So the duck says to the sailor, “What are ya doin’ this weekend, buddy?”
The sailor sighs. “Gosh, I don’t know. Pete’s blog says I already missed the good shows of the week, being out at sea and all. What’s a sailor supposed to do if all the good stuff got played before I got here?”
The duck nods, takes a sip of scotch from his glass. “I don’t know man. Maybe try some of the other shows, or look at some of this week’s shows on YouTube. Have you thought of knitting?”
For all who found themselves in the sailor’s position as the weekend rolled in, I have comfort to offer: it wasn’t a total waste of a weekend as the following videos prove (even if they start a little before the actual weekend):
The Hospital Ships at the Granada September 29 From out the corn fields of Kansas something has been stirring (or so the rumbling rumblers predict), but whether or not that disturbingly flat part of the world will become an artistic focal point of the Midwest, the Hospital Ships seem like proof that good things can indeed come from Kansas. Their sleepy lullaby moment is a real nice thing to watch. The camera work’s pretty good too.
The Presets at the Granada September 30 A Sydney-based electronic duo, they were doing their electronic thing on Wednesday at the Granada. Take a look for yourself here…
The Kooks at the House of Blues October 2 The Kooks are a band of Brits back in the US touring behind Kronk, their second album. Formed in the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, the band takes their name from the song title “Kook” from that other famous Brit, David Bowie (there can only be two at a time – a Buffy the Vampire Slayer “chosen one” kind of deal) off his 1971 album Hunky Dory. Lead singer Luke Pritchard supposedly wrote their hit song “Naïve” at age sixteen. These guys supported the Rolling Stones on their Bigger Bang tour in 2006, recorded in Abbey Road studios – what other famous British music thing haven’t they done? Well they haven’t been playing at the Royal Albert Hall, while Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day foil an assassination attempt but maybe it’s a little naïve to expect this band to go right straight to that kind of height. We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, the band played the House of Blues this weekend. You be the judge – does this sound like a song a sixteen year old would write?
Terri Hendrix at the AllGood Café Co-wrote Dixie Chicks’ “Lil’ Jack Slade” and got a country Grammy for it. When I was a kid, we’d drive to San Marcos with a stop along the way to eat barbecue, before hitting Aquarena Springs. Families would file into a theater (rows of wooden planked benches facing a window onto a huge tank of water), the lights would dim and two mermaids in diving gear swam across the “stage,” seating themselves on large faded pink sea shells to wait for Sam, the diving pig. Anticipation would grow as the crowd waited and waited and suddenly he would appear plunging into the water from overhead. Sam swam in circles, performed tricks and amazed the crowd for years. The pig show has been retired due to some political correctness issues. I always thought that this was all that San Marcos had to offer. But it turns out San Marcos not only had the world’s best diving pig, they also can lay claim to one Terri Hendrix, a singer-songwriter who performed at AllGood Café this weekend. Look at how she sings this one, while I think about their wonderful grilled cheese. And that fondly remember that diving pig. Is it weird that I’m suddenly craving bacon?
Fair to Midland at Pegasus Plaza for Main Street Live Somebody asked how the guy sitting on the front porch of the general store was, and he replied, after a squirt of tobacco juice shot from his lips to a jar, that he was “Fair to middling.” Seems it is strictly a Texas thing, according to Fair to Midland’s website. The band played at Main Street Live on Saturday to a very receptive audience. How receptive, you ask? Well, you know that people love your music when it would be safe (if less aurally pleasant) for the lead singer to stop singing and let the crowd take over the show. Take a look here and watch as a lot of excited people drown out the band they came to see. Which we can’t see most of the time thanks to lighting and camera angles. I guess whoever had the camera was just too busy singing along.
Straylight Run on Friday October 4 Being dropped by their label Universal last year had to hurt, but this band isn’t letting the breakup wear on them. They haven’t let the man get them down, and you can see for yourself here. Third Day, Switchfoot and Jars of Clay October 3 Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, and Third Day closed that Jesus festival by doing a number all together. The last band, Third Day, had me a little puzzled. At first glance I thought their name was the Third Man, like the Orson Welles movie which seemed odd, considering they are playing a Christian gig. Their actual name makes a lot more sense. So in true Be-like-Jesus spirit these three bands performed together and somebody was thoughtful enough to record it. It’s kind of blurry and you can’t see their faces but they sound pretty happy, so just picture ‘em smiling when you watch this.
And that was your weekend. --Dianna Wray
