tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70028169740123657952012-02-16T07:55:09.662-05:00A blog about the shows I go to. Guaranteed to be at least three shows behind at all times!Valerienoreply@blogger.comBlogger1701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-23424545370355652552011-05-16T12:40:00.051-04:002011-05-18T15:26:08.827-04:00

NOTE: Wow, so I edited and posted this post right before Blogger had an outage, and now it's not only not posted, but not edited, so I had to go back and re-do it. Why do I want to have a blog again? Please, someone at Blogger tell me! Or someone else tell me where to move my blog... Last year, sweetgreen, a local salad place, decided to have a mini music festival in the parking lot behind

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-59891751387307962952011-03-29T15:25:00.001-04:002011-03-29T15:26:06.095-04:00

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled...more than a year, to be exact. I recently attended SXSW Music for the fifth time, and I listed this blog on my badge rather than my law firm because my law firm has little to do with why I attend SXSW. The blog is definitely more directly related. But every time someone asked me about my blog, I really couldn't say much. For more than a year, I

Valerienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-31579641117852712922010-01-01T14:33:00.003-05:002011-03-29T15:46:12.300-04:00

So, as the end of the year and the decade draws near, and every blog, magazine, TV show, website, and twitter account gives you their "Best of" lists, I'm winding down this blog. With blogging, as with anything in life, I don't do it unless I think it's fun and I want to do it. I've gone back to my old ways of appreciating live music without having to document every single show and every moment

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-54550947683293425022009-12-30T14:13:00.002-05:002009-12-30T14:20:28.181-05:00

Get your butt to the 9:30 ClubBring some canned goods or new or gently used clothing. Or bring some cold hard cash. Donate these items and receive a raffle ticket in exchange for each item (up to 10 per day) or $5 per ticket.Do the same thing tomorrow.You'll be helping a few local charities AND you'll have a chance to win one of the best prizes around - a year on the guest list for every show

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-20732966243706875082009-09-23T16:34:00.011-04:002009-11-04T21:14:35.099-05:00

Regardless of their inconsistent sound issues, I returned to the Rock and Roll Hotel the next night for their Third Anniversary show with Jukebox the Ghost and other, mostly forgettable DC bands.Judging by this show, I am not really missing anything by going to see national and international artists instead of local ones. One of my friends, who is also a local musician (who I adore), gave me

Valerienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-27157680047040988332009-09-09T11:38:00.020-04:002009-09-23T16:35:13.624-04:00

I went to many more shows in August, and actually remembered to bring my camera to a couple of them! Since I went to more than a handful of shows, I'll break this post up into two parts...After a nasty encounter with the nastiest of all nasty concert-goers, I vowed that I would never pay to see Tori Amos again. I used to go to any of her concerts that were within driving distance, but that was

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-68322578145810826162009-08-07T11:33:00.014-04:002009-09-14T16:00:48.090-04:00

So the month of July started with the surprising and unexpected death of my friend Jesse. I only went to three shows in July (technically four shows, I guess). I didn't bother to take any pictures. I was just there for the music. I wish I had gone to more, but I didn't. First up: Jack White Super Group 2.0: The Dead Weather @ 9:30 Club on July 14th. I like the White Stripes. I like The

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-58699755442753157902009-08-06T11:40:00.031-04:002011-04-12T11:31:44.822-04:00

Sooooo, it's been awhile. I've been going to shows but haven't been posting anything for the past three months. I wrote up a few posts about the rest of the shows in June, but I never posted them. After I found out about Jesse's passing, I just didn't feel like blogging, even though Jesse loved the blog. But behind the scenes I've still been going to shows, and I'm just going to post monthly

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-35837833552917919512009-07-04T11:52:00.017-04:002009-07-06T17:00:46.741-04:00

I learned the other night that my good friend, Jesse Jacob King, aka Jesso, 28, drowned while spear fishing near his home in California. I spoke with him just a few days before he died, and his accidental death came as a huge shock. I met Jesse at the 9:30 Club in December 2003 at a Damien Rice show. It was 25 degrees outside. We were in the front row. He was gorgeous. He was 22. He

Valerienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-18015825650501247392009-06-12T13:36:00.010-04:002009-06-30T15:55:38.010-04:00

I've written about my love for The Jealous Girlfriends and Holly Miranda before, so I was thrilled to find out that she'd be opening for AA Bondy at IOTA. It takes a special artist or show to make me to go to Northern Virginia. AA Bondy would have been good enough on his own, but Miranda made the night so much more special.The last time I saw The Jealous Girlfriends, Miranda mentioned that she

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-32896563471443024492009-06-10T09:38:00.005-04:002009-06-30T15:19:23.298-04:00

TV on the Radio is a band that I feel like I should like more than I do. I've never been able to explain why I don't. Even though Dear Science was one of the better albums released last year, I still only listened to it a few times. And even though I liked it, I just didn't like it enough to keep listening. Fortunately, TVOTR put on one hell of a live show, so it didn't matter much that I was

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-61980937145170442062009-06-08T00:42:00.025-04:002009-06-23T16:23:27.685-04:00

I missed Blind Pilot at least three times in 2009. Their album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, is one of my favorites of the year so far, so I was determined to not miss them again. I bought my ticket in advance for their show at the Black Cat, and then promptly forgot that I bought the ticket until a few days before the show. Good thing I looked at the calendar. Otherwise, I would have missed them

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-44810161674729823182009-06-07T02:15:00.022-04:002009-06-23T15:43:19.132-04:00

Rewind to 2002. I was in law school and I volunteered to work at the CMJ Music Marathon so that I could get a free badge to see every band I wanted to see. One of those bands was Doves. Their showcase was in Brooklyn, though, at some venue I'd never been to, having moved away from NYC in 1997. So rather than risk getting lost in Brooklyn somewhere, I stuck to the security of the streets of

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-61789019624086270142009-06-07T02:14:00.008-04:002009-06-17T11:49:37.305-04:00

When I saw PJ Harvey and John Parish earlier this year at Stubb's during SXSW, I was really disappointed. Their show didn't have the energy that a regular PJ Harvey show usually has. Their music was not suited to the huge outdoor venue and it was virtually impossible to keep the attention of the audience who were mostly unfamiliar with the duo's work together. It was not a PJ Harvey show and

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-7329276286294390802009-06-03T09:18:00.004-04:002009-06-17T11:34:35.853-04:00

Sometimes I don't have many words or pictures to share after a show. This was one of those shows. I really like White Rabbits. I love that they always have at least two people on percussion, and sometimes as many as three or four. Their new album, It's Frightening, which was produced by Britt Daniel, is one of my favorite albums of the year so far. I've seen them open for Spoon three times.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-80851575956557236402009-06-02T09:36:00.015-04:002009-06-22T11:37:13.442-04:00

Even though I saw 55 bands at SXSW, I missed about 1545 bands and artists. Fortunately, many of them are touring, so I get to catch them regularly in DC. It's not the same as SXSW, but it can be much better. At SXSW, most artists get less than an hour to showcase their music. Sometimes they get as little as 20 minutes. While it's enough to pique your interest or tell you if a band stinks,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-72433452776936625542009-05-30T20:08:00.005-04:002009-06-11T12:11:18.684-04:00

I skipped the late show on Sunday night, but I returned to the club on Monday night to see The National again. I swore I wouldn't miss them, remember? I thought going to all three shows would be a little excessive, but one Sunday show and the Monday show seemed to be a good plan. My left arm was even more GIANT, but I had set up a doctor's appointment early the next day to get it checked out.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-51334096939584554192009-05-25T13:32:00.014-04:002009-06-11T15:37:17.535-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was supposed to be a non-stop music fest for me - a show every night! But on Saturday, my arms swelled up after a workout, so I sat out the Saturday night show at the Black Cat. But my GIANT clown arms (which turned out to be acute exertional rhabdomyolysis) could not keep me away from seeing The National at the 9:30 Club. Sure, I could have gone to the emergency room,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-15296676454477501582009-05-23T18:35:00.004-04:002009-06-04T13:27:57.911-04:00

St. Vincent's set at Antone's was one of my favorites at this year's SXSW. I was excited to see her again at the Black Cat, but I forgot about the things that suck about the Black Cat - the chatty hipsters. It is rare to see a show at the Black Cat that doesn't feature continuous chatter by the audience. The first time I saw Mirah there, she got so frustrated and flustered that it really

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-53682937724959457082009-05-22T12:08:00.020-04:002009-06-03T21:09:34.285-04:00

I win! I win lots of stuff. This blog was started after a major win. And I still occasionally win other things. On Wednesday, I won a pair of tickets to the Coldplay concert. Pete Yorn was opening, and was giving away a few pairs of tickets. I had no idea where the seats were going to be, and I'm not a huge Coldplay fan, but it was free and I wasn't doing anything else Thursday night, so I

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-4876042197976591592009-05-12T00:29:00.013-04:002009-05-20T12:00:43.363-04:00

I felt like I'd been waiting my entire life to see Leonard Cohen, but it was well worth the wait. Although he's 74 years old, Cohen still sounds amazing. He played an astonishing 26 song show that lasted for more than 3 hours. The best seats in the house were super expensive, so I opted for seats in the middle of the pavilion at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and I was so glad that I did. Around

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-1934787749400559712009-05-11T11:37:00.020-04:002009-05-20T11:33:12.335-04:00

Fischerspooner put out their first album when I was in law school. At my 5 year college reunion I learned that one of my best friends from freshman year was a dancer with Fischerspooner, but I had missed their show at the 9:30 Club that year. I had to wait another 6 years to catch them, but it was worth the wait. Once I found out that my friend Gia would be dancing with them at the DC show,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-31563186862918984852009-05-01T00:39:00.024-04:002009-05-19T21:53:14.194-04:00

Dear The Magic Wands, A stage set-up of two mics, two guitars, two pairs of sunglasses, two big furry tiger masks impaled on mic stands flanking either side of the "band" and a prerecorded drum track do not make for a great live performance. They don't even make for a good live performance. They do not substitute for actually making any connection with your audience. Your show was uninspired

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-39706441035116994492009-04-30T11:05:00.015-04:002009-05-18T12:02:36.809-04:00

I am pretty sure I'd never been to Lancaster, Pennsylvania before Sunday, April 26th. It's in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, but I didn't see a single horse and buggy or Amish person on my way there, while I was there or on my way home. It was about a 2.5 hour drive from DC, so we went up in the middle of the day to see what the town had to offer. The answer was...Not much. It was

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-51915690321592985542009-04-30T11:02:00.027-04:002009-05-14T12:17:11.398-04:00

When I found out that Spoon were going to play New Orleans JazzFest, I decided that it was time for me to make a return trip. I love Spoon. I love JazzFest. I started making plans. But then I found out they'd be in DC the day after their Friday performance in New Orleans, and I decided to save myself the airfare and other expenses and go see Spoon in my backyard. One little glitch, though:

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-70494059475578294792009-04-24T12:27:00.007-04:002009-05-11T11:30:47.467-04:00

The first, last and only time I saw Travis was almost ten years ago when they released The Invisible Band. They did an in-store at Virgin Megastore in Union Square, and my friend Eric got us passes. They played about 5 songs and signed our CDs. It was awesome. But I never saw them again. They played at the 9:30 Club two years ago, but I missed that show. I read great things about that

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-20650802604948210192009-04-20T14:43:00.003-04:002009-05-07T21:40:40.736-04:00

I've said it multiple times: I adore Justin Jones. He's a powerful singer and songwriter. He makes me want to sing. Sometimes he makes me feel like crying. I wish I could replace every craptastic singer like John Mayer with singers like Justin. Maybe just replace Mayer with Jones and things would be right in the world.But he played for like 2 hours. I understand that he's prolific, but he

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-75187493293400673822009-04-19T14:43:00.018-04:002009-05-07T13:48:33.690-04:00

I didn't go to a lot of shows at the Black Cat last year since I spent most of my time at the 9:30 Club. But now that I am more likely to see a show at the Black Cat, I still don't do it very often because I was totally spoiled by the great sound, layout and staff at the 9:30 Club. But Thao with the Get Down Stay Down were doing a headlining gig on a Friday night, so a bought a ticket. I'd

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-28390050367283242692009-04-14T23:45:00.010-04:002009-05-07T13:05:55.222-04:00

Although I lived in Los Angeles for more than two years, I never once ventured out to Eagle Rock. I didn't know it had anything to offer that I couldn't find closer to my home in Hollywood, so there was no reason for me to go. When I went back to LA for a visit, I searched for concerts on the days that I'd be there: Leonard Cohen! but tickets were expensive, I didn't want to go alone, and I

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-49226761530240517492009-04-09T09:45:00.010-04:002009-05-01T13:47:03.529-04:00

I am soooo far behind...again. That is not news to anyone. Ah well, here we go...Neko Case wasn't allowing photography at her show, so I chose a spot in the balcony where the sound was guaranteed to be better than it was in the front. Although the show was sold out (the first of two sold out shows in a row for Ms. Case), the crowd was slow to trickle in, and the place was less than half full

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-57834697567583870612009-04-04T22:24:00.005-04:002009-04-20T11:14:35.192-04:00

Perhaps I should rename this blog "Three Shows Behind!" Or maybe that should be its new tag line...yes, I think I've found a new tag line. I am always at least three shows behind. On the first Friday of April, I skipped the fun at the Dupont Circle galleries and a handful of other events to catch Superdrag at the 9:30 Club. It was my friend Andrew's 21st birthday, and I wanted to be there

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-39189916033591611172009-04-04T10:30:00.016-04:002009-04-15T11:47:04.099-04:00

My friend Kent has been telling me about Langhorne Slim for years. As far as I could tell, he was playing only one party at SXSW. And I got stuck on the East side trying to get a cab back downtown when he hit the stage. I begged my friends to stop talking about it because they said that it was one of the highlights of SXSW. I was so mad I couldn't be there. I didn't want to know anything

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-29342135920995552362009-04-03T21:42:00.012-04:002009-04-14T13:56:47.565-04:00

Without fail, I always miss a bunch of bands I want to see at SXSW. It is impossible to see everyone, especially if they're not at the top of you "must see" list. Both Gomez and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears fall into the category of bands I wanted to see, but didn't, despite the fact that they both played at least 4 sets over the four days of the festival. Fortunately, they were playing

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-56356700113578454402009-04-03T10:37:00.015-04:002009-04-07T14:51:38.416-04:00

Saturday morning was the slowest morning. I could barely drag myself out of the hotel, and it took me awhile to figure out what on earth I was doing. Day 4 of SXSW is always like this - a haze in which I ask, "Do I really have to do this again?" and then I remember it is free booze and music and food all day long and then there's no stopping me. Party til the break of dawn.Cheryl went to the

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-33583185705943094372009-04-03T10:36:00.033-04:002009-04-07T14:37:32.268-04:00

At this rate of posting my SXSW recaps, I will be done just in time for SXSW 2010. Ah well...The drugs worked! My sinuses clear, head not hurting, and ready to take on the world, I got ready for one of my favorite SXSW events, the BMI Acoustic Brunch at the Four Seasons. They always have the best food, best drinks and best atmosphere. What's better than eating and drinking at the Four Seasons

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-26035482633371813432009-04-02T11:33:00.002-04:002009-04-07T15:14:52.176-04:00

Day 2 of SXSW was sort of an off-day. We weren't feeling our best, and so we dragged our feet getting out the door, getting into parties, etc. But in the end, we still saw tons of bands, discovered new artists, managed to feed ourselves and drink plenty of free alcohol. We started out at the NPR Music "Music for the Right Brain" Day party. Last year, NPR's day party was by invitation only,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-8666413725271508812009-03-27T10:33:00.057-04:002009-03-30T17:47:04.611-04:00

Despite my attempt at a decent night's sleep, my body was still (1) on east coast time and (2) in work mode. So I was up before 8 a.m., took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel and plotted my day. It proved to be the only day that my plan was anywhere near close to what I actually did.I started off the day at the Trade Show, picking up what freebies I could find - t-shirts, CDs,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-17507584066567326932009-03-27T10:09:00.021-04:002009-03-28T23:28:45.137-04:00

I got back from SXSW 2009 on Sunday and I still haven't recovered, so it's going to take me some time to upload the pictures and remember what the heck I thought about the 50+ bands I saw over the course of 5 days and nights, so bear with me. I actually have a hectic day job that doesn't allow for full-time blogging. I'll start with Day 0...I call Tuesday "Day 0" because SXSW Music doesn't

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-24978219594752084012009-03-13T09:28:00.017-04:002009-03-16T15:59:18.147-04:00

Bell X1 were the second Irish act with a connection to Damien Rice to play at the club this week. Back before they were Bell X1, they were Juniper and Rice was their lead singer. To me, the most significant thing that Bell X1 have in common with Lisa Hannigan (other than being Irish musicians, and probably a whole lot of other things they have in common) is that their strongest performances are

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-61759723326510291672009-03-09T11:32:00.010-04:002009-03-15T10:53:01.600-04:00

This past week has felt like a repeat of last year. I was at the club every other night during the week and every night of the weekend. And all the headliners every night were women. I called it Girls' Week. Girls rule. Anyway, Sunday night brought Lisa Hannigan to the club with openers The Low Anthem. I didn't expect this show to sell well. Lisa is most famous for working with Damien Rice

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-69093461540627943582009-03-08T11:30:00.007-04:002009-03-15T10:44:08.959-04:00

Ani DiFranco tours a lot. She's prolific - she's always either releasing an album or recording one. When she's on tour, she always plays new songs even though she should be playing up her most recent release. I've been going to Ani DiFranco shows for 11 years, but I've seen her at the 9:30 Club more often than I've seen her anywhere else. The first time was in 1999. I was unemployed. It was

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-79867203468347550472009-03-06T09:47:00.016-05:002009-03-15T01:47:23.440-04:00

Lucinda Williams was one of two women who had two, back-to-back shows at the club this week (the other, Ani DiFranco, is 20 years younger than Williams, but is a more prolific artist - she'll be the topic of my next post). Tickets were a bit pricey for her younger fans, like myself, but nothing that her older fans couldn't handle because both shows were well-attended. This year's raffle

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-52621696223183407982009-03-03T15:30:00.015-05:002009-03-10T23:04:03.564-04:00

What I called "Girls' Week" at the club started with the co-headlining bill of Justin Nozuka (yeah he's not a girl, but only technically I think) and Missy Higgins. Higgins is an Aussie, and opener Lenka is also Aussie, so it was an Aussie sandwich. A couple of Australian guys once told me the proper pronunciation of Aussie is "Ozzy." Just passing along that tidbit. Lenka started off the show

Valerienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-85561646599196010282009-02-28T15:27:00.008-05:002009-03-10T21:49:45.651-04:00

The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage is in the "Grand Foyer" and hosts free performances of all kinds. I've attended free dance performances there, but I'd never seen a music performance there. But a friend texted me months in advance to tell me to be there for K'NAAN's show on February 27th. Everyone I know who had seen K'NAAN before said that his shows were their favorite shows ever. Even

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-80529622745108615022009-02-26T09:59:00.009-05:002009-02-26T22:12:03.346-05:00

So the question has come up a few times: Are you going to keep blogging?I started this blog just to document my year of free shows at the 9:30 Club. With rare exception, the only shows I wrote about were the 111 shows I attended at the club, mostly because I was pretty sure that if I didn't write about them, I was likely to forget everything. I also started taking pictures with the tiniest

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-89815011984458168242009-02-02T09:57:00.012-05:002009-02-04T00:00:06.740-05:00

The 9:30 Club won the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Award for Nightclub of the Year for a second year in a row. Having lived in both LA and NYC, and having attended almost half of the shows at the club in 2008, I couldn't agree more. The 9:30 is unparalleled in the concert industry. Now if only they would rethink their recent increases in beverage prices. $4 for a bottle of water (up

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-75693955360749479602009-01-07T15:10:00.001-05:002009-01-07T15:12:16.642-05:00

Meet Ray Morrisseyhe also has a crazy blog

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-22640274937811557902009-01-05T22:40:00.005-05:002009-01-23T16:18:27.124-05:00

I started this blog to document my experience going to as many shows as I wanted to in 2008 at the 9:30 Club. Of course, I didn't go to all the shows. I didn't even go to all the shows I wanted to go to. I think the club has about 250 shows a year, and I went to fewer than half of these. But even so, I only really missed about a dozen shows that I really wanted to go to. The MissedI missed

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-75010281142828289832009-01-02T17:02:00.013-05:002009-01-03T20:05:19.047-05:00

Aside from the blogged about Spoon show in Baltimore and my trip to Austin for SXSW, I cheated on the 9:30 Club more than a dozen times in 2008.I saw Jens Lekman twice - once at the Black Cat and once I drove all the way down to Williamsburg, Virginia to the College of William and Mary to see him.I flew all the way out to San Francisco to see Spoon's three-night stand at the Fillmore.I drove down

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-5185989725924207392009-01-02T15:04:00.022-05:002009-01-02T19:38:58.611-05:00

After many weeks of people asking me, "What are you going to do next year?" New Year's Eve and my last free show as the 2008 raffle winner finally came. It was surreal. At times, I felt like the year would never end and I would always be severely sleep-deprived, but when the last night came, it felt as though it was just yesterday when Cathy called me to tell me I was the grand prize winner.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-41509724061213886322008-12-31T11:45:00.005-05:002009-01-02T19:32:15.088-05:00

CLUTCH are from Germantown, MD. I think they play at least one show at the club every year. The staff loves them. I was told that this would be the best show of the year. I was not allowed to miss it.No photography was allowed, but that meant that I spent all my time focused on the music instead of trying to take a halfway decent picture with my tiny little camera. I showed up late, but

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-20622511499644971002008-12-30T12:16:00.003-05:002009-01-02T16:43:35.471-05:00

My last three shows of 2008 promised to be better than most of the shows I saw during the preceding 50 weeks. It started off with a Saturday night show from Cansei de Ser Sexy, aka CSS, the Brazilian band who came just to show you a good time. Throughout the year, the club has had its share of ridiculously fun Saturday night dance shows, but this one promised to be better than Ghostland

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-32806086148409349362008-12-17T21:30:00.007-05:002008-12-31T18:21:20.998-05:00

I didn't plan on going to see Colbie Caillat. She's 23 years old and was a MySpace superstar. I feel like an old crotchety woman whenever I hear that someone is famous because of MySpace, but seriously...there is hype and then there is talent. Caillat isn't the worst singer in the world, and as all the guys who work at the club said, she looked good. But that doesn't mean anyone should pay

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-33424763317200661502008-12-15T11:42:00.009-05:002008-12-31T18:03:56.786-05:00

There were two shows that everyone at the club said I had to attend - GWAR and Clutch. Both hit the club in December. GWAR was first. I'd heard of them before, but never had the desire to go to their shows. I mean they're like trash metal. They're supposedly from outer space (or Richmond, VA - same difference) and their mission is to kill all humans. I don't think they "sing" in an alien

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-61893877913204933862008-12-15T11:39:00.007-05:002008-12-22T12:10:39.701-05:00

This was my third Ghostland Observatory show. The first time was in Austin, their hometown, where some University of Texas students implored me to stick around after the Cold War Kids' set to see Ghostland. I liked them, my friend hated them. We came to a compromise and stuck around for 5 songs before she dragged me out of there. The second time I saw them was earlier this year at their

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-49494745197029523532008-12-07T18:34:00.018-05:002008-12-21T22:02:48.702-05:00

Country music legend Loretta Lynn returned to a packed and reverent 9:30 Club on Saturday. I took my friend Allen because he loves her and I thought it'd be a good way to celebrate his birthday. I'd heard mixed reviews of her performances of late, but she is a legend, and I just had to see her.Justin Jones was mostly solo, although he did have one band member covering upright bass and

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-35747667078599627102008-12-06T09:23:00.017-05:002008-12-21T13:11:32.127-05:00

It is always so hard for me to write about Nada Surf because I love them so much. I was ecstatic when I found out they were coming back to the club before the end of the year. Their show back in April is still tied for the top show at the club this year. This time around, instead of watching from the balcony off their dressing room, I wanted to be in the front row. I'd never seen them from

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-35381446467541320832008-12-02T22:56:00.014-05:002008-12-18T14:06:46.048-05:00

It has been a whirlwind year for Vampire Weekend. They released their debut album this year and were the most hyped band at SXSW. They sold out shows everywhere they went based on internet buzz alone. But then there was the backlash. Hipsters who touted them as the next big thing, after finally seeing them live or listening to them for more than a day or two decided they were overrated, even

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-42866433226687098502008-12-01T07:32:00.002-05:002008-12-01T10:27:55.237-05:00

Today, December 1, 2008, is the first day that you can enter the 9:30 Club's Holiday Raffle. Here's the deal: you bring canned food, clean (new or used) clothing or money to the 9:30 Club during box office hours (M-F Noon to 7pm or 11pm on show nights, 6-11pm on weekend show nights only) and they will give you a raffle ticket in exchange for each item, up to 10 raffle tickets per day. If you

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-75631984936111307862008-11-29T17:57:00.007-05:002008-12-01T10:21:20.460-05:00

They Might Be Giants performed Flood in its entirety on the Friday after Thanksgiving to a sold out crowd of everyone who was a role-playing geek (or basically any other type of geek) in high school. While it was good to hear the album again, live this time, it felt like the band has lost some of their zip over the past 18 years. I saw them 10 and a half years ago, and definitely preferred that

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-32688730989509995052008-11-26T11:54:00.016-05:002008-11-28T20:33:05.960-05:00

I missed the first opener because I was at the Birchmere seeing the amazing David Ford (I think he should officially change his name to The Amazing David Ford). But I got to the show in time to catch Your Vegas, a band that is from nowhere near Vegas and that is spending much of the end of 2008 opening for Duran Duran. They come in a very pretty package. They have heaps of stage presence and

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-47898750756153562132008-11-25T10:08:00.013-05:002008-11-26T21:45:10.702-05:00

Show #100 was supposed to be Michael Franti and Spearhead, but I was so exhausted from the week before that I just couldn't manage it. That will be one of the many shows I will regret missing. Instead, my hundredth show at the club this year was Sondre Lerche. Lerche is fucking adorable. I think he is definitely an artist who has to be seen live. I never really understood the fascination

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-62014851259647437572008-11-19T16:18:00.021-05:002008-12-03T16:20:37.968-05:00

This was one show that I was really looking forward to. I was hoping that hunky Josh Homme would be playing with EoDM. I was also really excited that The Duke Spirit would be opening. The Duke Spirit popped up on my radar after SXSW this year. They were on one of the many CDs I collected at the conference, and stood out amongst all the rest of the bland and derivative stuff I've been

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-56295350558520462008-11-14T09:53:00.006-05:002008-11-23T23:04:56.583-05:00

I have to admit that I paid very little attention during the Calexico show. I was looking forward to finally seeing them. I'd met multi-instrumentalist Martin Wenk, who plays just about every instrument other than drums, when he toured with Nada Surf earlier this year. Their new album is supposed to be great. But I was distracted because my friend Ramona, who is trotting the globe, had just

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-34917445098359068312008-11-12T10:10:00.005-05:002008-11-23T22:53:27.951-05:00

I'm not a huge Toadies fan, but I love the song Possum Kingdom. I swear, if some hot vampire guy sang that song to me, I'd let him make me a vampire. Okay, maybe not, but my 18 year old self definitely would have. Getting to hear that song alone made the show worthwhile. I thought I was going to have to wait until the encore to hear it, and I was exhausted. But they played it during the

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-72251124586948839832008-11-11T12:11:00.016-05:002008-11-20T19:50:39.385-05:00

I wanted to see Conor Oberst, even if he wasn't performing as Bright Eyes, but was touring with the Mystic Valley Band. How can you not have a crush on this boy? Unfortunately, I am not really a fan of the new incarnation. I'll stick to Bright Eyes. Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band sounded like a poor man's Wilco or a poor man's Neil Young. I've been feeling the derivativeness of

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-71155079721787116622008-11-07T13:02:00.009-05:002008-11-20T19:24:20.297-05:00

Why oh why am I so far behind??? Again, I blame my fake, stolen WiFi for my lack of posts. Perhaps I should pay for WiFi and then it'd be more reliable. But then I'd have to pay some hated company for WiFi, and I'd rather complain about my neighbor's spotty internet connection or go off to Tryst to blog and have a soy chai while I'm at it. Sooooo, Kaki King and The Mountain Goats stopped by

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-75948569632200772902008-11-06T10:33:00.003-05:002008-11-14T14:58:24.170-05:00

More than 30 years after they formed, and 29 years after they were banned in D.C., Bad Brains played an Election Night show at the 9:30 Club. I was excited for the show just because I was excited about the Presidential Election generally. I thought it would be an awesome place to start the night and would give me something to do while waiting for the polls to close. Unfortunately, 30 years

Valerienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-90948183970252317702008-11-04T09:13:00.004-05:002008-11-14T14:39:44.390-05:00

I was looking forward to finally seeing Amos Lee, but I didn't realize that he had such a big following in DC. The place was packed. Girls were swooning and screaming. Their boyfriends/husbands/dates were busy doting on them. I'm not sure if there were many or any unattached men at this show. Amos Lee sings songs that make women melt, but also is talented enough that the men don't get bored.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-80030431957195659732008-11-02T16:33:00.009-05:002008-11-13T11:42:29.118-05:00

I am going to blame my pirated WiFi for my failure to update this blog. My internet at home has been down and I went to so many shows during the first week of November that I just couldn't manage to update the blog. So all of the entries for this week will be short and devoid of pictures or anything interesting.I was stoked for this show even though it was a late show on a Sunday night. Before

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-25027692158864287822008-11-02T16:32:00.004-05:002008-11-10T10:59:04.462-05:00

Rhys Darby plays Murray on HBO's Flight of the Conchords. Somehow, this means he can charge $25 for stand-up comedy. But as he said, "Tonight's about me, not about Murray," when people wanted him to do something from the show.I went, but I'm glad I didn't have to pay. I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a lot of sound-effects. I had no idea that Darby's specialty is making sound

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-38512342951413838612008-10-29T15:45:00.012-04:002008-11-07T17:16:26.524-05:00

I used to live in LA and I used to go to the Hotel Cafe regularly. In fact, I met one of my closest friends there. It's a super small venue that cultivates singer-songwriters that you've heard on the soundtrack to Garden State, Grey's Anatomy, the OC and other shows, movies and TV commercials. A few years ago, they started the Hotel Cafe Tour, where they put a few of these artists on the

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-8133328597591858712008-10-28T15:31:00.009-04:002008-11-07T16:45:26.211-05:00

I actually have pictures for this one! My photo taking is becoming more and more rare as the year goes on. I stopped taking photographs at shows years ago because I thought it interfered with my appreciation of the show. Instead of thinking how cool something on stage was, I would obsess over whether I got a picture of it. I find that happening a lot now, too. Plus, half the time I don't

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-74130183355546634202008-10-27T14:10:00.006-04:002008-11-07T15:57:33.031-05:00

I will start off by saying that one of my closest friends told me that he hated Deerhoof and that he walked out on their show because they sucked so bad. He then threatened a "friend-divorce" if I went to this show instead of seeing The Magnetic Fields, who were playing the same night at a different venue. I explained that my friend Ian was visiting from Ireland and wanted to go to this show.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-30506568688190649582008-10-24T15:08:00.008-04:002008-11-01T15:22:03.131-04:00

I may have seen The Black Crowes in 1991 or 1992, but I really can't remember. The last I really remember of them was when they put out Amorica and got a lot of backlash over the album cover. When their three-night residency at the club was announced, all I could think was "Why?" Did they really have enough of a following to justify playing the club for more than one night? Did they really

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-33750048108830621362008-10-19T16:38:00.012-04:002008-10-31T12:10:08.568-04:00

Could I have taken any longer to post this one up? It's been almost two weeks. Geez.Last year, I saw the Cold War Kids twice--once at SXSW and once at the 9:30 Club--and I loved both shows. They were two of my favorite shows last year. I hadn't been a huge fan of their recorded music--Nic Harcourt at KCRW in LA put them in rotation too much and I found the sound coming over my car stereo to

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-59643242337784520222008-10-15T23:50:00.014-04:002008-10-31T10:33:58.383-04:00

I'm in love with The Notwist. They are a German band that I never would have heard of or listened to if I hadn't won the 9:30 Club raffle. Apparently they were a heavy metal band a long time ago, but I'd describe their current sound as electroindierock...at least that's how I convinced my friend Jamie to come to the show with me. When we got to the club an hour after the doors opened, the

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-43775316028801525752008-10-12T09:51:00.007-04:002008-10-20T13:32:05.676-04:00

This is the story about how it is difficult to stay awake and engaged for five shows in a row, especially when you have a day job. I went to the opening of the Hamiltonian Gallery before heading to see Wire at the club. I sat in the balcony during the opening act, Tone. They are a local instrumental group - 4 guitars, one bass and two drummers. They were quite good...better than most all

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-5376403338643014692008-10-11T11:08:00.015-04:002008-10-17T09:12:26.119-04:00

I had my doubts about Girl Talk. I mean, it's just a guy and his computer. If the computer gets disconnected somehow, dance party over. But really, how does a dude with a computer sell out the 9:30 Club? I was curious. I mean, if you have the CD, why do you need to go watch him press play? I also had my doubts about the audience. My friend said "If you want to get elbowed in the face by

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-49165439087753305522008-10-11T11:07:00.010-04:002008-10-15T13:12:33.813-04:00

When Shudder to Think, the DC band that was supposed to be huge, but wasn't, announced that they were reuniting but not playing Washington DC, their local life-long fans were perplexed and kind of pissed. They played the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, MD, but that wasn't close enough. It wasn't a Shudder to Think show. When they booked an early gig at the club, all was forgiven.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-76184315675372402162008-10-10T00:25:00.023-04:002008-10-12T14:32:58.252-04:00

I walked away from this show saying to myself, "The blind guy was right!" That is, a blind guy I know told me he wouldn't go see of Montreal again because the last two times he felt like they focused too much on the theatrics at the expense of the music. He also thought they over-relied on prerecorded stuff, but I don't think they did on Thursday night, as there was a 6-piece band on stage,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-90323239889865427172008-10-09T10:17:00.006-04:002008-10-12T12:27:49.243-04:00

Hot Chip! I missed them back in April because I chose to drive off to Baltimore to see my husband..ahem...to see Spoon play at Sonar (and I'd do it again!). One of my friends assured me that this show was much better than the show back in April, anyway. The band didn't allow any photography, and security was pretty vigilant about enforcing that rule. Will Marsh did get a press pass and took

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-10959479587999956922008-10-06T11:51:00.015-04:002008-10-13T09:34:43.084-04:00

The only time I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds was when they did Lollapalooza in 1994. The show was almost cancelled because of torrential downpours, but instead it was just delayed a few hours. And Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were the brave band to start the show up once again once it seemed that it was safe to play and that show would not be cancelled. I swear half of the audience had

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-18693797444920106192008-10-06T11:50:00.010-04:002008-10-12T10:40:01.086-04:00

More fun. More dancing! Totally gansta! sort of. It was a fun show. Not the best music or the best show of all time, but it was a lot of fun for a Saturday night.First things first - Treasure Fingers opened. He is a DJ. I didn't realize there was going to be a DJ opening. I'm not sure how different that is than just having one of the club's DJs spin music before the headliner comes out.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-23767527078426308812008-10-01T09:28:00.009-04:002008-10-10T15:41:18.133-04:00

This post has been holding up all the rest of them! I hardly remember this show at this point. I should really just write up some notes when I get home! goshdarnit! Anyway, I was really excited for this show because I just wanted to dance and drink and be happy. And I got enough to satisfy that desire. Chessie were the first opening band. They weren't very good. They were quite boring.

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-30751654832546053002008-09-29T23:29:00.010-04:002008-10-02T11:24:35.247-04:00

I was a freshman in college when I first heard James. They drew me in with Laid, and held my attention for a while, but I never did get to see them. They played in NYC a few times when I was there, but I never got to catch a show. I was somewhat surprised that they were touring this year because in my mind they existed only in 1994-1997. I didn't know they had just put out a new album. I'm

Valerienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-25805661196239749442008-09-18T23:28:00.016-04:002008-09-22T15:44:33.026-04:00

The two thoughts that came to mind most frequently at the Mogwai show on Wednesday night were "WOW!" and "FUCK!" The show as brilliant. Usually I like music with words. There are rare exceptions, but I tend to lean towards good storytelling over technically amazing music. A combination of the two is preferred, but I tend to judge bands on whether their lyrics connect with me. Mogwai is one

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-45743952973956615592008-09-14T11:38:00.017-04:002008-09-22T14:53:16.558-04:00

This is going to sound heretical to some, but I don't get Paul Weller. He has been playing and performing for more than 30 years, but he rarely talks to the audience. It's not that he doesn't have stage presence. It's not that he's not talented. It's just that the music is so terribly boring, and he's not helping matters by not telling us stories. The place was packed mostly with old

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-20105948304946797812008-09-12T21:42:00.020-04:002008-09-22T14:25:49.087-04:00

The last time I saw Stereophonics at the club was in 2003 with Howie Day. I was a Howie Day fan back then (before he turned out that mail meradio-friendly, slickly produced, boring as hell second album), but that show made me realize how big a following Stereophonics have. I think most of the people were there to see them and not Howie Day. Flash forward five years, and I found myself in a

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-19021599772624976042008-09-11T21:41:00.016-04:002008-09-19T09:16:05.169-04:00

Before Wednesday night, I'd only ever seen Martha Wainwright open for and sing with Snow Patrol. I remember the first time I saw her: She was a surprise guest at a teeny tiny Snow Patrol show at the Troubadour in LA. She sang "Set the Fire to the Third Bar," and I was totally captivated. I was lucky enough to get to sing her part with the band when they played in DC last year. While I did

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-22063088779859476872008-09-10T21:41:00.016-04:002008-09-15T09:50:33.229-04:00

Back in the very early 1990s, I was a sort of a metal head. I wasn't into anything too heavy. I think the heaviest it got was Metallica or a little Megadeth. I stuck mostly to the pretty, glammy metal. I saw Guns n Roses about a half dozen times. Skid Row, Poison, and a bunch of others I dare not name. But I never got to see The Cult. They were already huge by the time I was old enough

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-41037636434338333852008-09-09T21:40:00.015-04:002008-09-15T09:53:24.160-04:00

I'm going to start this by saying that I don't like it when people flake on me, especially for no good reason and at the last minute. It is just disrespectful and rude. I had promised to take a friend to the Kooks show, and stuck to my word even though my neighbor really wanted to go to the show. The friend flaked at the last minute, not leaving me enough time to get my neighbor to come with

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-47306997128941208562008-09-07T21:36:00.012-04:002008-09-15T09:55:01.529-04:00

I am not one of those people who think Tricky is a genius, although I have met people who think that. But I knew that I couldn't miss the opportunity to see him live. On the 9:30 Club's message board, someone warned "Don't go see Tricky unless you can sleep standing up for three hours." That person had a point, as I would find out late Saturday night. Telepathique, a duo from Brazil,

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-6981218506567373852008-09-02T23:55:00.012-04:002008-09-09T17:18:18.330-04:00

When I saw Federico Aubele open for Morcheeba earlier this year, I thought he sounded lovely, but I was pretty bored. It was just him and his guitar, and he was joined for most of his set by Natalia Clavier, his wife and multi-instrumentalist singer. He sings in Spanish. My mom would love him. But solo acoustic is not the best way to experience his live shows. His music is too mellow, and

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-29045153501280181462008-09-02T10:06:00.006-04:002008-09-09T11:59:08.426-04:00

Chuck Brown is the Godfather of Go-Go, which is a genre of music native to DC. Frankly, during my first two years in DC, I never heard of nor heard Go-Go. I got an inkling about it when i moved back to DC after law school but never heard it until the Godfather himself shared it with me at his birthday party at the 9:30 Club. He's in his 70s now...I read 72 somewhere, 74 in other places. But

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-21824149012300554972008-08-30T13:16:00.006-04:002008-09-08T10:59:29.415-04:00

I told my friend Jessica that we should have a girls night out to celebrate her birthday, and I thought that maybe some dancing at the 9:30 Club would be good for that. But the Blisspop party was the wrong party to go to. We should have just stayed at the awesome dive bar that we just discovered and that I'm not going to tell you about because it's MINE and you can't have it. When I showed up

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-40756270703708602642008-08-29T22:39:00.003-04:002008-09-04T13:45:57.529-04:00

Liz Phair showed up at the club to perform all of her seminal album, Exile in Guyville. The album came out in 1993 and has been on many lists of "bests." During the show, I saw a flock of women in the front belting out the tunes along with Phair, and saw the connection they had with the music. Lyrically, the songs on Guyville speak to me and would have spoken to my 1993 self if she had

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-84009787899599708112008-08-17T10:24:00.027-04:002008-08-21T10:42:30.968-04:00

I almost died at The Faint show. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I felt like I went to hell and back after The Faint took the stage. More on that later. Before the craziness of The Faint show swept over the crowd, we had to stand through two opening acts. First up, Shy Child. The band of one drummer and one dude with a key-tar, occasionally joined by a "saxophonist" (I use the word loosely

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-49275132569852542262008-08-15T10:24:00.011-04:002008-08-19T17:19:26.077-04:00

I went to the show on Thursday with a pretty open mind. I literally had one Hold Steady song on my iPod from some compilation I got a few years ago. The show was sold out. People were clambering for tickets. I'd heard good things about their recent shows. I didn't really know what to expect. But what I got really wasn't what I thought I signed up for. I decided that I just don't get The

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002816974012365795.post-62084794658353565672008-08-14T10:20:00.022-04:002008-08-20T13:33:19.450-04:00

Wednesday was the night of bands with bad names. The bands were good, but very few people were there to see them. I'd estimate there were 300-400 people at the club. I went with my friend Jesse who was visiting from California. We met at the club in 2003 at my first Damien Rice concert, and were still friends. It was great to be able to take him along to a show for free. We missed the first

Valerienoreply@blogger.com0