LIVE: Positive Force PA Fundraiser @ St. Stephen's Church (Part 1)

I'm not a protester or activist. I'm just a dude who likes music. I respect those folks though. It's nice to believe in something strongly and to work with others to make a difference. I'm a gray area guy which makes me a little too wishy-washy. (I still haven't completely figured out how I feel about PM Dawn.) Positive Force DC has heart and they've been putting on shows and raising money for local and national charities since 1985. Take a look at their online flier collection. Jawbox, Fugazi, and Shudder to Think... playing the same show! At a church! Politics and moral codes aside, that would have been a great damn show to be at! Saturday's show at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church was a fundraiser for a new PA system to keep the tradition alive. Hey, even punks have overhead.

(By the way, if you clicked the PM Dawn link, that song is now stuck in your head. Question your assumptions, man!) 

Now, I wish I could say that I was cool enough to have heard about this show on my own. I can't. My friend Celina texted me on Friday about this sucker. She is a Californian. Progressive is in her blood. The underground heard she moved to town and sent her a membership card. I grew up in CT. If there was DIY scene, they didn't invite Advanced Placement students. Assholes. It wasn't until college that I found out a pile of card tables could be used for a stage as well as a Canasta tournament. So anyway, major thanks to Celina for pointing me toward a great four-band line-up.

What was truly great about the show was that the bands were really different from each other. The event was representative of an eclectic and talent-filled DC local scene that I don't take advantage of enough anymore. First up were The Cheniers, a talented trio who reminded me of early punk bands with some striking guitar rave-ups. In particular, I dug "Here Comes Trouble," a look back at the days when you used to stir it up way more than you do now. Cuz you old and bored. "Sad City" was another winner whose distorted guitar jabs and warm bass line gradually build in pace and distortion. By the way, this band's drummer was the singer in Metropolitan, who my wife and I loved dearly and used to check out regularly when we first moved to the area. They don't seem to be playing anymore, but The Cheniers are a more than sufficient substitute. Check their link above for a free download of their debut seven-inch.

From Trouble 7-inch (Windian, 2010)

The Cheniers - Sad City (Version)

Next up was Laughing Man, another trio, that was described by a musician I met outside the church as "annoyingly proficient" at their instruments. For me, these guys were blasting the most exciting music of the night. The talent certainly came through as they blended a ton of sounds into each song. What starts off as blues groove shuffle can end up as piercing, artsy ruckus. In a really good way. And then it all changes again with the next song. Tempo and volume changes keep it interesting. Their EP, The Lovings ('63-'69), hints at this, but it really really comes through live. I dig that these guys vary it. They warned the crowd that the last song was their most difficult and marked new territory for them; a kind of Southern-rock sound with a growl. I don't know. Check out the song below, knowing it doesn't do the live act justice.

From  The Lovings ('63-'69) (Sockets, 2010)

Laughing Man - Already Always

Hate to say it, but there is going to have to be a Part 2 to this installment. Thanks for not whining like sissy about it.

Next time: Title Tracks bring da powah-pop and Ra Ra Rasputin synth-pop has me dancing alone among the young and secretly drunk. Terrible, terrible pics after the jump.

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Better than a stack of card tables.

The Cheniers

 

Harmonica!

Laughing Man