Blowout Breakdown
Quick, while G has no home internet connection, I'll beat her to the punch on the musical reviewings.
Went to the Metro Times 11th Blowout over the weekend. Er... I mean, Thursday and Friday. She took Thursday, I took Friday, and the drinking non-driver had the responsibility of picking the bands to see. Overall, I gotta say that I don't know if I'll be going back next year. (sheesh, is this some sort of habit forming of resolving not going to festivals again next year?)
So on Friday, in order:
Novada at the New Dodge: What... the... fuck... Can you possibly be more annoying? I mean, sure... you went to Rock Band School and you want your money's worth, but the frontman trying to channel Jim Morrison (by pretending to be moody and performing swinging microphone antics), Michael Hutchence (by paying too much attention to yourself and performing swinging microphone antics, and Pete Townsend (by full-arm-swinging strumming a guitar to no perceivable effect) at the same time... just comes off as cheesey. Maybe it impresses the high school girls, but the Fallout Boy haircuts (er... hair sculpting) just show the lengths to which you will descend to suck mightily. Next, please. (New Dodge is a pretty cool space though - too bad they only have shit yellow piss beer to drink)
We walked out loong before their set was over to get to the Painted Lady early. Caught the end of rapper Leaf Erikson who - by their own admission - weren't anything special. "There's some real musicians coming up so stick around - we're just a bunch of drunk freestyle rappers". Turns out Deastro isn't much either. Described by Metro Times as "Wunderkind", it was one dude playing samples on his MacBook. There was a drum set on stage, and he did a soundcheck with it, but I fail to see the musicianship of queueing up samples. It might as well be a recorded track at that point. Might as well have been DJing. Which is not what I came for. Next, please.
Screamray at Baker's Streetcar: Messy (in a good way) inaudible vocals, but at least there was some unaffected sincerity. I wasn't blown away, but after the three acts just seen, it was a welcome relief. I'll give 'em an "enh... not bad". I wouldn't pay $10 to see them play all night though.
Mazinga at Atlas Bar: Seen posters in Ann Arbor for years for these guys, and supposedly all punk and whatnot. The songs on their myspace page sound pretty good. They were pretentious and tedious. They dedicated their set to Gary Gygax (who died recently), but I think Gary would have been ashamed to be associated with the sad display they put on. The singer in the middle of the song wandering out to "check the mix" (as G assured me that's what he was doing... I thought he was "taking it to the people"), and then ineffectively trying to order a glass of water (took him 3 tries) from the bartender by putting the mic down and shouting across the bar and gesturing wildly in between verses of the song pretty much turned me off. Next, please.
Friendly Foes at The Belmont: ooh, now they were GOOD. Only saw the last three songs of their set, but they were together, had well-written music (reasonably full arrangement for a three-piece), energy on-stage without pretense... I would pay $5-10 to see them again for a full set. The Belmont is a weird venue - the band off in a hallway... but they had good beer on tap, so they get a tip o' the cap for that.
And lastly... Banana Convention at Jean's. Clearly the worst bar. Band at ground level, drums up on stage. Impossible to see. Don't need the drums at ear level AND mic-ed. Oh yeah, and I actually stooped to have a PBR just to see what's so special. What could be so good that all the hipsters and butch dyke hotties seem to gravitate to it? Well, it ain't nothin' but another tasteless yellow beer. Might as well be Bud Light or Keystone or Miller. They all taste the fucking same. Of course, here I am getting slowly hammered on Talon... ok, back to the music. Banana Convention was pretty damn good. If only the dude in the yellow coat could either be useful or get off the stage - couldn't hear a damn thing from him and the tambourine and toy accordion didn't make much sense. The frontwoman with a HUGE voice in a teeny-tiny little human. Guitarist with a weird expression, but clearly some chops. Bass player a youngun - babyfaced, but solid. Drummer with that jam band cymbal/high hat work and chops there too. They pass the $5-10 test. Winners of the "I'll go see you again" competition, but a close race with Friendly Foes.
10 comments:
Dear Biscodo,
Wow man you are one bitter person that seems to just talk shit about everything.
It would be nice if you actually new something about rock and roll but I don't think you do. I saw your likes (back forty). If it wasn't the bands it was the beer. If it wasn't the beer it was the blowout all together.
I think your right; You should stay home next year. Nobody likes someone who whines all the time.
Oh and the front man for Mazinga WAS bringing it to the crowed you ass, and if you had ever taken the time to go to one of the shows in Ann Arbor you see so many posters for, then maybe you would KNOW that is what he does, huh? Do you get paid for your opinion or is it just a hobby to think your opinion matters in the whole scheme of things?
But I'm sorry I don't mean to bust your chops so much you are entitled to your opinion and thats cool, but don't go saying stupid shit when you don't even seem to like what your writing about. Go write about Back Forty and stroke their egos.
( sorry back forty,this actually had nothing to do with you )
Hey Karl -
You seem disappointed with my review, and that's terribly unfortunate. I'm so vewy, vewy, sad. I'll even put on a frowny face about it. :(
And yes, I talk shit ALL THE TIME. I'll even talk shit about your mother since she obviously didn't teach you how to spell, type or capitalize proper nouns. If you're not pissed off about something I've written here, you haven't been reading enough.
But while you were ego-surfing by googling "Mazinga Blowout" AFTER the show, it's clear that you're a member of the band (or a friend of the band, or a superfan of the band) who is unhappy with my review. Get over it. There will be many people who think your favorite band is weak. I'm just one. You may think you're a hard-ass motherfucker for some reason, but face it... there are better punk bands out there in SE Michigan, that put on a better show than you (er... I mean Mazinga).
I don't need to "know that is what he does, huh?" to know that unsuccessfully trying to order a drink from the bartender is ridiculous posing. It's not necessary to put on the display - the guy has a microphone - he can get the bartender's attention really easily. But if they just want to play for their loyal friends and fans, they shouldn't play at a music festival where people will see them, have an opinion, and then go about hurting their poor little feelings by saying their show sucked. Fear not, my dear little disappointed munchkin commenting friend - I won't be wasting my time with Mazinga (or Novada, for that matter) again. There's many more bands out there, and some of them are good. Just not these two.
Whether I get paid to write my opinion or not won't change your loyalty to your buds, so feel free to Stand Up And Represent Fo' Yo Peeps - I won't charge you money to read, and then you can forward a link to my blog to your friends so you can show them how much you've got their back. But I don't even think you have anything more to say, do you? Go ahead, show them how tough you are with your fiery comments on this blog. Go ahead... I dare you, you pussy.
God Damn man!!!
Lets not worry about my spelling; We got bigger issues. Your anger and lack of control. Do you think its safe to call out my mother like that? I mean really man thats an incredibly stupid thing to do. I know what breweries you hang out at. But this defiantly shows me you can't handle having a column with a comment spot.
Your are immature and reckless, or just try for the shock jock approach on the internet, what
ever. you can write what ever you want about me on your blog. Not many will read it.
Karl, Karl, Karl...
Give it up.
You're some guy posting anonymously on someone else's blog, hiding behind some assumed name, taking your outrage way too seriously. If you honestly think I'm going to care if you know what breweries I've been to (or anything else), you have me confused with someone else.
I feel quite safe walking the streets all by myself after dark, even with big bad dudes like yourself out there.
I'm sure you feel like you want to rage out on me now, but ask yourself if I'm the gun-owning type, the cop-calling-lawsuit-filing type, or the my-posse-is-bigger-than-your-posse type.
Regardless, remember that your ISP (Comcast) and the provider your buddy's mail traffic is going through (Yahoo) are both pretty good about subpeona compliance. If I was out looking for you, I'd obviously find you at Mazinga show. You have anger issues. Don't threaten someone without first taking a deep breath and counting slowly to ten.
Your internet connection is not anonymous. You're able to post here because I allow you to. I haven't deleted your posts because I'm still curious about why you seem to care so much. But don't start thinking you have any say about what is or isn't said here.
The thing is... this little dialog we're having is entertaining. Tell me "Karl" - why ARE you so angry? I mean, you're obviously sensitive about your mother, and I insulted YOU more than I did her. What's that all about? (Do people even tell "Yo Mama" jokes any more? And who ever took them as an actual insult? Outside of the high school lunchroom, of course.) You're getting all tweaked out about someone who didn't like your favorite band. You say my opinion doesn't matter and no one will read it, but you seem to want to kick my ass because of it. You're hiding too... you're not proud enough of yourself to even use a real online identity. Is it a self-image thing? Did I say something about Gary Gygax you didn't like? Are you really that angry over spelling mistakes?
You are indeed an interesting fellow, "Karl".
Can't resist...
Novada: immediately turned me off, but then the microphone antics were so over the top and the channeling of Jim Morrison and Robert Plant so clear, that I just couldn't not watch... I'm not sure I was watching for the right reasons, but I actually got more interested as the set went on :)
Leaf Erickson: eh, at least they were honest... that was kind of cute!
Deastro: just so not my style it doesn't seem fair to comment. All I wanted to do was yell, "stand up straight!!!"
Screamray: amused me greatly. I like older, sarcastic rock 'n rollers who can play their instruments. Fun, fun stuff taking aim at hipsters and punk:) They could use some more variations in the bass line, but I was happy to see most of a set from them.
Manzinga: they had their thing, but their intensity just turned me off -- it came across as more "fuck you" and less "we love what we do." Also, coming out in the crowd to check the mix (and yes, that is what he was doing!) and then hollering at the sound man did strike me as just bad form. Seemed like way too much metal to be punk, btw, and way too much attitude before they had established their chops.
Friendly Foes: Yep, I'm intrigued. Let's hunt them down and find out more...
Banana Convention: Didn't really work for me... but I did appreciate that they were eager to play. Yes, she could sing (and was cute in a tiny human sort of way) but an odd mix of folks "on stage" and an unsettled repetoire overall. The Talking Heads cover did rock, tho... just the kind of thing they were suited for...
Dear Karl,
...what to say...
Look, I love lots of bands, pay 90%of my entertainment dollars to see local acts in local bars, and I agree with Biscodo that Manzinga over did it for a neighborhood bar full of people there to check them out for the first time.
Rachel May from the Free Press loved them, so why are you getting so bent out of shape over a quick dismissal in a regular old blog is beyond me.
Karl, either write something that actually concerns the music and convinces us that Manzinga is fabulous (analyze some lyrics, point us to a readily available recording of live show that did rock, tell us why YOU love them) or you will be written off as the bitter one here.
Zoe -
As Novada's set went on, I got more interested in the TV with the Discovery Channel on. I couldn't watch the train wreck that was happening. I was embarrassed for them. Could they be SO out of touch with the audience and venue? When the guy throws his microphone up to the balcony and no one grabs it, isn't that a clue to change attack a little? If a bandmember were to stagedive and no one in the audience caught them, would it be the fault of the audience for not being in the mood that the band wants them to be in? Or is the the band being clueless about what was going on at their show?
... and don't go letting "Karl" off the hook.
I don't want to hear his analysis of their "obviously too deep (or hardcore, or dark evil, or tonguetwisting) for stupid-bloggers-who-obviously-don't-know-anything-about-rock-music to understand".
I want to know why he cares so much what I think. And why he's so sensitive about his mother. And spelling. (why, why, why, Karl? ...don't leave me yet - I think we're on the verge of a breakthrough)
And what I REALLY want to hear is his review of some sort of fair-trade organic vegan nonviolent sensitive singer-songwriter acoustic duo at Folk Fest. 'Cause if he starts talking shit about them, I'm gonna get really pissed off and start posting comments on his blog and following him around to bars that he goes to. 'Cause that be how it go when punk-ass motherfuckers be gettin' all uppity 'n' shit.
OK, this is silly. I'm a member of Mazinga but I can only speak for myself. Personally, I'm not really all that concerned with a bad review. Any artist knows full well that you can't please everyone. Some people dig what we do and you obviously don't. Big fucking deal.
I have absolutely no intention of trying to convince you why you should like us.
To Karl; I appreciate your loyalty as overzealous as it may or may not be but fuck it. You know what they say about arguing on the internet. The threats in both directions are fucking stupid. We're gonna come to blows over musical taste? Nobody's gonna do shit so shut the fuck up.
To Zoe; too much intensity and too Metal are compliments in my book. Thanks.
And yes, checking the mix was definitely Marc's intention in leaving the stage. You've discovered the secret of why he's been singing in the crowd all these years. He's been doing it at every show (oddly enough even when we've had a sound check) but you're the first person to figure out his true motive. Congratulations.
Can we lay this bullshit to rest now, please?
I would never follow you around,
I have a life but if I ever do see you around town I will beg for you to disrespect me in person.
really though it doesn't have anything to do with your musical opinion. you are just an asshole and I though I would let you know, and I would let you know to your face. I will unsubscribe now because I have more to do with my life and emotions But wow 8 comments, Oh wait they are all us and Tony and no I would never do a right up on hippie shit because it doesn't tickle my fancy. Take a hint.
Big Tony - Yes, it's silly, and it was from the start.
Pretty ridiculous to criticize a critique, review a review. I mean really - what would Karl hope to accomplish?
As far as Karl's desire to "come to blows over musical taste", well, that's something Karl is going to have to work through with a therapist. It's going to get him in actual trouble sometime soon. If you're a friend of his, help him out, ok?
As far as "laying this bullshit to rest" goes - well, I'll always have the last word when I want it, unfortunate as that is for my readers and commenters.
Oh, and btw... why do you identify as "rock/punk"? I mean, if you're all "too Metal is a compliment"? Something to think about for the future, maybe.
Hey Karl - I'm sorry to see that you've stopped reading. I hate to lose readers, especially rhetorical stylists like yourself. It's been entertaining, and I thought we were just getting to the fun part. Damn.
Tell you what - if you see me around town, you go ahead and beg me to disrespect you. I be happy oblige disrespecting you to your face, or the back of your head, or the left side, or the right side. I will talk shit about you, your mother, your sister, your favorite band, your dog, your favorite baseball/football/basketball team, your girlfriend or boyfriend, and your hometown. I don't need your respect, wasn't looking for it, and don't value it. I AM indeed an asshole. I'll be the first one to tell it to anyone.
Secretly... deep in my heart, I'm really actually hoping you will come find me in a bar one night and beg me to disrespect you - I'm really curious about why you're all tweaked out.
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