Tiassa
03-26-08, 09:45 AM
I only mention it at all because, well, it was a damn fine night, indeed. Got loaded, caught a show, and a few other things. We'll leave it at that. Sort of.
But I was out digging around for stuff related to the band, The Clumsy Lovers, and stumbled across the band's blog:
Cool opening set by a local old-time act called The Tall Boys. We played two sets. It was good. Wouldnt call it a classic; good overall but never quite blew up. Strong crowd energy (although maybe a little bit less crowd than we would have expected at the Tractor), and we played fairly well I think. By the standards of a lot of towns it would have been very strong, but we have picked up fairly high Seattle standards over the years, so well just call it good.
Its tough, tho, to leave it at that. Cause Neumos is a cool place and a few hundred people showed up to party and we played pretty good and felt pretty connected to the audience. So being disparaging towards the gig seems a little ridiculous in that light. I dunno. I guess were just a Ballard band at heart. Albeit a Ballard band from Vancouver, Canada. But you get the idea. We heart the Tractor.
(Jonat (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/?p=48))
And yes, it was a weird vibe at Neumo's, which is a club where I'm accustomed to seeing Floater or, on one occasion, Monster Magnet. Caught OK Go there, too. And yes, Cap Hill is a strange place to see a band like The Clumsy Lovers; I'd seen them all of twice before, and both times in Ballard (the now-defunct Backstage, opening for Boiled in Lead, and at the Tractor).
Perhaps part of the reason the gig never blew up was that their repertoire is so goddamned large that from one show to the next, I never hear more than a couple of common songs. I mean, it was a great set and all, but you have to give the audience more than two favorites. So maybe they're past the days of "Let the Sun Shine In/South Australia", and maybe the Marley-inspired "London Bridge" (including a section lifted directly from "Stir it Up") is something of days past. But come on ... give us more than two songs we're salivating for.
Although the switch from "You Shook Me All Night Long" to "Dirty Deeds" ... that was awesome. Really, didn't see that coming. And if you've never heard "Thunderstruck" performed with banjo and two fiddles, you ain't never heard nuthin'.
And here's the thing ... once upon a time I was mesmerized by the fiddler. The former fiddler. And I had raved to a friend of mine about the fiddler. Blazing good and sexy as hell. So we walked in and the band takes the stage and ... well, not only has Rebecca Smith taken Andrea Lewis' place, but Trent Freeman (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/wp-content/gallery/misc/2008/03/l_f8382c6b92efbfec166c866cf23ac917.jpg) is playing with the band now. So my friend couldn't figure out which fiddle player I was talking about. It should have been obvious that it was neither, but he didn't know the band. Nonetheless, he should have at least guessed the woman because, as long as he's known me, he's never actually heard me express my standards for what constitutes a hot guy. And that's the thing. Trent's not exactly my type, so to speak. But holy freakin'-A, he's a living, breathing, fiddle-playin' carnal thought.
http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/wp-content/gallery/misc/2008/03/l_2c88ef98f2fa1d958e60850c8509d721.jpg (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/?p=48)
L-R: Trent Freeman, Trevor Rogers, and Rebecca Smith
One other note: We managed to miss the opening set by The Tall Boys (http://www.thetallboys.com/) but, a week later, I sent my friend an SMS reading, simply, "I'm at Pike Place, standing in front of The Tallboys String Band". And sure enough, I was. Well, sans bass, but that's okay. I get the hint. And it's absolutely killer, because their guitarist clog dances for percussion.
So, yeah. That's what I did for the official feast of St. Patrick. Left Monday the seventeenth to the amateurs.
Catch 'em if you can. BC, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming ... someone did book them for a private gig in North Carolina, but I don't know how much that costs, so ... yeah. Keep an eye to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i38j6Pugao0), I guess.
But I was out digging around for stuff related to the band, The Clumsy Lovers, and stumbled across the band's blog:
Cool opening set by a local old-time act called The Tall Boys. We played two sets. It was good. Wouldnt call it a classic; good overall but never quite blew up. Strong crowd energy (although maybe a little bit less crowd than we would have expected at the Tractor), and we played fairly well I think. By the standards of a lot of towns it would have been very strong, but we have picked up fairly high Seattle standards over the years, so well just call it good.
Its tough, tho, to leave it at that. Cause Neumos is a cool place and a few hundred people showed up to party and we played pretty good and felt pretty connected to the audience. So being disparaging towards the gig seems a little ridiculous in that light. I dunno. I guess were just a Ballard band at heart. Albeit a Ballard band from Vancouver, Canada. But you get the idea. We heart the Tractor.
(Jonat (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/?p=48))
And yes, it was a weird vibe at Neumo's, which is a club where I'm accustomed to seeing Floater or, on one occasion, Monster Magnet. Caught OK Go there, too. And yes, Cap Hill is a strange place to see a band like The Clumsy Lovers; I'd seen them all of twice before, and both times in Ballard (the now-defunct Backstage, opening for Boiled in Lead, and at the Tractor).
Perhaps part of the reason the gig never blew up was that their repertoire is so goddamned large that from one show to the next, I never hear more than a couple of common songs. I mean, it was a great set and all, but you have to give the audience more than two favorites. So maybe they're past the days of "Let the Sun Shine In/South Australia", and maybe the Marley-inspired "London Bridge" (including a section lifted directly from "Stir it Up") is something of days past. But come on ... give us more than two songs we're salivating for.
Although the switch from "You Shook Me All Night Long" to "Dirty Deeds" ... that was awesome. Really, didn't see that coming. And if you've never heard "Thunderstruck" performed with banjo and two fiddles, you ain't never heard nuthin'.
And here's the thing ... once upon a time I was mesmerized by the fiddler. The former fiddler. And I had raved to a friend of mine about the fiddler. Blazing good and sexy as hell. So we walked in and the band takes the stage and ... well, not only has Rebecca Smith taken Andrea Lewis' place, but Trent Freeman (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/wp-content/gallery/misc/2008/03/l_f8382c6b92efbfec166c866cf23ac917.jpg) is playing with the band now. So my friend couldn't figure out which fiddle player I was talking about. It should have been obvious that it was neither, but he didn't know the band. Nonetheless, he should have at least guessed the woman because, as long as he's known me, he's never actually heard me express my standards for what constitutes a hot guy. And that's the thing. Trent's not exactly my type, so to speak. But holy freakin'-A, he's a living, breathing, fiddle-playin' carnal thought.
http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/wp-content/gallery/misc/2008/03/l_2c88ef98f2fa1d958e60850c8509d721.jpg (http://threeriversdns.com/clumsyblog/?p=48)
L-R: Trent Freeman, Trevor Rogers, and Rebecca Smith
One other note: We managed to miss the opening set by The Tall Boys (http://www.thetallboys.com/) but, a week later, I sent my friend an SMS reading, simply, "I'm at Pike Place, standing in front of The Tallboys String Band". And sure enough, I was. Well, sans bass, but that's okay. I get the hint. And it's absolutely killer, because their guitarist clog dances for percussion.
So, yeah. That's what I did for the official feast of St. Patrick. Left Monday the seventeenth to the amateurs.
Catch 'em if you can. BC, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming ... someone did book them for a private gig in North Carolina, but I don't know how much that costs, so ... yeah. Keep an eye to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i38j6Pugao0), I guess.