I have been spending a lot of time
over the past two weeks getting overly acquainted with the alley
behind the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Even though it is a
rather nice alley that is free of dumpsters and drunkards using it
for a toilet, I am not spending quality time with it as a new hobby.
Due to high school musical season
being in full swing and me being the primary mode of transportation
for my daughter, I end up needing a spot to stash my car in the
Downtown area while I'm waiting for rehearsals and performances to
wrap up. I have yet to encounter street parking that is near the
school and I'll be damned if I fork over $6 a night over the course
of three weeks to park in the garage across the street from the
school. So illegally parking in the alley it is.
The only problem with the alley is
that other parents had this same idea and other parents are fucking
stupid. Or inconsiderate. Or both. Every night, I end up with the
same dipshit in the oversized luxury SUV parked behind me. He sits
there with his headlights, fog lights and blinkers on so no matter
which way I turn my head there are lights reflecting off of my
mirrors and into my eyeballs.
Not only was this idiot's car lit up
like I was the Sun's Uber, he was also watching videos on his phone
with the audio running through the car's bluetooth at an ear
splitting volume. All I wanted to do was sit quietly with my
thoughts and contemplate the passing of Scott Walker but no, I have
to tolerate someone that has turned the world into his living room.
Scott Walker was an artist that was so
comfortably perched on the edge of the farthest reaches of left
field. Soused, which was his
collaboration with Sunn O))), is still one of the most
challenging listens in my record collection. Scott Walker made the
listener work for it in order to keep up with him to the point of
frustration. There are times when I'm listening to his music that I
feel like I'm just not smart enough to wrap my brain around it. I
keep trying because at some point it will click and I'll be greatly
rewarded for my efforts.
One of the upsides of running laps
between home and school was stopping at Black Forge for coffee and
hitting up Skull Records for a ticket to see Behind Enemy Lines. It
makes me so happy that they are active again since I missed them the
first time around.
Even though I have never seen the band
before, I had an odd relationship with them during the 00's. Behind
Enemy Lines was my cover to get out of the house and have an evening
to myself when the relationship with my child's mother was taking a
nose dive into a volcano.
Since she was not a fan of the louder,
more aggressive end of the musical spectrum, I would say I was going
to a Behind Enemy Lines show and go sit quietly somewhere. Or go
have dinner at a place of my choosing. Or simply enjoy not being
constantly wrong for a few hours.
They're playing at Cattivo on May
20th. Also on the bill will be Antisect, EEL and
Destitut. I have never heard Antisect or Destitut before but I can't
wait to find out about them.
While I was out and about, after a
late night, post-musical pick up/drop off, I stopped in at Gooski's
to catch Submachine. They were playing with Hub City Stompers and
the Microbials.
The Microbials were on stage when I
walked in and had Chachi, the bass player from Submachine, on guitar. I only caught their last three songs or so but I liked what I heard. I will definitely try to catch them in the future.
Submachine was up next and I noticed
more of their newer songs creeping into their set. From what I could
tell through earplugs and the less than desirable sound of Gooski's,
their next record will be able to level cities. I know what I'll be
giving everyone for Christmas when it comes out.
Hub City Stompers finished out the
night. They're a ska band from New Jersey and as far as ska goes,
they weren't bad.
I consider ska to be the cilantro of
music. Some people really like it and others are genetically
predisposed to have a reaction that is quite the opposite. I fall
into the latter category on both ska and cilantro.
Hub City Stompers were good and the
songs were tight, even with the uphill battle of technical issues
with the PA. But there is just something about a horn section and
that style of guitar playing that is just not for me.
I stuck it out for a few songs, took
some pictures and honestly tried to give the band a listen but to no
avail so I said my goodbyes and back out into the night I went. I
don't know what the disconnect in my brain is when it comes to ska
but for whatever reason I can't get to it.
Sunday morning's pre-musical milling
about on the internet led me to a recently released Marvin Gaye album
called You're The Man. The
songs on the album were written, recorded and were supposed to be
released between What's Going On
and Let's Get It On. The story behind You're The Man
is that work on a potential album was abandoned in order for Mr. Gaye
to start working on the soundtrack for the film Trouble
Man. Some of the songs had
trickled out here and there over the years in varying sound quality
but now they've been given a proper mix and mastering.
You're
The Man is further evidence that
Marvin Gaye was operating at the height of his powers during this
part of his life. This guy had so much going on at this time that he
was able to put a stunning batch of songs on the shelf and still be
left with three of the best records ever made.
I
have to make sure that I have nothing else to do when I listen to
this thing because I will fall right into it and lose track of time. Sadly, I'm stuck with a download for now. My usual routine of
running into Juke Records after day job to grab this type of a record
has been brought to an abrupt end since they closed shop a few weeks
ago. I will pick up the vinyl as soon as I come across it in the
bins.
The
kid has to work stage crew for one more run of shows. Then I can say
goodbye to the alley and once again minimize my contact with other
parents until this time next year.
