It's All About The Music
Feb. 3rd, 2008 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanFirst day off in 12 days... YAY!!! just doesn't seem to cover it...
Apart from the 1st rehearsal of the new quartet version of Hands'N'Feet at my place the other night, as well as a hopefully semi-regular rehearsal with ZenSiren, I've seen a few bands over the last days ~ an encore viewing of The Presence ~ the 3-piece pub-rock trio with a Vanda Jr on drums. Better than last time, but with song titles like 'Back Off', 'A Piece Of Me' & 'Enemy Lines', I thought better than to offer any opinions to them. I do like their one & only love song... 'One Night Stand'. I'd never been to the venue before ~ Ruby Rabbit, but as soon as I walked in the door & up the stairs, I realised I had... I played a Nina Simone cabaret/tribute show there a few years ago, when it was known as La Bar. The more things change...
Then to the Metro Theatre (a rather grand name for a nondescript medium-size hall) last night to see True Live, a Melbourne band comprising upright bass, drums, keyboards, cello, violin & MC/rapper/whatever they call themselves. They play an interesting mix of modern jazz meets classical with an energetic motormouth rhyming over the top. It's a LOT better than it sounds & yes... they're one of those bands that met & formed at the Conservatorium of Music. SarinG declined the opportunity to ask their string section players for lessons in her nearly-acquired cello. I believe her reason was something like "It would be like asking Picasso for finger-painting lessons." Chicken!!
Supporting them were 3 acts. Paris Wells, a neo-soul singer with a good voice & 1940s fashion via Stefani/Aguilera whose songs were only let down by the monotony of having a DJ playing backing tracks & occasionally scratching. It became very samey very quickly ~ except her 'cover' of 'Walk On The Wild Side' sent her careening dangerously close to Jessica Simpson territory. She'd be great with a real band...
Which I'm not quite sure you could call Blue Juice, a keyboard/bass/drums funk trio fronted by a pair of shouting, self-confessed nerds who've heard waaay too much Beastie Boys. Had to admire their energy though... they really sold the act to the place, winning over the audience by jumping around & occasionally onto the punters. They won 3rd prize for audience participation & I loved the keyboard player.
That 1 Guy was next & without trying to sound glib, it was the sound of Les Claypool if he played a modified industrial vacuum cleaner with 2 strings & some trigger pads on it. If you have trouble with that... it looked like this:
He was great, but played for a bit too long, robbing the sight & sound of its novelty. Extra points for the amplified cowboy boot percussion & the version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' played on a saw. 2nd prize for audience participation went to the girl who invaded the stage 3 times to dance with him... until security escorted her off, much to the crowd's displeasure.
True Live eventually came on after midnight & seemed a bit flat. Whether it was the venue, the late start, the new drummer they were breaking in... the keyboard player soon began his weird faces, hand movements & eccentric dancing though, which lifted them a bit. 1st prize for audience participation to MC Rhino who did his usual improv from words supplied by the crowd. As befits a beer-barn like the Metro, the words were 'drunk chicks', 'bogan', 'syphilis', 'New Zealand' & 'trampoline'. Well done sir!
Today's washing day, that's why it's raining. So I'm off to the local for coffee, breakfast & the Sunday papers. Then.......?
Apart from the 1st rehearsal of the new quartet version of Hands'N'Feet at my place the other night, as well as a hopefully semi-regular rehearsal with ZenSiren, I've seen a few bands over the last days ~ an encore viewing of The Presence ~ the 3-piece pub-rock trio with a Vanda Jr on drums. Better than last time, but with song titles like 'Back Off', 'A Piece Of Me' & 'Enemy Lines', I thought better than to offer any opinions to them. I do like their one & only love song... 'One Night Stand'. I'd never been to the venue before ~ Ruby Rabbit, but as soon as I walked in the door & up the stairs, I realised I had... I played a Nina Simone cabaret/tribute show there a few years ago, when it was known as La Bar. The more things change...
Then to the Metro Theatre (a rather grand name for a nondescript medium-size hall) last night to see True Live, a Melbourne band comprising upright bass, drums, keyboards, cello, violin & MC/rapper/whatever they call themselves. They play an interesting mix of modern jazz meets classical with an energetic motormouth rhyming over the top. It's a LOT better than it sounds & yes... they're one of those bands that met & formed at the Conservatorium of Music. SarinG declined the opportunity to ask their string section players for lessons in her nearly-acquired cello. I believe her reason was something like "It would be like asking Picasso for finger-painting lessons." Chicken!!
Supporting them were 3 acts. Paris Wells, a neo-soul singer with a good voice & 1940s fashion via Stefani/Aguilera whose songs were only let down by the monotony of having a DJ playing backing tracks & occasionally scratching. It became very samey very quickly ~ except her 'cover' of 'Walk On The Wild Side' sent her careening dangerously close to Jessica Simpson territory. She'd be great with a real band...
Which I'm not quite sure you could call Blue Juice, a keyboard/bass/drums funk trio fronted by a pair of shouting, self-confessed nerds who've heard waaay too much Beastie Boys. Had to admire their energy though... they really sold the act to the place, winning over the audience by jumping around & occasionally onto the punters. They won 3rd prize for audience participation & I loved the keyboard player.
That 1 Guy was next & without trying to sound glib, it was the sound of Les Claypool if he played a modified industrial vacuum cleaner with 2 strings & some trigger pads on it. If you have trouble with that... it looked like this:
He was great, but played for a bit too long, robbing the sight & sound of its novelty. Extra points for the amplified cowboy boot percussion & the version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' played on a saw. 2nd prize for audience participation went to the girl who invaded the stage 3 times to dance with him... until security escorted her off, much to the crowd's displeasure.
True Live eventually came on after midnight & seemed a bit flat. Whether it was the venue, the late start, the new drummer they were breaking in... the keyboard player soon began his weird faces, hand movements & eccentric dancing though, which lifted them a bit. 1st prize for audience participation to MC Rhino who did his usual improv from words supplied by the crowd. As befits a beer-barn like the Metro, the words were 'drunk chicks', 'bogan', 'syphilis', 'New Zealand' & 'trampoline'. Well done sir!
Today's washing day, that's why it's raining. So I'm off to the local for coffee, breakfast & the Sunday papers. Then.......?
