The Knitting Factory - 11.22.8

In addition to The Pirate Charles, I caught probably a dozen other bands, I won't name names, but some of them were not great, fortunately some of them were AWEEESOME. Here's a few of them that caught my eye..

Shotgun Blues
Guys, it's not too late to change your band name! I went looking for info on the band and had a HELL of a time, why? Well, the band's name is the same as a song by Guns (a)N(d) Roses (I hate the fucking N), it's also the name of a song recorded by the Blues Brothers on Suitcase Full of Blues, I REALLY want to believe the latter was their inspiration for the name, after seeing the band, it's possible. In either case, I really failed finding info on the band which is a damn shame, I found their myspace page but honestly had so much trouble reading it with their layout (goddamned myspace), I GAVE UP. Googling for anything more was useless.

OK, I'm done with that, what I REALLY want you to know, is that the lead singer of this band, Monique, FUCKING WAILED. Chick, if you read this, I'll come watch you sing anything, anytime, I was floored. When this band was setting up, I figured with their name, I was going to get a Guns AND Roses clone band, I was confused watching them because I couldn't figure out who their lead singer was, everybody else fit my expectation so when I saw this smallish girl in jeans and a silver vest helping out, I figured she was a friend or somebodies girlfriend. I was a moron. When she took the mic with a tambourine in her hand I was baffled but eager to find out what the fuck was about to happen, when the music started, honestly, I was not impressed. Maybe it was the sound quality in this tiny room, maybe it was bad equipment but I wasn't hit with impressive music, sorry guys.

I was ready to go check another stage but figured I should see what this girl in the silver vest was up to, beating her tambourine, in her silver vest. Can you tell the vest was throwing me? Then, she stepped up, banged her shit a couple of times, opened her mouth and started belting out her first song. HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. I pay good money to watch people with this much raw talent and here she was, singing with a just-ok-band on the small stage at a show with 20 other bands. Seriously, my video doesn't do her justice, the room didn't do her justice, the mic didn't do her justice, her BAND didn't do her justice, the ONLY fucking justice in that room was that silver vest that she ABANDONED after the 3rd song, I mean, what the fuck did SHE need it for? She didn't.

Too bad, I can't find any other bookings, I can't find any of their music. I'm shit out of luck, this chick fucked me over, she nailed me with her voice and then left me wanting. Crap.


Thunder City Shout
This will be quick and easy. These guys didn't have any pretension, they didn't come off as the rockers that will save the world or make a million dollars, they just rocked. Super fun band, good tunes and their cover of The Kinks song (also covered by Van Halen) was kick ass. I'd probably take a chance on a headline band I didn't know if these guys were opening.


Olmec
Can I just say, hardcore isn't really my scene, it's not that I don't like it, I do, it's just not where my ear takes me. For this reason it's rare that I'll see a hardcore band that grabs my attention, Olmec did that. I didn't understand a fucking word they said, I didn't care, my only lament was that I had my camera with me and I couldn't step into the small, yet violent pit. Next time (and there will be a next time).



There are a few other bands I like to upload videos of but I'm waiting for their permission. O.H.M., Bad Fathers and a couple of bands who's names I've yet to figure out. Hopefully I can get those up too. I have to say this, nobody at this show stunk, writing this review was easy as shit, that says a lot about a show, I rarely boo at a band but if you're suck, I'll tell everybody.