I honestly did not think I would make it to this show, I've been broke and busy. But after a weird week, I am glad I found someone to take me out to the Birchmere to see the Skylighters. I will tell you who the Skylighters are when I get a chance to edit this in the morning. Right now I am taking advantage of an early night to write some of my impressions now.

So a major fact finding mission for attending this show was to get 'visuals' on Starling and Auldridge. I've listened carefully to certain Seldom Scene recordings, but I have never heard them live. I encountered Starling, Auldridge and Gaudreau doing My Sally at the Americana Motel Show, but it was not mad clear to me who was who. Jimmy came back for Americana Motel 2, so I had my visual on him. As for the other two though, I've gone around the past year mistaking other people for them and thinking I was spotting them across crowded rooms like I was sighting aliens. I can be just a little impressionable at times.

Anyway, what a cool idea--the Skylighters. If you have read along with from the start of this chronicle, you may notice my affinity for music happening in DC now that continues to be influenced by none other than Starling, Auldridge and Gaudreau, both as they are and as they were. It really is magical bluegrass, especially the high pickin'. Auldridge spent a lot of time at the pedal steel, which I hear almost never happens at his shows. While you get less singing from Auldridge at the pedal, which is a shame, man his steel playing is so light and airy it's almost like singing. And even after listening to Seldom Scene recordings, I had no idea how mournful a dobro could be. The quintet, sans Starling, did Louvin Brothers, Stanley Brothers, Jimmy & Jesse, a Jim Croce country song whose name I can't remember, and Brace's song that seems to be going by either "Hurry Back To Harlan" or "See What Love Can Do" (I suppose it will get more standardized when Time & Water comes out.)

They did Bonaparte's Retreat which is a song I need to look up. Jimmy said on Bonaparte's Retreat that he "would Kill" on mandolin, and he certainly did, as did the dobro work, and I have to admit Martin Lynds on drums. It was kind of ballsy having a drummer get out there with 'a bluegrass band' but man, on this song he really kicked ass, no two ways about it. I don't know how I would justify this, but the drumming was somehow reminiscent of a tattoo, without being one at all. It was like the vogue in military television documentaries right now where they get really close to one historic uniform then they shake the camera a lot and put the narration over it so it is reminiscent of the battle being described, without having to reenact it. Fairly effective. Well somehow Marty did that, it was spare, and subtle, yet I got really drawn into it, I am making more out of this probably than what most people heard, but hey, this is MY chronicle, so live with it.

Starling came out a little more than half way through the set and this guy is a force to be reckoned with. he too is in the 6'4"+ category of lead signers, and he's got this Virginia drawl that he so plies on the audience with anecdotes between songs. Starling sang his own Carolina Star, while additionally needling Eric Brace throughout the song, particularly rolling his eyes skywards then towards Brace as he sings "he's gonna be a country music star." Yet why not? things happen on all kinds of scales, right? I can really appreciate what Eric would say later about the honor of playing in this combo, coming full circle, playing with your heroes and inspiration, while all the time remembering what it was 'like to be a kid and want to get up on stage with The Scene".

Anyway, I would have been completely satisfied by this show if it ended here, but they would go on to do two encores one of Starlings "Those Memories of You" which is on the order of a bob Dylan song lyrically--truly amazing and then again amazingly enriched by the way Auldridge makes the Dobro moan (in the good way-wink) The 'second' encore included "Keep Out the Lord's Burning Rain" (that probably has another title I need to look up) a sad, sad, song I wish more bands in the present redid, like Patsy Cline favorites or this night's closer song, "Walls of Time," the speeded up Last Train Home version of Bill Monroe's best loved ballad.

Let me end with, I wish I could have been a fly on wall when Starling let loose with what he had to say about that number.

So, I realized that when I posted about Nitrate Hymnal yesterday, I never really talked much about the music. Kind of a dumb thing to overlook for a supposed music chronicle. Granted, along with all the stuff you get in addition to music at an opera, like a narrative, a set, blocking, and acting, in this case there was film too.

With what little, esoteric information I know about opera, I thought Hymnal's score did function remarkably well. There seemed to be themes for each character. Once of the most interesting things I eventually noticed was that when the action returned to the nursing home there was instrumentation like the pinging of heart monitors and a hissing of assisted breathing.

I was struck how much this was like the Czech composer Janacek's obsession with simulating the songs and calls of birds and other animals at least one his operas, The Cunning Little Vixen. Hymnal's overall composition was complex enough that I would want to hear it again by itself and emotional enough that at the narrative point at the end where my eyes flooded with tears, I am sure it was as much the music as the libretto that knocked me emotions off kilter.

But again, I am tempted to talk about the overwhelming reaction from people who called this production amazing. It was a classic opera in many ways; and it's many other derivations were also worn on it's sleeve. After some more thought, I still think Hymnal's most truly amazing quality was in it's libretto and narrative of self discovery. I am going to go out on a limb and commit to this statement. I think very unconsciously, Nitrate Hymnal is the a modern equivalent of the Mozart's Magic Flute. Like Flute was born of late Enlightenment Masonic values and rituals, Hymnal is produced by the local pantheon of old school Punk musicians. But Hymnal doesn't talk make it's point by simply explaining the rituals of Punk. Flute obscures the Masons, without obscuring their goals for society by making the characters be animals and the setting be the forests and so called 'magic' being the motivator. Hymnal likewise makes the setting the modern equivalent of a scary forest, the hospital/nursing home and motivates the action of the narrative by invoking the 'magician' of this century, film. Hymnal's film student narrator who is so sure he has the answers already at the start, learns otherwise by the end is is able to truly start on path of self-discovery.

Whoa, did I just say that the Punk goal for society is pretty much like the Masons? Well, take it or leave it.

Hey there, FYI, I just got my Grandsons mail and they are nominated for 4 Wammies, wow. Way to go. We'll find out how it all shakes down on like Feb. 9, I think, at The State Theater, if you are inclined to attend.

So, right now, I am not going to talk about bands, rather I will speak of another music anomaly like the show that went with the film about Go-Go music, "The Pocket". I saw on Thursday, 1/23, what is being run thru the papers as a post-punk opera (not necessarily what the producers are calling it) called Nitrate Hymnal. So apparently DC is ready for the $20 opera, the pay what you can nite was packed and a 3 day run at a large theater seems to have sold out. So what is going on here?

I've had a couple interesting discussions with people who saw it this past weekend. For something that was trying pretty much to be a straight forward opera, I have to open every time I start talking about it by admitting that I came pretty close to bawling at the end-even with being a frustrated audience member questioning the casting of 3 'musical theater voices' with one flat-out opera diva, and technical issues like sound drop-outs (coming from tech people in the music business), still, to make an audience member cry in a semi-social setting like live theater is no small matter. The libretto is very honest and direct in a stream of consciousness kind of way, like the 3 minute punk song-so I can see how the media glommed onto the 'post-punk opera' catch phrase. And while the narrative reeks of sap, a grandson witnessing his grandmother's death in a nursing home while he recounts her life to us. For sappy, man almighty, it was sincere in it's sappiness. I agreed with every crazy thing the narrator said about his grandma being superhuman, I feel exactly the same way about my gramms-that's nice to see, it felt honest-no compunction about being emotions. Yet somehow this sappy sincerity was artfully given an intellectual grounding, where thru the narrator you are meant to realize the limited time and materials we have as human beings to make our piece with ourselves as individuals; blink and your life is gone.

The performances are done, as in over and finito, (it only ran Thursday to Sunday) for the time being. As I was talking to another music type at a party on Saturday, we hope it is a work in progress. It seems that there is still work to be done to completely realize this project. I hope the immense crew that they have assembled can go thru with it and work out the kinks. Also, I really wonder what all those people in the audience thought, all that recitative trash talking going on and all, I mean do that many people want to start going to operas? Apparently I like opera as much as the next person, boy that was a surprise. Or was the DC punk community just there to 'represent'? Is the corner turning in DC to new and even weirder things. That's fine with me. There is power in weird, as long as it is an honest and sincere weird.

So, I am proud to say that I made it to Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun with Mark Wenner and Ratso at IOTA. This was kind of a water shed moment for me to hear Bill Kirchen LIVE. I may have mentioned it earlier, but there was a point when I hung out A LOT with a group of guys 10-20 years my senior that grew up here. Therefore, they learned to play guitar because of Hendrix, learned their history lessons because of the Seldom Scene, and wanted to be rock stars because of Commander Cody and teh Lost Planet Airmen, and therego, ergo Bill Kirchen. So none of these guys I know grew up to be rock stars but they know their way around a lick or two and consequently hearing "California Cotton Fields" got me kind of teary eyed for the good ole days-that I experienced second hand thru devoted fans and pick up jams. But thats the beauty of it, music is an oral history that carries real well. Likewise, I was touched when Wenner sang "Walkin' After Midnight". So no one could do it better than Patsy, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't play it, it's the song that's great. She made that song SO LOVABLE that to sing it is a devotional act-I sing it all the time when walking home, it sounds great, 'cause for me devotion to music goes a long way, often quite a lot further than technical acuracy or hipness.

I was mightly surprised by the jazzy "Swing Fever"-is it just that I am now noticing all this jazziness? or is it a drummer conspiracy? It's OK with me. By the way, Jack O' Dell is a fine fine drummer with a great voice that he lets out from behind the kit and always chooses to sing balads with great character. Likewise with Johnny Castle, bassist, character extrordinaire in singin' and playin'. There's a decent amount out there on these guys, they were Grammy nominated for Best Country Instrumental in 2001 and they play around DC often.

I am going to try something new here, running links with all the local shows I can find links for in the left hand column of this page, instead of using the yahooey calendar. Tell me what you think.

OK there, so if you were not familiar with The Graverobbers then you probably don't know about the The Impromtadudes or the Karl Straub Combo, therefore you need to find out about Mr. Straub. Right now this is about the only place I know to send you right now for any information on Karl Straub, a fantastic local songwriter. His lyrics strike me as different from any I have heard before, yet the music surrounding them can be comforting and exciting at the same time. Seeing the combo go on at The State Theater before The Grandsons yesterday was great. I've been watching this new combo have mild growing pains in the past few months. As a listener the Combo came to fruition for me in some beautiful free form jazzesque accompaniment that occurred at this show. False starts and strange endings unconsidered, I am pleased as punch to hear Kevin Cordt on Trumpet, Chris Watling on Sax and the Straub Combo's drummer (whose name is Matt Tebo) who all have jazz leanings be able to let loose in this project. I for one think it matches beautifully with the painterly poetic lyrics of Karl's. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I don't know what happened? I did not get my hoppin' john on New Year's day, but I did have a great New Year's Eve. I suppose I will have to make things happen with my regular kind of luck. That's OK. it's served me thus far. I generally loath New Year's resolutions. But I do think that January one is as good a time as any to take heed of the past year and think about what made you happy and respect those individuals that mean something to you.

So here it goes, I am real lucky that Jenn, the ultimate groupie girl, who has been with "ggdc" from the start will start writing, hopefully later in the winter. I'm also really glad so many of our other friends have taken up the banner of MUSIC ENTHUSIASTS, listened to their own good sense and have started coming out to see LIVE MUSIC with amazing frequency. And they drive us places, can't thank ya'll enough for that.

I need to thank Dan who suggested this page in the first place and was the person that explained that when a musician is on stage at a small club, like many of the one's I frequent, they really can SEE ALL most of the time. They see who's listening, who's singing along, who "gets" what the band is playing, and so on. They see very clearly when someone connects with the music and they often can tell when you start going to their shows with regularity. Arblemarble bestowed my groupie status on me, and I have not looked back.

Now to all the individuals-musicians, club owners, bouncers, bartenders, and musicians-significant-others, thank you for sharing and for being wonderful human beings. I would not seem that likely that girls and boys with hearts of gold could grow up to be rock and roll musicians and own bars, but so many of the boys and girls I speak of in the dc area are priceless treasures. Whew, so sappy I am sticking to myself.

To digress and say a bit about the New Year's Eve line up at Iota for instance, the show completely kicked ass. Little Pink opened it up. Battiata and the rest of the band are beginning to command the rock and roll stage and it's great. What was always interesting writing on Battiata's part has really, really blossomed in the song 12 Birds. (So by the way thank Mr. Nelson for Adult Swim and for putting out a 4 song LP-CD with this song on it. If you have read this far, may I suggest you buy it?). New Year's Eve also played host to the Lee Wilhoit Experience. Lee while weaving and jumping and occasionally flailing in performance, always seems to be 100% present in the lyrics. He steps in with other bands a lot and he never 'phones it in'. His own lyrical material seems to follow suit , it's moody and mayhem in tandem. Then, even though it was a school night, and Bill Williams and Alan Brace were not there, Last Train Home, did justice to this gig, together, they just know Soooooooo many songs. They stepped up with all the energy that make's LTH shows so truly amazing.

Lastly, I am also thankful for bands with fun websites and e-mail lists. At the risk of slighting bands without these things, linking to lilks.com off of Last Train Homes cool links page has saved my 9-5 sanity more than once this past year. And kudos to Karl Straub, who without a doubt, has the best web presence without even having a major web page. The beauty is in his e-mail list, without a doubt the most amusing and informative e-mail I get from a band . This is perfect because to get on this list you GO SEE KARL play! You have a chance soon, this Saturday (1/3) he will be at the State Theatre along with Scott McKnight and The Grandsons.

Happy New Year!