Do Make Say Think
Warning: there's a bunch of music shit here that you probably don't care about. PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY.
This past Friday I drove two hours up the road to Portland to see one of my favorite bands, Do Make Say Think from Toronto, all by my grown-up self. I rolled into Berbati's Pan (the venue) at 9:30 only to discover that they weren't to come on until midnight or so. DAMMIT. So I stood around looking conspicuously alone and sipped a coupla $3 PBRs while listening to the two opening bands. Remember when $6 of PBR from Macado's was enough to tranquilize apartment 160? Needless to say, it was a long wait. However, I gotta say that the second band, Adelaide, put on a great show, complete with two old 8 mm projectors of bizarre footage and a great set of droney music.
Do Make Say Think finally came on at midnight and proceeded to rock my knees straight into my face. I was seriously ROCKING THE FUCK OUT. Which, if you've heard their music, might seem a bit odd. It's not super intense unless you're standing 15 feet away from all six of them, like I was, as their amps transform music into Rayleigh waves. So they played through most of their set, then took a break to drop some bad news. Apparently we were missing out on the full Do Make Say Think experience: their trumpeter isn't allowed into the United States because he got busted for smoking a joint in 1984. Or so they say. Anyway, as the bassist told us that the American taxpayer didn't want this guy in our country, people in the crowd started yelling back "DRUGS SUPPORT TERRORISM" and "KEEP YOUR DRUGS IN CANADA". Which was awesome.
And just then, when I thought the show couldn't possibly get any better, he announced that he was gonna do a Steve Reich cover. I literally screamed, along with the four other people in the audience who knew who the fuck Steve Reich is. So much blood rushed into my naughty bits that I began to feel light-headed. He chose "It's Gonna Rain" ... Reich is partly recognized for finding rhythm and tones in natural speech, and this old piece is a phasing loop of a Pentecoastal preacher talking about Noah and the Ark. The bassist on stage nodded to the sound engineer in the back and began to loop his own voice. Eventually it looped and layered and repeated and built itself into a cascading mass of voices drowning out everything with the threat of rain. And then they launched into the last set.
I got home at 4:00 a.m.
This past Friday I drove two hours up the road to Portland to see one of my favorite bands, Do Make Say Think from Toronto, all by my grown-up self. I rolled into Berbati's Pan (the venue) at 9:30 only to discover that they weren't to come on until midnight or so. DAMMIT. So I stood around looking conspicuously alone and sipped a coupla $3 PBRs while listening to the two opening bands. Remember when $6 of PBR from Macado's was enough to tranquilize apartment 160? Needless to say, it was a long wait. However, I gotta say that the second band, Adelaide, put on a great show, complete with two old 8 mm projectors of bizarre footage and a great set of droney music.
Do Make Say Think finally came on at midnight and proceeded to rock my knees straight into my face. I was seriously ROCKING THE FUCK OUT. Which, if you've heard their music, might seem a bit odd. It's not super intense unless you're standing 15 feet away from all six of them, like I was, as their amps transform music into Rayleigh waves. So they played through most of their set, then took a break to drop some bad news. Apparently we were missing out on the full Do Make Say Think experience: their trumpeter isn't allowed into the United States because he got busted for smoking a joint in 1984. Or so they say. Anyway, as the bassist told us that the American taxpayer didn't want this guy in our country, people in the crowd started yelling back "DRUGS SUPPORT TERRORISM" and "KEEP YOUR DRUGS IN CANADA". Which was awesome.
And just then, when I thought the show couldn't possibly get any better, he announced that he was gonna do a Steve Reich cover. I literally screamed, along with the four other people in the audience who knew who the fuck Steve Reich is. So much blood rushed into my naughty bits that I began to feel light-headed. He chose "It's Gonna Rain" ... Reich is partly recognized for finding rhythm and tones in natural speech, and this old piece is a phasing loop of a Pentecoastal preacher talking about Noah and the Ark. The bassist on stage nodded to the sound engineer in the back and began to loop his own voice. Eventually it looped and layered and repeated and built itself into a cascading mass of voices drowning out everything with the threat of rain. And then they launched into the last set.
I got home at 4:00 a.m.
posted by Waan at 8:36 PM
3 Comments:
d00d, that Steve Reich stuff is trippy. I'm guessing he did most of his work before computers; I could see how managing loops would be insanely difficult without one.
Ha, turns out Do Make Say Think was in Chicago last night. You hit 'em up, Johnny?
PS: I love Love waves
No doubt it would have been better than what I did on Tuesday. I don't remember what it was, but I'm quite certain it sucked.
My music collection has gotten pretty stagnant since college. I used to count on Waan to get me all my crazy shit, most of which was fantastic (Music for Airports, Ludicrous Speed, Miss Kitten, etc.) Now I just have Mat, pretty much. He's the only person who ever sends anything new my way, and while I like most of what he gives me, it isn't nearly as off-the-beaten-path as what aparment 160 used to serve up. I miss that place. And 2 foot sandwiches and 75 cent PBR and WUVT.
By the way, Warren....Uncle Fritz is back on the Internet. www.wjza.com, Sunday nights 9 to 12 Eastern. You should check him out. He's on a smooth jazz station, but his show is anything but.
Yeah, I'm with Johnny Bot on this one. I do miss the old digs.
And yes, Warren, your musical oddities rival my own; never ever dreamed I'd hear raquetball on CD. You were pretty much my influx of new material, as well; in lieu of you, there was a period of about three years where (like John) I only got new music from Mat. Chuck and Ryan have now stepped up to the plate. I rely on others' passions for vicarious enjoyment.
I listen to about 10% of the music I have (if that), so I never feel compelled to go out and find new things. I stumble across things slowly; Iris is the only thing that springs to mind in the past four years or so. But if people do the guesswork for me, hey, awesome.
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