On June 29th and 30th, I had the opportunity to see Failure two nights in a row. Once at Mr. Smalls, in Pittsburgh, and again at the Grog Shop, in Cleveland.
Having learned the harsh geographical lesson handed out by Jawbreaker's Dear You tour, I was not going to miss any chances to see Failure play within a three hour drive from my house. The closest Jawbreaker came was Philadelphia. That's a six hour drive and there was no way I could pull that off without booking a room somewhere. I could have made that drive in my younger days when I could survive on coffee and a half pack of ramen for weeks at a time but not these days when I feel like I need a nap every twenty minutes.
I threw the Hail Mary pass through the internet to try to obtain a photo pass for both shows and was surprised to hear back. I was directed to the band's PR person and was given the thumbs up. It was the usual rules of no flash and first three songs behind the barrier and out.
The “barrier” at Mr. Smalls is actually part of the front of the stage and is more of a trench that was built into it so I had to hop my pre-arthritic, uncoordinated ass in and out of it without falling or knocking any equipment over. I have always had a difficult time shooting at Mr. Smalls. Since the building is an old church and the stage is where the altar was, the stage is very recessed which makes the bands very far away. It also doesn't help that the fog machine seems to run twenty four hours a day at Mr. Smalls which adds a layer of graininess to every picture. I'm sure there's a software setting that I could use to clean that up but my impatience and guerrilla approach to shooting shows doesn't really allow me to figure out what that setting would be.
There is no barrier in front of the stage at the Grog Shop and the staff has been cool with me bringing in my camera. This was the second time that I shot there and the Grog Shop is proving to be one of my favorite spots to take pictures. Since there's a lack of rules there, I always try to behave in a way that wouldn't bother me if I was working the show. I try not to get in the faces of any performers and stay out of the way of any road crew that may be running about. When I'm standing stage-right I try to position myself between the audience and the side of the stage. People have a tendency to crowd that side of the stage and make it difficult for techs to do their work.
Both nights began with a clip of a documentary that the band is working on. Failure forever has a place in my heart because they intro'd the film by playing parts of the “Space Madness” episode of Ren & Stimpy. I was surprised when I wasn't the only person laughing. The kids might be alright after all.
Failure's stage setup was fascinating to me. Since Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards switch between guitar and bass, there were no amps on stage. They both had multiple pedal boards that went directly into the PA. They were able to manage any tone changes through the miracle of the digital age in which we live. The drummer, Kelli Scott, was set up on a circular riser that was closer to the front of the stage than risers usually are. My drum tech paranoia was cranked up to eleven all night because all of his cymbal stands would wobble back and forth as he played and I kept waiting for something to fall over. My brain started designing a rack mounted kit while I was watching him play and then I came to the realization that I would just rivet that shit to the riser and be done with it.
The band is playing the same setlist every night and they are filming/recording every performance. I hope they're able to cobble together enough footage for a live record or DVD. I know I'd gladly give them money for it.
Playing the same setlist every night has got to take some of the pressure off the two guitar techs that are traveling with the band. With all of the changes between guitar and bass, I would quickly be in over my head trying to keep them all straight.
. . .
Failure was one of those bands that I don't think I was ready for when I first encountered them. Much like the Velvet Underground and Suicide, it took a while for Failure sit right in my brain. I was too angry in my youth for them to sink into my hardheadedness.
I had heard of Failure because Geoff Rickly, from Thursday, mentioned them in an interview that I had read, in the early 2000s. He had said that Fantastic Planet was one of his favorite records so I picked up a copy the next time I was at the record store. I gave it a few listens and put it aside. I didn't think it was a bad record, I just didn't get it at the time.
Fast forward to earlier this year when I was insomnia scrolling through Bandcamp and came across Failure again. It suddenly clicked and I had a new favorite band.
This is one of the many things about music that makes it one of humanity's greatest inventions. Years can go by and a record that has sat on a shelf unlistened to for all that time can end up becoming a lifeline for the current moment.
It also helps that I am unfamiliar with the lore and mythology behind Failure which works to my advantage as a fan of the band. I can fall into the music without the decades of drama and baggage that some bands carry around with them after they break up and then get back together. For example, I am so familiar with Dinosaur Jr. that I wish there were some things about Dinosaur Jr. that I didn't know and I could just be blown away by the music.
. . .
Out of the thirty or so shows I've been to this year, both Failure shows are more than likely the best shows I've seen so far. That band set a high bar from sound/light design and how flat out tight they were.
The Failure roadshow is currently heading west so if they are coming to a town near you, I highly recommend leaving the house. And many thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR for the photo passes.
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