am almost always at work or at the airport, as it were. all of this "wasted" time and then i discover blogging. milwaukee was great. the snow storm was redeemingly dangerous, i saw several fender benders on the way to work. fishtailing is such fun. there were altogether too many sports fans, that is, for my general taste. however, packers fans are a different breed. they are so loyal it's almost heartwarming or like knowing a stalker. if you are into international foods and vegetarian cuisine there are so many wonderful places to eat, but not in milwaukee. i tried "beans and barley" a health food store and glorified juice bar. i'm not a food critic but i am pretty picky and there weren't enough choices for me. the people i met were very personable but distant. i don't expect to be making long lasting friendships on my short journeys abroad and it is that distinction that enhances the latter of those traits that i noticed. it's constant culture shock to be in one place for about the length of the usual vacation, ten days. ten days to get as much out of one place as you can with no better guide than a limited knowledge of search engines and the rare cork board postings at health food stores. it gets lonely. it becomes a part of my job and not an opportunity to experience. winter always holds that wanderlust for me. the want to pick up and go. now that it's become routine it's just that. who will be your friend out there? who will talk to you besides the local npr station? where in all of that sameness does the familiarity become lost? and who will take care of you when you get sick? so, it wasn't a bad cold. i'm sure a lot of people got it and it went away after two or three days like it did for me. i could forget about it during work, although the fever made it hard to concentrate at times. despite my best efforts: through quitting smoking and drinking coffee; adopting good habits like taking a green foods supplement, staying hydrated and sleeping more regularly. perhaps it was the shock of eating so much dairy and so close to the source. it's funny though, i didn't see a single cow while i was in wisconsin.