Sunday, June 17, 2007

show review/IM Chat: Earl Greyhound/Dirty on Purpose/Great Northern @ Bowery Ballroom, 14 June 07

Having seen the amazing Earl Greyhound/Dirty on Purpose/Great Northern show last Thursday at Bowery Ballroom, I totally felt it warranted a review here. Rather than recap the night, I thought this Gmail Chat with our lady-about-town Priscilla White might sum it up just as well:


9:14 PM extrawack!: Hey! I need to post a review of that killer show Thursday night...it was amazing, don't you think?

9:15 PM Priskiller!: the show was kickass and that's not even the scurvy pirate talking

[Editor's note: A "Scurvy Pirate" is a nasty mixed drink our crew has been downing for no apparent reason lately...it's Sprite & Captain Morgan. I told you it was nasty!]

extrawack!: How many pirates did you have? I banked some champers with Jin before the show.

Priskiller: sorry, fabio just called

[Editor's note: Our crew has also been using the Fabio/I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Phone Call Service to prank each other. It's been 3 weeks and it's still stoopid fun.]

9:17 PM Priskiller: i had ZERO pirates because the bar wench didn't know what they were
how hard is it to mix sprite and the captain?
nay, how hard is it to DRINK sprite and the captain?

9:18 PM i'm sorry, i seem to have lost focus

extrawack!: Maybe you should have ordered a Scurvy Zero (with new Sprite Zero)

I thought Great Northern was really good. I love their album, and I wasn't sure how they'd sound live.


Priskiller: i think i heard a cash register noise when you typed that

9:19 PM i'm a little embarrassed i spent so much time haggling over drinks before coming up
i only caught their last song

9:20 PM extrawack!: Their songs are kind of California poppy, without being too sweet, with a nice wash of noise over top of them.
Kind of a much less noisy Asobi Seksu. Maybe not.

Priskiller: ha! i'll buy that

Priskiller: jinners was dancing to them so I know they're good


9:21 PM extrawack!: Yeah, definately good. I'd like to see a longer set by them.

Priskiller: freals. an interesting pair-up with DoP, no?

9:22 PM extrawack!: Yeah. Dirty on Purpose always seems to be really creatively packaged with other complimentary bands.

9:25 PM They are going out with The Besnard Lakes in a few weeks. That's a great double bill.

Priskiller: sho nuf! they were with some fun bands at cmj
9:26 PM but i think besnard might take the cake
i still have your cmj pass by the way

9:27 PM extrawack! : True, true. One of the best parties I went to at SXSW was them & Menomena at the GenArt party at Beauty Bar. Plus there was Salt Lick BBQ, so it could have been Air Supply and Sisqo, and I would have loved it.

Priskiller: you're taking cracks at air supply?!? is nothing sacred?
mmmm, Salt Lick

9:29 PM extrawack!: Oh yeah...DoP keeps getting better every time I see them.

Priskiller: i was making the shrewd observation that i can always count on a fun crowd at their shows

9:31 PM extrawack! : That's pretty true. I've never had a bad time at a DoP show. Did you know dreamy drummer Doug from DoP was the designated bongo player for the Peter, Bjorn & John tour?

9:32 PM Priskiller: i was just gonna name drop that too!
it's the one blog headline i read this week!
he is dreamy, ps
except jin broke my heart and told me he's marriaged
to my other crush, one of the Au Revoir Simone womenz

9:34 PM extrawack!: Anyway, that was a great show for them to nail, because, as you noticed, it was loaded with record company mooks. I'd love to see Sony throw those guys a gigundo advance so they can buy Escalades & mad gold fronts.

If Sassy were still around, they could be co-Crush Of The Month.

Priskiller: yes! and those belt buckles with the led displays!

9:35 PM i think this IMversation is making ew! the new sassy
the place was pretty packed by the time dop wrapped up

extrawack!: Good call. I'm getting one of those buckles and it's gonna say "Will Work For Sugar Sweet Sunshine Cupcakes"

9:36 PM Priskiller : fancy. you must have the 32-byte model.

extrawack!: Or "I Heart Taylor Hicks"

9:37 PM So, I know you didn't know much about Earl Greyhound before that show...did they blow your wig off like they did to me?

Priskiller: being the hipster i am, i didn't know too much about them either (surprise!)
9:38 PM color me shallow but just seeing them walk onstage was enough to get me

extrawack! : Matt the guitarist did our year end poll.
They are pretty striking visually, right?

9:39 PM A little bit of everything for everyone...all in a trio.


Priskiller: they are! they opened with just that one spotlight on matt
and then you hear the crazy ass rebel yell from the bassist

9:40 PM extrawack! : Is it sexist or inappropriate if I proclaim that she's the sexiest bass player I've ever seen?

9:42 PM Priskiller: maybe slightly inappropriate, since i've got to put in my vote for that chick from the big sleep

extrawack!: Sonya? I saw her at that show, too. Didja see her?

Priskiller: what?! no!

9:43 PM extrawack!: Yeah, she passed us on the stairs on the way out.

Priskiller: dangit! i guess i was entranced by the second sexiest bassist i've ever seen, the one on stage

extrawack! : Nice. How about dude playing drums. That guy can hit.

Priskiller: and that drummer is wild
9:44 PM jinx

extrawack! : ha

Seriously...that band has a SERIOUSLY great rhythm section.

Priskiller: i hope i never have to arm wrestle that guy - he played for a solid hour without stopping
9:45 PM did you notice how they never broke between songs? just kinda kept the reverb and pedals going and then launched into the next one

extrawack! : Those songs are so groovy and loud and trancy. At one point in the show I just shut my eyes and let the vibrations hit me. It felt so good.

Priskiller: trancy is a good word
one you wouldn't think to ascribe to such a loud set

9:46 PM extrawack!: They've been playing festivals...I'd love to hear them on a big outdoors stage.
They are playing Monolith in Denver at Red Rocks. That might be worth a trip out for.


Priskiller: whoa!
9:47 PM if anyone can harness the attention of 20,000 sunbaked hippies it's them
9:48 PM i honestly wasn't sure i was going to stay the whole set before i got there, but once they started there was no way i could leave

extrawack! : Yeah. I was thinking that their sound is so unique that it can appeal to Jamband crunchies & Zep-heads alike.

9:49 PM Priskiller: do you know how they classify themselves? i'd believe anything from rock to punk to...
trance metal?
that's a genre, trust me

extrawack!: If they are smart, they just call themselves rock.

9:50 PM Priskiller: no no
trance metal's much better

extrawack! : Allright, I have to run. The missus is in LA for the week, so that means I can get my deep fryer out and eat like a fat guy at Hooters all week. I'm batter frying some frozen White Castle sliders tonite.

9:51 PM Priskiller: should i call the fire dept now or wait for your frantic text?

extrawack! : And I found an icy Brahma in the back of the fridge behind some tofu something or other that I threw out, so I'm set.

9:52 PM Priskiller: ps, it's a good thing i was here for this convo, giving the fans what they want
ooh, Brahma

extrawack!: I'll leave the webcam on me so you can see me passed out on the couch with reruns of COPS on and X's over my eyes at around 11.

Priskiller: i've got a tequila-vitamin water combo awaiting me. brother's special.

:D

9:53 PM extrawack!: Aiight. Talk to you later.

Priskiller: i'll tivo cops 2.0 for you if i catch it
pax
---------------------------------------------

Earl Greyhound - "S.O.S." mp3

Dirty on Purpose - "Light Pollution" mp3

Great Northern - "Home" mp3

The Besnard Lakes - "And You Lied To Me" mp3


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Earl Greyhound photo courtesy Fresh Bread.
Great Northern photo courtesy Unkle Munki.

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