So, In the interest of regaining momentum for this blog, I saw a new band!(of course it has taken me a week to post, but I've a lot to say) Really I SAW two new bands. Joss and Exit Clov, and you see, Joss is NOT from DC. Exit Clov IS, (in as much as all the members being enrolled in university in DC counts as being from somewhere.) I’ve made a tiny exception before, writing up Molehill Orkestrah (coming all the way from Arizona for a pirate radio benefit and the ottobar-rock on) and I’m going to do it again, write up Joss (just a bit bigger.)

Starting backwards, Exit Clov played second set on the backstage at the Black Cat. They had a lot to live up to for me. I'd seen a blurb in On Tap waaaaaay back in May ‘03, and took notice because I respected this Nevada person that wrote it for calling Clov out. Here at groupiegirldc, we struggle with the aphorism "If you don't have anything nice to say....etc." all the time. Then about a year later I saw the WP-Express nut and thought bubbled : "wow, that band’s still around" and "Great, they seem to be getting their shit together" and "I better go see this band." By then I think either Vivian from Cowlick Lucy or Mr. Joel had told me that Exit Clov was a major kickin 5 player with multi-instrumental, harmony singing lead singer sisters (phew!). I also think it was Vivian or Joel or both because I clearly remember Jenn being there and saying "Exit CLOV, C-L-O-V, that is the coolest band name, ever!" I can't tell you how much Jenn, Debbie & I bitch about good band names vs. bad band names, so this exclamation (even given that Jenn is a major theater geek) once again raised the bar for Exit Clov to be good.

A year and half later I have finally seen Exit Clov live. My summary on one helping of Clov: I challenge them to keep raising the bar. It seemed to take this band an inordinate amount of time to warm up to the set, like 4-6 songs, it was like Hsu sisters tangled in a rhythm section. Then, don't ask me what song it was but, in the middle of it the sisters both whipped out violins and played this synchronous dopler-ing drone for a goodly amount of time and rhythm did it's own thing and everything worked and there was a glimmer of the future. Susan & Emily (uh "the sisters" aka "do you know their twins?") are the ones responsible for all the instrumental multitasking I saw. I can speak for them being tight, at least at this show. (rah! girl power!) Keyboard, violin, and guitar power, it’s hard to resist.

I normally don't have much excitement for "pop", (I have almost no knowledge of pop music from 1984 to present, due to personal beef that signaled the end of free radio in this country for me...see me after a show if you need to know. This was before clearchannel got within 700 miles of NJ. Remembering moments like this make me think we are letting a free country slip out of our fingers. sigh. Anyway, back to pop music, right?) ggdc harps on experience at live shows, but in this case, cumon Exit Clov, with the artsy fartsy name I have to admit to having to check out their MP3's to thereby see what it was they were trying to do on that stage.

Listening to the MP3’s everything does sound tight and syncopated, Both practically and theoretically, they are trying to do an awful lot. In the studio they turn on a dime, live and on stage they are still just mortals. It will be interesting to see how long this band or at least some form of this band and all these nascent ideas sick around to amount to something.

(Now folks, you are about to witness what will seem like ggdc contradicting herself, but she is not. Figure out what I am talking about and go home with a certificate in karenese.)

Having been real familiar with Joss in recording I was pretty anxious and excited to see them live. Even right now I am struck by wanting to drop the CD in the player so I can write something all technical sounding, but really, why do that? Live, I walked away from Joss having noticed a hundred more rock n’ roll hooks in the music. It was cool to click with the visceralness of hearing a band live for the first time in awhile. Getting one’s ears back to virgin is not easy but worth it.

For only 3 instruments drums, bass & electric they make really rich and complex music. Mike, bassist, has a mike, (hah) for nice, subtle harmonizing. Another thing I like to hear, a bassist playing the song. It’s a hard thing to notice for me sometimes, but I think it’s brilliant when bassist's do it. What a super solid playa Joss’s drummer is too. Turns out Chris was in some version of the band Speed the Plough, which by way of website, I have just learned is somehow once removed from The Feelies. Hmm, Chris is really good and partly explains why he’s really good at doing more than just driving the song. There’s a call & response going on alternately with the drum & bass, drum & the electric. Drum & drum? Work's for me.

Then there’s lead singer Ambrose’s seeming ability to play the electric guitar partially via mind control, like Riley McMahon or Karl Straub-which I suppose must be like driving a formula one race car. Know exactly what you need to do, and you do not harbor even a flicker of realization that you are going at 220 mph, ever - cause then - pow - you crash. (Of course I’ve neither experience of driving a race cars or playing a guitar, but plug vicarious into this site’s search engine and see how ready I am to admit that as much as 50% of what I appreciate about live music is vicarious participation and it ability to breed great analogies like the above.)

You know, shoot, I need to say something about that wicked (to use a dated word) slide work Ambrose pulled out on the song Mojave Desert Highrise, too. Yum. I guess I’d heard him playing it on the CD, but it makes me feel like seeing is really hearing. How powerfully theatric. As I write this site mostly for people I know....you know how theatrical Jon Spottiswoode can be musically, gesturally and vocally? Well just imagine, Ambrose brings this to the table too, and he may be a slightly better technical player (though Spotty has really upped the ante with his playing ability in the past few years. Just check out his new CD, Building a Road.)

I really, really, really want to see Joss and Spottiswoode & His Enemies double bill. I’m kind of surprised they have not run up on each other. They both play the same round of joints in NYC: Candystore, Mercury, Knitting Factory and the like. I’m pretty sure they have never even heard of each other. It would be an art rock orgy, but maybe that’s just me.

So, umm, In the interest of full disclosure, now that you’ve read all the above, studio audience - if you’ve been playing along at home you may recall from earlier posts I know Joss’s lead singer, Ambrose. As I finish writing this, it strikes me now that I probably met Ambrose Liu and Jon Spottiswoode, (who I was also aquainted with in college) within about 6 months of each other, between the Summers of 1991 and 1992-when I was barely hanging onto my tender flower teen years. One was in school to become a film director, with a capital ART, the other was well on his was to becoming a recluse painter. Now thirteen years later, “what the hell?” They are rockstars. Yes, rockstars. They really are in my mind. Just as much as all the people I gush about on this blog that I have NEVER known personally. Is that sappy or what? On that note, I can think of no more beautiful way to end this post, having of course begun by talking about Exit Clov, a band that is at this present moment slogging through and trying to survive the same crazy ass time of life that I just got all reminiscent about.