all photos: Chris Chen (furcafe.com)
Before this show, Taylor and I met up for a drink and we discussed (among other things) how “calling a band adorable may not be the best thing to do”. Well, while the line-up of Saturday’s sold out Black Cat show was definitely (beyond) adorable, I highly doubt it did them any harm. Au contraire.
Every once in a while, a show happens and there is BIG GIANT FAT LINE outside the Cat.
(this btw, being the second freezing cold line I experienced before a local show this weekend. Must be something in the cold air that makes people want to run out and see their friends and neighbors play)
First up, PASH.
The first band of the night usually gets the shitty deal at the Cat. Everyone is just arriving, the main stage is kinda empty and people tend to prefer to get their drink on in the red room before catching the headliners.
Not with Pash.
A solidly half-full room at 9.30 (always impressive), everyone close to the stage (always extremely impressive), everyone loving it (beyond impressive).
Merideth Munoz is a both innocent and super sassy front lady and the songs from their “Brand New Gun” record suit her “rrriot girl goes on a twee adventure” vocals perfectly.
A terrific warm up, that ended with members of Tereu Tereu on stage with them (inner-band collaborating makes me always warm and fuzzy inside) with trumpets, crisp guitar licks, and boy-girl vocals in perfect sparring form.
next up….
BELLMAN BARKER. I have never hidden my Bellman Barker love, and therefore, if you don’t want to deal with more of it, well, just go on and look at photos.
People compare Bellman Barker to Belle and Sebastian.
And Shins.
And whatever else they find in the general “pop rock” music category.
More so than anything, Bellman Barker knows their shit. Just listen to “Molly Maroon” or “Charles Kill” and you’ll see what I mean.
And it translates perfectly live.
This was their first show ever on main stage, and you never would have known.
They are probably one of the tightest, most musically even band you’ll see out there.
Every clap goes with every drum beat, every chord hits the perfect spot, and now with more layered vocals and even some clarinet action, sky is the limit.
Plus, you know, Aaron and his mustache are at this point almost emblem worthy.
and then, just as the “the show is sold out” buzz started occuring during the second Bellman set half, it was time for
JUKEBOX THE GHOST.
Now, close your eyes….
tight.
And imagine: you just graduated college, you whipped out your debut CD, you get to release this CD at the Black Cat (mainstage too!) and then….you first ever main stage headlining show SELLS OUT.
Big time.
How happy would you be?
Yep, pretty happy.
And Jukebox the Ghost was too.
If you’ve never seen them live before, you should.
If you have, then you are aware of the effect they seem to have on people: everyone breaks out in big grins, grown (normally quite sarcastic) men write
endearingly gushing reviews, heads bobbing and fingers snapping along the way.
You can try to fight it, but you can’t.
They had a full on back-up chorus of girls (and some boys) front and center who knew every word, ever beat, and sang and danced with them.
Which, lets face it, is more than most decidedly “bigger” bands can say when they play DC. Apparently Jukebox up and left and
A great night.
Oh, and…Bonus points to me for not mentioning Ben Folds once to boot.
I did get a message from a friend mid-set “EVERYONE IS 12!!!”
but to quote Peter: “I guess there are worse things kids could be doing, like panicking! at the disco or something”
I have resigned myself to feeling old 90% of time these days.
January 29, 2008 at 10:27 amthe fact that youre at a show with 12 year olds should tell you something.
January 29, 2008 at 11:13 ammy mom is 68 and she dances at shows. age is in the mind.
ANOTHER huge pop show in dc, this one may have been the biggest yet.
January 29, 2008 at 11:23 amI prefer to be thought of as sappy, which I guess is why I liked these dudes.
January 29, 2008 at 11:44 amOh and adam, it usually tells me that I’m still listening to pretty decent music. Also that I should go warm up my van.
January 29, 2008 at 11:45 amlistening to pretty good music eh? then you should hit up the next new found glory show as well..its pretty edgy stuff.
January 29, 2008 at 11:53 amjukebox the ghost are extremely accomplished musicians. that’s why they’re good. it’s not cause they’re cute or whatever, it’s cause the one kid can play piano and sing REALLY well, the other kid can play guitar and sing really well, and the drummer lays down a beat. they don’t write 3 minute pop songs, they write 10 minute epics ala They Might Be Giants Apollo 18.
talk shit all you want, but this band is no new found glory and i seriously doubt there are three other people in dc who can play their instruments as well as they can.
i mean shit Adam, just start a fucking band already!
January 29, 2008 at 12:02 pmonly if you’ll be in marty
January 29, 2008 at 12:17 pmPeople spend lots of time running on the hipster hamster wheel. What’s the new sound, trend, etc? Are we doing 1,000 people in a band now or one guy with a guitar or 1,000 people on an album but then you show up for the show and its one guy with a guitar? Who sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before??
As my favorite boy says, stick a Pitchfork in it. The heart wants what it wants. Or in this case, the kids want what they want.
That show was truly amazing and the most joyful thing I’ve seen in jaded ages.
During Pash, I pushed my way up to the front like a twelve year old…I’d never seen them before and I wanted the front row view. They were great.
I got seperated from Svetlana and had to text her during the second set: “30 seconds in and Bellman Barker are wonderful!” Nothing like a band that grabs you before the first chorus.
And then there’s Jukebox. I don’t want to call them adorable, though they are. I don’t want to say that when Ben sings its like sunbeams hitting your heart (because that just sounds so stupid), but that’s how I feel.
If its not your thing, okay, I understand. But there’s at least 800 kids in the city who have the Jukebox handclap down to a science. Seemed like they were living for that moment on Saturday night.
January 29, 2008 at 12:23 pmha! love it, what should our name be?
i’m partial to Mr. Sistr. Fistr.
or we can use Kevin Baily’s emo band name: I guess we had a different definetion of forever. but then we’d have to be emo. whcih you may not be into.
i also like “throw rug”.
January 29, 2008 at 12:27 pmsounds like a plan. im a drummer so I guess we’re going to be a singer/drummer duo…sounds interesting already. we could also call the band “gay 80s dude” in respect to us starting our band via this website.
January 29, 2008 at 12:43 pmI loved the old and young people… it feels like a family time! I was sitting back at the merch tables and most of the CDs Jukebox sold were to 40+ women… i bet they’re not complaining!
January 29, 2008 at 3:09 pm12 year olds and 40 year old women…this sounds like quite an evening out on the town!
January 29, 2008 at 3:12 pmi don’t care how old anyone is if they keep their mouths shut, unless they’re singing along. but these youngsters are too cool for that, unless they’re grinding in which case i hate seeing that at rock shows. guys, when i saw bright eyes in november there were kids grinding, to folk music! that’s blasphemy! anywho i’m cool with the moms and pops, i just wish their kids were as cool as they are.
and marty. apollo 18 – right on.
January 29, 2008 at 4:05 pmwhat i meant was that they’re too cool for singing and dancing and just talktalktalk the whole time. in between songs? permissible. in between sets? fine, but during the songs when i’m standing next to a group of fifteen year old boys who won’t shut up? not fine.
January 29, 2008 at 4:08 pm‘flood’ was way better than ‘apollo 18′
“they write 10 minute epics ala They Might Be Giants Apollo 18.” was that facetiousness because there isn’t a song longer than 3 minutes or so on apollo 18? i missed the joke, i think.
January 29, 2008 at 4:17 pmDespite any annoying kids, this show was super fun. Great shots.
January 29, 2008 at 10:35 pm
did anyone find the large group of obnoxious high school sophomores and the like, well obnoxious? with parents? anyone else see them?
i mean the music was excellent, but man i wanted to punch some kids in the face. i didn’t, but i wanted to.
January 29, 2008 at 10:18 am