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