The Owl in Daylight

I’m adjusting surprisingly well to my new work schedule, a previously unimaginable 5:00 am alarm leaving me none the worse for wear. The job itself is not bad…every day is a little different, and my employers are flexible enough to let me take time off for a Parisian vacation and a significant other’s surgery, even though I haven’t been there for two weeks yet.

The new hours are somewhat prohibitive of my choice leisure activities, including showgoing. But I figure an afternoon nap will do wonders in that department. I already had some late nights this past weekend, and slipped back into work mode pretty easily.

In preparation for a lengthy flighty to Europe (my first), my aforementioned other and I have purchased matching pink Nintendo DS Lites. Possibly an ill-advised purchase, as I am now resigned to the fact that I will have no spending money until after I return from Paris, which means my planned record shopping trip (to celebrate gainful employment) will have to be indefinitely postponed. But it’s all worth it for the glory that is New Super Mario Bros., and the promise of wireless Mario Kart action in my near future is tantalizing as well. Even Animal Crossing: Wild World has drawn me into it’s cute little web of addiction.

In essentially unrelated news, there might be some weirdness when trying to visit this site or the Miniature Airlines website, or even the comics blog in the next week or so. The panicNow free server is going offline after 6 years of serving up pages for various artists, musicians, misfits, and ne’er-do-wells. Godspeed panicNow free server! You shall be missed as we migrate over to Dreamhost and actually have to bear the indignity of paying for webspace.

Off The Dole

I guess I’m officially done with my experience of living off the largesse of the Government, as of Monday. That’s right, I”m getting out of the breadline, and back to the world of gainful employment. Assuming I pass my drug test this afternoon (and I see no reason I shouldn’t).

And so, to celebrate, we’re going to France.

OK, not exactly to celebrate, but…yeah. End of March, we will be living it up in the Latin Quarter of Paris for a week. Serene just booked the hotel this morning in fact. Guess I’ll need to add a “Paris” category to this site soon, as ‘m sure there will be some blogging happening, either during or after that little romp.

I’ve bumped a bunch of Godard and Truffaut up my Netflix queue in preparation, but I’m going to need to seriously brush up on my French for the next few weeks. I sometimes surprise myself with how much I remember, but it’s all very rudimentary stuff. I need to actually try to re-learn some verbs so I can manage a little easier.

Deerhoof @ Neumo’s

The Deerhoof show at Neumo’s was pretty impressive, despite two obstacles to my enjoyment. First off, even though I had a +1 slot on the guest list, I had to fly solo. It was for a good reason, as Serene was in serious need of some rest and recuperation from a pretty shitty week, and my back-up guest couldn’t make it, but it would have been nice to be there with someone. The second impediment was the new layout for Neumo’s, while the Bad Juju is under renovation. It was all ages show, so the only bar service was in the balcony area, which is rather short on space, meaning a rush up the stairs between each set, and limited viewing space. Oh, the indignities one must tolerate.

But the music itself (you know, the actual reason for a show) was top notch, so it was all worthwhile in the end.

Leti Angel opened up, and at first glance I wasn’t expecting to be impressed. But they caught my attention right off the bat, with forceful vocals, big hooks, and some unique vocal looping effects. They also managed to keep my attention through their entire set, which you have to admit is sort of unusual for unheard-of opening bands. The vocal looping could have been a gimmick, but they managed to find creative uses for it in each song making it an integral part of the music, rather than window dressing.

Black Black was on next, and took the stage to general confusing from the audience. Understandably so, as it was a three piece band of white kids painted black from head to toe. Someone even asked them from the balcony why they were in blackface, and their singer responded that they were actually supposed to be “shadows.” Speaking of gimmicks, right? Despite the dubious bid for attention, the music was not bad, a sort of naive indie-pop sound that could be likened to The Blow, perhaps.

The main event was Deerhoof, of course. By they time their set arrived, the entire venue was packed, from the back exit to the edges of the balcony, and I don’t think there was a single disappointed fan by the night’s end. It was my first time seeing the band, so I can’t comment on any differences between their current show as a three piece, and their old four-piece incarnation, but I was pretty impressed. They sound good on record, but there’s something about seeing them, playing off-kilter music with such precision and power, that brings the show to a whole new level. Even with a restricted view fromt he back of the room I could appreciate their mastery of their instruments (especially drummer Greg Saunier) and material. Most of their songs were played in blocks of 3 or 4, with minimal transitions. They make it sound like they’re teetering on the brink of chaos and flailing out of control, when nothing could be further from the truth. Seeing them pull it off gave me a whole new appreciation for the band. Not a bad experience for a free show, especially one with two strikes against it going it.