I set out early last night with a plan. The gods chortled as I was derailed by caffeine (or lack thereof), low funds, and excessive anticipation. Fun was had, but I had a slow start finding it.
Kicking off the night, I was at the P&H excited to see the mysterious Simon billed for 8PM. I almost never arrive when a show is scheduled to start. Local music scenes keep their own time and the one in Memphis runs about an hour behind at it’s most efficient. I appreciate that and usually use any lull to take notes, meet new people, or daydream. I don’t bore that easily.
So, the strangeness of such an early start time threw me off. I pictured a band of working stiffs that needed to get their set done and get home for a reasonable bedtime. When I rolled in around a quarter to eight, the empty stage wasn’t too shocking and I had planned for that contigency. There is always good company at the P&H – I pestered one of the patrons with chit chat to pass the time away. (Topic: cocktail linguistics. Go!)
Over an hour later the only activity was a smattering of the usual people gathered near the bar. The band had started to set up, but stalled out somewhere around amp #2. My good company packed up to leave and I was feeling distinctly idle, so I made an executive decision to move on and maybe swing by later.
(Jump ahead another hour or so.)
I come back to find the stage fully set and a trio of ZZ Top-ish gentlemen tuning their instruments. Relieved that I will finally get to hear some music for my effort, I perched on a chair to wait.
The tuning process proceeded to go on for a seeming eternity. Nearly a half hour later, the band launched (mid-tuning) into some onerously heavy classic rock. As you’ll hear me say often, I’m no expert but I know what I like. Despite the promising amount of facial hair in this band, this was not something I liked. The group pulled up short after one song, followed by more futzing with equipment. When I saw the P&H staff digging through storage for a different amp, my patience reached its limit and I hit the door. I want to keep an open mind and give all music types a chance to sink in before I quit a show. However, this night was too fully-booked to give Simon any more chances. The sparse crowd of expectant fans are the only ones who know if the show ever started.
In the early hours not spent at the P&H, I was down Madison getting in a quick game of chess with Chuck and friends at The Lamplighter Lounge. It was quiet and just what I needed to recharge. As I was about to leave there, I noticed some guys setting up equipment. Apparently, a group of bands lost their intended venue and made quick arrangements to relocate.
That’s what I love about the Lamp. They’re pretty much always willing to let you throw something together on the fly – like that guy in college with a spacious rec room and a shitty day job. As a firm believer in serendipity, I decided to put this show on my list.
In the meantime, I attempted to stick with a scrap of the original plan and jet over to Cooper Ave for the Black Lodge party. I got there at the end of Damfool‘s opening set. It was so great to hear an band playing music for the first time that night, I forgot to even get a picture. Of course, that’s probably for the best. Black Lodge isn’t a place you want to flash a camera around indiscriminately.
After a brief intermission, peppered with funky repartee between the drummer and keyboardist, the rest of the band settled in for more merrymaking. Operating with my substitute camera, I had to do a bit of optimistic point-and-shoot photography to document this event. Especially once the “light show” started and the room was lit solely by candles and a single television. Fortunately, I was able to capture a little bit of everyone in one frame. The band members listed on the FB page are Big Breakfast, Little “D”, Tasty “J”, Lizard, Space Man, Chicken Shark, Jambeard, and jazzizza. Yeah, that’s right -jazzizza.
I could have stayed and relaxed at that show the rest of the night. Even though the crowd was small, the welcoming nature of the group felt like a hug from crazy aunt Jane – that relative your parents simply describe as the “artistic one” – complete with the musky smell of incense and body odor. Surrounded by good vibrations and harmonious music, if I risked a comfortable seat I doubt I would’ve gotten back up until the morning.
Alas, serendipity made a last-minute date for me at the Lamplighter. So I ventured back into the night around 11PM. I just missed Los Psychosis, but as a local group, I feel confident I will get a chance to see them again. I slipped in right before The Ancient Gods fired up. Adam (guitar/vocals), Ben (Drums), and the bassist-not-named-on-FB (bass/vocals) delighted me with the best music I had heard all night.
On the first leg of their midwest tour, this band from Houston brings a fresh pop to typical grungy punk. Taking time to interact with the audience and put some meaning behind the music, they have songs about imminent doom along with stuff like “Meet Me In Texas”, which decries the mentality that local artists need to relocate. The Ancient Gods defiantly prove that the only thing required for talent is putting soul into your art. Location is just an afterthought. Check out their album Cry Later and be sure to catch the next Memphis tour date.
The final trio to tickle my eardrums last night (this morning) was another local group, Strengths. Chuck informed me that nearly every local band in Memphis has played one of their first shows at the Lamplighter. The low-key, free set up is perfect for artists that are just starting out and not sure what to expect. Strengths stay consistent to this trend, pointing out that “it’s like practicing” when playing there.
Definitely not short on practice, this funky group played some great complex rock that maintained the same sense of urgency cued up by The Ancient Gods. Not only is the band fronted by an adorable blonde pixie-woman, Alyssa Moore (vocals/bass), but Daniel Anderson (drums) and Will Forrest (guitar) are the quintessential music geeks that probably clean up nice for the parents. It was a hot, brief set and left me wanting more…
Turn’s out, I’m in luck! Strengths is playing a show at Murphy’s this Friday along with Vanishing Islands and The Family Ghost. Man, that show is going to be a blast from the past.