Musical Hat Trick

Three shows in one week! That's what I'm talkin about.

It started with Wolfmother, a band from Australia that has been described as the next Led Zeppelin. When I was first asked if I would like to go, I declined. Although I had never heard their music, I figured it wasn't worth my time because I could never like a band with that name. But then in the wake of my 'live music kicks ass delerium' following the Billy Talent concert and having only heard seconds of one of their songs, I changed my mind. Leading up to the evening of the concert, I still hadn't heard more than the little clip of their music on the much music concert listings commercial. It was a total gamble and, to raise the bet, I was still on painkillers, so drinking was out of the question. The stakes were high - the music had better be good. I was not disappointed. Despite a few overindulgent guitar solos, they totally rocked the house. I think this band is going places.

Next up was the Martyr Index. My friend, Megan, has been in this band forever. I don't know how long. Maybe 8 years? I'd never seen them play until Wednesday (I'm a really horrible friend). They play anarchist rock, which means they play a lot of venues that I don't frequent. So, when I saw they had a gig at the Ship and Anchor, it seemed like a great opportunity to finally see a show. I had my reservations, since it was a 'school night' and the show wasn't starting until 8pm, according to their website. What I didn't realize was that there were two opening bands and that it didn't actually start until 10pm (which meant the Martyr Index came on at midnight!). Fortunately the opening bands were actually good (well, the second one was anyway), and the late start gave me a chance to catch up with Megan before she went on. Maybe I'm biased, but I thought their show was great. It was a bit short, but worth the wait. Meg has always impressed me with her vocal skills. Plus, the band has a violinist. I'm a sucker for violins and rock. I don't listen to much anarchist rock, but maybe I will now. I will definitely try to check out another show sometime soon (ie. In the next seven years). But maybe on a weekend.

And to round things out, I checked out Buckwheat Zydeco on Sunday. This was another total gamble, as I had not heard any of his music before going to the show. Buckwheat Zydeco has been said to be the greatest party band in the world. Now, I don't know if I can vet that, but I did have a good time (mostly). The highlights included Buckwheat's white alligator skin cowboy boots (which matched his blindingly white smile), watching his geriatric bassist play his guitar with his teeth (cool!), and watching his son rock a washboard. Oh yeah, and he had a handful of catchphrases - like 'uh oh', 'do you know what time it is', 'united we stand, divided we stand, nobody fall' - which he used frequently and totally out of context. I don't think it was intended to be so, but it was hilarious. The lowlights were the totally random and self indulgent accordian and keyboard solos, which stretched the show to about three hours. Perhaps I lack the depth to appreciate anything beyond a good melody but, to tell you the truth, sometimes I find such solos more annoying than artistic. In the middle of the ONE HOUR encore, when Buckwheat said 'do you know what time it is?', Chris responded quietly with 'yes, its 10:30, for the love of god, get off the stage'. That about sums up my parting sentiments, unfortunately.