Feeding the meme:

• John Coltrane, A Love Supreme
• Medeski, Martin & Wood, Combustication
• John Murphy, et al, 28 Days Later
• Rachel’s, Handwriting
• Gustavo Santaolalla, 21 Grams
• Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byrjun
• Tosca Tango Orchestra, Waking Life

Tonight, I spent two hours grading at the Broadway Cafe, and then headed to the Uptown Theater at around 9:00. In college, I would drink booze before a show; now I drink espresso. Go figure.

As I walked up to the entrance, the ticket taker said, “You know PJ Harvey’s not playing.” Not even a question, just a statement. “Well, I do now,” I replied. He looked irritated with me.

I arrived just in time to catch the last three or four songs by the Dresden Dolls, including a wicked cover of Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs.” Just piano and drums, but they tore that song up. Say what you will about poor, doddery, old Ozzy Osbourne, but that’s one powerful song.

After about a 30-minute break, Sonic Youth came out. Something struck me as not quite right about this show, compared to the one back in August. Maybe the sound just wasn’t right, which is really the resposibility of the venue more than the musicians. I’ve only seem them live twice now, and they sounded so crisp and clear at the Blue Note. Tonight they sounded kind of muddy. On the other hand, they did cut loose with more abandon a few times tonight. At times the songs just absolutely fell apart and careened into long stretches of feedback, which was great. I headed up to the balcony for the last 20 minutes of the show, and they sounded much better from that vantage point.

Amusing stage banter:

Kim Gordon: “It’s great to be here in Kansas, again.”
Crowd: “MISSOURI!”
[awkward pause]
Thurston Moore: “We’re in Missouri, babe.”

I know that the proprietors of Gimpysoft and Badda Blog! were there, but I did not see them. The venue was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.

Geez, now I’ve got to try to go to sleep. Tomorrow I hope to focus on getting some writing done.

This makes me very happy: “Not Just an Act: Mos Def’s Return To Rap Is Genuine“, by Joe Warminsky (WaPo)