Happy Halloween With K Records!

I came to the conclusion a few months ago that, at every indie rock show you go to, there are a host of stock characters. There are the girls with the short bangs, the boys with the glasses, the pseudo-intellectuals, the backpackers and the messenger-baggers. And then there are the two that are inevitable drawn to me, without fail, at every show I go to, who I’ve come to fondly refer to as "the tall guy" and "the dancer." No matter what, the tallest guy in the club manages to place himself right in my sightline. I understand this cant be helped, and I mean no offense to the taller among us, its just an observation. The second, however, is a much nastier breed. The dancer, who dances at the wrong times to music that is more often than not, not really designed to be danced to. We’ve all hopped up and down a bit, maybe even danced a bit at certain electronic shows, but the dancer I refer to is out of time and always in the wrong place. And always next to me. The dancer’s presence is always troubling, however, when the dancer next to you is Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic, The Halo Benders, and founder of K Records) the disruption reaches a whole new level. It becomes alarming. Those of you who've had the misfortune know what I mean. Those of you who’ve had the greater misfortune to say, "I’ve seen Dub Narcotic. I’ve seen Calvin run around the stage with just a mic in hand thrashing and spinning on the stage like some hybrid break dancer/krautrock fan." My heart goes out to you. And to those of you who cheered him on and encouraged him during his performance last night (Oct 28) at the Bowery Ballroom, all I can say is WHY?

Realizing this just jeopardized any future record deals I for me with K, I’ll fill you in on last nights show. Let me start by saying, I like K. Beat Happening was a good band, Heavenly was lovely, Built to Spill is enjoying a great career, and some of the lesser known bands like The Crabs and Gaze have put out some good records in recent years. Calvin Johnson produces good music in all its stripped down no-frills glory. Last nights show was a showcase for the genre. The first band, the Microphones, was a two piece, guitar and keyboard outfit. Nothing too impressive, very mellow but not offensive. Its strange to see the crowd at the Bowery Ballroom all sitting on the floor. Next were The Rondelles, who have releases on both Smells Like Records and Teenbeat. They are a rock trio featuring a drummer/keyboard player who hits the drums and the keyboard with drumsticks. They weren’t tight, but the songs were catchy and they seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Next up was the dancing machine who had spent a better part of the previous set thrashing and doing something that resembles "the hustle" next to me…aka… the infamous Calvin Johnson. This was a solo Calvin appearance, the purpose of which I am still unsure. Is it that when you own a record label you somehow earn the right to make people tolerate your musical endeavors? Was it to make the crowd welcome Marine Research, the headliner, even more wholeheartedly after experiencing such an awful display? Could people really like this, or did they like it only because of who is? It was Calvin and his acoustic, and it was apparently too much to ask to keep him at the mic stand…and to keep him from dancing. He did some songs that I had never heard, some tolerable Halo Benders songs, and then a number of what he referred to as "instant songs," where an audience member would yell out a topic and the record label owner cum "performance artist" would generate a number. I was relieved when my friend turned to me and said, "I’ve seen you give better performance pieces drunk in my living room misplaying guitar chords." She was as startled as I. I was left to wonder…Could I be famous? Could I do this too? Is there some bizarre aesthetic to this whole thing? I don’t get it. I admit to liking some really bad music. I refer to it as an "acquired taste", but when the kids in the audience encouraged this display I was forced to come to a decision. No, it wasn’t me. Empirically, this was bad, and not even a matter of taste. Hope came in the way of a special guest on stage. Calvin called out John Spencer, and things would seem to look up for a minute, but no luck. This freed Calvin from the binds of his guitar leaving him to whirl around the stage reminiscent of his Dub Narcotic performances. I wonder if perfecting this routine was why John Spencer had to cancel his tour, or if this is the frightening result of his medical leave from touring?

That nightmare over, Marine Research, the final band for the night came on next. Marine Research is the current incarnation of the now defunct British band Heavenly. Heavenly stopped playing and recording when their drummer committed suicide in 1996. Their new record "Sounds From the Gulf Stream" is very reminiscent of the old sound, featuring pretty pop melodies, Amelia Fletcher’s vocals and seriously catchy hooks. Their set was short but perfectly executed, barring a small disaster with the bass amp. They aren’t in the states very often, and if Heavenly was your thing I would strongly suggest catching them while they're around, but, take my advice, and arrive after Calvin Johnson next time.

Other news:

Quasi and Mary Timony will be at Maxwell’s on Sunday…that Halloween night. Quasi is Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney and Sam Coomes formerly of Elliot Smith’s band Heatmiser. These two are also a divorced couple. Their live shows are excellent. Mary Timony is Helium’s frontwoman, whose songs may even come across better when she does them on her own. Get there if you have the chance.

The first full length from The Essex Green is out now on Kindercore, and features members of The Ladybug Transistor, Guppyboy and The Tower Recordings. Their CD release party is on Friday November 5 at the Mercury Lounge. They’ll be playing with Of Montreal and the Marshmallow Coast.

Happy Halloween!

Til later,

The Mistress.