When my band went on tour in 2012, we didn't put much thought into the fact that people might actually find reasons to pay attention to the completely worthless holiday of Thanksgiving. Luckily, our show on that day took us to New Orleans, which isn't really like any other place in the US, much less the world. I couldn't imagine any punks in that town giving a shit about the holiday.
Our show landed us at the long-running, dilapidated warehouse at the end of Jane Place: Nowe Miasto. I have a long history with this place and it was the first time I'd been inside of it since it was filled to the rafters with flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. It looked a lot more barren and desperate, but still full of life and young punks and weirdos. It made me instantly comfortable in an area of New Orleans that makes me feel overcome with anxiety (I'm not going into why, but you could probably figure it out with either five seconds of thought or a search on the internet). Just like one of the first times I visited the warehouse, I went into the kitchen (which is now upstairs, rather than on the first floor) to get a cup of coffee. I introduced myself to the people sitting around on the table, talking. They regarded me coldly and made half-grunts that could pass for a greeting. It felt just like old times, but I had doubts that I would be close friends with these people in ten years, like I am with some of the former residents of Nowe Miasto. There was a well dressed, middle-aged man walking around the common space with a laptop, Skyping with someone on the east coast. Times were definitely different up in here.
Luckily, the show soon rumbled to a start with NEGATION, the only other band besides us. I was already excited to see them, not only because my friend Osa played bass and sang, but also because the guitarist/singer, Benji and I talked about our mutual love of bands like MOTHER OF FIRE and IMPRACTICAL COCKPIT. Their sound is desperate, jarring, angular (yeah, I don't really like that term either...give me something better) and unnerving. That warehouse, in a room that was once completely submerged in water and still smelling of mold, seemed like the perfect place to see Negation. It made me wish that you could take your entire environment on tour and just present your experience to unsuspecting audiences....I mean, without being a millionaire or an asshole.
The band promised to send me a tape when it was done and they followed through. I like it a lot, even though I like their live show a lot better. It reminds me of those early, sweaty days at Nowe Miasto, but also not stuck in the past. It sounds like doing the best you can with what you have and not paying attention to the rules. I don't know. Why don't you just download it and think about it yourself...
2 comments:
I liked the tape (a lot) with no context at all, but I listened to it with different ears after I read this. It's not necessarily any better, but it feels different...
"angular" ---> "bent"? i'm gonna write you back soon!
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