A litte background info:
I book bands to play at TASI. We aren't just a venue, we do lots of things, an art show every month, band night once a month, artist spaces, a ceramic studio, art classes, and we are involved in various and sundry other art related things, film, theater, music, festivals, and so on. My parents are the founders of the place, and there's a lot of history. I was just sort of thrown into the job I have there, and I'm not so great at it because I'm really bad at talking to people, but luckily I have a lot of help.
Okay.
The bands on this evening were Cousins, Wolves, Ivans, and The Orchestra. Prettimuch the greatest bands I could ever imagine! This show was spawned from ideas brought up in May at the Wolves'
jam room. First, Drew thought there should be a show with them and the Cousins at the Art Studio. Their bassist, the Hooka, suggested serving hot dogs to show-goers. "The Dong Show! Free dongs!" Well, I had never heard that term used for hot dogs before, but I thought it was hilarious. To avoid controversy, it isn't the title we actually went with. At the show I never spoke to Drew, I never spoke to most of the Ivans either. I wanted to shake everyone's hands and thank them for being so GD amazing. But like I said, I'm really bad about that. They scare me a little bit, like celebrities, very intimidating. I did speak to the Ivans' bassist because he was walking past and I needed to know something important about their set. I spoke to two or three out of four Wolves just to put wristbands on them. Everyone is supposed to have one, but I just let it slide sometimes when I don't want to confront people.
I stopped the Hooka, "Hey! Can I give you this wristband?" A lot of older people really get mad about the wristband. Ladies because it clashes with their jewelry. One dude was even pretty rude about it, snatched it from my hand and shoved it violently in his pocket, so when I convinced him to wear it properly, I intentionally stuck it crooked right on his arm hair. The wristband is a difficult thing, they can be crooked and pull out your hairs, or they can be too tight, or too loose. It's an art. So after a pause the Hooka replied, "Are you good at not getting it on arm hairs?" "Well, I can try." I'm pretty sure the last time he came to one of our shows, I put it on him bad crooked and as he walked in and winced, I had to just apologize. He presented both wrists, then chose one, then turned it facing up, and I very carefully stuck the wristband to itself and nothing else, more perfectly aligned than anyone else's that evening. I wiped the sweat off my brow and sat back down. Tres was helping us out, too. When she saw Drew walk past with bare wrists, she asked if he needed a wristband, too. I told her everyone needs one, but stopped her before she said anything to him. "Uh, don't worry about it, he's in a band." I think it would have been proper to just acknowledge his presence at the greatest show ever, since he had everything to do with making it possible. It was prettimuch disrespectful not to. But I never so much as made eye contact with the guy. He's one of these people that when he's on stage he looks at people in the audience. Well, he was looking our way, I hope he wasn't wishing cancer on me or something.
Earlier in the evening, there was one mishap. Two punkrockers showed up, a little fat one, and one with curly hair in a poorly executed mohawk. The Orchestra opened the show. They didn't fit very well with the other bands that evening, they never do, but they're our people. The first time they played with us was in March, another one of our randomly strewn together collections of various bands having nothing to do with one another. They were a performance piece, electronic drums, whimpering, and pterodactyl calls that ran off most of the crowd and drew the remaining few to stand right at the front of the stage. They're about 16 years old, dressed up in bright colors, skin-tight jeans, raccoon eye make up, androgynous emo hair. TASI is their home since they were banished from the coolest hangout for emo kids. And we might have been the only place who was happy to have them, though I can't say our patrons were terribly pleased about it. They've become more put together since then, more like a band producing music than a bunch of kids making random noise. Still, nobody really enjoyed their set, it wasn't exactly the Orchestra's crowd, but they expect the hate, and that's part of their act. So these punks were yelling at them. Totally inappropriate, to the point where The Juler almost told them off, but I said let it go, the Orchestra can handle it. Then they started threatening to throw big pieces of wood at the band, and a mom got quite disturbed. Well, she didn't want anything to happen to her babies, so she told on the punk and wanted us to call the cops. Oh god! I've never had the cops show up to any show I've been in charge of, please don't let them eff this up! I'm freaking out, and The Juler takes control of the situation. The tries to talk to the woman and explains that they haven't done anything wrong, yet. "So you're just going to wait until they do?! Somebody needs to call the police right now!" Well, the punks must've realized they were outnumbered and all this talk of authority sent them packing. Still laughing, they walked down the street and it was over. I was obviously more disturbed by that little non-mishap than the Orchestra themselves were.
Oh it really was a completely perfect night, I don't know why it sounds so dreadful now in writing.
There were quite a few people there we don't see too often, people who are regulars at the local rock bar, The Vtex. (The Vtex = the hangout for drunken twenty somethings, fifty year olds like my parents, and me ever since I was like 16.) The very dapper Nosveratu showed up sporting a suit & matching hat to see The Ivans and The Wolves. Last time he was here, I believe he was not having such a great time becuase his band the Mollies were playing, there was a terrible turn out, and we weren't allowing alcohol for anyone at that time. Chris, the singer/guitar player for The Sharks, was there, too. They're another one of my favorite bands and though I've asked them (over myspace) a few times to play at TASI, they are prettimuch exclusive to The Vtex. Chris is an extremely intimidating little man with frightfully bloodshot eyes at all times, and I believe this was the very first time he has ever come to one of our shows. So firstly, he got past without paying and I had to send someone to tell him to. He sighed like, "I can't believe they're gonna make me pay!" But of course, why wouldn't we? He is not special here, he is not a regular, his band has never even showed an interest in playing here. As much as I would have died to have them play this very show, I wasn't able to speak to them about it in person when I had the perfect opportunity some weeks back. (And I was totally depressed that night because I failed to do so.) Anyway, he had a beer in his hand so I had to check his ID. He was smiling in his picture, it was precious, and I actually told him, "Oh, that's a cute picture!" WTF! That's so wierd of me!
Among other attendees was the girl who usually takes money at the door at the Vtex. Me and my bro are regulars, and she always has to ask everyone for IDs when they walk in the door. She knows by now that we're both under 21, and now she even trusts me enough to give me little Xs. I never try to get drinks, and it's very considerate of her, but I kinda like to show off my bar marks on Sundays. Last time I went in, they were requiring IDs for everyone, even under 21, but I don't even have one atall. She called over Tim who runs the show. "Oh, I know her, let her in." Yes, VIP! (Tim used to book bands for TASI. There was a series of events and circumstances that led to me taking it over.) So I felt wierd asking her to show me hers, but it was cool. We met an interesting vegetarian woman, too. When I was first introduced to her, she gave me a big hug. I see a lot of people who knew me as a child who I don't remember, but she wasn't one of those, she was just a woman who hugs strangers. And when The Juler met her, she told me that the woman felt her face in strange ways. Like the woman just randomly put her hand all up on the Juler's face, like it wasn't even a thing. She seemed a nice enough lady, anyway, but pretty interesting to say the least. The dude she was with, however, was a bit of a creeper. Ech.
So after the show,
we go to Sertino's. It's almost a tradition to go have sandwiches at this 24 hour coffeeshop after the show is over, whether we were running it at TASI or we've just watched one at the Vtex. And it's always better when there are more people. On this late late evening, it's me, The Juler, another friend Elia, my cousin Carlo (bassist of The Cousins), my brother Graig (singer/guitarist of The Cousins), my cousin Mico (former drummer of The Cousins), his friend Rachel, and Dad's girlfriend's daughter Samus. It was almost 3 when we left, Juler's staying the night with me at Dad's. She and I stay up watching Rugrats and talking until the wee hours. Juler has a real bad sleep schedule, and for some odd reason I wasn't even tired atall. This has happened to me before after another amazing local show, but that time I went to bed and ended up sleeping eventually becuase everyone else did. It didn't work out like this with my nocturnal friend. When I finally turn out the lamp so we can try to sleep, I'm angry to see that sunlight is already seeping through my east-facing windows. We decide to sleep at 7:50. I wake up at 10:50, and I'm awake alone in the house for hours. total bummer, but the evening had been so beautiful it was worth every sleepless second.
LALALATHEEND
FINALLY!
lots more pictures from the evening (pictures of the bands and
not of my feet)
click here
