'2025' Dates
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Another fun show where a friend invited me out. Dan let me know he was going to the show. I have a Brainiac LP, which I don't listen to very often. It was a gift from my brother. The singer for this band had died in a car crash, so on this tour they have a new singer. The music at times reminds me of Polvo. They use a heavy synth sound at times, that has a video game feel. They also use some amazing vocal filters on the songs making it sound great. A fun time, with a bigger crowd than I expected!
Jesse suggested we go to this show. Another Sabin dad, Chris joined us too. I rode to the show in the back seat of the car, making me reminisce of shows gone by. It was a cold night, and the place was full. Apparently Bunk Bar used to have more shows than they do now. I can relate to that. I was excited to see there are two interesting shows coming up here (Tommy Stinson as well as The Folk Implosion). I really liked the first band Sunbathe. When they started I thought it was going to be more on the pop end of things, but as the set progressed, it was clearly crunchier. The stage wasn't very tall, the room isn't very big, and we were standing right in the center. We heard them full-force. They apparently have a new album out; I'll have to catch them again. Animal Eyes had one person from the opener in the band. They had two sets of keyboards as well. I remember thinking that this drummer had many more skills than the previous drummer. I started to get a feel of Animal Collective during the show. I considered dismissing that thought, wondering if it was just the band name that made the association. And then Jesse mentioned it on the way out. So maybe? It was a fun night out.
After seeing them about two months before, I went with Jesse to see Sunbathe again. It was at this old bar in North Portland. It was another bar with a one foot stage in the corner. It was fun, and seemed packed. I really liked the first band, Strange Pilgrim. The entire show had both a smoke machine and lasers, so it was pretty cool. I just liked their guitar sound, and the vocals were reverbed. The singer was able to turn a dial on a box to change the reverb while he sang. The second band, The Fur Coats, had two saxophone players (who both also sang). They also had a slide guitar and a keyboardist. So their sound was nice and big and fun. Sunbathe put on a great set; just as good if not better than last time. I still must buy their album. This was a rare bar show for me, and it went late. I got home at 12:30 AM and I was so so tired.
Our neighbors invited us to this kid friendly show on a Sunday afternoon. It was at a screen printing shop that is celebrating its 10 year anniversary. They had a few bands, and we stayed just for one with our neighbors. Dreckig are a couple that sing in both Spanish and German. The music is electronic beats, and they have live drums and percussion on top. They also played a song or two that had a flute played through reverb. While they are playing and dancing they are wearing sparkly hooded capes and big sunglasses. It was really fun. I think it might have been Oscar's second show. We went to see Red Yarn years ago at Alberta Street Pub, but I never wrote it up. Oscar seemed to like watching the drumming (it was pretty cool). We also checked out the mixing board. I hope to make it to more shows with Oscar.
Both John Davis and Lou Barlow opened the show with 3 solo guitar songs. John went first and his first one contained the phrase "don't google me". He then told us he's a 4th grade teacher and this is his Spring Break. This is one of the things he tells his class. Lou played "The Ballad of Daykitty" and "Skull" and another I did not recognize. Once they were together Lou mostly played bass and John played guitar. They had an iPad that would serve as a rhythm track. On a few songs Lou would play the live drums. They played quite a few songs I didn't recognize. One I recognized was "Pole Position". During "Natural One", Lou's vocals were messed up until the end of the song. It seemed like we were hearing them only through the stage monitors. He told us he once sang that song Karaoke with Sleater Kinney. I bought a CD and told him I listened to his podcast and that the "Bidet Song" was so funny it brought me to tears.
The last time I saw Bob Mould, I'm sure it was this same band. I'm sure it was just as rocking. However that was a period of time when I seemed unable to find the time to write things up. The band is so intense. Tonight it was non-stop rock, start to finish, no encore. Bob's vocals and guitar are just screaming. It was lots of songs that felt familiar, but I couldn't name. The Hüsker Dü songs I remember were "Flip Your Wig", "Makes No Sense At All", and "Hate Paper Doll". It was my first time at Wonder Ballroom, and I liked the place. I went with my friend Dan. While I was in line, I saw Scott who I know from San Francisco. Craig Finn opened and sang his story-like songs with an acoustic guitar accompanied by a saxophone. We were amazed he could remember all of his lyrics. It was a fun night out.