the last show

well, that's it--end of an era for sure--certainly the end of any feeling of responsibility for me to chronicle the musical adventures of oldham court--gone the days of seeing every show--of course nothing is really ending (don't believe in endings) but just shifting downtown--made the switch from the shack to the shop on my myspace top friends--but this shall be my last shack blog, i suppose this spot will just gather dust and take up space somewhere out there in the blogosphere--ah but what a capper--very funny 1 man folk piece, so representative of all the 1 piece folk story tellers of the road--oh i should say jack's magic october in full effect, almost painful how breath takingly beautiful, fall crisp and get lost in blue skies, the whole show in the backyard--there our folk boy, andrew gardner (where did he come from?wasn't on the bill) played amongst musicians, sunbeams, children and fresh fall breezes--very nice--then the power ska rock and roll vibes of our very own Iron Mikes and this party is really started--Spooky Q.'s, plagued by some technical difficulties, played through like champs, by now the parking lot is completely full, we've got a real crowd here, ardia (hope that is close to how she spells her name) passing out fliers for new shows at the shop--life goes on with maybe a hint of hope for the future--by now it is dark (no fire we are still in a burn ban) darn and laurn scrambling at the last minute to get light out on the stage, i'm on perimeter security, and of course with a fully amped show like this one you can every note from the front--joy bombs are so straight from the heart, so unpretentious and real, you can't help but smile--and of course wrapping up the shack experience, house faves the Seedy Seeds, the crowd pulls close, a man and a woman, a banjo, an acoustic guitar and a beat machine, like an appalachian postal service, so much fun, people are dancing, even the ultra hip vegan straight edge crowd, honky tonk disco dancing with the rest of us fools--world class music in the backyard baby--you really can't beat it--Seeds close their set with a brand new mini song (actually 2nd to last song) Shreiking Shack this is your last show sing along--at the end Lauren takes the mike and thanks not only the Seeds (we were all really moved by their set) but all the players in the success of the shack--the fans, the bands, hell she even thanked myself and jon weaver--said something about how we were all connected now by something much deeper than all of us--and then it was over--the shack is dead, long live the shack-

beloved binge and the highway drifters

this was an awesome show--i'm going to try to squeeze in a little blog about it, just to be caught up--going for a record 3 blogs in 1 sitting--only 2 bands tonight, really we were still recovering from the thunderstorm experience (and those comfort creatures really know how to party) in fact this show almost didn't happen everyone is feeling so lazy and relaxed in the backyard, but i'm glad it did because these were 2 bands right up my musical tastes--the Drifters were such a tight 3 piece, all instrumental, really fun--to me they sounded kind of like the allman brothers, big heroic power chords over fast almost bluesy beats--but without all the over kill guitar solo stuff you'd expect from the "jam band" scene--these kids had tight well crafted songs, almost a pop sensibility, like i said really fun and great to juggle to--and the Binge, how much talent can you squeeze into a 2 piece--he plays guitar, she sings, plays keyboards, and plays the drum kit--catchy songs that stick in your head for days--now they are a pop band--but with that cool indie garage ethic--i don't like people but i'm trying--and my favorite the anthemic set closer--i want to be at peace and war with everything--just goes to show--go on with the show-you never know

September 11th

this is the one we've been waiting for--the kids biking all the way from LA to arrive in Lexvegas on this our day of national mourning--obviously with so many bands canceling--the road is a fickle mistress--we were a little worried these guys would make it, so when they pulled up on their very loaded down mountain bikes and trailer at about 2 in the afternoon, we breathed a sigh of relief--in fact Funderstorm pulled in just ahead of the thunderstorm--so it seems all cosmic and shit--but first the Comfort Creatures--wait i do want to mention, hanging out on the perch with Funderstorm, not only talking bikes and the road (plus being a cyclist in LA, critical mass, alley cats, bike snobs etc) we got in our mandatory Sept. 11th conspiracy theory theorizing, an integral part of the, uh, holiday is the wrong word--but you don't forget and we won't forget either--but Comfort Creatures--these guys were on fire, when they played at the music festival this summer they were a really good folksy, old timey melodies band--but that didn't prepare me for the rock and roll vibe they brought to the shack tonight--still pretty, but now with soaring guitar solos, trance inducing tidal surges of rock--time enough to shoe gaze, i have to step outside it is so intense--and that portishead cover, wow, it's all over too soon--though the set does have this timeless, like it could last forever feel--admittedly the Straight A's have a hard place in the line up, between the Creature's who everybody loves and Funderstorm that everybody is intrigued by--but they perform admirably--straight and hard punk, a little hesitant at first but quickly finding their feet as they play through the set, eventually opening up and finding a tight groove to settle into--then it's time for the storm--not so much a band really as a performance art interactive group experience--mark-coast on the beat machine thing, cranking the crunky beats while B-rad is on the mike--and of course they play up the bicycle thing--the beat machine starts and B-rad shouts "are you ready for the first song, we have biked over 3,500 miles to play you this song are you ready"--then he grabs all these inflatable toys, starts throwing them around the room , throwing his tarp over people's heads--eventually he's writhing around on the floor (i guess he was trying to do the worm, kinda hard to tell)--they call their genre bike hike funk punk chant rant electronic hardcore dance music--and they lead us in these, let's call them bicycle chanties--BAMBI your mom was shot by a hunter, BAMBI your best friend is thumper, you got white spots on your butt, your tail is always up, so what--you get the idea, kind of stupid, but these guys, through their sheer enthusiasm and heart pull it off--at one point they have everyone put their hands together in a huddle like your soccer team may have done to yell go team or whatever, but we make a heartbeat--up and down up and down--and we chant slowly--at heart beat tempo--everyone has got to stop doing cocaine--and who could forget their self proclaimed break out single--monster truck--they did bike all the way from LA--i can almost hear them now in my mind's ear riding through all those huge hurricane winds and rain yesterday somewhere in ohio--Bambi, your mom was shot by a hunter--one less touring van--may the foos be with you brothers

aura and tree

sounds like a cool line up, doesn't it? and it was--have to admit, a little like the first time joe came over and i missed his set narrowly avoiding setting the backyard on fire, i almost missed this, the debut of his new hard core band--no excuses, i was just really tired--went into my room (where you can easily hear the entire show--in a house so small there is no avoiding the muse) just to lay down for a second, and,well, as Tree starts their set and the overpowering wall of hard core sound surrounds my thoughts and i lay back contentedly--i guess i fell asleep, what woke me up was the absence of sound--but before, as i'm settling into sleep, i admire not only the very punk wall of sound thing, but how Joe's voice still comes through all that guitar amp, orienting the songs around meaning so many hardcore bands lack--punk anthems--this is going to be big--next time i will be ready (and not red eyed)for the Tree--and Aura, i know i'm overusing the concept of psychedelic metal (seems like we have had a wave of psychmetal) so let me elaborate--classic metal 2 piece, a drummer and a shredding lead guitar--but with another element, the sampler, who lay in all the extra low rumblings, weird pitched bells and buzzes, snippets of conversation etc. to give Aura a kind of psychic tvish experimental, well aura--but definitely balls to the wall metal as fast as that drummer can go--i call it psychedelic metal--but whatever, it was fun.

Burbis, Star Clusters, and lotsa lotsa beer

This show actually started on time, an unheard of for our shows, and i actually missed the first band (the truly talented, i saw them at the music festival and i was really stoked to see them again) The Comfort Creatures--alas, but i'm suer we will cross paths again--the Comforts fans though, really turned out and brought the biggest party vibe to the shack then we have seen in quite a while--i don't know how much beer was bought, brought, and popped--but it was a lot--meanwhile back to the music--furthering my philosophy that you can tell at least what a bands intentions are by their name, Star Clusters completely matches their band name--short bursts of punk experimental noise--honestly i thought almost unlistenable--i mean as far as putting in their cd and chilling while you make dinner--the live show was very interesting--prompting almost involuntary little rock spasms--but darin snatches up the disk--this is going on killing the week buddy--beauty is subjective, that's what i always say--but more in line with my rock intrests, Burbis--powerhouse jam metal--complete with a diy light show, flooding the little house in white light and metal rifts, long hair waving in head banging bliss--drum kit set in front of the band--powerhouse rock anthems but with space enough for a little shoe gazing--no words, just solid composed metal masterpieces-once again i feel truly thankful to be in the right spot at the right time (for once) to catch these kids as they roll through town.

National Rifle and Gas Station Chicken

honestly I don't know how many more of these no show shows I can take--Darin says not to worry about each individual show--just make sure the bands are fed and who is meant to show up will--but when the band is going house to house through the neighborhood asking total strangers to come to the show and I know we know tons of people who would love this music--well, it doesn't sit well with me--but I digress--Gas Station Chicken, 2 piece folk/metal by the fireside sounded fantastic, sounds that match the striking beauty of the afternoon, it's good to be outside--oh and this is sort of interesting, we had a walk up performer between the 2 acts, who was actually quite good (though rather strange)--but National Rifle from Philly (friends of Big Attack)with their sociopolitical punk rock, these guys are an unstopable force of nature--punk for sure but not above breaking it down into funk, into blues, a little bit of everything really, but with that punk insistence, you can't help but forget everything (even if just for 20 minutes) and fall into the fun--really go to myspace and check these guys out--I don't know if they will ever be back, this was truly not to be missed--but they never are--oh well, at least they were fed

psychedelic dojo show

not really a shack show, but close enough--got out of the city (you don't have to go far to be gone), out to Josh and Jamie and Melissa's place for their first show booked by Darin--a great side note to the evening was I got Maggie and Ethan what the word pschedelic means--how water and fire can put you in a trance--the three of us camped out in my trusty tent--huge bonfire, trails through the woods, spread of food, not to mention fire spinning, hoola hooping, this was a mini festival all in one night--Symbience was our local act, a stripped down version of the band from when I had seen them before, playing a solid bit of groove rock--The Invisible Hand from Virginia, truly kicking psychedelic punk rock--not many punk rockers have songs about waiting for your third eye to open, also amazing punk versions of the Beatles I'm Only Sleeping and Victoria (by I don't know) these guys bravely seek to fill the gap between us aging hipsters and the new sounds of hardcore, really appreciate the work guys--lastly (just 3 bands, keep it simple for the first dojo show) Sonic Astrionics performed their down tempo electronica (instantly putting the kids to sleep, thanks)late into the night, slowly building beats--until finally, the oblgatory late night fire side jam (always a highlight at this sort of thing)--can't wait for my next trip to the dojo