Deviant Dispatches

Part I One of the coolest things about Bloodbuzz Ohio was in the theatrics. Behind the band, a screen depicted, for the most part, live video of  the band in abstract. But for Bloodbuzz, they used a feature that looked like blood cells creeping across the screen. The band was also cast in red by overhead lights, making them individual cells on stage to match the screen. Then, white light swept across the audience in a beautiful contrast. Aside from the fact that the lights were sometimes so bright that I had to close my eyes, the theatrics were wonderful. (No thanks to the idiot or two who started smoking during the concert. Inside the Orpheum.) Lead singer Matt, about halfway through, tossed a drink cup into the crowd. Between songs, one of the twin guitarists asked him about it. "It was a plastic cup," said Matt, "with a few drops of white wine in it. That's totally punk rock." He went on, pausing between each sentence. "They don't let me have...

On Sunday night, my friends Joey and Kaelin took me to see The National  at the Orpheum in Madison, with opening act Frightened Rabbit . I was excited for the opener because Joey was excited for the opener - he and I have very similar musical tastes, and I trust his opinion because he knows what he's talking about . He described them as very similar to U2, and lead singer Scott Hutchison said at the concert that they built their band with The National as a role model. I don't remember what songs they played that night, but here's one I've enjoyed since then: Living in Colour, from their album The Winter of Mixed Drinks . The National themselves were excellent. (Oddly comforting side note: the lead singer, Matt Berninger, wore glasses for the concert.) They had excellent sound throughout, with Berninger throwing in some interesting heavy-metal screams for certain songs (for example, at the end of Squalor Victoria  - I hadn't thought about it, but their songs...

As we headed toward the Overture Center for the big concert, Spousal Unit and I still had time to kill, so we went to the art museum next door. We stood in awe of the beautiful interior for a moment, then asked the guy at reception what the coolest piece in the museum was at the moment. "Well, we're technically closed right now," he said. "But I think it's the painting over there." The painting was more or less an upskirt shot of a lady's crossed legs under a table. She seemed to have a tuba or something draped over one foot. Art is weird sometimes, but awesome at others. Through the glass wall next to the painting was an exhibit of children's art, and I saw this piece of glory. It's GIR from Invader Zim! At a distance, it was hard to tell the medium, but I think the black parts are felt and the green is papier mache. Anyway. You want to hear about the concert . We sat in the front row of the second balcony (there are three...

Last night, Spousal Unit and I saw Rising Gael play at the Stoughton Opera House . The group is originally from Wisconsin (one of the CDs we picked up was recorded in Cottage Grove), and from their witty banter on stage, it sounded like they had many friends in the audience. Spousal Unit first heard them on The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast and has loved them ever since. Their first song of the night was Nova Scotia Farewell, which is becoming my favorite song the more I think about it. Lead singer and pipe master (a.k.a. flautist) Erin Ellison has such a strong, distinctive voice - I especially love the effects when she hits the high notes in this song. Despite that, the audience was quiet early on. A little too quiet. (Can you blame them? Stoughton is full of Norwegians - we don't get rowdy unless we're instructed to.) "We're used to playing pubs," guitarist Peter Tissot announced, encouraging the audience to get into it. And that was all it took. ...