So I managed to see both acts in one night; The Fabulous Miss Wendy and then White Mystery. They are two completely different animals that throw themselves into their performances and have this mastery with the guitar. Ms Wendy is from LA, I think, and White Mystery is local. Ms Wendy did an acoustic set with no backing band at Reggies. She's insanely skilled on the electric guitar and so I was curious as to how her songs translate. Some worked, but I was already a fan walking in. So even when they don't work. Miss Wendy could do no wrong. You remember her set as much for what she says in between songs. The "jailbait" song she says is true. The song about Miami she said was true. Wendy just attacked her acoustic guitar. It was hard to guess what the audience at Reggies thought. She clearly had fans, but that was apparent after her show. I don't believe she was the headliner of that night. Wendy was there as part of this Valentine's Day thing. She has this punk rock attitude, not angry but mostly happy, and in love with her prowess on the guitar. You can't blame her. With the experience of Miss Wendy still the toast of my short-term memory, I went to Empty Bottle to catch White Mystery, the local brother/sister garage rock duo. Alex White sings and plays electric guitar and Francis hits the drums. I've seen them before. They have this raw electric, bluesy energy that resonates with everyone. Once you've seen the hair throw itself, you're sold on this garage rock that puts you on a Harley. Ok, I've never been on one myself, but White Mystery has you riding this forward abrasive blues, and you're taken back to the set of "That 70's Show". Each new song, ignites with singular energy. Well, I got friends that tell me the songs sound the same. So White Mystery will not be for everyone. What sounds like the mastery of a convention, an ownership of a style to one, resonant and still original, to another may not take at all. There can indeed be deep fault line between those that are sold, and those that refuse.
All the venues have that moment when for that one night they have all local music and everyone seems to be there to support it. A scene, or a culture looks inward and discovers how good we have had it. That Free Monday Night at Empty Bottle felt that way. I made it just after Dark Fog finished. It would have been nice to see the Dark Fog set....some of it. They can really test your attention span. Their songs are long and psychedelic, slow burns. I've seen them play twice before. I walked into the 'Bottle and a friend told me "you just missed the best band", meaning Dark Fog. I'm not trashing them at all. They certainly have a devoted, and passionate fan base. But I went to see White Mystery. I went to jam and dance to them. I went to see Alex White play her guitar in the crowd. That was awesome. And you can only do that when you know the audience is yours. This crowd she indeed has earned over year of playing locally. I saw them play Whistler, Sub T's. That's just within the last two, three years. They have a history that goes longer than that. So, here are some pictures from both two events in one night.
