Where Your Shadow Goes When You're Asleep and Each Heart Beats In Symmetry

AUDRYE SESSIONS. DAVE SMALLEN. POOR BAILEY.
Bottom of the Hill. 3/13/10.

also

AUDRYE SESSIONS. WORKER BEE. ACID TAPESTRIES.
The Crepe Place. 3/12/10


Yeah, I saw Audrye Sessions two nights in a row. Which pretty much equals bliss for me. Seriously, watching my favorite live band two nights in a row, without even needing to make a long drive out of it (obviously the Crepe Place is close, and I was going to San Francisco on Saturday anyway) equates to a great weekend, no matter what. I bought the ticket to Bottom of the Hill way before they announced the Crepe Place show - and what a bill, with Dave Smallen and Poor Bailey too. I mean, that is some solid Bay Area talent right there. So yeah, I was looking forward to that one for a while.

I'm gonna say this: sonically, the Bottom of the Hill show kicked the Crepe Place's ass. Experientially, the Crepe Place beat SF.

We got to the Crepe Place in the middle of the first band's set. I guess that was Acid Tapestries. The lead singer's voice was kind of annoying so Danielle and I basically ignored the music and observed the weird black and white Godzilla rip off movie that was playing above the bar. The members of Audrye Sessions were already there, chilling on the other end of the bar, so I went over to say hi and tell them how happy I was that they were playing in Santa Cruz. Ryan, the lead singer, was so friendly and sincere. I think the thing about most of their shows in the Bay is that they're sort of surrounded by their friends and it's hard to get a chance to say more than, "awesome show!" This show gave me the opportunity to really talk to them.
The second band, Worker Bee, was better than the first, but I honestly don't remember much about them. I think they're local, so that's cool.
When they finished their set, we sidled up to the front and stood right in front of the microphone. The Crepe Place is so weird because there's no stage, so if you're in the front row you're really right up in the musicians' grills. But I was actually pretty stoked about that this time.
They started with a bunch of new stuff, Ryan on the keyboard. The other thing is that they're back to their old drummer Alex, who was their drummer back when I first saw them years ago. Oh the mystery - what happened to James?
Ryan took up the guitar and they played some more new ones, including "Hands Full," which just hits me so hard. I love it.
They were sort of disorganized and arguing over what to play. I really liked that atmosphere. It was so relaxed. At one point you could see them discussing which songs to play and Alicia was looking unhappy. Ryan's like, "Alicia's pissed at me. She's always pissed at me." Finally they decided on "Where You'll Find Me," and Ryan's all, "does anyone know what this song's about?" and I was like, "Well, there are a bunch of Beatles references." He asked if I knew what references, so I said, "'The Fool on the Hill' and the Walrus," and he goes, "and 'the girl's eyes will blow your mind,' and I was like, "yeah. 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.'" He said he was impressed, and Mike goes, "Sounds like someone's been reading Wikipedia". They played it but his mic got turned down or something so it was sort of hard to hear. Then they did "Turn Me Off," which they said they hadn't rehearsed, but it sounded good. And we badgered them to play more, so they did this slow one with Mike on piano and Ryan singing, no drums or bass at all. Alicia was like, "don't play that! It's boring!" Ryan said, "Alicia doesn't want us to play this one, but her boyfriend wrote the lyrics, so you'd think she'd be like, 'Yeah! This song's awesome!'" The boyfriend to whom he was referring was Scott of Poor Bailey, who is a pretty amazing lyricist. It's funny to know that he wrote the lyrics, because I can't imagine him singing the song the same way.
Anyway they finished their set (it went so fast!) and I ran to the restroom. Mike was standing in line for the men's room when I came out so I just told him what a great show it was and he was very gracious. Kristain told him I hadn't found the lyrics on wikipedia, and he was like, "Yeah, I know. That stuff's not even on Wikipedia." Ryan came over and was really sweet and inclusive. I told them how long I've loved their music. I was probably gushing. Eh, well. What are you gonna do?
Kristain decided she wanted another beer so we sat at the bar for a little while. Ryan came over to us and was hanging out with us while the rest of the band loaded up in the van to leave, I guess, because they started honking. Ryan's like, "What do you think that means?" and I said, "I bet it means, 'Ryan get your ass in the van before we leave without you,'" and he seemed to think I was right because he dashed off.
I looooved getting the chance to talk to the band, and hear so much new stuff, and it just felt like everything aligned perfectly. Seriously, the Crepe Place is quickly becoming my new favorite venue.




Audrye Sessions
The Crepe Place


BOTTOM OF THE HILL.

I got to the venue right at the end of Poor Bailey's set. I was disappointed to miss them, but oh well. Ryan and Mike were both playing as a part of his band, it seemed.
Then Dave started setting up. He played a pretty familiar set, and it was really enjoyable because the crowd was so into it and a bunch of people were singing along and everyone "sha la la" -ed to "I Think It's Getting Better." Dave was in top form, saying how he was sharing the stage with a bunch of his best friends, and that he felt like he knew everyone in the audience. The backup band was the same as the one from his album release back in November, I think. They called themselves "The Serious Commitments." Cute.
Audrye Sessions followed with a set that was almost exact to the one from the Crepe Place, with the added quality of a real venue's sound equipment, a cellist, trombone player, trumpet player, and Scott from Poor Bailey noodling on various instruments. They sounded amazing and I just can't get over the fact that they are always developing into something better than they were. They were really good three years ago. They're maturing into a more interesting sound, though. It seems like there's more collaboration going on.
I basically can't wait until they release something new.
The crowd was totally electric and it was clear that I'm not the only one who gets how wonderful they are. We all clapped along to "Turn Me Off" and demanded an encore (the same slow song that Mike and Ryan played last at the Crepe Place). Before the encore they finished with a song called "Bad Day" ("about a bad day," Ryan said), and the crazy thing about that song is that it starts out really quiet and slow and sad and then swells into this expansive, melodic force. It's something to witness, trust me.
After the show I went over to say hi to Dave, and after awhile I found Ryan and got to chat with him for a minute. I so admire them for doing what they love, and for doing it well, and for knowing who they are. It shows in their music and in their live shows. I hope it never diminishes. I don't see how it could.



Dave Smallen and the Serious Commitments
Bottom of the Hill





Audrye Sessions
Bottom of the Hill

We Cooked the Tilapia, Mama, Just Like You Showed Us!

Like WHOA.
Having pledged to save my money and limit the amount of shows I attend to perhaps one a month until it seems like I should start going to more, I didn't expect to have very much to add to this little blog for January.
Wrong.

SCISSORS FOR LEFTY, I THE MIGHTY

So first, there was Scissors for Lefty. Bryan very casually announced (via facebook) that, after a very long drought, show-wise, they would be playing at Bottom of the Hill the first week in January. My immediate thought was, "Oh man tell everyone to request Friday night off because we are GOING." But then I discussed the show with said everyone and we came to the (practical, boring) decision to skip this one and be responsible with our lives. I was totally at peace with this (practical, boring) decision when I went and checked my email. I'm on the Scissors for Lefty mailing list, you see, and they had sent out an email saying that the first five people to reply back would get on the guest list for the show. So of course I emailed them, saying "por favor" and all that jazz.
That night Brittany, Danielle and I went to trivia night, and then Saturn Cafe, and while at Saturn I checked my email, which said something along the lines of "sorry Jessica, you didn't make the cut.... BUT we really love you and want you to come so if you do tell the people at the merch table that Bryan has set a new t-shirt aside for you." Okay, they might not have said that they really love me. But it was implied. Anyway, I read the email out loud and Danielle was like, "we HAVE to go," and Brittany was like, "we can go after my shift," and I was like, "you will have to close fast," and it was decided that we would go.
So we left once Britt finished her shift, which was pretty quick for a Friday night, but I think we got on the road around 9 or so. And we got to Bottom of the Hill right at 10:30, which is when Scissors had said they would be going on. But as we got to the door I could hear a very distinctive voice coming through the walls, and was disheartened to see that they were already playing. So we ran up to the front and had to stand on the side of the stage, sort of in front of the bathroom and right along the walkway that everyone was using to get to the bar and back. It sort of felt like the B line Metro in Rome. Which is not a good thing.
BUT it was Scissors for Lefty and things were exciting and we started moving right away. It was an all ages show and it just seemed like there were a lot of high school kids who were either too self conscious or too sober (or both) to let themselves dance like you should for this band. I expressed my concern about the stillness of the crowd and the guy next to me was like, "they should have a thing where the floor opens up and all the people who aren't dancing fall into a pit and can't come out until the end" which was sort of a weird concept but also probably a good idea considering everything.
Anyway we sort of scooted into the front towards the last couple of songs. Bryan was a lot less engaging than usual, which probably had to do with the lameness of the crowd. But he only stepped out onto the speaker once, and he waited until the last song (which was a perfect "Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home") to come out into the crowd. I had tried to plot with the girls to stand on the left side of the floor, because it always seems like that's where he tends to wander, but it was too late for us to make our way over there. It was where Bryan headed, but we weren't there, so we missed out on most of the magic. It felt like such a short set (probably our fault for getting there late, but still) and they just didn't seem as energetic as usual, so it was sort of a let down. Plus, they were actually opening for the next band, who were called I the Mighty, because it was supposed to be I the Mighty's CD release party. BUT, when the I the Mighty dudes got up there, they explained during one of their many technical-difficulties-induced music lapses that they actually didn't have the CD ready and didn't really think they should've followed Scissors. These guys were really young and just didn't seem to have it quite together. The equipment kept failing and they didn't know how to engage the crowd in a way that would keep the whole thing moving. I think it takes awhile for bands to learn how to preserve the crowd's momentum in moments of crisis, but it's really such an important skill (see entry: COLD WAR KIDS).
I the Mighty wasn't really my kind of music, and the crowd by this point was almost completely high school kids. We embraced it though. Sometimes you just gotta rock out with it. Maybe someday they'll grow into their sound, but for now it's all a little bit awkward and predictable.
Then I went to the merch table to get my free shirt and it was SUCH a hassle. C'mon guys, get it together. The girls at the table thought I was lying, or something, and they made me wait until James the drummer came over, even though I had the email to prove that I was supposed to get a shirt. It was kind of annoying. But James was super nice about it. He is SO tall! I'm sure he gets tired of hearing about it, but seriously. He's like 7'2" or something. Part Dutch, obviously.
Anyway, the show was a little lackluster and I think our original impulse to stay home might have been a wise one. I'm hoping they were just getting their sea legs back and that their next shows will have the old spark. And I hope they come back to The Crepe Place!




Scissors for Lefty




I the Mighty and friends

WEST INDIAN GIRL, MOON CADILLAC

Honestly I don't have very much to say about this one. It was a spur of the moment, trivia-night-is-annoying-tonight-what-else-can-we-do kind of decision to go, and it was fun and I'm glad we went. Moon Cadillac had good energy and did a good job of playing the kind of music they play. Sort of a rock-blues something. I don't know. I'm really bad at classifying music genres and we only saw about three or four of their songs so it didn't really stick. But there was potential for sure.
West Indian Girl had three and a half vocalists, and two and a half of those were women, so I was waiting to hear with some trepidation. I know it's awful to be so anti-female-vocalist, but I'm always so picky about them. I think women just have a smaller range of ways to make their voices sound good, whereas men can do all sorts of funky things with their voices to make it work. It's not fair but it's how I feel.
There was some reason for me to be worried, because ehm, these girls were not the prettiest of voiced. Most of the time the sound of their voices worked for the music, even when it really didn't sound pretty, but there were definitely a few instances of screechiness.
The music itself was pretty fun, though. Very 1970's San Francisco. I read later that apparently West Indian Girl is a famous type of LSD, which is really fitting for them. It was all a little psychedelic.
I'm glad I saw them but I'm also glad that it was a cheap, $10 show at The Crepe Place. It was a fun way to spend an evening but nothing really exciting, so that was perfect.

I gotta update on Cold War Kids, but that show is something that I think should get its own post. So that's it for now!