The Spiritual Bat

  I know this post on The Spiritual Bat is way the fuck late. Their tour brought them to Chicago's Live Wire Lounge some time in August 2016. Every time I see them I write. The last post on them was 2014. It amazes me the travel they do, all the way from Italy. That's their home where Rosetta teaches english. When touring, Chicago is in the middle, somewhere far from the light of the last stop.  Its important for me to be mindful of this and what that means. I light a candle to each moment remembered, until I have myself a shrine..... of sorts. This post on them kind of just surfaced like this all slow. Chicago audiences have been for them sometimes small and intimate. I cannot exactly

recall how many this time. Its the third time at Live Wire way, way up on Milwaukee Ave. There were many local familiar faces, the kind that surface for all things dark, and this is goth rock. I see this and I can't believe the culture is dying. Its aging, yeah....so? The Bats are goth rock and that filters and concentrates who shows up. Death rock people are the best, they hold nothing back.
  The foggy edges of memory favor old German Expressionist ways of laying out the dirt road. Youtube fills in a lot of gaps, and that is awesome to see someone uploaded video of them playing live. It helps to activate dormant memories of them saying random shit in between songs, the personal minute shit that does not move along any fucking storyline but it colors shit another shade of black. Rosetta gets into it with sneers and gritting teeth. Her passionate performance of new and old work never lets dormant glowing embers of memory fade.
  Seeing them this one time intensifies the first memory and the rest like a chain reaction.  I'm always glad to see the Bats period, and now also for the little reasons that peel off the onion. They are a goth band touring a land that likes to think the culture it belongs to is an aging costume. Goth is always fucking again dying, Neo is closed. You Hot Topic mall goths that age in dog years, are bringing the rest of us with you. So to see this on a stage makes me glad I can fit in some of them aging black pants and shirts. The Spiritual Bat is still an old outfit, an old goth band with roots stretching into the 90's. They have aged with me. They have aged like me. And here they are performing new work. That means they are still active. Their tours have taken them to WGT and Whitby Gothic Weekend, Castle Party, all the last bastions of goth...and Mexico! Yet touring the world is still a recent mastery. I was not aware of them before 2008. I like the new songs I heard from them on this tour of 2016. Its great to have something to look forward to from an old goth band. Hmmm, yeah, I know they are not that, that old, but are we waiting that long for y'all to appreciate?
Zig
 

Vail at Cole's

  For the second time I see Vail at Cole's, and fucking wow! Everything that she plays is impacting, and also so mysterious. I got there well before she started. Shows at Cole's usually start kinda late. So my drive to there was less pressured. The Vail bandcamp page was not linked to Cole's, so I had to dig, but I found it. I don't know which of these songs she played, but I am getting well into what is on Bandcamp. I don't know when I would see her perform again. And so that factors in when watching it, soaking as many answers as you can find. Mostly I was finding more questions, at the time. Vail is the secret solo project of Emily Kempf. Both times seeing Vail, I was sure I've seen her play before. Its not uncommon for one to play in more than one band. I just could not name it. Fuck it...more digging. It's Heavy Dreams! And I saw them at Empty Bottle......with Fielded! Cool...that was just bothering me. I had to figure it out.
  Visually you get a real theatrical performance with Vail. I'm talking costumes, props,....plastic sheets, all that. The visual is there before you hear anything and then what you hear is no bullshit. Its powerful, its great, and you want to see it again. Its one of those bands that not only are you happy to have seen it small and local, its twice as awesome when you know they are also local. There is a depth to her voice, Ms Emily's like its slightly older than her. This is on top of the creativity on display visually and then the actual music.  The songs she played did not telegraph each other, so that each track is its own mystery. Vail is ethereal, dance. There was not one moment when I was not compelled to dance. So she knows how to keep one's attention. Think about it. Who ever has you dancing has your attention, you give that to her. And then she turns elusive, mysterious. There are many people that I can say this, and it holds true to Vail. There is no genre or subculture that Vail does not visit. I feel that she has a familiarity with many and it shows in the music in her bandcamp and live. I wanted to see again after the first time when Vail played Cole's. That gig was something else, a very diverse bunch of performers, Mykele Deville, Natalie Grace, a rip in time/space diverse.   
  It is note worthy for me who I saw at these gigs. I saw Scott Cortez from Astrobrite. He is a very active and well known local musician in the shoegaze scene. Star, a band that I am still fond of and was active around 2007, 2008, was his. So there is music in my collection that I can connect to him.....hmm, perhaps I should have saved that bit about Scott until at least the next Fauvely show.  But I cannot disconnect seeing him from seeing Vail, and he was there at both shows. And here is something else unexpected that I cannot separate from the second time seeing Vail. A cousin of mine that I would often see at family gatherings I saw at Cole's. This is a scenario that I would often play in my head. Because me at these concerts is me breathing, and I don't often get to share these moments with many in my family. It takes an extraordinary effort to get them to go to these weird shows. And I got accustomed to it just being me even as I wish it was not. So it was great to see this cousin seeing this specific band. I was told that he moved to Logan Square. He is into Twin Peaks....the David Lynch show. If he can like that kind of weirdness then Vail is an easy sell. He lived a few blocks from Cole's and so we walked and talked casually with his friends. One actually talked to Ms Emily before leaving with us. I had to soak up every second of this and be aware of my good fortune all present like a rare star in the sky. A friend who is an extraordinary, and respected local musician, family present in an environment where I feel well at ease, and a kick ass mysterious local band. Wow!
Zig

Walking Bicycles at Ian's Party, last time at Double Door

  This looks to be the last visit to Double Door, before it was taken from us...foreclosed I think. This show, it was in December. Ian's Party got together bands in like three or more venues. Ian's Party was set up to raise money to fight homelessness. You could get a pass that covers all three days but I only had enough for that one....Friday I think. I did not want to dwell on who I would miss. And I know I missed Beat Drun Juel, they were playing somewhere and it hurt not to be in three places at once. It was fucking cold, the kind that discourages you from stepping out of the house to retrieve the mail. It makes you think twice over things that can happen. When its below 20 degrees, the thought of say....needing to change a blown tire....that makes you reach for the remote and see what's on cable. Still, the Walking Bicycles don't play that often, and these are really close friends. They got me into Shameless. I saw them during a very impressionable time for me. When I started focusing locally, they were among the first bands to impress on me. I used to travel once a year to Whitby, England for the Whitby Gothic Weekend. It was something I would save up for the whole year to do. And going there, I got to see what music plays there. And it trained me to look abroad. Then at some point, I could no longer afford to go. The moment I focused locally, Walking Bicycles were the first band to hit the spot. They planted me back home. I was reminded of the great music that lives in my home town. And so I go see them whenever I can. I am still into their music. Their new work To Him That Wills The Way is fucking muscle car post-punk. If you like Savages, I think I can sell you on the Bicycles. Yeah really. It can at least stop that habit of saying "she will, she will, she will" all the fucking time. They do have videos of them on Youtube. Its just a matter of sifting through all the vids of.....actual bicycles that walk. Its worth it....sifting through to find....anyway...They only play one from their old catalog, Whirling Dervish, and that is ok, really their new shit is great. And now they are playing new, new music, that they have yet to record. As I write each time about them, I gotta find something else to say but the same old praise, and there always something I missed and could have said better. So lyrics are starting to sink in now. I don't force things. I let them sink and allow them to reveal in their time.
  So its the coldest night that I recall. I wore so many layers, and I could feel the spots where I was not covered. Jeans, I don't care how black, do not retain heat, not that color would make a difference. Wicker Park is so fucked up for parking. I already know I gotta park far. Where did I leave it? Way up on Milwaukee...or North Ave? The temperature made me really feel the distance. I think I ran some of it, yeah. I was out of breath when I arrived. I was thinking how it would really suck if I came all this way only for it to be a training exercise. But I was well on time. I think I saw some of the guys from Lightfoils, they were outside smoking. I think I may have even seen Julius. I recall talking to someone on the way in. It was early enough that I can hang around the Bicycles and talk. I don't know how we got around to talking about Cafe Tecuba, but he knows of them. And that is awesome of him. They were scheduled to play downstairs, and that was cool. Anytime I get to see them outside Empty Bottle is great. Downstairs in Double Door was like a wide but cozy basement. There were so many other musician friends I met there that night. I walked around this venue not knowing, but wondering when they will close the doors on them. I was puzzled to see all the posters of the upcoming shows. Its like they did not see the exact moment coming. I did not want to see the posters but I could not help but notice, oh, shit....No Men at Double Door 6 Feb. By then the doors were shut and the locks were changed, but there are worst things to whine about, especially now. When I decided to leave, I said my goodbyes to whoever I could and walked back into the cold to drive home happy. It's good to know these friends of mine continue to write music. Work keeps them busy at that is a whole separate world, it might as well have its own atmosphere. This one show they had in The Hideout, Jocelyn invited some friends from work to see her perform. I think she knew they did not like it. "You hated it, right?" I think she asked point blank. That was funny. So its not for everyone, and that's ok too.
Zig

Panda Riot at Beat Kitchen

 
  This was a great time. The vast majority of what they played was new work. This was the first show of the year for the Pandas. And I got to see everyone that played with them. Cassettes on Tape and Wray. Bands always sound good and clear at Beat Kitchen. Bands that played Chicago multiple times often sound better at Beat Kitchen than in other venues. That being said, I go there far less often for some reason. The last Panda show was 9 December 2016, not that far apart but they will become more rare because Rebecca teaches philosophy out of state, so their chances to perform, even practice are precious windows that open and close quick and so they must be seized upon. They got new tracks that they are enthusiastic about recording and presenting. The CD/LP that is available Northern Automatic Music did not get played. For me that is ok. Its not unusual for that to happen. When She Dares All Things was on the merch table they were playing heavily from Northern. Black Pyramids was often the closer.  I love Black Pyramids. That is one of my live favorites...and In The Forest. Them songs gave me something to look forward to from them, and made me feel happy to have witnessed what I did from them before. I was glad to have She Dares All Things. That was leading to something, and so you go back and become reacquainted. After seeing Rogue One, you want to see Star Wars all over again. But I don't want them to wear themselves out playing old tracks. Is that not what the recordings are for? I'm hearing She Dares on random right now without having to bother the band about it. And now I can do the same with Northern. I am familiar with it like I wanted to, and they are moving ahead with new work. So I'm good with them retiring some older songs.
 
"This song is called....Fuck Trump!!" Rebecca said . And so was the next and fuck it every song was newly christened Fuck Trump!And this is not just us acting like petulant children still unwilling to accept the results of the election, and us gleefully displaying this on a stage during a concert. There are seriously real things for us to oppose from this administration, but I am not listing those here. I'm just glad to see like minded friends reveal themselves so openly for they are cherished allies. Among them are my friends from Panda Riot. So when a philosophy teacher says "Fuck Trump" it has weight. So most if not all the tracks were from their upcoming release and I don't even know the name of it yet. And I don't ask either, I'm just happy that they are enthused about it. Now is the cycle when they play the yet unavailable tracks, from around the corner. This is what made Black Pyramids, Amanda in the Clouds, In The Forest, Good Night Rick Kids, so endearing, at first the were just beyond reach, not yet on vinyl or CD. Just live. And that window when you and the music share a space is small. I can't believe I accumulated years seeing the Pandas. I was a fan before Obama was president, and that is crazy. Trump was not even a possibility at the time. So these last few pictures of Rebecca are from those relatively innocent times, when the impossible happened, and the real impossible was 8 years around the corner.
Zig

The Old Adage

  I know this post is way, way fucking late. This post was in the queue for a long time and I thought it would just write itself. I could not just let it sit and fester.  This was unexpected. The Old Adage from Detroit ....actually Monroe, Mi., and this is their first tour, and their first appearance in Chicago. They are a brother and sister team, Mimi and Nino They are Latino....or at least that is what I assume with their last name being Chavez...... and they closely resemble friends of mine from my old job at the bank....and thems are Mexican, so there. During grammar school they were forced against their will to take up music courses. There was no choice in the matter, they come from a family of musicians. What is interesting for me is when you force someone to be a musician....force...does not always take.  But it did with them, but I think it was already inside before force was ever applied. They have been writing music since 2008, and have evolved for many turns with changes to the name of their band until we reach what I got to see at Hideout. That year still feels like two minutes ago. Its near the end of the first decade of the millennium and yet it does not feel like it in some ways. In others indeed you feel the distance, its a whole recession ago and everything else.  The name for them,....curious, because they are not ...old. This was a night that Hideout put them on the stage with Axons and Spaces Of Disappearance. I saw who I intended to see and was fulfilled and could have gone home. Staying to see them intensified an already brilliant burn of a night. But this post took forever because I could only find this picture that I forgot I post on my facebook. I should have just wrote about seeing all three bands instead of writing a post on each. So yeah I bought that CD Matches. Every song is great. This was one of them nights when all bands made the night cool. You remember the impact like a combination. The Old Adage, they are a brother and sister team. I fondly recall dancing to what I was hearing. Everything just effortlessly induced movement. I would love to hear this at Neo. I took pictures but I had to take the moment to dance to what I heard. And their music has such a full presence when you hear it live. Silly Sam has this tight leash on a dog that just wants to run in the park. They got this muscle car engine....a monster that they restrain without sedating it.  So they keep your attention even in still moments. I was clapping with everyone else to Bawl. I was so glad I barely had enough to buy Matches.. the CD, They had shirts....I shall wait. I hope to see them again.
Zig

Staring Problem/Fran/Deadbeat

 
 
 
  As I was driving to this place East Room from beyond the southwest side, the clock on the dashboard stares me down bleeding minutes. I grab a tissue and block it from my sight. I do that whenever I think I'm late to something. Usually I'm right. And this time I believed I was missing out on seeing Staring Problem headline a show there with Fran and Deadbeat. East Room is unfamiliar to me but is in a familiar area around Milwaukee Ave. So I park where I usually do, which is far away. Rock Star parking is only available after I park the car. Made the walk colder than necessary. Turned wrong on California, walked almost a block, and it's still cold. Oh, that turn I should have made on Fullerton. So I finally make it. Its hilarious how places that have always been there suddenly look different when you are about to walk in. As I walk in, there is outside Alix the drummer talking with friends. Damn....maybe they are done, and she just chillin'. So I go ahead on upstairs. Usually there is music being played or some remnant of it still buzzing in the air. There is people walking around, congregating, talking, there's a nice merch table there to my left. No music, just the voices of people. What the fuck have I walked into? Oh there's Lauren...let me ask her, but I already know. ....Oh, that's the singer and guitarist. As it turns out. The whole show started so late, that they made me look early. Not even the first band Deadbeat has played yet.

  So this was where Staring Problem releases two new tracks Ghost and Lifelines. And those tracks are fabulous. I've been into them since their first self-titled release, but wow, their new shit ever since Long Winter I can't stop hearing.  And now I'm anticipating what they got coming next.....yah, I know that's sort of the point of the fucking release event. Fran and Deadbeat were also great, the long delay worked for me. Fran left a great imprint on me. In the moment that I was seeing her I forgot why I was there. My anticipation, or impatience for seeing the headliner vanished, went to take a long piss, was not present. I was in the moment listening to Fran and into it. As I listened the mind still wanders. The friend that saved my Mac stuffed my itunes with all kinds of awesome music including, I think the entire catalogue of Aimee Mann, including the fucking Christmas album. I had like two.......alright three albums there before he fixed it.  
  So, yeah, Fran pleasantly reminds me of Aimee Mann, and also Maria Taylor. I noticed too there was genuine interest among the crowd. This was so for Deadbeat as well. An audience can be mercilessly indifferent given the space and opportunity. The space of East Room has many corners one can occupy if you don't want to see the band, so these people did not have to stand in front of Fran and yet there was a good crowd for her, and Deadbeat. I noticed a few dancing and swaying when they heard Desert Wanderer. Damn that song got me too. Live, this song really is beautiful. I already know Lauren and Alix, they are mercifully cool with me. So I had to look for some balls to walk up to Fran (her name is Maria) and say how impacting her music was to me. Both bands so different from Staring Problem. Deadbeat was great as well. I will actively go see Deadbeat now as well. I recall buying the CD when they played Empty Bottle. 
  A lot has happened since I first saw Staring Problem, seven years? I don't want to go through all of it. But my nieces and nephew learned to speak, went from one grade in school to the next.  I got a Staring Problem shirt that has a picture of a cat. My nieces naturally think the pic is that of my cat because I'm Zak Galifianakis to them....actually they think I'm Baskets, but moving on. I just feel fortunate to have been exposed to their music over the years. They have been part of my personal soundtrack for all that time and yet its like they are really taking off with Long Winter and everything was building towards that, and now previews into what's next, Ghost and Lifelines.
Zig
  
  

Fauvely

  Its been around three separate gigs and Fauvely has really grown on me even as it grows and evolves further with each performance......yeah three. Oh, wait. I missed the first one at DC Torium. Ok.... This time I saw them at Cafe Mustache. And I was on time. There was another show I wanted to hit, but it looked like this here conflicted with it, so I just committed to this one show with Ms Sophie. There is just something about the Fauvely songs that draws me. It's not music I would sell to everyone. As enthusiastic as I am about all the music I listen to, I am careful about who I believe I can present this to, who is pre-sold already. If you like Angel Olsen, and cried when Cross Record moved to Austin from Chicago and failed the drug test because you listened to Coins the night before, add Fauvely to that constellation of stars.  All these names are tethered to Chicago in some way, but that is not my point. They do something with the sad and make it powerful, and beautiful. They shake you from that dance delirium, slow you down and make you look inward or outside with a new wonder. Delicate fragility and softness can be sharpened into powerful tools.  Slowing you down for the mystery instead of passing it by is something Fauvely does as well as the previously mentioned sister bands.  Cafe Mustache I've been to a few times. Videotape did an acoustic set there with another band Rock Falls.....and they are, or she is great as well.

And I was late for a show with Circuit Des Yeux. Oh...and I saw Lykanthea there too with all these books as background. Yeah, this place looks differently every time. Every performance was at a different spot in the cafe. So with every time I walk in there I feel like I have to reorient myself like its my first time. Its not a complaint. It adds to the wonder. This time it was in the back in a proper stage. There was a violinist as well as Scott Cortez on stage with her. So they played two songs from Astrobrite. I think that was spontaneous. I don't think the violinist saw that coming but she played her part beautifully. So this was a great show to watch. I mean fucking wow. Another Monday....that for a few moments did not feel like a Monday.
 
  Sophie as Fauvely is slower, heavier and more dark than her work in Videotape. That band is a different animal. Her voice sad haunts from that abandoned house freshly visited by the guys of Ghost Adventures. The poor bastards left in tears, but not out of fear. For this ghostly voice made them see inwards. Y'all get it? Right? Can I let the metaphor go? I don't like milkin' it like some industrial farm.  I don't know which old stand up comic said this. His trick to get people to shut up and listen wasn't to get louder but to speak almost in a whisper. It was a gamble but it became part of his signature style, people did shut up, and listened. And I loved Videotape! It certainly is vastly different from Fauvely. A creative person will create. Watch Me Over Complicate This, is the name of the upcoming EP out this March.
I cannot wait for that!
Zig