Metric/Stills/Sea Ray rollcall

i worked this show and was fortunate enough to be able to see everything, which is rare. it also helped that everyone was well-behaved and respectful, which makes my job a whole lot easier.

i have to admit, i definitely liked sea ray the most last night. the guitar-vocals/bass/cello/keys/drums line-up really nailed the sound they were going for. though not terribly original, they reminded me of a more rocking magnetic fields circa 1994 (when they had a cellist) or a better matt pond pa. the stratford 4 is a good comparison, with the latter being more stripped-down. the video projections were a nice touch. overall, a very pleasant half-hour set offered by folks that obviously grew up worshipping 4AD, echo and the bunnymen, slowdive, galaxie 500, and mercury rev.

metric did not impress me nowhere near as much as everyone else here. i thought they were good, but nothing special. emily haines' vocals were alternately inspired and tired. the musicianship was competent but left me wanting more. i thought her synth playing was a strong point, actually, and i was pleased to see a vintage sequential circuits being taken off stage. i couldn't tell if they were going for an angular post-punk thing or a retro new-wave thing. not bad, but i'll take the yeah yeah yeahs and clinic over them.

i was really into the stills' set for the first 20 minutes or so, but their songs rarely differed. fortunately, they played for about 50 minutes, so it didn't get too old. they remind me of interpol with less calculation and more sincerity. more echo and kitchens of distinction than joy division, which is what every critic predictably, and erroneously, drops. overall, a solid-sounding set with well-written, if slightly pedestrian, songs.

Originally posted by snailhook:
i worked this show

That's funny – redsock and I were wondering if you were working that show last night. Were you at the door at all?

I was up front for Metric, right behind the crazy dancing chick who was brought up on stage at the end. By the way, while she was wildly enthusiastic, she could NOT dance on the beat. It was like she was freaking out to a completely different band. It was hysterical to me…

hahaha, i was at stage right when that chick went on stage. i thought that was going to be part of your story, because that girl was a total spazz who had trouble dancing to the beat.

i never got to the door last night and spent the whole night inside. like i said, pure luck, because a lot of the times when you really want to see the band, you get stuck at the door, downstairs, or in the alley.

I don't think this chick was even at the Club for Metric. Or if so, she must have been SITTING way up by the upstairs bar, completely unaware of the folks on the floor loving Emily, her antics and the band. The Stills I think she got just right….
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At the 9:30 Club, The Stills' Endless Loop

Friday, May 14, 2004; Page C07
The Washington Post

When the Stills opened for Ryan Adams at the 9:30 club last December, Adams joined Stills guitarist Tim Fletcher and drummer Dave Hamelin for three songs as a metal band they called Whorenet. On Wednesday night at the same club, there were no such shenanigans – in fact, Fletcher almost apologized, introducing the song "Allison Krausse" as "the closest we're going to get to heavy metal tonight."

Much of the Stills' 55-minute set bled together, with slowed-down song endings morphing into new melodies. Fletcher, guitarist Greg Paquet and bassist Oliver Crowe literally shoe-gazed, hunching over their instruments as they pounded at repetitive chords. At times it was difficult to tell whether these transitions signaled a new song or just a bridge, and Fletcher's unenunciated vocals did little to clarify matters. A few songs did stand out, however, like the catchy "Still in Love Song," which had the thinning crowd bouncing in place as Fletcher's desperate confession ("You're selfish and a waste of space / but I'm still in love") escalated into a frenzy that was grounded by Hamelin's solid drumming.

Despite the repetitious tone to their songs, the Stills were amazing compared with the opener Metric, whose set began innocently enough with Emily Haines's New Wave vocals channeling some of the offbeat phrasing style of Portishead's Beth Gibbons. Metric's set deteriorated rapidly from there, as Haines's jerky dancing and exaggerated gestures (culminating in some painful writhing on the floor) distracted tremendously from the music.

– Catherine P. Lewis

I think she was commenting on ger own opinion of the band. Again, reviewers offer their own opinions, and aren't responsible to write on behalf of the crowd.

Based on the way she described this show, both bands sound horrible. Glad I didn't go.

Originally posted by Bagalicious Tangster:
I don't think this chick was even at the Club for Metric. Or if so, she must have been SITTING way up by the upstairs bar, completely unaware of the folks on the floor loving Emily, her antics and the band. The Stills I think she got just right….
============

At the 9:30 Club, The Stills' Endless Loop

Friday, May 14, 2004; Page C07
The Washington Post

When the Stills opened for Ryan Adams at the 9:30 club last December, Adams joined Stills guitarist Tim Fletcher and drummer Dave Hamelin for three songs as a metal band they called Whorenet. On Wednesday night at the same club, there were no such shenanigans – in fact, Fletcher almost apologized, introducing the song "Allison Krausse" as "the closest we're going to get to heavy metal tonight."

Much of the Stills' 55-minute set bled together, with slowed-down song endings morphing into new melodies. Fletcher, guitarist Greg Paquet and bassist Oliver Crowe literally shoe-gazed, hunching over their instruments as they pounded at repetitive chords. At times it was difficult to tell whether these transitions signaled a new song or just a bridge, and Fletcher's unenunciated vocals did little to clarify matters. A few songs did stand out, however, like the catchy "Still in Love Song," which had the thinning crowd bouncing in place as Fletcher's desperate confession ("You're selfish and a waste of space / but I'm still in love") escalated into a frenzy that was grounded by Hamelin's solid drumming.

Despite the repetitious tone to their songs, the Stills were amazing compared with the opener Metric, whose set began innocently enough with Emily Haines's New Wave vocals channeling some of the offbeat phrasing style of Portishead's Beth Gibbons. Metric's set deteriorated rapidly from there, as Haines's jerky dancing and exaggerated gestures (culminating in some painful writhing on the floor) distracted tremendously from the music.

– Catherine P. Lewis

I know, and I was commenting on her opinion. But as a writer, I think I would note that the crowd's reaction was different from mine. A la, when I trash talked Jason Mraz, I did note that his fans were many and devoted.

Originally posted by Sacktastic Bag O' Nuts:
I think she was commenting on ger own opinion of the band. Again, reviewers offer their own opinions, and aren't responsible to write on behalf of the crowd.

Based on the way she described this show, both bands sound horrible. Glad I didn't go.

Originally posted by Bagalicious Tangster:
I don't think this chick was even at the Club for Metric. Or if so, she must have been SITTING way up by the upstairs bar, completely unaware of the folks on the floor loving Emily, her antics and the band. The Stills I think she got just right….