Listen...and weep

For my birthday, Karen gave me three Kevin Johnson and the Linemen CD's (Memphis for Breakfast, Parole Music, and The Rest of Your Life). It should tell you something that this is the first time I've been motivated to actually write something on this blog even though I've had the opportunity to since the very beginning.

All morning I've been listening to these CDs and I just want to cry. Partially because some of these songs are just achingly beautiful, but primarily because the only chance I'll get to hear these songs live is if Scott McKnight or the boys of Last Train Home perform covers. And that is a crying shame.

I'm not sure if it's my mistaken impression, born of Eric, Scott and Bill being Linemen before moving on to the incarnations we know and love them in now, but I feel like Kevin Johnson is the grand-daddy of all the music Karen and I have come to love over the past ...what is it three years now? (My lord, that was a long sentence.) And these albums totally live up to that impression.

Parole Music is one of the best albums I've ever heard. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and brilliant. This album is everything that all of these other musicians we listen to are aspiring to be. The song The Killer Pillow could easily be a Karl Straub tune (this may be the highest compliment I could pay a songwriter). Stay in Trouble is an absolutely beautiful song, totally heartbreaking. The arrangements on all the songs are great. His lyrics are great. This album rules.

I feel like I did when I discovered Karl's music...totally awed and delighted and desperate for more. I wish I'd known when I saw Kevin at the Americana Motel release show at the Birchmere what a rare treat I was experiencing. Kevin -- please come back! I want to hear these songs live! You're breaking my heart!!!

Get your own copy: sam records

This is a blogging service announcement. Once again, my life is out of control I am loosing my job due to contract fanagling, I am renovating an efficiency apartment almost single handedly which I must move into my April 1. So writing the blog is a wash, sorry there will be no schedule update this month either. I am seeing shows though, all this stress and tension needs to get released somewhere. God, I love live music.

Look at this schedule for March at IOTA?!?!?!?

Amazing, I think Steve & Jane are trying to drive my insane (or broke) - but more power to them! YAY! I always forget that Iota's birth sign is also Pisces, just like me! (My question is the club a Leo rising as well, just like so many of my friends. How does one go about figuring out what the rising sign of a business establishment would be? )

So, if you don’t know already, Chief Ike’s is where I first became a diehard Grandsons groupie. Chief Ike’s has not changed much since I was there last. Funny to hear myself say, but it’s refreshing that it hasn’t. It’s always been a fairly unpretentious place- it’s really a testament they are still there. I guess it popped up around the same time as Dante’s, 15 Minutes and the Insect Club, and they are all gone. How old does a club have to be before you can start talking about it’s history and how old it is?

Let me warn you, I’ve written a book here, it’s been a while since I focused on a new band.

So on like Feb 6, I go to hear The Shooters, a band from Virginia via Texas, a band I thought would sound reminiscent of my beloved G-Sons. I guess The Shooters did remind me of The Grandsons a little, I wrote down after seeing the show “The Shooters sound like Mike Holden & His Band had a test tube/petri dish baby with The Grandsons” (I fully realize I am one of maybe only 2 people in the entire Metro Area that understands this analogy-The Grandsons and Mike Holden are two very divergent bands that seem have very different clienteles).

To explain, The Shooters song choices are very melodic with heavy hooks and vocal runs like The Grandsons, but The Shooters lead singer, “J.R.”, delivers the goods with what I perceive to be a solo/singer songwriter voice. Like Holden, powerful and competent, but ultimately not an Issak, Orbison or even a MacEwen. I really lust after those warble-y, complex, cowboyish voices - I was a teensy bit disappointed, “J.R.’s” voice is not that. There was plenty else to make me want to watch this band in the future, for instance the freakin’ song “Whisper” . (You can get it on Washington Post MP3. I’m getting addicted to it. Talk a about a song with hook, I think it's yummy)

Also, their lead electric guitar, “Scooter”. This guy is young and hands down is the cleanest most classically trained "looking" player I have ever seen outside of 1960’s documentary films featuring Segovia himself. Maybe I am making this up, I didn’t talk to him, but the shows I go to I just don’t see anyone with that kind of technical form, EVER. Everyone I listen to taught themselves to play or were virtuosos on air guitar before they ever took a lesson. Amp/PA problems did hamper hearing all Scooter’s ‘clean’ riffing that I am making a big deal of but honestly, just watching him play was pretty. I’m anxious to hear this “Scooter” guy run through a real sound man.

Typical, to talk about the rhythm section last. A few months ago, I was all into noticing real sparse drum kits-well, I’ll be cow kicked, not for this band. They’ve got a beefy kit, not quite “hair band” size, but I lost count at four. Two were toms, and Smack Daddy Dave used them all. The bass player was mic’d for back up and had a good voice from what I could tell. Let me tell you, this bass guy ”Stub” was one of the most energetic bass players I have ever seen live around here. His playing pretty much kept step with his antics too.

Truly, this whole band comes prepared with antics and chatter built in, I was kind of surprised. Going into this show, I knew about the band members over the top stage names but was not prepared for the comedy. Like a spoof on the Janet/Justin Super Bowl booby incident. Weird, but then again one person’s weird is another's gravy. Like what I thought was sincerely cool was the fact that “J.R.” wrote an original song for ukulele inspired by his mother. I am self-aware enough to realize most would find the second situation weird, I don't.

Putting how I subjectively define weird aside, Debbie really hit the nail on the head:

“The Shooters remembered the first rule of schmoozing: get to know the crowd -- they are potential fans. I appreciated that J.R. and Smack Daddy took the time to introduce themselves and sit and talk with us. Attention, rightly placed is always welcome. I don't like going to shows where the band seems more interested in your wallet size than in you as a person. Making people feel special and not neglected is the cardinal rule of REAL hospitality, which translates into fans wanting to see or hear you again.”

If the above isn’t in groupiegirldc’s top ten, it should be. It’s real important, being nice and engaged with everything that is going on at your show will never, ever hurt and The Shooter’s on first viewing seem to have this covered. They’ve got the instrumental skills, they have original material and they did some really interesting covers, tweaked just enough to their sound, U2-I mean who does U2 covers? David Frizzell's Wino, and Depeche Mode song too, I think-? There’s not many bands you could check out and hear all that in one night. I’m going to keep my eye on them and see what happens. You can see them at Grog&Tankard on the 27th.

Speaking of being nicey, nice, here's a transcript of
Mike Schreibman, President and Executive Director, Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) talking about the Wammies Live Online on February 11, 2004 It seems a lot of Mike's pictures found their way onto WP-MP3's Opsasnick's Capitol Rock review pages too. Just reading some of the questions & comments in this online chat makes me quiver with giddiness. I have to get to this Wammie show one day and meet this Mike guy.

So the below is a wash, no recording of a live show this weekend, but at least there are shows.
I suppose it would be remiss of me not to mention how excited we are that LTH has decided to lay down track for a live album very soon, the last weekend in February to be exact, on my Birthday weekend too! yay!

Sunday February 8, I'd have to say the Little Pink show Black Cat backstage is a no misser, love the backstage, when it's done right, as we know it will be by Little Pink. Spoils of NW has been checking themselves out on ggdc, they did a District of Ladies show last month that I missed - but they still get hits on my site, so I should write something. I very
much want to see the whole show.

Updating my template and even blog entries has been hell recently, I don't know what I need to format to stop having these problems.

Things to remind myself about:

1) My ten reasons I keep checking out AMS
2) My take on Opsasnick's Washington Rocks
3) The link to the W-post's fantastic MP3 setup for Opsasnick's Capitol Rocks

Hazel Dickens at Strathmore, I really want to go to this on 2/4, but I have to be a spend thrift this month. Wah!

and by the way I AM TRYING to update my calendar, but I can't. Double Wah!

There's a lot of special stuff this month, 2/4 to be exact like Hazel Dickens at Strathmore on Thursday! Oh boy do I wish I could go to that-but I have to be a spendthrift this month, wah!

And by the way, I am desperately trying to update the calendar and it's not cooperating again!

Hello, a snowy day in DC, ya'll. I have found something online by accident that I in awe of at the moment. A labor of love discography of Country Music records from 1951 to 1964, called Rockin' - Country Style
I'm not quite sure how I would use this yet, but shoot-I mean shoot - look at all those songs, and you can see those 50's/60's record labels even by geographic region (like checkin' out DC). I've finished Opsasnik's book, (but have to collect myself to write about it) and imagine that he would want to know about this site, so fans, this is why I post it. (Well that, and so I can find it again)

A correction, The Shooters show at CHIEF IKE'S MAMBO
ROOM is on FRIDAY Feb 6th, not Saturday Feb 7th. So
catch them as part of your extended happy hour on Friday
the 6th. and check it out, a web site for Chief Ike's.

This entry will be known as "Become a Shooterfan."

(caveat emptor: I have not seen this band live yet)

Take a look at this email I received from "J.R." of the "carefully selected nickname" entitled "Your new favorite group in DC..."


THE SHOOTERS!


I stumbled over your page in the yahoo groups, and I
simply must have you as a fan. I MUST! I WILL!


So we're a half texan, half virginian twang-banging
band called The Shooters. We sound like Chris Isaak
with attitude. You can read up about us and get show
info at
http://www.shootersite.com


Be a fan!



J.R. Royall

The Shooters



So for your benefit "J.R." behind the scenes this is what the founding members of ggdc say- "hilarious. the boy definitely deserves our attention!" and "Oh my gosh, that's so cool." So much enthusiasm in such a succinct email. And look how 'neat' their website is, by which I mean clean type faces and animation that doesn't crap out my dial-up, and what may be real artists drawings on the show page. Nice. I can't believe I'm posting these shows with out seeing the band first, but it's so neat and organized and easy to copy, I can't resist.



* Wednesday, January 21st .............Velvet Lounge

Doors at 8:00, us at 9:00

915 U Street NW, Washington DC

(202)462-3213



* Saturday February 7................ Chief Ike's Mambo Room,

Special Valentine's Day Show!

Doors at 7:00, us at 8:00-ish

1725 Columbia RD (between 17th &18th streets) Adams Morgan, Washington DC

(202)332-2211


(awwww, it's Chief Ike's, Anyone know what band I used to go see here ever other Wednesday in the 90's? If you do, you win a lollipop! Well really we all win 'cause look, it seems Ike's often does live music again and other live performance stuff too!)


and lastly,

* Friday, February 27th .............Grog and Tankard

On at 11:00 pm

2408 Wisconsin Ave, NW

Georgetown, Washington DC

(202)462-3213



FYI, This is going to sound petty, the Grog is in "Glover Park", not Georgetown. It's like saying the Black Cat is in Dupont Circle, close - but no cigar.



PHOEBUS is also playing at the Grog in March, maybe. hmmmmm, infamous old Grog, shoot, that place has been around awhile. I am inclined to "go off" on the Grog, but honestly I've seen a lot of shows there. And while they have spruced the place up, it's got a residual DC funk (as in smell) circa 1980 to 1998 that I thought was gone when the 9:30 moved and the Bayou closed. Now the Bayou and the 9:30, while smelly, had almost from the beginning featured national acts. You won't see so much of that at the The Grog, occasionally, but not in the same class as those DC classic clubs. But like I said, I have seen lots of shows at the Grog in 14 years and generally I like to think I don't listen to trash, otherwise you would not be reading this. The Grog's, got the smell, the look and the college students and the fact that the place is so close to richy-rich Georgetown yet (I assume) still between two strip clubs is priceless. Checking out any band at the G & T is time machine for me. If researched before attending a trip to see a band would be worthwhile for anyone.

Girls Against Boys line up at the Velvet Lounge is posted now. Partyline, Spoils of NW, Rose and SHORTSTACK all playing on January 16th. I'm very psyched, I wonder how mobbed it will be?

Junestar, a swell band I've seen a couple of times and not written about yet, they don't seem to get DC side much. So sad.

Check this out, the Paste
Magazine 2003 Readers Poll.



OK, I'm not a reader yet, but I took the poll anyhow. I got hipped to this by Debbie b'cause it seems that this magazine has a soft spot for Spottiswoode and his Enemies. Their building a road is listed by the mag with people like Dave Matthews, Radiohead, Kathleen Edwards and Beth Orton. Jenn found Paste online as they put a Spotty single on one the CD's that goes to subscribers of the print mag. Totally cool, non? The great thing about this poll is you see the results after you've taken it, S&hE is doing quite well in the "Paste Poll" and hey they give you comment boxes too - like "what was the most overrated CD of the year" in my world "The Complex" Blue Man Group's collaborative release, blech. Such a disappointment after their first CD "audio" which was amazing. Go buy "audio" if you can. If you need to hear "The Complex" my copy is probably under a table leg to keep a table top from wobbling, go and take it.

Happy New Years bands and fans! Where did this year go?

More importantly, what do I have to show for it? This time last year, I was still a fresh-faced blogging-newbie, naively thinking ggdc would become a chat room or someone would throw money at me for starting a magazine etc. Thinking it would happen in 2003 was the naïve part, realizing the real reasons I try desperately to keep up this journal has been a complex and rewarding journey.



Trying to keep my show-going notes current online has given me new respect for those in the performing arts that also keep a day job. As a visual artist, I am used to locking myself up in the studio until ready to present my work to the world like a batch of freshly baked cookies. Not so with performers and journalists, you have to be out there multi-tasking , growing the cocoa beans, milling the flour and preheating the oven – all while performing. Knowing that many of these actors and musicians also punch a 9-5 time clocks like myself, is truly mind-boggling. For those of you that have made the redoubtable move of kicking the 9-5 safety net to the curb take heed of this thing a 40’ish male friend of mine said after seeing LTH at Carter Baron Amp this summer: “It does my heart good knowing that there is someone my age going to work with their shirt untucked.” While I am not a 40’ish male, I know exactly what he means. I sometimes enjoy the “untucked shirt factor” as much as the music.



What else has this obsession got me? A ‘beater’ of a car. For most the only way getting a beater would be of mention was if proceeded by four letter words. Having lived in DC for over a decade without a car by 2003, (I had not even been behind the wheel since the mid-nineties) the decision to actually buy a car was formidable. While I’m still not sure it was a great idea, and as I’m still afraid to drive on highways and parkways having been nicknamed “the threat” by at least one person. Embracing the rock & roll world started me questioning my slavish attachment to the DC subway system that has yet to move into the 20th century and stay open 24/7 and made me re-visit driving as more than a spectator sport. While I’ve not been on 95, or even close, I’ve been known to wear a path Clarendon like a Conestoga wagon trail. For you readers prone to worrying, this driving thing has reduced my bar tab to all time lows. While this may not be rock & roll, it’s got all kinds of benefits like health and money in the bank (sort of).



I said these exact words last year, but it bears repeating. To all the musicians, club owners, bouncers, bartenders, musicians’-significant-others, and fan friends THANK YOU for sharing your gifts, your love and your livelihood with me and all the groupie girls and boys. If I didn’t live it everyday, I would not believe that hard ass rock n’ rollers and club owners could be unjaded, all around fantastic human beings. Please don’t ever loose sight of that.



I also want to thank those behind the scenes at ggdc. In no particular order



Debbie & Jenn are #1.




Ask Mike at Crosstown Arts who took my suggestion for the new WAMA Members Calendar-visit it often.


to Mike of Cheap Date for linking to me.


To bands who took time to read ggdc, while I am still trying to find time to see them perform Juniper Lane, Junk Food, and The Issue, Mark Helm, and
Mike Shupp.


And to Mike Holden for starting
AMS that sends me plenty of hits.


To the deej and
Hungry for Music for doing more than the next guy for the right reasons even when they don’t have too.


And Mr. Joel for keeping his calendar up and running when I don’t have time to update mine.


And my greatest hope is that my brother’s Wigilia (Polish word-look it up) promise to me comes true: to help me work out my IT problems and try to find time to possibly be my webmaster, so cross your fingers.





Love & Luck & remember enthusiasm doesn’t cost a cent


ggdc

The nice people at the DC nightlife Coalition bring you the DCNC AUTOSEND. Tell the government what you think, get DC the live music venues it deserves!

So I left off with the dynamics of stage sharing, who gigs with whom and whatnot. I'll Start with the bene at Iota because it is fresh in my mind. Can I just tell you the biggest most pleasant surprise of the Alejandro Benefit was Karl Straub singing harmony with Mary Batiata on a new song of hers. Whoa, harmony is an understatement, they sound great together! Karl has played guitar live with Little Pink on more than one occasion and I think he produced her first album, oi vay, why did it take so long to discover how great they sound together?

Other funzies at the bene, hearing the band June Star. They had opened for LTH, like over a year ago at The State - I remember them as being interesting. They totally hung together at this benefit, even with what was a sit in drummer (I think?). And this sit in drummer, he rocks - he played electric and sang a number of lead vocals with Lee Wilhoit & Phoebus in a band that is yet unamed, or so they joke. Anyway, gotta find out what this talented youngster's name is. Another treat was Bill Kirchen, rockin solo with some old bluesy stuff then sitting in on Jumpin' Jupiter's set. These are really fun things that just don't get a chance to happen day to day-yay for benefit show mentality!

Hello, so it's been a good old fashioned groupiegirldc kind of week. We'll have been to Iota 3 times in 7 days by Sunday. There are good shows at Velvet Lounge and Staccato this weekend. Check out Mr. Joel's calendar, it's got most of what I have not had time to add to mine.

Especially take note of the Alejandro Escovedo Benefit little promos for this show have been popping up everywhere. It's my kind of line up-LTH, Little Pink, Bill Kirchen, Jumpin Jupiter, Bill Kirchen, Brandon (whose last name I can't remember, from Canyon, Karl Straub, Lee Wilhoit (hmmm that's now all the members of the former Graverobbers? Reunion anyone?) It will be a lot switchin' around, but it should rock! I'm sure there may be other players I've missed to so come on out. If you have not heard of Alejandro Escovedo, search him on the net you will find gracious tribute to this still living artist who needs a lot of help with medical bills.

Now the super groupie thing to do is always keep tabs on 'developments', like who shares stage with whom and who gets posted on what message board or list serve etc. I am going to try and map out some of these new developments next as I did make it to the Holden/Rotoscope show and got visuals now on some of the AMS postersand Brandon whats-his-face from Canyon is playing at this benefit Sunday....hmmm, must digest

this is a post for me only, remember this name, Malcolm Holcombe, from North Carolina. wow. real. very very real.