since 06/11/99
06/05/99 YMCA, Woburn, MA: The Warren Commission, Eulcid, Butros Butros Gali, Lunacy, the one a.m. radio
What bothers me about the scene is that people only go support certain bands. For example, the Boston "emo scene" is pretty much Piebald. Yes, there are exceptions, but c'mon. Psara was supposed to play this show and were flyered for playing, yet nobody came just to see them. They're an unbelievable band. The Warren Commission is another great band, but how many people came to see them. The crowd was pretty much Jay (who set it up), the kids who brought the PA (Jason, Steve, Evan, Carolyn, Michelle, Courtney, & Misty), the members of the bands (Lunacy, the one a.m. transmission, Eulcid, The Warren Commission), Jay's friends (some of whom didn't even like the music), an additional 10-15 people, and I. great turnout, huh?
Well, Cleo was supposed to play this show. They are a great emo-core band blending the promise ring, get up kids, weezer, isis, saetia, and early piebald together. Their bassist quit 2 days before the show, and they couldn't find a replacement in time. Well, upon crazy luck, Jay received a phone call (while I was on the phone with him) from some guy who wanted to go to the show and needed directions. He asked Jay if he set up many shows, that he had "a guy and his guitar" act and that he was trying to play some shows over the summer. With quick thinking, Jay said, "why don't you play my show tonight as a replacement for Cleo?" (or in words close to these). So it came to be that the one a.m. radio played.
The one a.m. radio is pretty simply "a guy from Pinstripe (CT acoustic emo) playing his guitar". It was a very intimate set as there couldn't have been more than 25 people there. Everybody sat down around the mic and let the sounds of emotion sweep into their bodies; or else they just pretended. But the one a.m. radio was great. Give him a show. 978-535-6109 or risikesh@yale.edu if you have a spare 15 minutes open and want him to play.
Since the one a.m. radio was using Lunacy's equipment, Lunacy played next. The percentage of the people who had shown up were there to see Lunacy. As a friend of mine put it Lunacy pretty much sounds like they're saying, "hi, we're disembodied." that's a complement. Diecast-ish vocal changes over a bed of Wakefield hardcore/metal. They're really brutal and good. And their bassist gets all the girls. What the hell?
After Lunacy's set, there was some time open, and Eulcid still had a few minutes until they were ready to play, so frontman of Cleo (Steve Knott) decided that he wanted to do some sorta power violence interlude. The one a.m. transmission took drums and Cleo's friend, Carolyn,'s boyfriend, Evan, took over on guitar. Steve decided he wanted to play bass. They played some sorta joke music and it was probably one of the best sets of the night (stage antics/presence do boost a performance). 'Butros Butros Gali' as they called themselves did some crazy stuff, comparable to nobody. They did a song called "Two Militant Vegans and a Vegetarian," which was written on the spot. Good stuff.
Eulcid followed up this set with their spazzy, D.C.-ish stuff. The two songs I recognized were "Haler Fixer" and "What to do With Empty Space". Their drummer is something else. Really good.
The Warren Commission made the drive from Chicopee to play, even though both their bassist and drummer had fallen ill. I'm so glad that they were still able to play. The blend of male/female vocals brings to mind Jejune with a little more pop flavor. Their guitarist (the one with the glasses, who didn't sing) is a "suave" guitarist. Their set was mesmorizing. I loved it. Buy their CD, "What the Rain Doesn't Know."
everybody else who didn't come missed a good show and those who did, thanks.