Many moons ago, PDP-contributor Estelle and I were roommates and DJs at a little station in L.A. called KXLU, which you can catch by tuning into 88.9 F.M. in Los Angeles, unless, of course, you are in one of those areas where KGOD or whatever it's called is bleeding through the frequency. We don't really have much to do with the station anymore, unless we are filling in for someone or shifting our critical ears towards the intricacies of a proper airbreak. But we do, usually, go to the fundraiser shows whenever they occur just to show some love.
Hence, Estelle and I spent our Saturday night at the Knitting Factory. I brought along Brother John and Estelle was joined by Friend Jen. We paid $15 (which we think is a bit steep, but we won't get into that). We saw some bands. Here are the notes:
Halloween Swim Team: Brother John and I showed up a good hour before Estelle, since she managed to get lost. (You know I can't resist to bring that up.) Halloween Swim Team was nearly finished with the set by the time we arrived. I've seen this band quite a few times (and played with them once) and really enjoy the synth-punk-hardcore thing. However, it seemed like there were sound problems tonight. This became obvious after a series of "Oh, shit, I think the bass is going to go out!" trembles. During the last song, the drum kit collapsed and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. Since the drummer kept playing, though, I'm inclined to think that it was intentional. Either that or he's a real trooper.
Child Pornography: (Ed. Note: There is no link because I really did not want to have to Google that name.) We only saw about two songs. On any other night, I might have liked it, but I just was not feeling the screams on this particular evening. As I told Brother John, "I think I'm getting old, I like to understand the lyrics now."
My Little Red Toe: I last saw My Little Red Toe in Nicholas' (half of the duo) backyard in Burbank four years ago. I think it was MLRT's first show. I was impressed at how this band has grown over the years. Despite the fact that it is just one guitar and one drum kit, Nicholas and Susan created a full sound.
"They kind of remind me of Quasi," Estelle remarked.
What is interesting is how they will work into a crescendo, so that you think that they will embark upon an eight minute post-rock journey, and then just stop. It's like Mogwai for people like us with cable television attention spans. Estelle and I have hope in this act. How can two young people who, as teenagers, covered a Los Cincos song in a Valley garage not be up to wonderful things.?
Year Future: Despite the fact that the drummer had a temperature of 104, Year Future played one of those rock sets that some would describe in rock terms like "blistering" and "ferocious" and other things that invoke either fire or animal-like qualities. The drummer seems like a pretty crazy guy, since he was playing with a fever and drumming with his elbows on occasion, but we think the bassist stole this show. Year Future Bassist wore a scarf tied around his neck and, according to Brother John, looked like Patrick Swayze. The guy had a stage presence similar to Angus Young in pretty much every AC/DC video, running around his corner of the stage (and sometimes beyond those parameters) like a madman for the entire set.
Pigeon John: Estelle and Friend Jen said they were over the set after the first few songs, but Brother John and I really dug Pigeon John's performance. It was hip-hop free from product placements and filled instead with lots of nerdy-guy-with-girl-problem rhymes. I was taken by Pigeon John's dance moves while Brother John was taken by the four-eyed blonde girl dancing next to his seat. We both agreed, though, that Dude Who Feels Need to Mosh to Hip-Hop really needed a time out.
As an added note, Pigeon John's records are out on Basement Records, which is also one of the last remaining independent record stores in the Valley.
Her Space Holiday: We wondered what exactly it was that the guys from Her Space Holiday were swigging from bottles seconds before the show (wine and tequila, maybe?). Mysterious liquids make shows more exciting, but we think that Her Space Holiday would have wowed us regardless of what was in the bottles.
"His voice reminds me of that band, oh, what's the name? The band that Shamus was really into," Estelle said of Marc Bianchi before singing a few lines from a song that another former KXLU DJ and friend of ours loved a few years back.
Three songs and chunks of pulled hair later, Estelle screamed, "Tullycraft!"
The set was far more energetic than we had imagined, with the duo kicking out one indie rock disco jam after another. Estelle and Friend Jen left midway through the set, but Brother John and I stayed until the very end, when Marc closed with a speech on a "strange day" and appreciating the people you love and hooking up and stuff like that before playing an R&B love song that everyone but I knew.