We made it over the Frequency just as Cribshitter was setting up. They had just gotten a new fog machine and were obviously pretty excited about it- the last item on their set list read “FOG FOG FOG FOG FOG FOG FOG!” Unfortunately said fog machine seemed to have a mind of its own, spewing out artificial weather at random intervals and with such voracity that not only was I convinced I was going to asphyxiate, but they also set off the venue’s smoke alarms. Other than that, it was pretty much Cribshitter as usual, tuneful songs interrupted by bursts of noise and offensive songs nearly redeemed by catchy melodies. In other words, I’m still not sure why I like them. Tuba player “Danika” increased her vocal presence in the band with a new song about, um, “Cuddleduds.” I’ve stopped questioning.
Headliner Sleeping in the Aviary has been so consistently excellent over the last year that they were due for a bad show. I just had no idea how bad. Without getting into too many specifics, this is a family blog after all, I’ll just say that when Elliot isn’t playing guitar he doesn’t seem to know what else to do with himself. When he showed up at the house two nights ago with his right hand encased in pink plaster, I asked him what had happened. It turned out that a friend was demonstrating some self defense techniques and asked him to punch him. Not being someone who punched folks very often, it turned out badly. Like most musicians, he doesn’t have insurance, but when the pain didn’t go away for weeks, he had to see a doctor. Sure enough, it was broken.
With him unable to play guitar, several guest guitarists filled in. Icarus Himself Nick Whetro took some of the parts while Bobby Wegner from the Hussy played on some others. Eventually the constant movement of people on off stage turned into a free for all, with some freer than others. The set list was a collection of covers and songs from their first (and in my mind not nearly as good) record. Eventually the show came to a close, luckily before anyone was hurt. As we made our way out, Phil stopped me, “Thanks for coming,” he said, before adding somewhat incredulously, “thanks for staying.”
With the two bands I had come to see not turning in what I would call their best performances ever, The Hussy turned out to be the highlight of the show. Either they know the value of not overstaying their welcome, or they just don’t have much material. Either way, their blink-and-it’s-over set was very entertaining, and just as importantly they didn’t try to suffocate us. The terrifically named Hussy is two thirds of Cats Not Dogs, a band which impressed me the one time I saw them, opening for OK GO. After playing perhaps the biggest gig of their short careers, they promptly broke up. Wegner and awesomely sassy drummer Heather Sawyer formed the Hussy shortly after. Their short sets are a glorious combination of girl-boy vocals and garage rock exuberance. Good stuff. I’m glad I finally got to see them.
Cribshitter
The Hussy
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