Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Pretty Ok? I don't think so

This is a bit late. And while I hate to post back to back, I have yet to upload my Sonic Circuits footage, and that Caroliner vid from SF (Don't worry, you will know...).

Regardless, roughly two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to take in a more than splended evening at the Cat on a Thursday of all things.

Not only was it a night with some of my favorite people, but the bands were not too shabby either.

Kicking the whole celebration off were bay area, pop-punk (near) veterans Onion Flavored Rings, who, might I add, were the most known and respected group on this bill. With tendrils slithering in and out of the wide ocean of the punk scene for over a decade, it only made sense in certain contexts to have them open the show. None-the-less, they did so with a slightly sour cotton candy bravado. With a teaspoon of awkward disgruntledness sewing the set together, Onion Flavored Rings excellently knocked out a whole wall's worth of spazzy pop anthems.
And the punx went wild...........

Onion Flavored Rings playing at the Black Cat #2 from Denman C Anderson on Vimeo.



Taking the baton and running with it, Ingid came bursting onto the stage with the crushing force of a little math, a little prog, a dash of Providence and a whole easter basket of rock. Sadly, you may not have heard of them if you weren't below the underground or an Indigenous American tracker. Climbing out of the ashes of Mass Movement of the Moth, this dynamic duo have soared to much higher places. Seeing them perform is still as likely as winning the lottery, but they both bring the same amount of joy. Here they are in their natural habitat.

Ingrid playing at the Black Cat in DC from Denman C Anderson on Vimeo.



My reference for Screaming Females is not flashy clubs, popular music blogs, or bad, self impressed, internet radio, rather my connection comes from sweaty basements, punk shows, and the DIY community. So their current status is still a very odd reality for me. But, I'll give them two things: they have always been nice to me when we've interacted, and when they rock, they rock hard (I held my tongue on "...like a hurricane...".) And this was no exception at the Cat. The crowd, obviously, had grown in size and pressure, but fortunately the enthusiasm had grown as well (only by a touch). Coming out with a sawed-off sized bang, the Screaming Females erupted in a way that said, "I'm doing this because I enjoy it, but I'm glad you seem into it as well...."

Screaming Females playing at the Black Cat Vid#1 from Denman C Anderson on Vimeo.



Once they had the crowed even more firmly on their side, they took them on a pre-Ralph Nader ride, only slowing down a bit for a few of the newer tunes.

Screaming Females playing at the Black Cat vid#2 from Denman C Anderson on Vimeo.



I am constantly amazed by Marissa's voice, off the charts guitar skills, and far-beyond over-the-top stage presence. If you've ever met her, you'll quickly realize that the stage is where she is able to truly express herself. Which is not to say that Mike and Jarrett are any sort of backing band; in fact, the whole group operates as one
intertwined machine. Though the crowd (I'd place myself in this camp) expressed a sentiment to hear some of their older tunes, they still managed to take a little more paint off of the walls and put a few more cracks in the ceiling.

All in all, it was one of those rare nights where everything was perfect, and it was only so because everyone brought their A game to the table.

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