On November 14th locals White Reeves and Brother Ong played with Indian Jewelry, Prince Rama, and the Beets. I didn't like White Reeves set at all, though they had special guest Mike Kasunic of Slices with them and their lighting made him look like cover art from a sci-fi novel. Brother Ong was very spooky and mysterious; the sound of an ancient temple lost under the night and the desert. Third was Indian Jewelry who were sort of like noise/post-punk/dance or something (Alien Sex Fiend). They were really cool, but I remember them wearing me out after a while. They also used a drum machine, but had a drummer who didn't seem to do much. I'd totally seem them again if they came back though. Fourth was the band that I had come to see: the Beets. I last saw them in 2009 with Vivian Girls at the Andy Warhol Musem. Instead of the loud and noisy garage rock of a clash between Jonathan Richman and the Velvet Underground the Beets were quiet and down to only two people. The drummer was new from last time, but the guitarist was the same guy and still sounded like Lou Reed. They played a short set with no setlist and finished with "Outsider" by the Ramones which seemed a perfect fit. Last up was the strange Prince Rama who were basically a dance band with a keyboardist and a drummer. They moved a lot and had a lot of energy.
On Novemer 18th I saw Slices play with Condominium from St. Paul, Minnesota. First up was Ratface, but I missed them. I guess they had some trouble because rouper Brian told me that the guitarist had gotten angry (because he or someone else has messed up during a song) and throown his guitar on the Shop's cement floor. Then he tried to play it and was confused about why it wouldn't work. At some point a case of beer was also thrown at the audience. I like Ratface a lot, but seriously guys get yr shit together; it seems like they have so many band issues. Next up was the awesome Slices who I only saw maybe half of. They were great as always. Finally Condominium took the stage and continued the awesome weirdo hardcore. They had some old Japanese guitars and really played a killer set. There were some post-punk and garage rock elements at extreme speeds. After twenty minutes it was over, but it felt like maybe ten.
Here's some stuff from these shows.
Get the Beets new album here.
This is the best purchase that you could ever make!Next time we move on to December.
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