When the Sky is Full of 0’s and 1’s
• • • • •

this post was created my gtalking to imified@imified.com. there are way tomany ways to waste time and update shit.

A mixed bag lineup at the abbey pub made it a very long night. I am quickly becoming less of a fan of these 4 and 5 band nights. Quality over quantity!

We walked in to the middle of a set by a typical rock three peice, guitar/bass/drums, playing not very typical mathy-noise rock. The lead singer/guitarist and bass player faced the drumer not the crowd and made little contact with the crowd. Maybe an occasional thanks. It was interesting. They had the intensity of Old Time Relijun but not the creativity.

Next up was one of my favorite local bands Spires that in the Sunset Rise playing a set drenched in feedback and reverb, standard for most of their sets. Musically it was a darker and slightly more restrained set then I have seen from them as of late. While some may think their music is weird I find it rather comforting, like a warm forest after a rain. Even though the intensity of their set was a bit below the previous band’s, there was an urgency to singing that really shined through.

Third on the bill, B1g T1me (yes those are number ones inplace of the “i” in each word…a hint of what to come) took way to long to set up. My patience could have been wearing thin as it was a Tuesday and I did not expect 4 bands on the bill (I bought tickets when it was just Spires and Old Time Relijun, to me that woudl have been a perfect night) but when I saw garbage can drums, theremin, accordian, and upright bass along with keyboards/guitars/drums I thought to myself “boy this better be worth the set-up time”. To qoute their myspace page:

“This band is a gutbucket backroom throwdown of interpretations of hit songs and chestnuts from the late 20th century performed with a sensibility that is equally evil and heartwarming”

Which translates to: covers of 80’s one hit wonders in the style of Tom Waits. Now I am not a huge Waits fan, mainly due to the fact that his catalog is so huge that I just dont know him well enough. Not so for a learned Waits friend that was with us, who was actually offened by this bands bastardization of Waits style. While the set didn’t force me to go to the back of the room, I was somewhat bored with the schtick about 2 songs in.

Finally, Old Time Relijun gets on stage. This is the third time the band has been in town for this album, “Catharsis in Crisis” which may account for the rather scant crowd. The people who did show up were very much into the set. Fans that knew all the words and who had most likely experienced the chaos that is Old Time Relijun live show many times. This was my first time getting to see them (unfortunate events prevent me form catching their previous shows) and really the new record is the only record I know and own. Sometimes I take bands that have been around for awhile for granted, having first heard about this band the summer sphormore year of collage and knowing they were on the the very indie K records, they had always been a band just on the fringes of my attention. There was something about the newest record though that grabbed me, the drums sound loud and heavy, the sax is deep and rich, and Arrington De Dionyso’s singing was simpley possessed. On stage they are no slouches, Arringtons eyes were almost bugging out of his head while he ran around the stage like a mad man. The set was short bit hit upon most of the newest record. Afterward, they sold their silk screened shirts printed on found t-shirts and limited edition free-jazz vinyl out of bags and boxes near the side of the stage.

See photos from the night here

listen to a song from the show here OldTimeRelijunattheAbbeyPub

• ORK Posters! …neighborhood posters
  (tags: chicago poster neighborhoods)

• Find a safe bike ride in and around Chicago
  (tags: chicago bike maps info local)

so we went on our second Chicago Critical Mass. here is the map of not only the mass (to the best of my knowledge) but also our trip down to daley plaza and then after “ending” the mass (we didn’t finish with the rest of the riders but left at 25th and 50th in cicero) and going back to schubas. overall 30miles of biking in four hours. it was amazing and eye opening. i look forward to august

Gmaps pedometer link

Technorati Profile