Hark, rainbows! I’m sure I wasn’t the only one walking around yesterday staring at the eastern sky. There is just something about light refracting through water droplets that makes me feel like a silly little girl. And the good omen cliche held true – it was a glorious night as I flitted about Madison Avenue in search of fun. I managed to chill out and party like a rock star all at the same time.
The P&H and The Lamplighter Lounge are located just a stone’s throw away from each other. So, in a continuing effort to earn my Midtowner cred, I often park at one location and walk to the other – even if I’m only going to one of the two places. It broadens my horizons, so to speak. Last night I was attending both venues, so
even with the threat of rain, I stayed true to form. Parking at the P&H, I strolled easterly while snapping pictures of the sky.
I stepped through the open door of the Lamp a little thirsty, but no worse for wear. Met with the ambiance of a steamy sauna, I wasted no time getting a PBR from Chuck, the Woody Boyd of Memphis barkeeps.
He took a moment from his current chess battle to assuage my thirst and I sidled in to get a view of the match. I discovered chess night at the Lamplighter a few months back. I am not proficient at chess by any stretch, so at first I was happy to just watch the games. Eventually though, the mix of skill levels and good-natured banter drew me in as one of the regulars. I know how the pieces are allowed to move and I get the basic premise of don’t die, but that sums up my previous chess experience. Now, after some regular play and a couple strategic tips from the resident “pros”, I can actually play a game of chess where my opponent has to stop and think about how to beat me. It was a good feeling to reveal a discovered attack for the first time – on purpose!
When enough people show up, Chuck will occasionally throw together a quick tournament, but most of the games played on Tuesday night are just for fun. If anyone ever starts to take it TOO seriously, I can always bust out my hand-of-god move:
There were only a few people out last night, but we played fun games and there was a great deal of ribaldry. Around 9:30, I packed up and headed back down the hill to the P&H. My timing was a little off, as The Waits had started by the time I wandered in. At least I think that’s the name of the band. Lazy blogger that I am, I never did ask someone about the opening act. The only thing I could find about it was on the FB event page. (Five points from House HowToLeaveHome.)
The crowd was great for a Tuesday night and I it’s a sham that I was surprised by this. Let’s face it – Memphians suck at enjoying live shows on weeknights. Last night’s turnout was encouraging. The lack of cover charge didn’t hurt the cause, but I think a good part of this group showed up to intentionally see the band. I don’t get to many P&H shows, so I love seeing such a great audience. The music was energetic and the musicians were completely adorable – you know, in a badass, rock-n-roll kind of way. I felt transported back to the early 90s by angsty wailing and raw instrumentation of the first band. It smelled like grunge rock that probably comes complete with a musty practice space in a detached two-car garage.
During intermission I scored some liquid inspiration from Matt the bartender – if Chuck is Woody, then Matt is definitely Sam Malone. Last week, I dug out an ancient digital camera from the turn of the century in order to enhance my posts with visual aids. I spent the time between sets with a friend, trying to figure out the settings for decent picture taking. As evidenced, it’s pretty hit or miss. I especially want to get the video set up, but the age of the camera leaves me completely dependent on stage lighting for the picture. So, I was able to capture some of the show in a video, but it’s really just for audio.
As Dinny Bulca fired up, the crowd settled in with fresh beer.
The trio, Scott Cary (Guitar), Corbin Coonan, (Bass) and Kelly Danen (Drums), brings a fresh twist to garage rock. Dinny Bulca’s fervid interpretation of blues-flavored punk lends a touch of class to an otherwise gritty, wake-up-the-neighbors sound. If this band played a house party, the cops would most certainly be called. But probably not before a keg-stand contest and at least one slam-dancing injury. This is not a genre I spent much time with in my youth and yet the music had me nodding my head to the beat.
As promised, I have a couple videos from The Waits and Dinny Bulca posted – just don’t expect to see much. (You can sort of make out the outline of the bands a little bit. Stare long enough and maybe it’ll come to life like one of those Magic Eye pictures?) The reason I want to include these is because the audio gives you a good idea of the scene these guys bring with them. A voice can be heard telling the crowd that this is a new song they are trying out. Then the band requests a Romanesque assessment from the crowd after they hear it. It’s this genuine, unassuming personality that makes me want to come back for more. That, and the music is good.
Dinny Bulca has released a 12-track album available for purchase online. It looks like the hardcore music geeks have to wait until November for the physical CD though. The studio recordings are much more polished, but I can still hear the earnestness of the boys in the music. I appreciate passion, no matter what genre it’s in. I hope this group stops by Memphis again on their next tour.
Later tonight I’ll post a small list of things to do this weekend. Tomorrow is the kick-off of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. So even if there’s nothing interesting at all going on, you can still go to a local pub and hang out with soccer fans if you want. Go ahead, ask them why they insist on calling it football. That’s always a crowd-pleaser.