Nothing is an Excuse
It has been a quiet couple of days and I have wanted to post a new blog, but I had nothing to post. Just not a lot going on up here in Valhalla. It has been awhile since I have seen any bands or shows sadly, and I have not seen a whole lot of news or or articles that I could share.
So I had nothing. What choice did I have, I had to get my ass out of the house and check out some bands somewhere. So I actually checked the FeastofNoise calendar, Who is Playing Where, but I did not have anything listed for Saturday the 27th. Well I did but it was an all ages show right around the corner. I should have wandered over and checked it out.
No, I really wanted to wander down to the city. I did want something new but somewhere where I could indulge my rum and cokes. So I proceeded to check out some of the venues that were listed on the venue page. Feastofnoise is really one stop shopping for bands in the city and around the NY metro area-well we are working on it.
Enough of the self-promotion. I did go through the list of venues, checking their calendars and listing of acts, and I ended up at Arlene’s Grocery, which I have been to too many times and seen some pretty good acts. Saw the Sex Slaves there fresh from their Japan tour with Tor playing rhythm with them. I have seen the Statues of Liberty there too many times. It was at a Katrina fundraiser at Arlene’s that I first saw Mad Juana and the New Professionals.
Last night was about such acts and just looking for something different, something new. So I somehow I went back and checked out three acts that I knew little about. Ended up checking out Supergravity, Sweet Fix, and the Ghosts of Eden. I think it was Supergravity that persuaded me that it was Arlene’s that I would head to. Supergravity, and the fact that I might want a crepe fro the Creperie around the block.
Why Supergravity? Simply because they listed Pink Floyd and Muse on their friends list on Myspace. I ended up catching only two songs of theirs, the first was pretty cool-appropriate hard driving rocker from a power trio act. The second was a cover-a poppy tune from the sixties I think. It might have been a Paul Simon tune. Anyway, they were a power trio, good guitar, some solid drumming, and alright vocals. Will have to catch them again, hopefully their full set.
The next act up was Sweet Fix. They were alright, They had their moments. The singer seemed to have a thing for Billy Idol. He had the hair, the gloves. Guitarist had a nice presence and sound with his SG. The drummer and bass player did the job. As a band, I was not sure. They did one song that got my attention, but in general I felt I had seen and heard them before. I could go back and see them again. They did have some presence and their tunes did work. There was something. Maybe I was just not ready for another Billy Idol.
The third act was Ghosts of Eden, a four piece with little of that stage presence that Sweet Fix had-they were not in it for the visual. Their songs though had a lot of heart, some nice arrangements. And they were a band – they were playing together as a band.
All of these acts had something going on. All of them were worth checking out. I might have an issue here and there, but perhaps a result of too many trips to Arlene’s and places like it.
