Nudity w/ Vincent Black Shadow, Crazy Dreams Band & Insect Factory @ Velvet Lounge
April 25, 2008 by Sexy Fitsum 
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(Parenthetically speaking (aplenty) …)
It was my first time at Velvet Lounge since previous owner Chris(pic) sold the business to current owner Abdul(pic) and partners. To be honest, I thought Abdul was the Abdul of Eighteenth Street Lounge/Red/Local 16 (minor) infamy and was eager to see his goofy ass slummin. This Abdul was equally Afghani, but otherwise, no such luck. Plus him too genuinely decent a guy to either goof or slum.
The showcase started with Insect Factory’s brief cohesive drone piece that built up from something quiet to something groove-y, and with nuff heft. One song and they were out. Unexpectedly perfect just like the best meal you ever had; not too much, not too little.
Crazy Dreams Band and their intense brand of excorcismcore popped next. I was digging the music and pix on their Lexie Mountain Boys myspace page. You should too. Their set was more perfection. Free form and chaotic, but not drawn out or self-indulgent as live shows of this type can get. Pretty exciting actually. Lexie’s got a tight little detroit cobra rasp goin on.
Headliners Nudity — probably the least off-center band I’ve known to come out of Olympia — didn’t want me to use my flash. I didn’t want to use a higher ISO. Good show tho. Part straight four-four rock riddim, part guitar-feedback symphony. Tight but loose, loose but tight. I got to take this shot of their singer/guitarist and lead guitarist at the bar (where all who rock go to re-up) right before the similarly straight forward Vincent Black Shadow’s set.
Not to be confused with This Vincent Black Shadow(pic), but perhaps be mistookerd for the bike(pic), VBS was the type of (hairy, sweaty) balls out rock and ro’ that folk like me with no taste and well-dragged knuckles praise the (southern) lord for. Or maybe we grunt smileys. Their performance gave good cocktail, (despite that phrase going horribly horribly wrong); lots of trad rock posery (totally arena) and jumping-into-the-audience action (punk club). Except for the bassist’s need to spit thick loogs every half-second (really bruh?), this crew kept it screaming loud and chuggy. And a little scary. Probably not as scary as Crazy Dreams tho, whose name is fucking awesome btw.
ยป All photos (and the first draft of this review) here.
INCREDIBLY awesome and fun night!
April 25, 2008 at 3:28 pmI went and was going to review this but Fitsum liked the first two bands so he did a much better and more even-handed job than I would have. Frankly I thought Insect Whatever was boring droney sobermetal and that Crazy Dreams was literally one of the most annoying, self-indulgent amateurish slabs of useless noise that ever crawled outta the Red Room.
But I totally agree with the rest of the review, Nudity was OK and VBS, even with a tiny crowd put on one of the most mind-blowing freeform rock-stravaganzas on earth. They make me want to punch my mother in the face, just to show her I love her.
Everyone in Baltimore should get down on their knees and thank Hera that VBS is around to save them from falling into their own cutesy pretension.
April 25, 2008 at 3:31 pmI have high hopes for Velvet Lounge.
Abdul’s ideas for the place, as well as his other plans, are awesome and sustainable.
Don’t sleep.
Abdul is the man.
April 25, 2008 at 4:55 pm“pedro,” can we please use your quote about us for our press packet? or at least for a really sweet back tattoo in big letters and gothic font?
April 25, 2008 at 11:54 pmSURE! I think you can credit it officially to Brightest Young Things because it’s what I would have written if Fitsum didnt scoop me in the review dept.
If you can fit: “enough faux-pagan navel-worship and hot-flash yowling to make Bret McCabe bleed from the vagina” in there somewhere you can have that too. Enjoy!
April 27, 2008 at 10:25 amyawn.
tired.
amazing. all of it.
April 25, 2008 at 2:55 pm