Here is No Why

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Electric Six Kicks Ass

October 7, 2007 1:47 AM

h, Mr. Vice, and I went to the High Noon Saloon tonight to see Electric Six, the Gore Gore Girls, and We Are the Fury. I had never heard any of these bands tonight, but I was blown away by how awesome the show was. In fact, I'd have to say that this was the best show I've seen in a while. In terms of musicianship and performance quality, it probably wasn't as good as Built to Spill. But, in terms of sheer fun, this was definitely the best show I've seen at least since college. And in terms of mosh pitting, this is the hardest-core show I've seen since the White Stripes, where I thought I was going to die.

We Are the Fury

This band started out really strong. They have this indie-but-still-heavy sound. They sound sort of like a mix between Jet, the Hives, and Led Zeppelin, if that makes any sense. There's a very remote country influence, but the band is very much in the vein of the sort of garage-band-sounding bands that were big a few years ago, but with more of an edge.

The lead singer was extremely effeminiate--like Mick Jagger, but less manly. He was very skinny and he did a lot of strutting and he put his hand on his hip way too many times. He also wore a woman's double-breasted jacket. It was strange. Still, he knew how to get the audience fired up, and his vocals were pretty strong.

Ultimately, the band started much stronger than they finished, but they alone were probably worth the price of admission.

The Gore Gore Girls

These guys are an all-girl heavy-metal rockabily band from Detroit. They all used hollow-body Gretsch guitars, and they sound pretty much how you'd expect. They sounded pretty retro, and their lyrics completely reflected that--they even sang a song called "Sweet Potato." It was very strange, and I wasn't a huge fan. Retro bands piss me off. Also, with their matching super-short latex outfits, matching guitars, retro girl-group lyrics, and general "girl-power" attitude, they came off as sort of gimmicky in my opinion.

Still, they played their instruments very well and even--gasp--took guitar solos! I completely give them props for that. Also, all of them except the drummer were pretty cute, especially the nonsinging guitarist, The Hammer. Not only did she look awesome, but she knew what she was doing with six string--she played a good number of not-entirely-unimpressive solos. And she completely won my heart when she whipped out a harmonica on one of the songs.

Overall, these guys weren't my favorites, but they were decent. And they also gave me the chance to say, in coversation with some undergrad girls at the show, "Yeah, I'm down with feminism and vaginas and stuff." They laughed, it was awesome.

Electric Six

I knew nothing about this band going into the show. But, goddamn, they're awesome. I read some reviews and stuff, and was surprised to see that the band is described as a mix of punk and disco. That's a very apt description, I think, and the end result is much more awesome than you'd expect. The songs were tight, catchy, energetic, and--according to pH and Mr. vice, who have actually heard the lyrics--funny. The front man was the perfect blend of cocky and dorky; he was an excellent showman and he really knew how to get people involved. Although his stage banter was occasionally too political, it was generally good natured.

From the minute the band came on stage, I was totally into them. They were self-confident without being arrogant and well rehearsed without sounding mechanical. In short, they were an amazing live band. I think the fact that I was so into them even though I had never heard them before speaks volumes. I'd go see them again in a heartbeat and I'd strongly recommend that you check them out if they're going to be anywhere near you anytime soon. You can see their tour schedule at their webpage, which I linked to above.

All in all, it was a great evening, even though I can barely hear right now. Really, there was no better way to end the night than getting shot down by some undergrad, which is exactly what I did. So, basically, I had a perfect night.

2 Comments

Vice said:

All in all, I'd say you made an inspiring effort with that girl. But I think I've spotted the flaw in your approach. Earlier you had told that group of girls that you were down with vaginas, but I think you could have made it clearer that you were down with that girl's vagina in particular. I'm pretty sure that's where you went wrong.

October 8, 2007 4:48 PM

Ismael Tapia II said:

I really can't believe I did that. I has been sort of thinking about it all night, and then I just decided to "pull the trigger," as L-Dawg would say. You're definitely right, though, I should have made my interest in her specific vagina more clear. Perhaps I should get a t-shirt printed with the phrase "I'm down with your vagina." Maybe that could be the second official Here is No Why t-shirt. Awesome.

October 9, 2007 1:53 AM