It was only two days before I left to meet up with Ha Ha Tonka on tour. I had a ton of stuff to do and what promised to be a very long day at work on Monday, so I probably shouldn’t have been going to a show on Sunday night. The good news is that I still got to bed early. The Greenhornes received a big boost in popularity after half their band (bass player Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler) became part of the Raconteurs, a band whose success was guaranteed due to the membership of White Stripe leader Jack White. Maybe it was them, maybe it was me, but I just didn’t like it. Rather than stick it out in hopes one of us would change, I left halfway through their set with no regrets. Come to think of it, I didn’t like middle band Hacienda much either. Their bluesy Stones riffs seemed too slick and calculated. Since most every other person in the place seemed madly in love with them, again I can only believe it was me.
So thank goodness for So So Radio. The local band was easily my favorite part of the night. They play an infectious sort of grungy power pop which reminds me of (and I wish I said this more often) Possum Dixon. The resemblance is even more obvious on their new CD Dustcovers, an assured debut release. As an added bonus, the drummer Sam Arneson bears a remarkable resemblance to Adrian Brody who I’ve recently become just a little bit obsessed with (Adrien Brody not Arneson). I’d first heard of the band after they opened for Ha Ha Tonka last fall. I missed their set (and most of HHT’s since I was seeing Billy Bragg in Milwaukee), but the boys told them to contact me. Despite such high profile gigs as opening for the Hold Steady on New Year’s Eve, they are still interested in playing at the house, and I can’t wait to have them. I just need to find the right band to pair them with. I wish Possum Dixon were still around.
So So Radio
Hacienda
The Greenhornes
No comments:
Post a Comment