This show seemed different, and it was. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was excited after a few shows in the last few weeks. I felt much more confident because of the summer, having my own place, and because I was seeing my friends more. Last winter was pretty terrible: depression, isolation, work issues, and financial worries left me a mess. My friend Brian Hecht booked this show, and there were a few people playing that I knew as well. It seemed like a good thing to go to on that Sunday.
The first band up was Blød Maud, who I have seen before and know some of the members of. Patrick Coyle is in the cool It It and bought the Secret Paper Moon tape. Ever since I first saw Blød Maud, I have always liked them. They have a classic post-punk sound akin to one of the bands on the Messthetics compilations, like a louder Young Marble Giants. Along with Ouais, Blød Maud is one of these State College transplants that really brightened the music scene a few years ago. Their set tonight was solid as ever. I think there were some new tracks. I have not seen Blød Maud in quite a while, so I'm not sure. Check out their music here.
The titular band here was the second to play. I didn't listen to Climax Landers before the show, so I had no idea what to expect. Climax Landers includes members of the bands Palberta and Old Table. I don't know those bands either. I do know that Climax Landers is the name of the Sega Dreamcast's Time Stalkers in Japan, but I only just found that out.
It turns out that Climax Landers is really cool! I have been listening to Polaris' "Hey Sandy" and watching stuff about The Adventures of Pete and Pete lately. They would have been a perfect fit for early 90s Nickelodeon. Climax Landers is goofy and free, kind of childish. Their songs sounded almost religious at times, but everything was a kind of noisy but quiet indie-rock. The singer was really energetic, coming into the small audience to hit a tambourine. Maybe he is actually Jonathan Richman? Anyway I felt pretty good after this set.
I took a short walk and came back to find Sweet Baby Jesus already playing musick, This band is most of the same members, but the singer is different. Sweet Baby Jesus is a little more funk/soul, a much more positive version of Baltimore's Dope Body. Their sound is similar to Climax Landers, and, similarly, I felt really positive after they played. You can listen to them here.
Finally, In Arthur's Court started to set up. It took a bit. In Arthur's Court has changed a bunch since they played with Secret Paper Moon a few years ago. This setup had five members, including the band Skeletonized. There were chants and weird horse sounds, guitars, horns, and drums. I think it was improvised, almost definitely in some form. The woman doing the chants said that she got into In Arthur's Court through an ad or something, and I think the person doing the sound effects was just brought in this time. It worked out well regardless. In Arthur's Court is sort of like free jazz/dungeon punk. Go check them out!
Everything ended pretty early and on time. Every band was good at this show. It was nice to not have to close up Roboto all alone, damp and cold, and then ride my bike all the way back to Sharpsburg. This was a totally different experience than when I was last here. The show also helped inspired me to start writing this blog again, so I am really glad I went.
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