I suppose it's inevitable for every show-goer to experience that special moment where he become the guy who frowns with displeasure at the kids massed around him, uttering the dreaded phrase he used to joke about. For me, it happened when I went to see the trendy Dirty Beaches last week. I've allowed myself to go along with the buzz, because I do like the dude's mysterious, lo/no-fi aesthetic. And I was excited to see how he'd translate the bedroom grit to the stage.Turns out, he didn't even try. Dressed in what I guess he thinks a Johnny Cash/Nick Cave/Suicide listening tough guy would wear, he appeared solo on stage, yammered in a tough guy mumble, and then launched into karaoke versions of his own songs. He literally had the recorded tracks playing while he did his vocal thing overtop with the distortion cranked in the mic. He seemed awfully pleased with himself until the power went out, and he went all Wizard of Oz exposed, standing silent, no idea how to roll with this tech fail. Decidedly un-tough guy. By the time he got his mojo back, I was pushing my way toward the exit.
But before this disappointment, the night had already been salvaged by this fun little opening band. They're a duo from Austin who clearly have little use for excess sound or affectation. Naturally, much of the audience chattered their way through their set, but I was happy to be surprised and charmed by a warmup act that had me bobbing my head with no frown to be seen.
Yellow Fever - Newbie
No comments:
Post a Comment