I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. It was the final night of Matthew Bryan Hagen‘s Shocktober Thursday series. I got myself in and settled as Surf Sabbath took the stage. As you would guess from the name, the band play instrumental versions of Black Sabbath songs rearranged in a surf rock style. You know, all the doom and gloom, but a lot more notes. They opened with a long looping storm sound that led into Black Sabbath. Up next they took us Into The Void then we rolled up a Sweet Leaf. Am I Going Insane was a fun addition to the set then we rose up, we Children Of The Grave. We experienced a Wicked World for a while then punched a Hole In The Sky. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath followed then they closed with War Pigs. i zipped out the door as the last note was trailing off to get my radio show ready to go.

I really want to thank Matt for an incredible run of shows this month. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind for us next.

Photos by Luke Awtry Photography

I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. I got going at the last minute and took the quick walk downtown. The clock finished striking 7 as I was 50 feet from the door. I slid into the club and Matt the Gnat and the Gators featuring Miss Saxy were on stage singing a song about a witch doctor making gumbo. The fourth night of the weekly Shocktober series was off to the usual dark start. Matthew Bryan Hagen‘s stark guitar and deep voice were nicely complemented by Caroline Marie‘s mournful sax and choice backing vocals. They continued on with a tale of someone who was Done Saving Bones then sang the tale of a man who’s dog found a human bone in the neighbor’s back yard. It was called Two Dirty Dogs. Up next was a true story of a man who’s life was saved on a frigid night by finding an abandoned winter jacket. Much time was spent afterwards Looking For Forgetful Louis Brown. Paper Doll was fraught with several hilarious jokes, then things took a darker turn when a hitchhiker got picked up by a nefarious character. I believe the song was called One Day Closer To The Devil Man. A cheery tale followed from a man who lived on a cobblestone street in 1847 and suffered blackouts and wondered if he is Jack The Ripper. I believe the proper title is Born On Cobblestone In 1847. From there we went from tremendous highs to stupendous lows in Frozen Winning Streak Of A Gambler. A tale of a man in a space capsule that was out of energy and heading towards the atmosphere, in a bad way, changed perspectives to that of a child on earth who sees the capsule burning up and experiences it as A Cut In The Night Sky. They closed the night in a joyous fashion and celebrated A Monsters Holiday.

I said a couple of quick hellos, but was out the door with haste. The walk home was quick and I had enough time to get that night’s radio show running. Next week’s show is Surf Sabbath and I may need to go see that one too, since I’ve made it four of the four so far.

Thanks for the pictures Luke Awtry Photography   

 

All photos by Luke Awtry Photography

I had a great time seeing music Thursday night at Light Club Lamp Shop. It was the third part of Matthew Bryan Hagen‘s Shocktober series.

This week’s version was billed as “Angel Bones and the Filthy Fist”. Imagine if you will, Matt Hagen alternating between a spooky guitar and a spookier keyboard. Imagine a long sprawling jam that rose from gentle beauty to terrifying heights. What could give the sound even more depth? How about Lauren Costello‘s amazing cello playing. What could give the sound a more eerie edge? How about Johnnie Day Durand‘s musical saw. Together they built a dark sonic platform. Once they settled in a little, Annie Parmalee cited the name of a movie and two characters. Chris Friday and Kris Brown became the characters and recited a few lines from the classic horror movie that Annie mentioned. Throughout the night they moved through some of the Halloween movies and some of the Friday the 13th movies. Some bits of dialog were just a couple of lines and some were extended sequences. Some were terrifying and some were outrageously funny. They hit on the classics like The Exorcist, Carrie, Psycho, and The Birds. The packed room hung on every word. Some lines were delivered with exquisite terror and some amusingly butchered. Sometimes they broke the fourth wall and asked, is Happy Death Day really a movie? And, while the dialog was the focus, watching Lauren and Johnnie listen to where Matt was going musically and staying locked in was my favorite part.

The whole show was a very amusing hour, then I zipped home to put a radio show together. There are two more eerie weeks of Shocktober shows still on the books, so head to the Lamp Shop for your Halloween needs.

Thanks to Luke Awtry Photography for the photos. Thanks Robot Dog Studio for filming and recording the show. I’ll be playing parts of it soon on WBKM 

 

I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. It was the second show in the weekly Shocktober series that Matthew Bryan Hagen has created to bring us into the Halloween mood. This weeks version was the return of Brainscapes.

I met up with Nathan Curtis and we drove downtown. As we got settled, the band donned their squid hats and slipped into the groove. With Matt on guitar, Bob Wagner on guitar, Dan Davine on bass and maybe Ari on keys, they had a bit of an old Floyd sound. The whole show was one long piece of music that began as a slow drippy soundscape with a steady driving bass line. The music built intensely for a bit and eased up and down and found all of the cavities in our brains. Both Wagner and Hagen were stunning on guitar with Matt working the sound hard and Bob playing gentle and incendiary leads, sometimes with a slide and sometimes not. At one point the music was so intense it was almost shrieking then it eased way back and Matt wrapped his hands around the Theremin and coaxed out some delightfully creepy sounds. The music rose to new depths and almost sounded like a giant squid attacking a ship during a raging storm. It eventually eased back and Matt tossed in some words about a gnome and the piece quietly ended.

We hung out and chatted for a moment then Nathan drove us back, dropped me off and headed to his place. I got in and logged into the WBKM computer and had plenty of time to run my radio show at 9. Even if it’s a bit stressful to see a show before I go to work on a Thursday night, the timing seems great and I might just have to do it again. There are three more chances this month. Stop by if you want.

 

I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. I have a radio show on Thursdays on WBKM that begins at 9pm. I trigger the show from my laptop and usually like to stay close to home so everything runs smoothly. Every once in a while, a Thursday show seems doable, and the idea of seeing Matthew Bryan Hagen play murder ballads with Brett Lanier on Pedal Steel seemed too good to pass up, especially as the show was set to go from 7-8pm. That should have allowed plenty of time to get home and get things running.

I headed out around 20 of 7 and the door was still locked when I arrived. I grabbed some coffee at Radio Bean then made my way into the Lamp Shop. Everything was mostly set up and Ryan Cohen was there to record the show for Robot Dog Studio. A little bit of warmup/soundcheck quickly turned into the beginning of the show. Matt began with gentle dark chords on the acoustic guitar and a deep haunting vocal. Brett’s mournful slide added extra shivers to the songs. They began with a cheery song about about a guy asking someone to watch his bar stool since he gave the person the skin off his back to make a coat. Things turned darker on a tale of honeymooners who robbed a bank and were later hung together. That’s one way to celebrate a wedding. Up next was a tale of a man who had a wolf as his spirit animal until the wolf ate him and he became the wolf’s Spirit Man. A song about Bone Picking kept the spirit dark, then they followed with a tale of unknowing revenge. You know how sometimes kids make a pact to marry each other when they grow up, but the man leaves instead,and takes the woman’s knife and heart? Hearing the story of how that woman in black dealt with the situation when he returned was both surprising and not surprising at all. A song about some cold friends showed that they were not really such good friends in the end. A song about an outlaw who knew his time was almost up followed. I found it easy to sing along with the chorus about the Horizon the second time through. After the song, Matt said it was an old Kyle The Rider song, so it’s likely I’d heard it a few times before, a long time ago. A tale of selling your soul to corporate America revealed itself in Wallet Of Sin then came a song about tables that had been turned. It turned out that Larry The Canary had picked up on how this coal mine thing works. He flew in just far enough to no longer be seen, waited a while, then flew out. The miners went in with the expected results. They capped the night with a fast rousing cover of Bobby Bare’s song about Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau which was a great end to the show.

I ducked out quickly and zipped home in plenty of time to start my show. Wow, with that timing, I just might be able to make the other four shows this month. Matt’s got a lot of creepy Shocktober plans, so if you need a Halloween fix, head to the Lamp Shop from 7-8 on Thursdays.

The Wet Ones

 

I had a great time seeing music last night at The Monkey House. I had plenty of time after work to get some dinner before taking the misty walk to Winooski. I got in and settled and said hi to ace new bartender Diane Jean, then it was showtime.

The lights went down, the dancers started grooving and The Wet Ones lit into their fast cool surf-rock set. They played surf rock songs with a western feel and songs with a spy feel. Everything was instrumental and flowed through fun challenging changes, though the overall sound was super smooth. They played one with a surf noir feel then played one that was slow and pretty. They played one that felt like a High School prom song that ended furiously. Late in the show they played one that began slow and sultry then Amy Wild took the bass line in fun directions. The band let the song build and build before crashing to a conclusion. They kicked it hard for one more song and called it a night. The Wet Ones are lots of fun and should be seen anytime possible.

The Pyros

Up next, The Pyros let loose some fun jangle pop/rock and took the songs to fun places. They infused elements of rockabilly and 50’s soul into their indie rock sound. They opened with a song called Please Go Away and followed with one about validating me. They sang a song about Yellow And Dark Blue and had me bopping around happily. They played a song about a royal flush that had a mellow opening and a heavy ending. As the night went on, it was clear that each of the three band members were extremely good and added lovely touches to each of the songs. They played the full new ep with Coffee, Christian Mingle, and Casanova, and all of the songs were strong and fun. Life got a little scary on a song about a zombie, then we went Hydroplaning for a while. You’re So Beautiful You Scare Me made some sort of sense then they closed with a ’50’s inspired song called Tears I Cry Shoo Be Do Wop, or something like that. Their whole set was great and I’d go see them again in a heartbeat.

 

As is often the case, I did not know anything about headliners B Boys so I stood and listened as they roared into their set. The music had a punk base and they took it in indie rock directions. They came out of the gate at full throttle with a song that said look at me then they asked us to prove it or sue me. The next song had a bit of a Hawkwind flowing vibe then they played a punchy punk song that had a couple of smokes. The next one had a hint of the Talking Heads and the one about how you don’t go my way was a little Beastie. As the set went on some songs had a nu wave feel and there was at least one epic punk song. They ended with one that had a Rush vibe and closed with beautiful fast loud punk song. They were really good.

At some point early in the evening my coworker Nathan Curtis had showed up, and he was nice enough to give me a ride home. It was another great night of music in our town.

 

B Boys

Lake Waves

I had a great time seeing music last Tuesday at The Monkey House. It was set as a show with a band I really wanted to check out, one I had seen once and wanted to see again, one that I loved and one I knew nothing about.

I got out of work at 6, had a little time to eat and relax then took the lovely walk to Winooski. I got in and settled as Lake Waves took the stage. They opened with a song about dirty fingernails and their breezy indie rock sound caught the room. I remembered liking them when I saw them a couple of months ago and instantly remembered why. They followed with a song about being hung out to dry then played the banger. The song about little things that come and little things that go is beautifully crafted pop that also rocks, It sounded huge that night. The next song was slower and more dreamy and I think it was about raking leaves. They ended with another pop epic about not wanting to be on your own. It was a great set and each bad that played after gave them a shout out.

After a quick break, The Silent Mile took the stage with a roar. Their heavy off-kilter indie rock was fast and fun. The first song was furious then they played a huge version of the single All I Want. They played a new song with no lyrics that built into a huge rocker then told us some tales from Last Summer’s Odyssey. They rocked us through some Sleepless Nights then closed with something huge and loud that oozed passion and angst. I had been aching to check them out and I can’t wait to see them again.

Up next, Heavy Sleeper came from Boston to play for us and let loose a flowing heavy jangly sound. They played songs about dying alone and not fearing changes and never letting you go. As the set progressed the sound became less bouncy and was a little more smooth as their lush music filled the air. They played the new single Castaway then played a huge fuzzy poppy slice of gorgeous rock. It may have had a lyric about letting it get away, but either way, it was wonderful. They brought the pace up to full throttle on a song about waking your love and called it a night. They were really good. I’m glad to get to know them.

Just in case we had not already rocked enough that night, Doom Service unleashed their smooth heavy indie punk rock on us. It had been way too long since I’d seen them and I was elated to correct that. Stories of comic books emanated from the stage then the band launched into Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. The song refers to the Twilight Zone episode of the same name and makes some fantastic points about human nature and rocks blisteringly hard. They hit us hard with Collider then welcomed us to the Hellmouth. We went prospecting with the Miner 49er then the Curse brought us down. The Other Iron Sheik rocked us hard and we ended the night with a little Jurassic Bark. They are such an amazing band and all of their songs are so much fun. I just love it every time I get to hear them play.

I hung out for a little bit then took the long walk home. It was another great night of music in our town.

Sorry about spacing out and not getting a picture of Silent Mile.

 

Doom Service

d

Jessica Rabbit Syndrome

 

I had a great time seeing music at the The Monkey House on July 30. I’ve lately been enamored of Jessica Rabbit Syndromeand was very excited to see them. I took the lovely walk to Winooski and got in and settled as JRS hit the stage hard and heavy. They opened with a rousing Bitchcraft then played a great new song about a drug guy. Amy took lead vocals for Defensive Roofie then Ali returned with Winter Bender. They spoke of their love for food and rocked out Pork Fortress. Thelma And Louise kept the melodic but super heavy rock going and they closed the set with a blistering Bacchus D. It’s always a great time when they play.

Circus Trees

 

I hung out during the set break then Circus Trees took the stage. The three very young women from the Boston area who comprised the band lit into a spare sound with looped guitar and piano that got more huge and heavy as they built it into a monster. It was impressive. They continued on with a rocker about being out here on my own and all the songs had an interesting sprawl to them. The whole set was super loud and delightfully heavy. Visually, the stage was pretty dark, but they had a series of lanterns that would get turned on and off in a subtle and very effective manner. It’s hard to describe but it added a lot. The other fun part of the show was that they brought a family entourage who were super attentive to making any minor adjustments to the sound or lights as needed. It was delightful to watch. They closed the set with one song that began quiet then got devastatingly loud, and one that had a huge washy ending. I’m glad I caught the show and can’t wait to see where they go in the future.

Circus Trees

 

I hung out for a bit then Brooklyn’s Glass Lungs lit into a rocker about if I go away. They had a nice prog metal sound and I was sucked in from the first note. My notes are pretty sparse but they did play a song called From The Wayside and I found myself easily able to crawl into all of their songs and let them rock me for a while. They describe their music as blending “indie and post-rock with celestial guitar sounds to create an atmospheric brand of “space wizardry.” I think that is a completely accurate description of the sound and I loved every moment of their show.

I hung out and chatted for a bit then took the long walk home. It was another great night of music in our town.

 

Glass Lungs

 

I had a great time seeing music Thursday in the Interval in Burlington’s swath of farmland. Throughout the summer there is a fun festival on Thursdays with lots of families, fun activities, food, and music. I had a long day, but the schedule looked like there was a bit of a gap, so I took the lovely walk to Summervale. I chatted with a couple of cool people and stood in line to get some food. The band went on earlier than expected so I listened from afar for the first couple of songs.

The sound was pretty good off to the side as Milton Busker and the Grim Work lit into a song about letting you down. They followed with a cool version of The Basement Song, and followed with That Person Aside You. It was lovely as always, and I finally got settled into a nice spot on the ground in front of the band. They kicked up the pace for Glad To See You Go and I was in a happy place. Up next was a song I did not know. It was a wry tale of how we thank good guys with guns, set to a funky musical flow. It made me smile. Lost Cause followed and had some especially nice guitar mandolin interplay between Dave and Jom. Jesus In Chains has that great message and sounded powerful when Milton let his voice loose at the end. They slowed it down for a gorgeous Baby Let My Money Keep You Warm, then they raved it up for a fun cover of Men At Work’s Overkill. This got the little kids up and dancing and running and having a blast. They played a song that sounded new that was about how it all comes down to the face you wear or market share or something. It was very cool. They kicked up the pace for a cover of Driver 8 and closed the set with their take on Eleanor Rigby.

At that point it was about 7pm. I thought about staying for a couple more songs, but realized that it would really be best to just go home and get set for my radio show later that night. It was a really lovely time and I’m so glad I caught what I did.

I had a great time seeing music on Wednesday at The Skinny Pancake. The show was set to go from 7-9 and I worked until 7. I drove straight to the waterfront, found a decent parking place and walked back to the show. I thought of getting food but a huge line and a lack of tables changed the plan. I got a beer and found a spot on the patio to settle in and listen. Haley Jane has a powerhouse voice, solid skills on the guitar and engages with the audience about as well as anyone in the business. The first song I caught was about being out of line again, then she played one about the long steady process of improving yourself and turning yourself into a work of art. She envisioned a heart as a house full of rooms where all of your friends live on the next one, then played a song she wrote in the Elmwood Avenue graveyard. She opined that graveyards are a silly use of space and how it’s such a human thing to do to take up space even after you are gone. She tossed in a cover of a Tom Waits song about coming up to the house then played one about getting out in nature and rising up. She sang a song about how sharing secrets with others can help everyone’s understanding of life and closed the set with a song about relationships and how looks can kill. Just for fun, she tossed in a little bit of I’ll Fly Away.

The set break was quick then Margaux Higgins joined her for a song about loose screws that was really fun. Margaux left and Haley soldiered on with songs about roller coasters and a couple of busted hearts. She sang about Shenandoah then encouraged us all to ignite. I think the next song was a Woods Brothers cover, since she talked about how their show on the waterfront recently made her so happy. The song said hello I’m lonely and keep me around, if that helps. She sang of departed friends and wishing there was a bridge between here and the afterlife where we could meet our friends and party on that bridge. She sang about a daisy jar, then oh me oh my oh, she sang about Miss Ohio. She asked the audience to sing along on What’s Up and we sang “what’s going on” quite loudly. A song about Pablo Escobar followed and she closed the night with a song about giving a horse some Coca Cola or lemon soda, or something. It was really fun.

Shortly after the last note rang out, I took the short walk to the car and the quick drive home. She is an amazing performer and I’m so glad I caught as much as I did.