trocc

so it's been a week since i posted - i keep trying to sit down and update, but the energy hasn't been there, and so much has been going on that i wanted to try and do it all justice. we'll see how things go. at least i have some fun camera-phone pictures and song links to share if the narrative falls flat... you're in for a long one.



tuesday night - the plan was to meet up with MFN at the Empty Bottle to see Land of Talk, a Montreal band that we'd both fallen in love with towards the end of last year. they were the openers on a triple bill headlined by Menomena, who have a new record that is interesting, but... doesn't really grab me at all. for some reason there were no online ticket sales available a few days before the show, but it didn't strike either of us as a show that would sell out, it just seemed odd.

well, given the post SXSW buzz that always hits the city the week afterwards, we probably should have known better. i rolled up there about a half hour early and as the bus pulled up to the corner, i could already see a line forming outside the door. i find out that they have a limited number of tix still available for sale, so i get in line, but i have to call Michael and tell him it's unlikely he's getting in, as he hadn't even left the house yet. we decide to hook up later if i decide to split early. the line builds around the corner while i wait, but i get in while they still have 20 tickets for sale.

i figure i'll stay for Land of Talk's set and then jet - i'm not that high on spending the whole night by myself, watching bands i'm not really interested in while surrounded by Pitchfork-junkie hipsters. the sad part of it is that the bar has not really filled up when LoT gets ready to take the stage. works out nice for me though, as i get a good spot in front, and see the band beforehand. they're talking to a girl i recognize as Angela from Sybris. i haven't seen her band play in almost a year, but love their record and their music, so i introduce myself (saving her from the conversational clutches of Thax Douglas in the process), and we end up talking about the show, about SXSW adventures, and what is going on with them as far as a new record's concerned. her roommate shows up as the show's beginning, and we all stand in front and catch the set together. it was kind of cool to have someone to watch the set with.

the show was great, even though they were plagued with sound and instrument problems almost from jump. it seemed like they hadn't been given proper time for a sound check, and then the bassists' input jack fell into his guitar and they had to scavenge Menomena's fretless to finish the set. they soldiered on admirably though, and hit a couple of sublime moments, especially the closing number "All My Friends". they did a couple new songs, but almost all of the EP, which was great to hear - it was one of my top 5 of last year and had come out of nowhere... in fact, i hadn't even managed to find a copy for sale until i picked up two of them from Liz after the show. they say they'll be back in June, and i hope to be there.



then i split - called Mike and ended up meeting him at Kuma's for a few beers and some conversation. we had a great night. we both had some steam to let loose, as he's expecting his first kid in a month or so, and i've been dealing with this unemployment crap for awhile. it happened to be "Metal Night" at Kuma's, which was kind of funny, since it's pretty much always metal night there, but the bartender told us that this was the night they got to play all the black metal and stuff that the owner normally doesn't let them. so that was cool. and one of the owners was there, i wish i could remember his damn name as i've talked to him so many times now... but i guess when he's feeding us free shots here and there, he's got to realize that memories are going to fail. anyway, a great time catching up with an old friend.



the next morning started with a bit of a swollen head, but i was feeling well enough to field not one but two calls back about my resume! one of them i could care less about, but the other is something i could really be interested in, and i had a good 20-minute interview with the person over the phone that went well. i was told that after she finished her round of phone calls that day, she'd report back to the Chicago office and they would call me for a real interview if they were interested. so that was a positive way to start the day. after sending things out into a virtual abyss for so long, it was starting to get to me. i had actually sent my resume to the people i had the interview with back on March 5th, so i guess these things move slower than i'd thought.

the rest of the day was not as good, as the car refused to start. but it didn't sound too bad, and i messaged a friend who i thought could help me with it. had a nice calm evening at home.



thursday night i headed out at about 4:30 to meet up with the boys for some early beers at the Gingerman before seeing Isis and Jesu at Metro. it was an early show, but once there, we found out that Jesu wasn't hitting the stage until 8 - that and a text message from my buddy Drew who was inside the venue already (i'm surrounded by 16 year olds in Godflesh tshirts) convinced us to stay there until the time was right. it also allowed those that are actually working these days to get there in time for some unexpected pre-show hangout-ery, which was nice. FritzKD and i were the unemployed cats with beers in hand at 5:30, but we were joined over the next hour or two by Mike, Barsky and lancelac.

we timed our entrance to Metro just right, as they were breaking down the stage from Zozobra's set and prepping for Justin and the boys. i found Drew, who assured us we missed nothing, and got mentally ready for Jesu. Justin Broadrick has been making music in different guises for years, and i've been a fan of all of them - but i daresay that Jesu is the apex for me. in fact, walking down Clark from the bus stop to the bar earlier in the day, i'd made the observation that the new record Conqueror made a fantastic soundtrack to walking through the city in the sunshine. this is after it had already made a perfect soundtrack to walking through the city in the snow. one of the best albums of the year so far - i was so excited to see them.



they hit the stage, Justin looking as tall and lanky as i'd imagined he would, and before they launched into "We All Faulter" he let us know that he was feeling rather under the weather and to bear with him. as it turned out, his performance was fine, but the soundman seemed to be under the weather himself or something - when the bands' sound depends on layer upon layer of guitar textures washing over you, you really should turn up the volume a touch. so while i enjoyed the show quite a bit, i really just wanted to turn the knob to the right the whole set. kind of frustrating. at the end of the set, Justin mentions something about a 'secret show' the next night at Subterranean, and Barsky goes buckwild, calling his wife and having her pick up tickets right away - i already had some plans for the evening, so i couldn't jump on it like that, but i filed the knowledge away, texting realgone to see if he knew anything about it. since he's got the inside scoop on such things and stuff.

this whole 'secret show' thing threw us off a little bit as far as being ready for Isis to hit the stage. FritzKD and i were all busy yammering away about him seeing Sanford Parker and Bruce from Yakuza downstairs and actually were asked to be quiet from some dude behind us, which is hilarious to me. i was like, "you know what, you're totally right." and turned around and watched the show for real. i've seen them about four times now, and to some degree you know what you're going to get from them live, but that doesn't take away from the majesty or the power of the performance when you allow yourself to sink into it. last time i saw them, they played a bunch of stuff from In The Absence Of Truth before it had come out, but this time i was familiar with it and that added to the pleasure of seeing them again. they are just incredible. and the soundman certainly turned the volume up for them.

we retired to the Gingerman for post-show beers and babbling and the crowd gradually thinned until Michael and i were left talking to two strangers that had been sitting nearby - i don't even remember how the connection occurred, but we ended up buying an unclaimed pizza together and kicking it until after 1am with these guys - i talked music industry jobs with one of them, and he said he had some ideas for me - we traded cell numbers, but i haven't caught up with him yet. and Mike found that the other guy grew up in the same area as him and they talked high school shit. fun little twist to the night. and if this guy has any leads for me, all the better.

so friday. friday the plan was to roll up to the Double Door and see my boy realgone's band Making Ghosts opening up a four-band bill, then head up north to Smart Bar to meet up with the 'Bandit, a friend of hers, G-Voz and his girl, and Mike (making it a hat trick of hangout for the week) to see Ellen Allien. however, the plan began to fall apart early in the day, as G emailed me begging off due to illness. two down. LittleBandit and her friend got roped into some stress after work that i figured was going to radically decrease their chances of going out - and at that point Mike was like me, just waiting to see what panned out.



so i head into Wicker Park to visit with realgone and catch Making Ghosts. i hang at the rather empty bar with him and his buddies awaiting stage-time, and i get to meet his new girl as well. he is smiling a lot when she is there. the bar has filled up to a reasonable degree when they get on stage, and their set is fantastic, even though Mike breaks a string on the first song, and realgone tells me afterwards it was their worst show ever. whatever, i really dug it. after one cut that i really loved, i hollered incoherently as i am wont to do, and his girl (we'll call her A) who is standing in front of me looks back at me a bit fearfully. i am pretty certain that the song that caused the reaction in me has just been posted on their MySpace page, but i've linked it below as well. it fucking rocks.


this is realgone and his bass - Rocking.

anyway, after their set i mill around with them for a while, hitting the phone a bit to determine my fate for the rest of the evening. as i'd guessed, LB and her girl are out. this dominos into Mike begging off as well. so i start texting Barsky to see if he and V are really going to be over at Subterranean. they are. he begins sending me updates of who's on stage and such.

at this point the boys in Making Ghosts are getting their shit together to load out, and i am left hanging out with A when they leave - who immediately becomes one of my favorite people to hang out with as we crack on the silly punk band that is on stage and the creepy dude wandering around with the seven Macabre t-shirts he bought slung over his shoulder. we suck down some beers and move to the upstairs balcony (which i haven't been up in for years) to people watch and talk while awaiting realgone's return. the band is doing nothing for us, however, and we get word that he has been delayed due to some shady inter-band vehicle bullshit. so i offer up the Jesu show as an option, as i want to go, but i also don't want to strand A there by herself - she's up for it, but i make sure i call realgone and let him know before we leave. his bummed out voice has me a bit worried, as i'm basically leaving with his new girlfriend, but i make her call him and everything seems alright.



so we wander out, around the corner and up the stairs. first order is getting more beer, and then to find Barsky and V - in between these things, i run into Bruce from Yakuza and shoot the shit with him. they have a new record in the can that he seems really excited about, and tells me he might have a copy for me next i see him. which should be soon - they're opening for Kylesa and Genghis Tron at the Beat Kitchen April 8th... a lot of you know that they are probably my favorite Chicago band to see live these days, so i'm excited for that one. Bruce tends bar at the Empty Bottle when not rocking out, and i notice that also with him is Allison, who is one of my favorite bartenders in the city. she used to be in a band called AtomBombPocketKnife and i've had one of those bar goers' crushes on her for years. cool to see her out somewhere other than behind the bar at the Bottle.

so i hit the phone to radar in on Barsky, which doesn't take long - again, we timed things perfectly, missed Zozobra (again) and are awaiting Jesu's arrival onstage. i introduce A and we catch up for a bit, and then Justin hits the stage. amazing. this guy i've been dying to see for years and i'm seeing him two nights in a row in progressively smaller venues. and this night the volume is turned up. oh my god, it was nearly perfect. you could feel the crowd swaying with the pulses of guitar and i just felt like i was soaking in sound. gave myself over to it completely, except for the occasional glance at A to make sure she was enjoying herself - she was texting the boy a handful of times. i was still a bit worried that realgone was going to be pissed at me. but somewhere during one of the last few songs, i turn around and there he is, just up the stairs. i was so glad to see him i think i bumped A in the face going to give him a hug. he's got a big smile, and so does she, and we get to enjoy the last few songs together - they ended the set with "Transfigure", one of my favorites from the new album. show of the year for me so far, hands down.

Barsky and V split shortly after the set ends, but the rest of us head up to the third floor for some more drinks and talk. These Arms Are Snakes were the supposed headliner for the show, and they eventually get up there, but us and most of the crowd had really been there for Jesu. we kind of ignore them, other than to notice that they have kind of a spastic lead singer, which i hadn't guessed would be the case. realgone assures me that he's not pissed at me, and in fact seems to be genuinely glowing with happiness. this girl A is great. they split at some point, and i lounge on a couch upstairs texting Raedyn about my adventures for a bit, but finally i raise up and head home. i have to walk some extra blocks to get cash since my pockets and CTA card were both empty, but it was alright. listened to Ellen Allien on the iPod the whole way - i honestly did want to see her, but... the night worked out pretty damn well as it is.



you know what? i barely remember saturday. i think i slept all day.

sunday the 'Bandit and i decide to take the bus (remember, our car isn't working) up Belmont in the afternoon to get burgers and beers at Kuma's and maybe catch the Bulls game on their TV. seemed like a fantastic idea, and it was warm and beautiful outside. so we're walking up the street and see a bus roll past while we're about two blocks away. ah, well. but then, as we're about 50 feet away, another bus rolls past - and he just fucking blows through the yellow light and flies on by - if he'd slowed down at all, he'd have seen us flailing our arms wildly at him, but no luck. so we decide to walk while we're waiting. we walk a long time. we stop. then we wait. a LONG time. finally, almost an hour after leaving the house, a bus rolls up. of course it is jammed full of people, and we're sardining it slowly up the street. we get out in front of Kuma's at last, walk up to the doorway with our mouths watering in anticipation of cold beer, only to find a sign telling us that the joint was closed for a private party from 2 to 6. fuuuuuuck.

we end up walking back to the blue line and heading into Wicker Park - we were going to hit Pontiac, but they were way busy and at that point we needed food right-now-like. so we went up Damen to Silver Cloud, and although the burgers were not even close to the Kuma's experience, and frankly not even up to the Pontiac's standards, they did the trick. i also got to duck into Reckless and pick up the new El-P, which i had been fiending for. i've listened to it about six times now and it's all i'd hoped it would be.

that night i had trouble getting to sleep so i stayed up late and watched the new DVD release of Performance. i can't believe i've never seen this film before - although it did spend many years being rather difficult to find.






i was dizzied, stunned and enthralled with it, and i encourage you to check it out if you know about it at all and think you might dig it. it's a challenging film and certainly not for everyone, but it might be both the best british gangster film and the best drug film i've ever seen all in one. i want to see it again already...

that brings us to monday, right? which is the morning i got a call for a job interview at the Chicago office of the company i spoke to last week... yee-uh. i'm excited and nervous about it. so this week will probably be pretty low-key so that i have my wits about me on thursday when i head downtown for it. i don't want to talk about it too much, because i'm a strong believer in not counting your chickens too soon, but - keep your fingers crossed for me, i think i could enjoy this job.

then notoriousDUG came by to have a look at the car. that guy is so generous with his knowledge and time - and he totally got it running again! my uneducated guess as to the problem was pretty close to the truth, actually - so we rolled up to the Murray's on the corner and got a new round of spark plugs and cables and such, he had it all put back together in about 15 minutes. if you know him, tell him he's awesome for me. hell, tell him anyway.

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so - if you made it through my rambling self-indulgent journal, then you are super cool and i thank you. i have music available for you from the many suspects discussed above...

Land of Talk - Speak To Me Bones
Sybris - Good Internal Clock
Isis - Holy Tears
Ellen Allien & Apparat - Rotary
Making Ghosts - Circular Reference
Jesu - Stanlow
Yakuza - 20 Bucks