Live DC: Junior League / Olivia and The Housemates / Vandaveer @ The Cat

December 17, 2007 by Patrick  Send to a Friend

all photos: Chris Chen (http://www.furcafe.com/)

There I was, sprawled out on the couch in my living room reflecting on what had been an incredibly difficult and draining week. In front of me was a half eaten piece of DiGiorno pizza, a tall glass of lemonade and the remnants of one of those pre-made salads you can get at Safeway. On the television, there was a documentary about the infamous Jonestown Massacre. Morbid as it sounds, watching the story of one of the largest mass suicides in recent history was making me feel better about my life. But during a commercial break, I looked at my watch and realized that I had get dressed and go to Black Cat if I wanted to make effective use of my Friday night. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. And they were just getting to the part with the purple Kool-Aid…
(20 minutes later)

Vandaveer

I bumbled into Black Cat at the very beginning of Vandaveer’s set. The room was still pretty empty, and I secretly wanted it to remain that way. I dunno, it made things more intimate. And after spending much of the week listening to PIL’s Metal Box and the first British Sea Power album, my ears needed a break. Moreover, everything sounded beautiful: The quiet whine of Mark Heldinger’s fingers scraping up and down the fretboard of his guitar; the occasional buzz of a cellphone; someone sipping on the cocktail or pint of beer. It was all pretty moving.

Olivia and the Housemates

On Thursday morning of last week, I read an interview in the Express with Olivia Mancini. But to be honest, I paid more attention to the photo of her jumping around in the snow while holding a Rickenbacker 330. What can I say, I’m a very big fan of anyone who plays that guitar. Very lame, I know…Regardless, I was impressed with how well the soundman was able to make the three guitars, bass, drums and trumpet not sound like mush. My only complaint was that Olivia did not head-bang as much as she does when performing with Washington Social Club.

Junior League

By the time these guys hit the stage, the room was pretty full, and I could totally feel the “Holy fuck, it’s the weekend and I’d better enjoy myself because Monday’s around the corner” vibe. No, people were really looking to let loose. About three or four songs into the band’s set, a few girls up front started dancing do-si-do and letting off the wild cowboy cheers. I couldn’t help but notice a grin on each bandmember’s face as they looked into the crowd. The highlight of the evening? Eli inviting his dad onstage to play harmonica on a rousing cover of Robert Johnson’s“Crossroads.”

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