Secret Machines

since GGW isnt here I will do the honors

Originally posted by BadSushi:

I thought the KOL were great. I caught their show at the Black Cat some six months ago; when the BC was only half full. I can't believe how packed last night's show was - and how many people were singing along with the stuff from the new CD. Man, I thought they were on fire, and I'm impressed with how they've tightened up their playing - back to back touring has really paid off. Even tho Caleb was apparently fighting laryngitis, he still managed all his signature slightly odd vocal styles.

They also hung out after the show, and it's always surprising to find the rock gods are really just nice, slightly shy, totally humble guys, who still seem amazed at what's happening to them. Nice night - and well behaved crowd too.

when were they mean?

Originally posted by BadSushi:
Perhaps next time, you can give the headliner the backbar, and us proles the green room…

What the hell is a prole?

Originally posted by BadSushi:
Maybe someone should have told Brendan…KOL forgot to invite the Secret Machines. I didn't make the story up; a couple of your staffers told me. If it was a KOL private party, perhaps you could have put the NO ADMIT sign up earlier in the evening so none of us would have planned to meet up down there later…you also have a website updated daily where it might be considerate to post such notices. I'm sure DC9 appreciated the maneuver, however…

I think you're expecting too much/asking too much of the club. KOL are dicks – not the club's fault, and not the club's responsibility to make all these alternatives and notices available. The club isn't Madison Square Garden; I'm sure anyone who had planned to meet up after the show could find each other.

I think it's hysterical that Secret Machines didn't know it was a KOL after-party.

I guess KOL has let success go to their balls. That's what happens once you get a little Bush.

Originally posted by general grievous:
since GGW isnt here I will do the honors

Originally posted by BadSushi:

I thought the KOL were great. I caught their show at the Black Cat some six months ago; when the BC was only half full. I can't believe how packed last night's show was - and how many people were singing along with the stuff from the new CD. Man, I thought they were on fire, and I'm impressed with how they've tightened up their playing - back to back touring has really paid off. Even tho Caleb was apparently fighting laryngitis, he still managed all his signature slightly odd vocal styles.

They also hung out after the show, and it's always surprising to find the rock gods are really just nice, slightly shy, totally humble guys, who still seem amazed at what's happening to them. Nice night - and well behaved crowd too.

when were they mean?

Originally posted by Medusa:
The newspapers are all correct: She drinks, smokes and parties a WHOLE lot.

As do I (well, the smoking is nearly a thing of the past, but the premise remains intact).

That's one thing I feel for them about. They're in their early 20s, they have what for the rest of us is pretty normal behavior scrutinized…

Not mean to me. I don't generally approach performers I don't know…The next morning I spoke with two gfriends who tried to get them to sign their CD jackets, and all four of the KOL guys blew 'em off…not a cool way to treat fans who spent money on your product… BTW: I did like their new work - which they were promoting heavily on their last tour…then I put it away and haven't been compelled to even load it on my iPod…want to make a big deal out of that too?

So, you did a great job of finding my older posting…it must be a really slow day for you. Since I'm self-employed, I only screw myself when I spend so much time on the board…Do any of you more rabid hipsters here even bother going to shows anymore?

Since when is drinking, smoking, and partying hard considered normal behavior for early 20's? What a sad society we've become.

Originally posted by Bags:

Originally posted by Medusa:
The newspapers are all correct: She drinks, smokes and parties a WHOLE lot.

As do I (well, the smoking is nearly a thing of the past, but the premise remains intact).

That's one thing I feel for them about. They're in their early 20s, they have what for the rest of us is pretty normal behavior scrutinized…

Originally posted by BadSushi:

So, you did a great job of finding my older posting…it must be a really slow day for you. Since I'm self-employed, I only screw myself when I spend so much time on the board…Do any of you more rabid hipsters here even bother going to shows anymore?

i am far too cool to bother with shows, the best bands dont even play shows anymore

I only screw myself when my wife goes away for conferences.

Originally posted by BadSushi:
I only screw myself when I spend so much time on the board…Do any of you more rabid hipsters here even bother going to shows anymore?

my guess is Kings of Leon rented the backbar from the club for whatever reasons… it's not like it's a public space so the club can choice to do with it what it likes.

Originally posted by general grievous:
i am far too cool to bother with shows, the best bands dont even play shows anymore

Dude, what are you talking about? Hanson tours pretty damn regularly!

Originally posted by Julian, faux celeb-porn CONNOISSEUR:
The best part,though, was when we gave the bouncer a picture of BadSushi and told him she wasn't allowed in. Man, that was classic…

wait, is this the same bouncer that – according to badsushi – has a little wallet-sized picture of me in his pocket and is "on the lookout" for me and my horrendously anti-social behavior?

the secret machines do a whole shitload of acid, i wouldn't be surprised if they "misinterpreted" what was going on in the backbar

best show i've seen of theirs is still them opening for the fire theft at the cat … not a big crowd, no expectations, and they just rocked the joint

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
wait, is this the same bouncer that – according to badsushi – has a little wallet-sized picture of me in his pocket and is "on the lookout" for me and my horrendously anti-social behavior?

Oh, good, someone picked up on the parody.

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
the secret machines do a whole shitload of acid, i wouldn't be surprised if they "misinterpreted" what was going on in the backbar

best show i've seen of theirs is still them opening for the fire theft at the cat … not a big crowd, no expectations, and they just rocked the joint

Bet this will be news to Brandon…were you doing a few tabs with them? Maybe they'll cover "malicious slander" during your first year in law school.

BTW: That small wallet photo is now a full-sized poster hanging in the office….and they gave the small one to the secret service last night.
:D

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Since when is drinking, smoking, and partying hard considered normal behavior for early 20's? What a sad society we've become.

About as long as college has been around…

Guess I must be wrong – that must be why 18th Street is always so dead on Friday and Saturday nights…it's like a ghost town around 2:30 a.m.

Owning slaves and not allowing women to vote was also once considered normal behavior.

Originally posted by Bags:

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Since when is drinking, smoking, and partying hard considered normal behavior for early 20's? What a sad society we've become.

About as long as college has been around…

Guess I must be wrong – that must be why 18th Street is always so dead on Friday and Saturday nights…it's like a ghost town around 2:30 a.m.

Originally posted by BadSushi:

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
the secret machines do a whole shitload of acid, i wouldn't be surprised if they "misinterpreted" what was going on in the backbar

Bet this will be news to Brandon…were you doing a few tabs with them? Maybe they'll cover "malicious slander" during your first year in law school.

oh badsushi, you are so cool, referring to band members by their first names and stuff

well, your best friend told a national television audience on MTV2's Subterranean that they spent during their first few months in new york in a tiny heat-less apartment they "did a lot of acid"

damn brandon for maliciously slandering himself like that!!

oh, and their drummer josh garza has a great quote in their 1-sheet: "we're just trying to make music that connects with people, connects with the cosmos, and connects with the gods" … sounds like a man who is quite experienced with sobriety to me

Originally posted by BadSushi:
Bet this will be news to Brandon…were you doing a few tabs with them?

more news from brandon …

Altered States: The Secret Machines' Narcotic Blis

"The First time you take acid, or have any kind of a psychedelic experience, from that point on you look at the world a little differently." Brandon Curtis squints his eyes a little as he says this, like a scientist subtly underscoring the tenets of his lesson. The Secret Machines, for whom young Brandon sings and plays bass and keyboards, play post-acid rock–flavored with sorbet-light touches of Flaming Lips frazzle, a never-ending motorik groove they liberated from the Germanic likes of Neu!, and the heaviest kick-drum detonations since John Bonham's gargantuan kit finally fell silent. But this isn't just about the drugs.

"Meditation is a part of it too," he continues. "We're all into self-examination, the processes of the brain. Drugs separate you from your usual point of view, offering a different perspective. It's not necessarily advisable," he grins. "But anything could throw you into that state. Like hearing a groove for 10 minutes–that alters my state every time, with or without chemicals."

"You can't underestimate the mystical impact of the things you don't understand," adds his younger brother, guitarist Benjamin. "Whether it's hearing great music, or a drone that lasts for ages, or having a 9-hour acid trip, or driving for 15 hours straight, no breaks."

Traveling is second nature for them, anyway. Brandon and Benjamin hail from Norman, Oklahoma, and later moved to Dallas; charismatic, hirsute drummer Josh Garza moved to Norman a year after the Curtis boys quit town, later hooking up with them in Dallas. They released a debut EP, September 000, in 2002, showcasing frazzled morsels of Lipsian psychedelia that showed a promise their new album, Now Here Is Nowhere, pays dividends upon. Drawing upon the grooves and Krautrock leanings of their live shows, there are a number of metallic, mantric noiseouts amongst the blissed-out ballads and anthemic rockers. Given that their stark, white-light-drenched concerts are fast becoming the stuff of legend, that's definitely a good thing.

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Owning slaves and not allowing women to vote was also once considered normal behavior.

Again, I refer you to 18th Street on any weekend night – in 2005. If you ask me, there are MORE 20-somethings out there than there were 15 years ago…

Just because you're now 38 and have different behavior standards (or even if you always had the same behavior standards) does not mean that the entire world has changed with you…