September 26, 2002 - Theodore's - Springfield, MA
BRIAN: Tony, last night One Lady was even FASTER! At this rate, the double time part will soon resemble a Circle Jerks song. What else about last night? I had over all mixed feelings. Service was subpar, the crowd was not a comfortable fit. The soundman was excellent as always. The Fawns were excellent, very fun to watch. Made me imagine the goodeness that will be their debut recording. Rob made an adjustment to my drums that was pretty cool. I am so lazy and timid that I adjust to the whims of inanimate objects, instead of realizing that I'm the one with a brain. What is wrong with me? After dropping off Max and Ken, I had a good feeling about the personality chemistry of this band. I think that we're all (willingly) latecomers in the whole "growing up" thing. Yes, there are among us, fathers, husbands, soon to be husbands, soon to be homeowners, folks with 401K, etc etc. I say latecomers in the way that, at Theodores there were folks our age who probably look closer to 40, and are living less colorful lives and probably expect less out of life than we freaks do (and I'm not talking exclusively of this band in that last statement, but now I will return to speaking exclusively of this band). But, like, it's cool talking with Max and Ken about houses, cars, etc. It's like we're all creeping into the responsible adult world, but on our own terms? Does that make sense? It's a nice compromise. Wanting to continue being an artist for life, but not wanting to sacrifice a comfortable life. I don't know. Ken made some sort of comment about sending messages to the universe--I liked that, it was like something my mom would say, but I don't know what kind of belief he was reflecting. I was talking about how suddenly I'm finding cars and houses attractive, and noticing everything about them. Whereas 2, 3 years ago,"Buick, BMW, what's the difference?" And every week in the Gazette free suppliment, I now price the houses and see which one I'd buy if I could. Am I remotely making enough money, or confident enough in the future to realistically think about these things? No. But, Ken said, I'm sending a message to the universe that that's what I want. I know what I want but I don' tknow how to get it, I don't wanna destroy passers by, I don't wanna be Anarchy. Or maybe I do. I'm experiencing a rennaisance with the recent Sam Phillips CD, Fan Dance, Though I got it 9 months ago, I'm listiening to it and the new Beck on shuffle. The new Beck: wow, man. It's deep, it's dark, it's thick, it's blurry, you don't wanna dance to it. It's got several point of beauty. Reference points: the mood of the Stones 'Moonlight Mile' meets the darkest, prettiest Nick Drake. Spooky strings. At only one point can you fell like the band or Beck is cracking a smile. It doesn't demand your attention. It's the hangover after the mindless lost weekend that was "Midnight Vultures". Sipping a bloody mary, packing a bowl and feeling extreme remorse for everything you've done up to that point, but at least you can see it all in a poetic light. I think the music world needed a new Beck product. Back to last night; it was great playing "Walking backwards (take a breath (like to be there)). It felt like a huge hit KEN: short comments: the fawns opened up and were great great great. the club's big room/stage/muddy-echo sound could not muck up lesa's voice, or henning's tasteful but attention-grabbing electric guitar licks...the band definitely had the (very crowded) room paying attention, and the applause for them was loud and genuine. i got to get up and play lead on a cover of the cure's "boys don't cry," which started off stumbly but righted itself before lesa came in with the words. whew!! the springfield blues venue crowd was not as enthusiastic about school for the dead...people moved towards the back of the room as the set went on, but there were a couple tables on the side and back that were paying attention (no people, just the tables). we played well, but i missed tony's presence/parts, although max and i tried to fill in as best we could, especially with the harmonies. during the evening, a man in the crowd yelled out "play some weezer." yes, we debuted "the new one," as announced by henning (i forget who suggested it...max, i think) and it was a hit...later on in the evening someone yelled out "play the new one again." (hey, i had another arrangement idea, which incorporates a bit from "black dog" and "just what i needed" sort of...i'll have to explain at practice...) i couldn't help but sneak in a tease of the bruce hornsby song...a couple guys in the crowd yelled out "PLAY IT!!" but instead we launched into "one lady dancing," which has become a highlight for me, thanks to our newfound energy! a little faster, more XTCish. whenever we go into that "latin" part, i have to smile (it's brian's major fill/roll, i think). uh, that's all i have to say. good show. although i'm not sure i'm really into the "yee" thing. i don't know. for all you junk food junkies out there, theodore's french fries were the same coated crisscross fries that the pub in amherst used to have. also, they had a popcorn machine. i couldn't tell if it was self-serve or not, so i didn't eat any. MAX: I enjoyed playing with both the Fawns and SFTD last night. The Fawns sounded a little odd to me, but I thought we played well and Lisa seemed very confident, decked out in her brand spankin' new Mates Of State shirt. Before we went on I had a bowl of corn chowder and the blue punch (I forget what they called it), and both were great. It was my first time at Theodore's and I would definitely return for the food. I thought SFTD's set was excellent. I missed Tony, but was struck by how well this band can adapt to whoever is on stage. Ken did a fine job of covering the vocal harmonies. Henning seemed relaxed and was enjoying the amount of space he had to move around in on stage. Brian was dead-on, as usual. I liked the new drum feel of Screen Door, and the ending of Omnivore is fast becoming one of my favorite parts of the show. Other highlights included Ken's homage to Bruce Hornsby, Lacey and her friends getting so excited when we acknowledged her birthday, and One Lady Dancing. Nice to see Dennis and Lauren in the crowd, and Lauren made me a great picture illustrating School For The Dead. I'll try and scan it. I thought the 'yees' were a little much too. But then again, I don't think most of the crowd was really paying attention. TONY: HENNING:	pick a gripe uncomfortable soup of the moment the new you v-66 she's getting anxious sitcom theme rock and roll camper everybody loves martha 1,000 times like to be there walking backwards (take a breath) one lady dancing candy cane *the way it is (introduction) wichita train whistle the screen door *happy birthday (to audience member lacey) omnivore