Should you ever come across a caravan of cross-country traveling artists invading a Silverlake sushi bar/actual bar with one laptop between the lot of them heed my advice: don't blink because you might miss one of the acts.
When I realized that there was roughly a thirty-second lull between each performance, I got a bit nervous. Shit, did we miss Mad Happy? Fortunately, the answer was no.
The downside of the performance was that there were so many artists on the bill (I think we caught 5 out of 7 or something like that), that we suffered from band fatigue. Sarah, my cohort for the evening, and I discussed this phenomena on our ride back to the 818. There comes a point when one sits through so many acts that everything begins to blend together. Band A blurs into Band B, which all but obstructs proper viewing of Band C. Thus, by the time Bands E and F take to the stage, the show becomes one rock show montage notable only for the nagging thought in the back of your head that you probably should have brought earplugs. That's band fatigue.
Most of last night was a sonic haze of, well, stuff. There was a folk singer rallying the crowd to join in a chant regarding the uses of ostriches, a hip-hop artist from Louisiana dressed in white from the tip of his hat, to the bottom of his socks. Mostly, I remember the huge white chain hanging from his neck. There was a girl who looked like the widow in a noire film and offered Princess Superstar-style rhymes. Then there were Zef Noi$e and Mad Happy.
After the show, I learned that Zef Noi$e has collaborated with Psychic TV. He is the drum'n'bass violinst, tearing his instrument to shreds all Satriani-like as the beats raced towards a 200+ bpm finish line. It was intense. And loud. And it was then that I realized that I really should have brought my earplugs.
Mad Happy played a very short set of four songs: "Loaded Up;" "Renegade Geeks;" "Paint it Pink" and "File 2 the Metal." Partners Mike Ill and Rivka have a good vocal chemistry, going back and forth between rap and song without losing touch of where one or the other was heading, and write some damned catchy songs. I think Sarah and I were about ready to start singing a long by the end of "Paint it Pink." After hearing it live, I didn't think "File 2 the Metal" would end up being my favorite Mad Happy number (I thought that honor would go to "Loaded Up"), but after listening to the MP3, I realized that "File 2 the Metal" is the track. Here it on their My Space page.