Obits, Night Marchers, and the Venue from Hell
OK, it wasn't THAT bad. But this new venue Santos Party House (which I'll definitely be referring to as Santos Party Hell from now on) is one extraordinarily annoying venue. Giant columns blocking views, bars set up in the worst possible locations, bathrooms buried in a maze-like basement, and a layout that worked against free and easy crowd maneuvering in just about every possible way.
The sound was great though, and I guess that's all I should really care about.
But did I mention the stupid giant disco ball and disorienting dance floor lighting? Yeah, obnoxious.
Anyway, we were there to see Obits and the Night Marchers. Night Marchers are the latest iteration of the Hot Snakes lineup sans Rick F., fronted by John Reis (and featuring Gar W. on guitar and the ever-amazing Jason K. on drums). Honestly, like most other John Reis bands without Rick, they don't really turn me on much. (I do love the Sultans, however.) The kids were really into 'em last night at the Santos Party Hell gig, though.
Yet again, Reis completely stole the riff from Greg Sage's Messenger in a tune he plays with the new band -- not sure which song it was. It was one of the better ones though. Just do the damn cover already.
I'm not going to describe the music besides noting that if you dig early Rocket from the Crypt, you'll probably dig it.
One other thing before I move onto Obits. Reis has fully perfected his suave 1950s movie star look. He was much sexier when he was fatter and not so damn tan. But I'm sure I'm in the minority with the ladies on that one.
(A shot of John back in the Drive Like Jehu days -- I saw them in Toronto back in '91 or '92, and my boyfriend and I at the time asked him if he had any stray tunes we could use to get our non-existent record label started. He was kind enough to not laugh in our faces.)
For me, the show was all about Obits. Unlike Reis's stuff, Rick's has never struck a wrong chord as far as I'm concerned. His stuff is always deeper, darker, and more layered -- more cryptic. They keep getting better and better every time we see them, but this show was especially good, in part because it's clear the band has been spending lots of time developing the songs. Rick completely altered the lyrics on a couple tunes, and the arrangements changed here and there, too. I'm not sure I liked the new versions better than the earlier versions, but I'll find out when the full-length comes out (and maybe when I slap on their new 7"). They've added a couple new songs in recent months, too.
No duds.
The sound was great though, and I guess that's all I should really care about.
But did I mention the stupid giant disco ball and disorienting dance floor lighting? Yeah, obnoxious.
Anyway, we were there to see Obits and the Night Marchers. Night Marchers are the latest iteration of the Hot Snakes lineup sans Rick F., fronted by John Reis (and featuring Gar W. on guitar and the ever-amazing Jason K. on drums). Honestly, like most other John Reis bands without Rick, they don't really turn me on much. (I do love the Sultans, however.) The kids were really into 'em last night at the Santos Party Hell gig, though.
Yet again, Reis completely stole the riff from Greg Sage's Messenger in a tune he plays with the new band -- not sure which song it was. It was one of the better ones though. Just do the damn cover already.
I'm not going to describe the music besides noting that if you dig early Rocket from the Crypt, you'll probably dig it.
One other thing before I move onto Obits. Reis has fully perfected his suave 1950s movie star look. He was much sexier when he was fatter and not so damn tan. But I'm sure I'm in the minority with the ladies on that one.
(A shot of John back in the Drive Like Jehu days -- I saw them in Toronto back in '91 or '92, and my boyfriend and I at the time asked him if he had any stray tunes we could use to get our non-existent record label started. He was kind enough to not laugh in our faces.)
For me, the show was all about Obits. Unlike Reis's stuff, Rick's has never struck a wrong chord as far as I'm concerned. His stuff is always deeper, darker, and more layered -- more cryptic. They keep getting better and better every time we see them, but this show was especially good, in part because it's clear the band has been spending lots of time developing the songs. Rick completely altered the lyrics on a couple tunes, and the arrangements changed here and there, too. I'm not sure I liked the new versions better than the earlier versions, but I'll find out when the full-length comes out (and maybe when I slap on their new 7"). They've added a couple new songs in recent months, too.
No duds.
posted by Connie Sewer at 4:04 PM
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