The Dyes

So I saw the Dyes at Reggies on the last Saturday of January.  Their music on their myspace page sounded great.  If this is psychobilly music then where the fuck have I been? I believe this was the first such band that I go see. There was no reason to miss this thing.  I had the time off, the venue was close and parking at this place is still relatively good.   Cermak and State streets still have some good parking spots.  But the area is slowly being gentrified, so enjoy the transition while it lasts. 

   I totally missed Curiosity last week at The Abbey Pub, and so that made me want to go see The Dyes more adamantly, and seeing and listening to them on myspace is still only part of the experience.  An opinion is not truly formed until I actually see them live, if I can.  I walked into Reggie's not knowing how massive they would be.  Often the first band that you see of a certain type will define for you that said type for a long time, an imprint if you will.  A band will leave an imprint that can repulse or attract you, and make you wonder about who else sounds like this.   But I'm veering off again.  The Dyes were amazing.  Rugged, familiar and timeless they sounded to me.  They do this Buddy Holly cover that they totally owned.  They recall for me a certain 50's nostalgia, yet so relevant now, and so timeless.  But the real impact comes from songs like "I don't know", and ....Did that sound too bland.?  They were fast and aggressive.  Even the slow song sounded muscular and dominant.  It makes me wish I could hear it while I drive one of my uncles old muscle cars....yeeah!  The big green tank that got buried in the '79 blizzard.  Sorry, I got carried away, but this band is crazy good. I noticed the singer often grates down her voice like how Bjork does it sometimes.  She sounds so cool when she does that.  They deserve a massive subcultural following.  Let them share the stage with let's say World Inferno Friendship Society and they can quit their jobs.  Yet allow me to explain a few things.  I believe they can attract a wide audience.  I can see goths liking this, fans of Nick Cave, Johnny Cash.  The gothic/deathrock magazines should be all over this band.  

  If you like PJ Harvey, let's take a chance.  I ain't sayin' they sound like all them artists.  I 'm sayin' these are parallel worlds that need not be so separate after all.  But perhaps these are only in a constellation of my own creation.  These are the neighbors that dwell harmoniously in my own universe, ipod, mental soundtrack.  I know they are playing again, but I forgot when.

Zig