Judy took me to see my good friend, David ("Dah-Veed") Garza on Friday night. David ("Dah-Veed") was opening up for Fiona Apple at the Riverside. We had great seats - just to the right of center stage, second row. I won't bother with a full review, but here's a few of my notes: No "Discoball World"? David ("Dah-Veed") played a solo acoustic set that ran about 30 minutes. He opened up with "Kinder" and "Float Away", then played a half-dozen songs I've never heard before. I just assumed that he would close out with "Discoball World" - instead he brought someone else onstage and did another song I have never heard before. Still a good set, though. What a crowd!, Part I As ...
Chuck, Les, and I went to see Keane last week at the Rave, as was detailed here and here. So, before the show started, we came across this kid on the sidewalk, selling those Lance Armstrong bracelets. $10 a pop seemed a little bit high - but hey, it's for a good cause, right? Anyways, mine is a little worse for wear, but it's hanging in there. I might have to track down that kid and get a refund. Come to think of it, I didn't get a receipt.
Les, Chuck and I went to see Keane last night at The Rave. In short, wow. Great show. We talked a bit after the show, and I think each of us are drawn to the band for different reasons. Les has some sort of man-crush on the lead singer, Chuck has called them "Coldplay Lite", and I'm just amazed at the depth of sound that they're able to produce with a singer, piano player, and drums. They've also got a very weird stage presence. As Les put it, "they're a bunch of dorks" - but they make it work. Big time. If you're not familiar with their music, you can use the music player below to get acquainted. The quality isn't the best, but you'll get the picture. I highly recommend picking up their first and current CD, "Hopes and Fears".
Chuck, Rajan and I went to see the Pixies show at the Milwaukee Theatre last night. I think Chuck summed it up pretty well after the show: workmanlike. The Pixies came to town to kick your ass. Mission accomplished. I lost track of the song count, but they dug deeper into the catalog than I had hoped/expected. I'd guestimate that they played 2 songs from "Come On Pilgrim", 4 from "Surfer Rosa", probably another 10 from "Doolittle", and one from "Bossanova" - leaving us with nothing from "Trompe Le Monde". So, I was a little disapointed not to hear something like "Motorway to Roswell" or "Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons". They also ...
No, not D'Annunzio, Pat DiNizio, lead singer of the Smithereens. Pat was in town on Friday night at Shank Hall for a solo gig. He was very proud to point out that the Smithereens are, in fact, still together, still recording, and still touring. This just happened to be a solo show. Judy & I got there nice and early, and walked into a nearly empty room. I'm not sure why, but they seemed to have the heat turned off, so we spent most of the pre-show time next to a gas fireplace. After a little while, some guy walked over to join us and warm his hands. Turned out to be Pat. I'm a big, big ...