Staring Problem On Tour played the renamed Township once called Pancho's. It was Sunday night 11 March, a stop on a longer tour from midwest to mid-south. This one set you somehow frame in your memory for all them little moments, almost forgetting this is a stop on a tour. They gotta repeat this a few times, and feel the wear of the road between the stops. Performing is just this thing they do after they spend most of the time driving from town to town.
They are from Carbondale, Il. The center of the tour. Two stops north Chicago, Milwaukee. And in the other direction are Nashville and St. Louis. I've never been to Carbondale. And now I'm curious for what comes from there, passes through there. Illinois is huge with many distinct local music scenes. Staring Problem are midwest specific, "beach goth". We gotta make due with what we got. I mean....Lake Michigan has beaches too like in Chicago's deep south side, Calumet Park....I think I know where they are going with this tag beach goth. The beach means relaxation, it's a place to be at ease. they are dark bassy and casual in appearance and delivery. So they don't go nuts with the make up, and corsets....heels....I'll stop. To describe them as relaxed does not mean they are slow. The bass naturally drives the muscle car fast. They are casual but alert form of energy.
Township had amassed a big, porous crowd for Staring Problem, and not very goth specific. I'm only saying 'cause Staring Problem have street cred in that department. They seem to lean more dark post-punk than goth rock, and with no keyboard in sight. They are strictly guitar, bass, drums. It's not unreasonable to want to see a Bauhaus T-shirt at least. But there was no such easy read of the audience that night. So what are the little moments? Hmm, the bass player broke a string exactly when they were ending that last song.
Zig
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