As I’m sitting here preparing to write my review of Wednesday night’s Charlatans UK show at the 930 Club, the awesome rendition they played of “One to Another” keeps cycling through my head. I am sitting here wrestling with the urge to hop in my car and zip up 95N to see them play again tonight in Philadelphia. In essence going from one show to another.
The Charlatans are one of my favorite bands of all time. They are my favorite Brit-pop band, partially because they’ve stuck it out so long and evolved in style to transcend the whole genre. When their first album Some Friendly dropped I was in High School and it changed my life, widening my musical universe far beyond my strict Punk roots. Ultimately it was seeing the Charlatans play live some many years ago that sealed the deal. The Charlatans live are amazing, one of the most fun, danceable, party-spirited performances you’ll ever see. And somehow they’ve managed to keep the energy going now for 17 years.
Wednesday night’s show was spectacular. Probably the best show I’ll see this year. I can’t imagine it being topped by anyone. And I say that out of honest reviewing – not just because of my affinity for the band. Their performance was spot on – playing, energy, attitude, fun. Tim Burgess has gone from awkward Madchester teen, bouncing around with bangs a-swaying, to the epitome of cool, a Pop statesman in his prime. Burgess’ presence on stage with black derby hat and hands in his pockets was magnetic. The crowd followed his every tic as he belted out songs in a range of voice that is captivating and mind-boggling. Burgess had a smile on his face the whole time, occasionally waving to crowd members and jokingly busting out in slow-mo renditions of his old dance steps. It was great to see the guy performing in such a good mood.
The rest of the band always play with a kind of background presence, but their instrumentation is front and center. Year’s ago I called these guys the ultimate jam band – not in the hippy-trippy sense, but just in the down-home, kick-ass, dance-your-butt-off style that gets you moving every time. I often complain about DC crowds talking too much and not dancing enough at shows. Well the 930 Club wasn’t nearly sold-out for this show, but the couple of hundred folks who were there were all fans, and I haven’t seen a DC crowd that enthused and dancing that much in years.
For Charlatans fans the set-list was incredible. It was like a dream-come-true set-list. The Charlatans played the high-notes from most of their albums, including their rarely played-live original single. Hearing the opening cymbal’s to “The Only One I Know” was a wonderful live music moment. It is so rare to hear live that every fan in the crowd started cheering and literally jumping for joy. It was a moment that matches hearing Radiohead bust out the rarely played “Creep” at Merriweather Pavilion a few years back. Moments like these are what get me going back for more every time. I love live music and there couldn’t be a better reminder of that than this Charlatans’ show.
Now to drive to Philly or not – decisions, decisions.
Originally published on May 19, 2006
I did not go to Philly. I really wish I had though. This was the last time The Charlatans played in DC. I have had tickets to two different tours o theirs that have canceled since this show.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Optimism Prime
As you may or may not know, I am looking forward to the Transformers movie with much optimism. I don't want to get to psyched and be let down, but so far all news has been good. From Michael Bay directing, to the advanced cgi test reel, to Bernie Mac getting cast as a voice (hopefully as Jazz).
Anyway I just got another interesting tidbit. Michael Bay the director just bought himself ownership of a Special Effects company. This is interesting because it used to belong to James Cameron. It is also interesting because usually after an FX firm makes a mind-blowing movie they get a lot of work for the next few years which translates into record profit. Well, I think Michael Bay bought this company because of Transformers. I think or hope rather that Michael Bay bought into the company to share in the profits that Transformers will bring them.
This sign of confidence from Bay gets me really excited about the quality of the FX in the new Transformers. Here's to hoping!
Originally posted on May 16, 2006 on Myspace.
The effects in Transformers 1 & 2 are incredible. I think the first flick is enjoyable and the second is unwatchable drek.
Anyway I just got another interesting tidbit. Michael Bay the director just bought himself ownership of a Special Effects company. This is interesting because it used to belong to James Cameron. It is also interesting because usually after an FX firm makes a mind-blowing movie they get a lot of work for the next few years which translates into record profit. Well, I think Michael Bay bought this company because of Transformers. I think or hope rather that Michael Bay bought into the company to share in the profits that Transformers will bring them.
This sign of confidence from Bay gets me really excited about the quality of the FX in the new Transformers. Here's to hoping!
Originally posted on May 16, 2006 on Myspace.
The effects in Transformers 1 & 2 are incredible. I think the first flick is enjoyable and the second is unwatchable drek.
NSA Record Hundreds of Concert Goers “Chatter”!
Well not really, but in their obsession with “chatter” the dubious organization would have recorded a ton at last night’s Mono/Pelican show at the Black Cat. In what can only be the rudest crowd since the Mum show back in ‘04, it seemed a huge majority of the crowd were more interested in themselves than in Mono, this wonderful band from Japan.
Everyone was talking through Mono’s beautiful instrumental pieces which made their quiet guitar and drum orchestrations sound more like Mogwai’s “Young Team”, complete with ‘chatter’ samples, than Mono’s “Are You There?” (which is the album the Mono fans were paying to hear played). Fortunately, unlike Mum who rarely go into decibel levels louder than a delicate whisper, Mono songs often swell into long extended noisy climaxes which were so impressive and loud that the world of disrespectful, talkative, jerk-wads dropped away sporadically.
Mono’s set was a shorter version of their 2005 show in Baltimore (which made #1 on my year end list). This group keep getting better and better, as demonstrated by their new album “Are You There?” and last night’s show. At one point I was thinking that Mono have surpassed Mogwai in perfecting the post-rock tsunami-swell effect, which if is truly the case then the grasshopper has now become the master.
Oddly enough, after Mono’s set, half of the noisy jerks left! I guess they had achieved their cool-points by paying $12 to be seen not listening to Mono and decided to hit the pike.
That exodus stream-lined the crowd for Pelican nicely, who put on a stunner of a set to a crowd who were mightily into it.
Pelican’s set was book-ended by two perfect songs. The first being a barn-burner power piece that had to be heard to believe. It was clear right out of the gate that Pelican were here to blow us away. Pelican are an endurance band, their songs are punishing in a long-trek sans shoes through snowy Rockies kind-of-way. Their last song was equally powerful, but not as in-your-face as they relied on sophisticated guitar sonics, stretching their sound from power to soul-tingling beauty. It’s always nice to see a guitarist going at his strings with a cello bow, the sign of a real guitar-geek and sonic-explorer.
It would be funny if the NSA had been recording last night’s show. I can imagine two dudes in a van listening in with head-phones.
Mono begins: Agent A says to Agent B “Listen to that crowd chatter, we’re getting a gold mine of intelligence here!”.
Mono finishes in a blaze of glory: Agent B yanks off his head-phones and shouts “Jesus that’s Loud!”
Pelican begins: Agent A spits out his coffee in shock!
Pelican ends: Agent B is whimpering on the floor in a helpless pool, Agent A is deaf.
Originally published on May 12, 2006.
Rude, talking crowds are the bane of my existence.
Everyone was talking through Mono’s beautiful instrumental pieces which made their quiet guitar and drum orchestrations sound more like Mogwai’s “Young Team”, complete with ‘chatter’ samples, than Mono’s “Are You There?” (which is the album the Mono fans were paying to hear played). Fortunately, unlike Mum who rarely go into decibel levels louder than a delicate whisper, Mono songs often swell into long extended noisy climaxes which were so impressive and loud that the world of disrespectful, talkative, jerk-wads dropped away sporadically.
Mono’s set was a shorter version of their 2005 show in Baltimore (which made #1 on my year end list). This group keep getting better and better, as demonstrated by their new album “Are You There?” and last night’s show. At one point I was thinking that Mono have surpassed Mogwai in perfecting the post-rock tsunami-swell effect, which if is truly the case then the grasshopper has now become the master.
Oddly enough, after Mono’s set, half of the noisy jerks left! I guess they had achieved their cool-points by paying $12 to be seen not listening to Mono and decided to hit the pike.
That exodus stream-lined the crowd for Pelican nicely, who put on a stunner of a set to a crowd who were mightily into it.
Pelican’s set was book-ended by two perfect songs. The first being a barn-burner power piece that had to be heard to believe. It was clear right out of the gate that Pelican were here to blow us away. Pelican are an endurance band, their songs are punishing in a long-trek sans shoes through snowy Rockies kind-of-way. Their last song was equally powerful, but not as in-your-face as they relied on sophisticated guitar sonics, stretching their sound from power to soul-tingling beauty. It’s always nice to see a guitarist going at his strings with a cello bow, the sign of a real guitar-geek and sonic-explorer.
It would be funny if the NSA had been recording last night’s show. I can imagine two dudes in a van listening in with head-phones.
Mono begins: Agent A says to Agent B “Listen to that crowd chatter, we’re getting a gold mine of intelligence here!”.
Mono finishes in a blaze of glory: Agent B yanks off his head-phones and shouts “Jesus that’s Loud!”
Pelican begins: Agent A spits out his coffee in shock!
Pelican ends: Agent B is whimpering on the floor in a helpless pool, Agent A is deaf.
Originally published on May 12, 2006.
Rude, talking crowds are the bane of my existence.
Keep Them Out Of Sunlight
A quick reminder to DC post-rock fans that Mogwai are playing the 930 Club tonight. A show I’ll miss unfortunately due to an impending paper deadline. But then I saw that coming, so I made sure to catch them in Baltimore back in March.
You can go here to read my review of that show, if you’re looking for a glimpse of what you might be in for tonight. Of course when you read that review keep in mind that the sound system at the 930 Club destroys SONAR’s and that when Mogwai played the here in 2003 it was one of the best sets of all time. So while B’more was a good show, I bet tonight’s is going to be a great one.
Mogwai
@ 930 Club
$18
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
You can go here to read my review of that show, if you’re looking for a glimpse of what you might be in for tonight. Of course when you read that review keep in mind that the sound system at the 930 Club destroys SONAR’s and that when Mogwai played the here in 2003 it was one of the best sets of all time. So while B’more was a good show, I bet tonight’s is going to be a great one.
Mogwai
@ 930 Club
$18
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
Bird Attack II: The Revenge
As some of our readers may remember my car was attacked by a giant bird last April.
Well, I guess it is that bird attack time of year again, because I just stumbled on this blog entry over at Sweet & Sour where their DC author was attacked by a murder of crows while trying to enter her house!
Where will these crazed birds strike next, a phone booth? It’s beginning to feel like our very own DC version of The Birds. Where’s a local Hitchcock when you need one?
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
Too bad, the blog I mention Sweet & Sour is offline in 2010.
Well, I guess it is that bird attack time of year again, because I just stumbled on this blog entry over at Sweet & Sour where their DC author was attacked by a murder of crows while trying to enter her house!
Where will these crazed birds strike next, a phone booth? It’s beginning to feel like our very own DC version of The Birds. Where’s a local Hitchcock when you need one?
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
Too bad, the blog I mention Sweet & Sour is offline in 2010.
All The President’s Garbage-Men
Only in DC would this happen.
Local garbage-man Randy Hopkins discovered an intact, highly-detailed, 30-page security plan for George W. Bush’s visit to Florida in the trash!
The plan was found in the garbage, during trash collection, hours before Bush’s trip and contained detailed information about the President’s transportation time-tables, decoys vehicles, back-up vehicles, and protection. The report also contained the exact location of the nuclear “foot-ball” (the remote nuclear launch control box) for the entirety of the trip.
Garbage-man Hopkins, out of “fear of reprisal” from the Secret Service and the White House, reported the find immediately to Channel 9 news. Channel 9 didn’t report details of the security leak until after the President’s trip was safely completed.
Hopkins summed up the problem of finding highly sensitive intelligence in the garbage thusly:
“I saw locations and names and places where the President was going to be. I knew it was important. And it shouldn’t have been in a trash hole like this,” he said, “We’re going through a war, and if it would have fell into the wrong hands at the right time, it would have been something really messy for the President’s sake.”
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
Local garbage-man Randy Hopkins discovered an intact, highly-detailed, 30-page security plan for George W. Bush’s visit to Florida in the trash!
The plan was found in the garbage, during trash collection, hours before Bush’s trip and contained detailed information about the President’s transportation time-tables, decoys vehicles, back-up vehicles, and protection. The report also contained the exact location of the nuclear “foot-ball” (the remote nuclear launch control box) for the entirety of the trip.
Garbage-man Hopkins, out of “fear of reprisal” from the Secret Service and the White House, reported the find immediately to Channel 9 news. Channel 9 didn’t report details of the security leak until after the President’s trip was safely completed.
Hopkins summed up the problem of finding highly sensitive intelligence in the garbage thusly:
“I saw locations and names and places where the President was going to be. I knew it was important. And it shouldn’t have been in a trash hole like this,” he said, “We’re going through a war, and if it would have fell into the wrong hands at the right time, it would have been something really messy for the President’s sake.”
Originally published on May 10, 2006.
More Reviews
Just finished reading The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett. It was a pretty decent WWII espionage novel set in Cairo. A ruthless Nazi agent stealing secrets by whoring out a belly-dancer helps Rommel get within 30 miles of Cairo. An uptight British spy-catcher tries to stop him before the Desert Fox takes over all of Egypt. There was a heavy romance/sex perversion angle to this thriller which is central to the story. I would have traded that aspect in for more action, but hey what can ya do? In all though, the book was a pretty good Spy vs. Spy thriller.
Also saw Mission Impossible III yesterday. It was pretty good, but not quite as great as the reviews are making it out to be. Part I is still the best while it is safe to say Part II is now the worst. The best aspect of the new flick is that they actually use team-work to complete their missions in this one. The first and second operations are awesome and felt a lot like the old show. JJ Abrams borrowed a lot of "Alias" plot elements and gave them a big screen twist, which worked pretty well. There are some very cool parts in this flick, so I recommend it. Unfortunately the final fight is anti-climatic to the extreme and a few parts of the movie felt uneven. There was some nice music in this one tho, surprisingly giving nods back to the early series' atmospheric jams.
In other news, the Superman Returns trailer on the big screen blew me away. That movie is going to be like Spiderman I & 2. It is going to be a perfect super-hero movie.
Unfortunately the X-Men III preview looked like utter crap shown back-to-back with it. That movie is going to be a low-rent disappointment, I can feel it in every bone in my body. Which will be a damn shame and a wasted ending to a franchise that was headed in the right direction with the first two flicks.
Originally posted on May 9, 2006 on Myspace.
Hmmm...I was a little off on the Superman prediction.
Also saw Mission Impossible III yesterday. It was pretty good, but not quite as great as the reviews are making it out to be. Part I is still the best while it is safe to say Part II is now the worst. The best aspect of the new flick is that they actually use team-work to complete their missions in this one. The first and second operations are awesome and felt a lot like the old show. JJ Abrams borrowed a lot of "Alias" plot elements and gave them a big screen twist, which worked pretty well. There are some very cool parts in this flick, so I recommend it. Unfortunately the final fight is anti-climatic to the extreme and a few parts of the movie felt uneven. There was some nice music in this one tho, surprisingly giving nods back to the early series' atmospheric jams.
In other news, the Superman Returns trailer on the big screen blew me away. That movie is going to be like Spiderman I & 2. It is going to be a perfect super-hero movie.
Unfortunately the X-Men III preview looked like utter crap shown back-to-back with it. That movie is going to be a low-rent disappointment, I can feel it in every bone in my body. Which will be a damn shame and a wasted ending to a franchise that was headed in the right direction with the first two flicks.
Originally posted on May 9, 2006 on Myspace.
Hmmm...I was a little off on the Superman prediction.
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