Sister Crystals

I went to the Panda Riot thing last Saturday 9 June with a weight of guilt attached to the usual belief that I'm late to something. Friends that I feel close to invited me elsewhere. I'm sorry guys I could not go. So this slight weight of guilt was my companion. Don't trust guilt to give you good directions. I thought I passed Kedzie when I thought I didn't. Circled back to heavy Cicero traffic, start over. Indeed I missed the band before Sister Crystals were scheduled to play and that is who I wanted to see. A little facebook research may lead you to the free downloads. You see how that puts an edge to the urgency to see them? Well, it makes the driving stop and go on Cicero somewhat fucking unpleasant. So I listen to NPR and see how bad everyone else has it. Fuck!!
  So finally I find the street where Panda Riot were releasing their EP....I just have to circle back again. As I park I notice a swarm of people casually head in. This is my second visit to the Pandas practice spot. They were releasing new work on vinyl. As near definite as seeing them was, Sister Crystals were the main wonder.  There's Rebecca with the crowd...go pay her...she's talking....oh, there go the Crystals. Pay later....I did....no bullshit.
  So I recall really liking the downloaded songs. In awe that I can discover this and then download it right there. How in the veins is that? The only main line left to do is to see them live, and pay. They deserve to be paid. Its important to do that. I believe the event just broke even. To see it pays me back for ever. This is how the music gasps for air, to see it, to go after it is to be...that child discovering his favorite bands. Now you go after the events.
  I saw the whole thing. I was way impressed with SC.  They more than reenforce what I downloaded. Live, they have these moments when they build, build, build almost to anticipate the voice of Lauren Whitacre around the corner.  That makes for a good 5 minutes in one song, 2 minutes of which is jam session but you feel like you are running a sprint with them on a hill. And they get into it, like Ringo Death Starr...only they don't run into the crowd and offer to let you play bass...was it bass? Hmm, so with SC you are not tired or bored. Many times I just.... danced. They create the fire and give it space and time. And you can dance and ride the moment, and they do as well. I remember for how in awe I was in seeing how they played their instruments, jamming for themselves almost without an awareness of the crowd which seemed big during their set.
  I cannot recall which songs did what, and perhaps this will not help in what others find or not find in Crystals. I felt placed in rooms that previously John Lennon placed me in. A similar nostalgic kick, familiar laced wonder like something you should have been listening since forever. It's not saying that is how they sound. But their sweetness sparked easily the feeling of discovering Lennon for the first time in my uncles car. Awh...how we give a shit, and does not help, right. Oh, so how do they sound? Hmm, like Secret Colours with the cardio engine of Sybris. What? You got to look them up too? Fuck!! So don't look that way when I want to use the Warpaint spray can!

  SC at times felt like they can effortlessly create this heavy dense fog and charge into it with you in a shopping cart. The wizened sweetness comes with the voice of Lauren Whitacre. Provokes wonder and claims authority. Sure I notice all the the ink too between the camera flashes, it adds to the authority like with Jilly from We Are Hex. You feel that what ever happens in the span of the six songs occurs near a beach, and for me far too close to childhood memories of Calumet Park on the South Side. Lauren's voice is clear yet I still base everything primarily on how things sounded and only occasionally what clearly comes out like in She's Gone. And you already have the marble stones where the words will write themselves. I might as well go see Calumet Park....or a real fucking beach, but currently I could only afford the metaphor, and Calumet. I didn't speak to the band  at all after they played, my awkwardness would scare Ms Lauren off I thought. I am happy and grateful to Panda Riot for having them.

Panda Riot

Panda Riot, I post on them a lot but really fuck it.  In the attempt at saying different things about them with each new performance, I suppose I must say the same fucking thing. I don't even recall which Saturday I saw them. It was at Bottom Lounge. I especially went to see Elika. They played first and PR were next. Oh.... why do I go see them so damn often? Hmm ...fuck. Through them I've seen so many others. Lets see. Over the years there is a list of who I can tether Panda Riot to. Magnetars....haven't seen them in a very long time. Lightfoils, Kodacrome, Eula, b.c.e.. OK that's a small list...wait. I can throw in Magic Key, School Of Seven Bells and Warpaint. So it's always an evolving education with the Pandas.  Oh yeah, and they are playing more and more new music.
  They have a new EP coming out. It's called Serious Radical Girls. I suppose that does not save me still from repeating the same old fucking praise. For this release that they will do this weekend they will perform with other bands that I am very curious about. I made it late to Lightfoils/MGM at Hideout. The redeeming value in this is talking to friends that made it on time were outside on the Hideout patio. It made me anticipate this coming weekend with Panda Riot, and many other things further in the horizon. I want to say, yes what those specific things are that came about in the course of conversations, casual yes, but I keep it to me for now. It feels not right at the moment.....Oh look Panda Riot! Yeah, this was about them anyway.
  There is more and more new work from them that still have yet to be recorded or available just like that at Reckless. You can only see it when they play it. Ye Old Fashion way. That very line I can apply to a lot of bands I see and just like here, its part of the fuel that drives me to see them. I'm grabbing at sand and I can only hold on to so much. Then you start to describe it but really you are describing the memory of it. So there is a lot that PR perform that is not recorded.... right. You know, I'm still in delight that they have a live drummer Jose'. He's awesome, there is this expression on his face that betrays his joy for performing. For me it's an honest barometer. It's no show. His glances are to his bandmates, if he looks up at all. PR did not always have a drummer. Jose' has been with the band for...I think over a year. I had a nice conversation with him about our common roots in Mexico, mutual appreciation of Alla'...we went on.

  The following is how I describe the performances of new work, my memory of it. Right, so PR have this lean into the darkness, hmm. Maybe you will eventually disagree with how I describe it, but follow me anyway. Their type of wonder to me was sweet sounding and not dark or spooky until now. Depth, but no sadness. "Suddenly I'm happy just to be!" is hmmm, bright-sided wonder. Happy on the inside and outside. These new songs still have that happy vibe to them but now innocently describe the darkening shadows. There is a Songs Of Innocence, Songs Of Experience lean on it. What you don't say casts a long shadow....like a child describing a darker world. You know it's worse than a child can imagine. This is what I kinda get when I hear the new dark rose oil wonder of PR. What does Blake have to do with it? Hmmm. I keep thinking of The Chimney Sweeper whenever I hear the new stuff. Yeah, really. And then I plastered them together here and it kinda works for me.

Lightfoils/My Gold Mask

So this weekend I intend to see Lightfoils and My Gold Mask at Hideout. The thing that these bands have in common is Chicago goths like them. Yeah, I'm talking to you Lightfoils. Especially you. Both these bands can make goths move in the same Nocturna. Lightfoils can even get the once-a-month treatment at Late Bar on Belmont. Awh, you know which night. Now both bands will get to actually share a stage this Weekend at Hideout. Lightfoils I have more recently seen. Chicago goths that go see stuff outside the box keep their...scene adaptable and relevant, and attractive, and not necessarily pandering to youth. Plus, if you let them know you want them, they will be too good, and you won't be true to yourself.  Anyway both groups have fans in common, and they are local Chicago acts. And they are not exactly young bands, or at least their members have been playing music for a long time. My Gold Mask were once Bang Bang. Lightfoils is full of music vets. How do these bands keep alive goth culture ( if I don't think they put themselves into that box)? You just have to look outside the box to keep it alive and adaptable. Eventually you will notice that you have taken the box with you. It means looking for what is compatible with your dark romantic esthetic without necessarily committing to the big G.  Many bands will have the goth influence because it was so heavily identified with 80's and 90's. So its very easy to take from that influence. Sometimes you draw water from that pond long enough for the wildlife there to like you. And the local chicago gothic wildlife like MGM and Lightfoils. I know this because......just fucking because. I hope to see them this weekend at Hideout.

Is/Is

This was unexpected for me, this gig. I didn't see it coming two days before. I didn't know which specific recording they were promoting and so I got everything. And that indeed changes how it imprints. Sarah Rose sings and plays lead guitar. Sarah Nienaber plays bass, Mara Appel drums,They are from Minnesota and on tour. I don't know which CD the tour was supporting and so I got all three including the vinyl EP Vowel Movements.....that's one letter away from grossing me out, and the full LP III. So this is something that I can absorb now, the one iconic performance, and now the music in random order instead of the order that it came. That changes how one reads the music. Imagine discovering The Beatles in backwards order, how would that shape your impression of them? It's different when you think this can be that one show you see. I think they've been here before to Reggies. You know what? There's no think about it. I did miss it. I downloaded their two free songs to hold as reference, in case they came back and indeed they did. This time it was at Crown Tap on Milwaukee Ave. The problem with that one time is that you have to decide what to get from the merch table if at all. The merch basically competes with the local pizza joints. I wished Veggie Bite was still open, 'cause that would have really competed against the shirt. Eating can also be over-rated. I still wish I got that Prids t-shirt instead of pizza this one time. That one slice made me...throw up.  Where we at again?......Oh, Is/Is.  And so maybe your good with the two downloaded songs. If they are local you can always see them again, and that can influence...how much you don't save. But they are not and so I took my chances with the whole lot, and it's paying off. So Long on the EP This Happening I keep coming back to. Eating Hourglasses I like as well. I don't have lyrics to look at. That's another layer of atmosphere. They are almost like Interpol with a female vocalist, only fuzzier. Sarah Rose's voice is also more distant sounding, detached, and even more assertive, and deep, and a little husky. Interpol at least for a start and departs from there. Allow me to explain that further. Interpol can be spacey, fuzzy and meandering and yet we don't just call them shoegaze.....I don't know. We just don't.  The same as these guys, girls....Is/Is. They have elements of it but I don't believe are in...the full definition of it. There is a directness, a solidity to this group that....is not gazy enough. That's good 'cause I've been using that crayon a lot. There is much to sift through and explore in this Minnesota band, and I'm finding myself liking it.
Zig

Bone And Bell at Schubas

I think no matter where I am, in terms of my state of being I will have a soft spot for what music Bone And Bell does. In the euphoria of success I will still feel the quiet bittersweetness of Flying, Falling, Crawling. I suppose it keeps the hubris away. There are a lot of songs I like B And B for, but this first song leaves me awe struck like a deer in the headlights reflecting on the path his life has took. Oh look! The light gets more shiny! Right...So Heather Smith and whatever stringed instrument she chooses to play, uke, bass. The song is a shot of moonshine catharsis. Heather is a multi-instrumentalist, and is just at ease on the keyboard. If you hear the EP LOOM you assume this direction the band is taking you. A road traveled with Neko Case, Sharon Von Etten, Angel Olsen....the sweetness, and the sadness....awwhh. And then out of no where Heather goes to the bars and does like twenty pull ups....metaphorically. From fearing the shadow to intimidating it. Well perhaps that last one I can walk back. But what first attracted me to her music is her ability to articulate the vulnerable. It's not saying you don't see changes capable. But she goes from solidly sweet to badass dark from one EP to the next. I'm glad to see both sides in the same performer. Many of these songs have yet to be recorded but can be seen live and on Youtube. So I said the continuum changes from the LOOM end to the current Organ Fantasies. The changes can best be seen in the live shows where the songs Words Left Unspoken, Four Horses, Tiny Little Hands show you how to walk when fully armed.  It's that slow motion cool walk.....oh you get it. It's like suddenly she lights a cigarette with a match she sparked off her bandmates face. Those have that kind of coolness. Organ Fantasies feel like a slight lean back to what first attracted me to B And B, only with hardened wisdom. In Serpentside she sees the grand betrayal coming. Oh and this new EP is on vinyl, with the lyrics and everything....yeah download code too. There's space between all the instruments so that it's not all a wall of sound. You can hear how the individual gears work with each other, with the clarity of Heather's voice. If you want to catch exactly what she hears it's no hard effort. The live performances are indeed the efforts of all the musicians because Bone And Bell are a full band now. The guitarist is badass cool. It's not just Heather's voice that produces the effect but the guitar answering and asserting her verses. Yeah, Heather makes it to all the pictures....so?  We have here someone like Christa from Man Is Man that can forge many a heart heavy word into battle ready iron. We are in the middle of heavy times, just when such troubadours are most sorely needed and for me Heather Smith of Bone And Bell is one. Did I over sell it?  Sorry, just being a rabid fan.

Salem Bitch Trials

The last time I saw the feminist-punk Salem Bitch Trials the memory of them being assaulted by some asshole at their own merch table at Reggies was still fresh. Their anger has it's rightful origins. It's not for nothing. I find myself in quiet solidarity with them. Their shirts were so cheap. I think they printed their logo on old Gap t-shirts. Just walk around with a Salem Bitch Trials shirt. It's fabulous. This time at Mutiny on Western Ave I found them more relaxed and seemingly in a happier, less guarded mood, and most of them had cat-themed make-up on ears and all. I think one of them graduated college. It was a judgement call to see them. This gig happened to coincide with that of another band Rachel's Surrender. It was raining hard and Mutiny was closer off the highway. I can list off a bunch of other excuses. I wanted to see RS. Ruben is a friend of mine. It's his band. This urgency brings you to the crossroad. Then you decide. When I arrived it was with the usual urgency fueled with a presumed tardiness. It was 11pm  and I thought I was missing something. I get to Mutiny and there was still a band ahead of SBT. Instantly I started to think I can make both shows if I run fast enough....or more likely I can miss both in the attempt. So I stay. By now I'm familiar with how SBT perform. Unpredictable, aggressive and belligerent but not malicious. Yeah they push off and shove their audience but its to drive the point forward into your space. Like they want this outrage, and energy to be your own. You're not just going to stay on stage with songs like "Eat My Pussy!", "Deep Within, It Swallows", oh and "Sexual Assault Causes Impotence". It may sound like I'm taking out the piss by listing the funny names to their songs but I am not. It's important to see what is behind the shock of the names. It's not hard to see. There is reason behind the anger, but lets also revel in the humor, the fun.  You know when they sing "Castrate and Kill" they are loving it. "Check, Check, CHECK!!!" That's how one of the lead singers checks the mic. I start looking for napkins to stuff into my ears. She stretches and takes off her shoes. This is now their space. This is the work they do, the preparation. If you just see the youtube videos and not see them get ready you may not see the order of it, and dismiss them off-hand. You know they're not crazy when they prep. This is only my second time seeing them. The kind of punk they do, it's interesting to see how they recreate the moment, the break. SBT rarely stay on stage during a performance, a lot of spontaneous moments contained. Their space is in the crowd. I suppose one can hear their music and see much that has been done before. What? Was I under a rock during the riot girl 90's? Yeah....I do recall listening to a lot of Los Panchos, Los Tecolines and that led into spanish rock.  But what does it say that fem/punk rock can still be...and be pissed off. Well, yeah. If they can lock up Pussy Riot. The engine that keeps fem/punk alive and relative in part is outrage. I like that I can find bands like Salem Bitch Trials now, today instead of wishing I was there to see Bikini Kill, or The Gits...or I can still wish for that too. SBT will play Crown Tap on Milwaukee Ave with Lezurrecction, and Fucking Dyke Bitches Thursday 7 June....and I'm saying that with a straight face.https://www.facebook.com/sbtchicago

bliss.city.east

Where do I start with this band really. Officially, bliss.city.east is back. I do recall one time saying the band was no more.....hell I recall them saying the band was no more. But it never really felt that way. Perry/Kim are in other projects. We're always going on Facebook. Perry posts and people answer. There is a whole presence there. Perry's a dad. Kim's a mom. Imagine that whole other side in addition to being musicians. And perhaps this lends a maturity to their music.
  I see bliss.city.east as part of the local shoegaze constellation....to be short. When I say local, I do not mean small and inconsequential to a larger thing. Chicago is just where they live now. Perry has lived in the East Coast and I think London. Perry/Kim have deep old roots and familiarity with what we call shoegaze/dream pop... enough to take the piss out of it on occasion, enough to feel the weight of it's baggage. Meaning this. When the bands that we first reference, the old pantheons that reunite and sell out Metro, Riv, Aragon, they get the glory. The smaller bands get the baggage, the smaller clubs  and crowds in the north-side, bewildered expressions on the south-side. The term "shoegaze" gets resistance from all fronts. And the recoil can have you move away from it like the house on Amitiville. I see the term as a piece of old furniture that somehow finds its way back to your ass. You thought you threw that old couch out last night before garbage day....and days later you realize you've spent hours on it while on X-Box...or something. Some how it finds its way back. So is it This Old House or comfort furniture. When it's furniture it's not the whole of identity, only part.
  References to shoegaze go back to the 90's....ok beyond, but lets look at the 90's when Perry was in Skylight in Boston. Perry has old roots but we give exclusive credit for that elsewhere. Alright, I am biased. They are friends of mine, from when I saw them at Mutiny when Kim was pregnant with Ada. The last time I saw them I think was at Late Bar. The band complete with the the inclusion of the long trusted Eric D' Asto on guitar and Melanie Yodane on drums. Yes, they got a real drummer! Perry is used to his drum machine. Was that Melanie I saw at the Killer Moon show at the Bottle? I hope I'm not wrong about this, Perry and Kim were finally happy with their inclusion. Eric has a long history with Perry. The mention of Melanie and Eric are brief here but they are far more important than I can say here. I don't even know how long. Oh, anyway...... Kim's vocals are nice and breathy. Yeah, so that term shoegaze I throw around a lot.  Dream pop on occasion, but mostly, you know. And I apply it to b.c.e, thats because I see an inherent maturity in both the term and the band. And that means a long half-life in the archive. I call b.c.e shoegaze but they are not bound to producing nothing but. I've said it before, they are in other projects as if on the cross roads to other sound possibilities....like with SPC ECO and Morpheme, Curve with Dean Garcia,...oh and now A*Star!  Perry actually has a very close working relationship Dean Garcia. There is a reason for all this. All these other projects have music that are dance floor worthy yet not pandering to a low common denominator. They don't do culo house music. Did I just sound like a snob? Shoegaze I think the term at worst implies soft, toothless, sleepy fuzz hype...to detractors, but I've learned to dance on it. For me there is flexibility in the term. It's outer fringes invites enthusiasts that like all kinds of punk/goth/industrial music, as well as those Empty Bottle indy folk that don't have a Bauhaus shirt in the closet. By the way, that is a nice Joy Division shirt you got on. No...it won't look out of place where we are going. So let us leave that old couch alone. You do like it, and it likes you. The resistance is understandable. Sometimes it's a fucking octopus that clings to you, and where is that damned spear. No one wants to be packaged into a corner. And that is where the resistance comes from.

  Gabriel Garcia Marquez didn't one day decide to write AVery Old Man With Enormous Wings out of his ass and just call it Magical Realism. I think the term helped to sell the novel. And so b.c.e. didn't one day decide to do .....their take on shoegaze. They did not seek that name out. Sometimes they run with it. Sometimes they feel it's weight.  Hmm, this one last point, some will not like to hear this reason but here it is. I don't feel shoegaze is for the young, or else they would be promoting this to the 18 and over/all ages market. Perhaps its different somewhere else. Perhaps there are other reasons that can explain how the sub-genre finds itself lighting up with older musicians.....as in older than 27. I don't say "older" in a bad way. I don't feel old when I go to shoegaze events like at Late Bar with Philly and Scary Lady Sarah, or when Empty Bottle fills up for School Of Seven Bells and WarPaint. The music naturally appeals to age. The road that Perry has traveled as a musician and father has to find itself expression in the tangible end result of the music he puts out. The music that he produces ages with him. We as audience do as well. If I ever felt like I was aging away from it, then selling it like I do would be difficult if not impossible.