"I'm white trash piece of shit and I will beat every fucking person here." -Neko Case
For my money, there's no better feeling than seeing your favorite band live for the first time.
I first realized this feeling in 2002, the first time I saw Rush live. It was, and still is, one of the few times I was in complete awe over what I was seeing. I was in shock that I was in the same room (be it a large room) that Geddy, Neil, and Alex were in, and I was watching the masters strut their stuff. That show was inspiring. The 16 yr old me knew that I wanted to do what they were doing. I wanted to get behind my drum kit with confidence and dignity, write some music that I can call my own, and present it to anyone within earshot. I looked at Neil and thought to myself "I want to do that."
Fast forward to 2006: it's November and I'm at Newbury Comics looking for a new pair of headphones for my iPod. I'm not finding any pairs that I like, but I also decide not to go home empty handed and start browsing the $9.99 racks for something new, or at least something new to my ears. My eyes spot the brightly colored album cover of a band called The New Pornographers; the album is titled Twin Cinema. I've heard good thing about this band over the years, and they decide to buy the album. I take it home and listen to the first three or four tracks, decide that this was at least a satisfactory purchase (I wasn't repulsed by the music at least), then put the CD down and went back to whatever else I had to do that day.
The next day I was on the Commuter Rail going to school. The albums I was listening to on the good ol' iPod finished, and I still had a while before I got to campus. I acroll to Twin Cinema to give it a better listen. Then something starts to happen: with every song I listen to I become more and more entranced with the music. The farther I get into the meet of the album the better the songwriting gets and every song out does the last. By the time I get to "Stacked Crooked," the album's final track, the only things running through my head are, "That was good...that was really good...I think I'm going to listen to it again." Twin Cinema was the only album I listened to for the rest of the day; That album, as well as the rest of their albums, and the various other projects headed by Carl Newman, Neko Case, and Dan Bejar, would become the soundtrack to my time in college.
For a while, TNP seemed like a band I wou;d never get to see live. I missed them come around in 2007 because I was in tech for King Of Hearts at Bridgewater State; I would miss them again in 2008 because I was in the middle of running The Producers at the Forestburgh Playhouse. So the moment TNP launched a tour to support their new album, Together, and they were conveniently coming to town the month I had off from work, I pounced on a tickets to that show like there was no tomorrow. There was no way I was going to miss this show.
On June 18, I'm sitting in the second balcony of the House of Blues in Boston, watching the two opening band (The Duchess & The Duke, Dodo) and conversing with my friends who have joined me on this adventure. It's a very laid back atmosphere as I look over the railing and look at the sea of people on the dance floor with their eyes on the stage, which will erupt with music in any second.
The house lights in the balcony are the first to be killed, and our eruption of applause signals the people down below that the main event is starting. The rest of the houe lights are killed and the band's name is illuminated above the stage as Boston's "Foreplay" plays over the house system. I've got to hand it to the band, they have a good sense of humor about where they were playing (I can't help but wonder what song they play over the house system when they play in Portland). As the music goes on the band takes the stage and before with little dilly dallying they break out into the first song of the night, "Sing Me Spanish Techno", which for me, was the perfect song to open the set with; this was the song on Twin Cinema that made me realize these guys were the next Beatles- an incredibly catchy tune that is beautifully arranged with lots of great vocal melodies. Already, I'm witnessing the state of euphoria I haven't felt in years (the first time being the first time I saw Rush, the last times being the first time I saw Dream Theater and Bad Religion). I am in awe that Carl Newman and his band of marry men and women are down there playing some of the catchiest music I've heard with the greatest of ease.
The band wastes no time going into the second tune, a new one from Together, "Up In The Dark" (a favorite of mine from the new album), which are quickly followed by "Myriad Harbor" and "Use It." The band finally takes a minute to regroup. In the midst of their regrouping a fan near the stage decides to throw a CD on stage, no doubt an act of shameless self-promotion, and comes close to hitting Carl with it. Neko Case, Carl's partner in manning the Mic center stage, begins to reign down on the crowd a fury on the crowd, threatening to find who throw that CD and "fucking fight you after the show." Right now, I'm in love with Neko Case. I've always admired her song writing and I always site her as, hands, down my favorite singer; now that I'm watching her curse her head off, I've never been more in love, and if there's one thing How I Met Your Mother taught me is that there's nothing more attractive than a red head that can curse like a sailor.
After the case of the flying CD is left unsolved, the band goes into "Crash Years" and the concert continues uninterupted, playing an incredible set that had me singing along to every word. "Adventures In Solitude," "Jackie, Dressed In Cobras," "The Laws Have Changed," "Twin Cinema," "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk," "Go Places," "All The Old Showstoppers," "Your Hands (Together)," "The Bleeding Heart Show"- they played it all! I was in a form of musical heaven that I didn't want to leave.
From where I was watching could see Dan Bejar come and go at his leisure on and off stage, sometimes picking up a guitar and chilling by the drum riser to play some rhythm or stepping up to the microphone to play "Silver Jenny Dollar" or one of the other songs he's contributed to the band. Even though the set list for the show was most likely decided on days before the show, Dan made it look like he was sauntering on stage at whenever he felt like it. I'm a huge fan of hus lyrics and song writing, so I was more than happy to let him come and go as he pleased- he's Dan Bejar, he can do whatever the hell he wants!
Kurt Dahle was a site to watch all on his own. As a drummer/percussionist/whatever you want to call me, I'm a big admirer of this man's playing style. The man is proof that you don't need all the fancy symbols that are on the market to play good, all you need is one good symbol to rock and roll. He can also twirl his drumsticks while keeping the beat better than any heavy metal drummer I've ever seen; the man can also shuffle like a mother fucker. Periodically he'd whip out a pair of brushes or mallets to give a song a whole new level of sound.
The closed their set with "The Bleeding Heart Show" with the crowd chanting along to the nonsensical chorus that helps bring the end to a climactic finish (and helps encourage people to apply to the University of Pheonix). The band, like they had been doing the whole night, wasted no time in walking back on stage for the encore. The started their encore with a song I consider to be the most beautiful song ever written, "Challengers." But the fun didn't stop there: after the beauty of "Challengers" they went straight into "The Slow Decent Into Alcoholism" and the Dan Bejar led "Testament To Youth In Verse," complete with chanting back up vocals the crowd could sing along to to help bring to show to a memorable and wonderful climax. The New Pornographers left the stage in good spirits, and I left the venue on a euphoria high from hearing some of my favorite songs live for the first time. After that show I wanted to play my drums, start singing, write catchy songs, take over the world even. After leaving that show I felt like I could accomplish anything. You know a band makes good music when you can watch them play their heart out and feel the need to go out and do the same yourself.
Here's a video from that show, complete with part of Neko's rant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ9PT7xmppY
I first realized this feeling in 2002, the first time I saw Rush live. It was, and still is, one of the few times I was in complete awe over what I was seeing. I was in shock that I was in the same room (be it a large room) that Geddy, Neil, and Alex were in, and I was watching the masters strut their stuff. That show was inspiring. The 16 yr old me knew that I wanted to do what they were doing. I wanted to get behind my drum kit with confidence and dignity, write some music that I can call my own, and present it to anyone within earshot. I looked at Neil and thought to myself "I want to do that."
Fast forward to 2006: it's November and I'm at Newbury Comics looking for a new pair of headphones for my iPod. I'm not finding any pairs that I like, but I also decide not to go home empty handed and start browsing the $9.99 racks for something new, or at least something new to my ears. My eyes spot the brightly colored album cover of a band called The New Pornographers; the album is titled Twin Cinema. I've heard good thing about this band over the years, and they decide to buy the album. I take it home and listen to the first three or four tracks, decide that this was at least a satisfactory purchase (I wasn't repulsed by the music at least), then put the CD down and went back to whatever else I had to do that day.
The next day I was on the Commuter Rail going to school. The albums I was listening to on the good ol' iPod finished, and I still had a while before I got to campus. I acroll to Twin Cinema to give it a better listen. Then something starts to happen: with every song I listen to I become more and more entranced with the music. The farther I get into the meet of the album the better the songwriting gets and every song out does the last. By the time I get to "Stacked Crooked," the album's final track, the only things running through my head are, "That was good...that was really good...I think I'm going to listen to it again." Twin Cinema was the only album I listened to for the rest of the day; That album, as well as the rest of their albums, and the various other projects headed by Carl Newman, Neko Case, and Dan Bejar, would become the soundtrack to my time in college.
For a while, TNP seemed like a band I wou;d never get to see live. I missed them come around in 2007 because I was in tech for King Of Hearts at Bridgewater State; I would miss them again in 2008 because I was in the middle of running The Producers at the Forestburgh Playhouse. So the moment TNP launched a tour to support their new album, Together, and they were conveniently coming to town the month I had off from work, I pounced on a tickets to that show like there was no tomorrow. There was no way I was going to miss this show.
On June 18, I'm sitting in the second balcony of the House of Blues in Boston, watching the two opening band (The Duchess & The Duke, Dodo) and conversing with my friends who have joined me on this adventure. It's a very laid back atmosphere as I look over the railing and look at the sea of people on the dance floor with their eyes on the stage, which will erupt with music in any second.
The house lights in the balcony are the first to be killed, and our eruption of applause signals the people down below that the main event is starting. The rest of the houe lights are killed and the band's name is illuminated above the stage as Boston's "Foreplay" plays over the house system. I've got to hand it to the band, they have a good sense of humor about where they were playing (I can't help but wonder what song they play over the house system when they play in Portland). As the music goes on the band takes the stage and before with little dilly dallying they break out into the first song of the night, "Sing Me Spanish Techno", which for me, was the perfect song to open the set with; this was the song on Twin Cinema that made me realize these guys were the next Beatles- an incredibly catchy tune that is beautifully arranged with lots of great vocal melodies. Already, I'm witnessing the state of euphoria I haven't felt in years (the first time being the first time I saw Rush, the last times being the first time I saw Dream Theater and Bad Religion). I am in awe that Carl Newman and his band of marry men and women are down there playing some of the catchiest music I've heard with the greatest of ease.
The band wastes no time going into the second tune, a new one from Together, "Up In The Dark" (a favorite of mine from the new album), which are quickly followed by "Myriad Harbor" and "Use It." The band finally takes a minute to regroup. In the midst of their regrouping a fan near the stage decides to throw a CD on stage, no doubt an act of shameless self-promotion, and comes close to hitting Carl with it. Neko Case, Carl's partner in manning the Mic center stage, begins to reign down on the crowd a fury on the crowd, threatening to find who throw that CD and "fucking fight you after the show." Right now, I'm in love with Neko Case. I've always admired her song writing and I always site her as, hands, down my favorite singer; now that I'm watching her curse her head off, I've never been more in love, and if there's one thing How I Met Your Mother taught me is that there's nothing more attractive than a red head that can curse like a sailor.
After the case of the flying CD is left unsolved, the band goes into "Crash Years" and the concert continues uninterupted, playing an incredible set that had me singing along to every word. "Adventures In Solitude," "Jackie, Dressed In Cobras," "The Laws Have Changed," "Twin Cinema," "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk," "Go Places," "All The Old Showstoppers," "Your Hands (Together)," "The Bleeding Heart Show"- they played it all! I was in a form of musical heaven that I didn't want to leave.
From where I was watching could see Dan Bejar come and go at his leisure on and off stage, sometimes picking up a guitar and chilling by the drum riser to play some rhythm or stepping up to the microphone to play "Silver Jenny Dollar" or one of the other songs he's contributed to the band. Even though the set list for the show was most likely decided on days before the show, Dan made it look like he was sauntering on stage at whenever he felt like it. I'm a huge fan of hus lyrics and song writing, so I was more than happy to let him come and go as he pleased- he's Dan Bejar, he can do whatever the hell he wants!
Kurt Dahle was a site to watch all on his own. As a drummer/percussionist/whatever you want to call me, I'm a big admirer of this man's playing style. The man is proof that you don't need all the fancy symbols that are on the market to play good, all you need is one good symbol to rock and roll. He can also twirl his drumsticks while keeping the beat better than any heavy metal drummer I've ever seen; the man can also shuffle like a mother fucker. Periodically he'd whip out a pair of brushes or mallets to give a song a whole new level of sound.
The closed their set with "The Bleeding Heart Show" with the crowd chanting along to the nonsensical chorus that helps bring the end to a climactic finish (and helps encourage people to apply to the University of Pheonix). The band, like they had been doing the whole night, wasted no time in walking back on stage for the encore. The started their encore with a song I consider to be the most beautiful song ever written, "Challengers." But the fun didn't stop there: after the beauty of "Challengers" they went straight into "The Slow Decent Into Alcoholism" and the Dan Bejar led "Testament To Youth In Verse," complete with chanting back up vocals the crowd could sing along to to help bring to show to a memorable and wonderful climax. The New Pornographers left the stage in good spirits, and I left the venue on a euphoria high from hearing some of my favorite songs live for the first time. After that show I wanted to play my drums, start singing, write catchy songs, take over the world even. After leaving that show I felt like I could accomplish anything. You know a band makes good music when you can watch them play their heart out and feel the need to go out and do the same yourself.
Here's a video from that show, complete with part of Neko's rant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ9PT7xmppY