Velvet Lounge opened its doors this past Wednesday for a mid-week special, courtesy of the fine folks over at All Our Noise. This hump-day lineup included DC-based Typefighter and Child Ballads, and Chicago visitors Miss Shavaughn & Yuma Wray. The evening started with Typefighter taking the stage promptly at nine o’clock (after all, it was a school night for us white collar 9-to-5ers). These guys were great; despite the occasional blast of arctic air making its way up the stairs and onto the stage via some dumb-dumb forgetting to close the door behind them, this band’s blissful lyrics made me feel exceptionally warm and fuzzy inside. Perhaps it was the mention of nimbus clouds or maybe it was the little hotties in my pockets. Whatever the case, this group deserves your attention – make sure to catch their upcoming gigs in the area.
Following a short intermission, the Chi-town couple made their way on the stage for a folk-filled set. Miss Shavaughn and her husband (and partner in crime), Yuma Wray twanged through their performance which included a Tom Petty’s “Yer So Bad” (no “Free Falling” – sorry kids). Keeping things lighthearted, they joked around throughout the set. This duo was a real powerhouse – Miss Shavaughn rocked on the gee-tar and hit the high notes in near-perfect fashion while Yuma Wray strummed along and kept a steady beat on a little bass drum.
It was now approaching 10:30 and the crowd, or maybe just me, was growing restless – we wanted some god damn Child Ballads! Due to several equipment-related difficulties, Stew and the gang pulled a Kanye and kept us waiting for another 45 minutes or so. The time didn’t go by as slowly as you may think – Mr. Lupton’s onstage antics were entertaining enough to keep us hooked as the band members got their shit in check and worked with the sound crew to sort out the mic issues. Alas, Stewart Lupton and friends were ready to take the stage not a hair earlier than 11:30 – I mean it was almost Thursday! To be honest, though, it was well worth the wait. The band whipped together a solid set and really cranked it out. Steel Reserve in hand, Stewart indulged the audience with his deep thoughts ranging from Saturn to green boobies, and he even name-dropped the Ghostbusters. The Stewart Lupton shit-show ensued throughout their performance and gave light to the show (perhaps too much light, the man was squinting the whole damn time…). All-in-all the evening was a success. I would highly recommend everyone to check out Child Ballads if not for their tunes then for Stewart’s personal performance –intentional or not.
All photos: Mike Danko and Alyssa Lesser from previous shows
Bonus: All Our Noise, of course, has live sessions with the acts
…..and Jessica Louise Dye was amazing.
January 8, 2010 at 2:23 pmTechnology is never reliable while Mercury is in retrograde (and as Stewart pointed out, “Saturn’s Return” wasn’t helping). Thanks for this, Sepie.
January 8, 2010 at 2:26 pmwhile technology may not always be reliable,
music and art of the human hand always are….
The Saturn Return is an astrological phenomenon that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, and finally from 86-88, coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun. It is believed by astrologers that as Saturn “returns” to the degree in which it occupied at the time of birth—approximately every 29.5 years—a person crosses over a major threshold and into the next stage of life. With the first Saturn Return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second Return, maturity. And the third and usually final Return, a person enters wise old age.
The first Saturn Return is famous because it represents the first test of character and the structures a person has built their lives upon. According to traditions, should these structures be unsound or that a person is living out of touch with his or her true values, the Saturn Return will be a time of upheaval and limitations as Saturn forces him or her to jettison old concepts and worn out patterns of living. It is not uncommon for relationships and jobs to end during this time of life restructuring and reevaluation.
But the Saturn Return is not all about painful endings. During this time astrologers note that goals are consolidated and people tend to gain a better vision of where they are going in life. There are added responsibilities and a person may reap the rewards from his or her hard work. Many major life milestones seem to happen around the ages of 29 and 30. This is why astrologers believe that the thirtieth birthday is such a major rite of passage because it marks the true beginning of adulthood, self-evaluation, independence, ambition, and self actualization.
The planet Saturn represents many archetypes, such as Father Time, the Grim Reaper and his scythe, Kronos, and the Lord of Karma. It is the ruler of limitations, fears, seriousness, responsibilities, burdens, and lessons. While those concepts may come across as negative, Saturn also astrologically rules over civilization, government, structures, harvests, prestige, maturity, and order.
little hotties = hand warmers
January 8, 2010 at 7:11 pmWhat is this astrology bullshit doing on my site?
January 8, 2010 at 8:40 pm
thanks for the write-up sepie! the quote of the night has to be stewart’s remark on technical difficulties/above-mentioned cinematic reference: “this is just a day’s work for ghostbusters like us — all sorts of paranormal activity.”
January 8, 2010 at 1:11 pm