Swoon Method, Alla'

  It's always a good thing to see contemporaries of mine out there starting bands.  People that are relatively my age, Gen Xers, I feel a type of shorthand.  And so it is with this band, Swoon Method.   I saw them perform first at Quenchers on a bitterly cold Thursday in January I believe.  On this same day I saw an in store performance from Alla'.  They played Reckless Records on Broadway.  It was quite a full and active day for me, winter be damned.  Often times it's better to defy the weather and have a good time anyway.  So it was for this winter night.   Cars would not start it was so cold.  Walking the block and a half from where I parked to Reckless was a test of endurance.  I do realize that there are colder places, like Wisconsin, Minnesota, it's what I was telling myself that as I walked from my car to Reckless.   I used to believe that I had a high tolerance for cold.  That living in Chicago has conditioned me to enduring cold winters.   I surprise myself with the kind of bullshit I believe.  I hate the cold.  I tolerate it less and less.   

  Alla' I see a lot, and I like how their music evolves with each performance.  I mostly have stuck to what I like, mainly goth bands with a female singer, and so it takes a bit of work to change from that to listening a male voice.   Swoon Method impressed me with no effort.   Hearing this band made me realize what kind of male voice I like.  I don't always explore that.  And it really wasn't only the voice, it was the guitar played by Gustavo Guerra.  It's like there are two voices, one that expresses in words the other without words, just the sound of the guitar echoing the words of the singer. It's like they answer each other without repeating the same thing.   It was my first time in Quenchers.  Alla will be playing Darkroom This Friday.   I'm going.  They will be the opening act, so I shall be there early.   

Pezzettino last Thursday

I missed Pezzettino's full band performance but I did hear the CD after getting it in the mail.  I liked Pezz' first CD "Because I Have No Control".   When I heard the second CD "Lion" I became a fan all over again, and this is just with the first four songs.  So I suppose in the absence of pictures of her very performance which I was too late to see, I will rant on the recorded music of her second CD Lion.   

   She plays the accordion with this Nick Cave coolness.  "Proved You Wrong" has the accordion understated in the background, letting the words do their thing until the accordion rises to the foreground giving the song another kind of breath to start over again.  It's not the only time there is this ebb and flow in a song, listen to "Walk From Here". Ms Pezz lets the song almost drift off before breathing it new life.  .....How do I say this, how can I articulate?  Each song I hear the accordion in makes me look forward to how she plays it next.  Listen to "Parasite", "Bumblebee", "Proved You Wrong".  Ms Pezz is just that consistent with it.   There are times where her use of the accordion reminds me of the harmonium.  Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan can just easily sing over her accordion for a short 12 minute song.  The piano reminds me of that recent fling PJ Harvey has had with it.  The same seriousness, only more playful, like say Amanda Palmer.   Then there are the lyrics.  Where the fuck do I begin with there.  I feel smarter every time I listen.  She has this empowering wit that is straight forward.  Nicki Jane, Jill Tracy, Emily Autumn, Uni and Her Ukulele, and now Pezzetino.  It's as if they all read at the same Bookstore, or went to the same Catholic grammar school.  In my mind this school and this indy book store are both in Twin Peaks. 

  You really don't need to read the lyrics, 'cause they are so crystal clear like a thought you had that she just articulated better for you.  Feelings, thoughts one has Pezzettino crystalizes into real empowering statements.  You can seriously put some of these songs in an indy Neopolitan mob movie with Chris Walken....and Tim Burton directing.  The music lends itself to images, situations, without being too specific.  A total soundtrack.   This band can have such a fan base among the gothic crowd.  For fans of the Projekt label, Pezzettino is for you.  So there I ranted.  This artist deserves support because she harnesses into song what is in thought. Zig 

Hollow, Monday 13 April

  So on a whim I look at what is going on at the Empty Bottle and see that Hollows are playing there on a Monday.  It was one one of their free Monday nights.  How else are you going to feel better about being broke?  One must still find moments to remember even as you are broke.  Going to see a band in the most awkward of days feels like you are defying the bad times.  Making them good.  I followed the links to the Hollows Myspace page and listened and damn!  I can't believe it's for free.  Any chance there is steal a weekend feeling moment from the weekend I take it.    Hollows sounded right away like something I would ask for a day off work.  There are three female vocalists Maria who plays keyboard, Emma plays bass, Meg guitar.  There is also a sax and a drummer.  It's mostly Maria and Emma who do most of the singing.  They weave their voices around.  They reminded me of The Dials at first.  This is a compliment to them....both of them.  But this comparison is only a beginning, and there are departures from it.  I have said that if one liked The Bangles, The Go Gos back in the 80's then The Dials are your band now, after all they are a contemporary band.  Yet, I would not make the same comparison with Hollows and those 80's bands.  I guess my mental back catalogue does not have anything to help me to describe them.   I did once see The Slits at Subterranean like almost two years ago, and I can understand that Hollows list them as influences.  The Slits are old, and I'm still not familiar enough with them to use as a point of comparison.   When I saw them it was also on a whim and I noticed how renowned they were among their fans.  I felt like the only kid without his homework done.    Hollows have yet to release a CD yet, so I caught them early.   Yeah, based on seeing The Slits I cans say that if you like that band Hollows will be something to see, since they are a young band.   For a Monday night they amassed quite a large crowd, familiar with them.   The audience even managed to squeeze out an encore out of Hollows.    I like what I heard.  I like how each voice is a separate pillar holding up the song.  This is indeed a band I would pay to see again.  And to think this is but a beginning.  Imagine how deep the well runs.