Sex and Death USA, The Vultures, The Danglers at Cafe 9

Sex and Death USA, The Vultures, The Danglers at Cafe 9 - 12/8/06

Sex and Death USA were much tighter this time than previously. The singer even looked at the audience a couple of times. I'll even say I enjoyed their performance. The thing about the singer is that he doesn't stand still long enough for me to get a decent picture of him. Usually what I like to do is use a longer exposure instead of a flash. In order for that to work, I have to hold my camera as still as possible and hope the subject doesn't move. Well, the SAD USA singer doesn't stop moving but he moves predictably. So, I tried to follow him with the camera. They're not great pictures, but they're kind of interesting.




The Vultures were on top of their game, as always. One of the few consistently exceptional bands around.



It was a pretty average show for the Danglers. Not too wild, but not too sloppy. Dwight played a ukelele and stripped down to his red long johns. The show was a birthday party for two people and the band dedicated a song I'd never heard before to the birthday folks. I really liked that song.





and, yet more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldangelmidnight/sets/72157594428399564/

etc.
http://www.myspace.com/sexanddeathusa
http://www.myspace.com/thevultures
http://danglersnewhaven.wordpress.com/

The Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Queen Killing Kings at Bar

The Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Queen Killing Kings at Bar - 12/3/06

The Tyler Trudeau Attempt sounded massive through those giant dance-club speakers. I've never heard them that powerful before. It was a million miles from when I saw Brian first perform some of those songs solo at an SCSU Folio event. I'm looking forward to the new album that should be out soon.




The Queen Killing Kings certainly have potential to be very popular. Their songs are catchy and emotive. Two members: drummer and keyboardist/singer. The latter moves around a lot while he's playing and that goes a long way to keep the audience interested. But that's a hell of a piano to have to lug around to gigs.





and more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldangelmidnight/sets/72157594428363892/

etc.
http://www.myspace.com/thetylertrudeauattempt
http://www.myspace.com/thequeenkillingkings

SubVerso, Three Summers Stronger, Delphic Circuit and Mercy Choir at The Space

SubVerso, Three Summers Stronger, Delphic Circuit and Mercy Choir at The Space - 11-29-06

These days, I always feel creepy going into The Space. I'm always the old man there. Well, except for the bands' parents. This creepiness was not alleviated when I started talking to a girl working in the thrift shop upstairs about how the church hooked her up to volunteer at The Space and she'd be going to India in a couple of weeks to convert the heathens. And I gave ten bucks to these freaks to get in that night.



SubVerso reminded me of a young Tyler Trudeau Attmept. The kids seemed nervous, but I was impressed when the guitar player started going crazy with the fingerpicks. I'll definately check them out when they're old enough to play somewhere reasonable.



I've never heard My Chemical Romance, but I'd imagine that's what Three Summers Stronger sounds like. I guess it wasn't for me. The high school girls seemed to like it.



I was ripe to burst when Delphic Circuit came on and the hippie-looking guitar player didn't help. Surprisingly, they were actually tolerable. Sort of that post-punk/prog thing. They're certainly big fans of Mars Volta. Not that I'd seek them out. I just didn't need to kill anyone during their set.



The Mercy Choir was Paul, Chris + drum machine tonight. I think the experiment was mostly successful. The jungle beats on Watch Out for the Angry Crow cast the song in a new light and was probably my favorite. The drum sounds used for Demons and Carpenters were pretty cheesy until the weird effect manipulations kicked in. The most unfortunate part was that to fool around with the drum sounds, Paul would have to walk over to the side of the stage and fiddle with the knobs, rather than using some kind of foot-controlled setup. Still, though, a worthwhile experiment that points to good things.

more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldangelmidnight/sets/72157594428345342/


etc.
http://www.myspace.com/thesubverso
http://www.myspace.com/threesummersstronger
http://www.myspace.com/delphiccircuit
http://www.myspace.com/mercychoir



Here's an experiment. I bootlegged the Mercy Choir set. Here's a song. This link won't last forever.

Watch Out for the Angry Crow:

Lys Guillorn, Baby G and Kalte Sterne at Rudy's

Lys Guillorn, Baby G and Kalte Sterne at Rudy's - 11/18/06

I was really looking forward to this show. I was expecting a nice, diverse mix and that's what I got. All female-led, to boot.



I hadn't seen Lys Guillorn do a full set with her band before. I knew she was a good songwriter, but what came through this show was how good of a performer she is. Many of the songs rocked much more than anticipated. My favorites were the slow songs, though.



Baby G, this night, consisted of Leila, Kriss and Caroline. The performance was equal to the first time I saw them. Leila's voice continues to amaze. Leila was accompanied and eventually ceded the stage to the man who inspired her to play guitar. He can often be found busking around the city (and I'm ashamed to admit that I can't remember his name right now.)



Kalte Sterne ditched the fox masks this time out, instead donning funeral garb. The sound was good and their set seems to be solidifying. They're not, by any stretch, an exciting band. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. They're nice to look at, anyway.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldangelmidnight/sets/72157594384528353/


etc.
http://www.myspace.com/lysguillorn
http://www.myspace.com/misraca
http://www.myspace.com/kaltesterne


And some videos: