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MELT BANANANANANA!
Apr. 14th, 2005 10:06 amMy second excursion to see Melt Banana was very successful. This show was easily one of the best I have experienced in awhile. It pains me to say it might have been better than Fantomas, but...well...actually, it probably wasn't. But something put it in close competition. I think it was the vibe, the whole feel of the evening, the enthusiasm of the crowd, the fact that they came all the way from Tokyo to our little city for the first stop on their USA tour, and the very refreshing burst of energy and challenging music into our local scene. After living in DC for so long and seeing so many bands, big and small, so often, I occasionally miss that constant stream of interesting bands that always pass through our nation's capitol, so it was lovely to see an internationally known foreign band (that isn't folk music) play five minutes from my house.
Opening bands included An Albatross (from Pennsylvania) and Grand Banks (a local band). I think I've seen Grand Banks before, or maybe heard them from afar while passing by a party. I caught the end of their set. For a band with two drummers and a lot of noise, they could be rather ambient and relaxing. Trance-inducing, I suppose. An Albatross impressed me. I bought their CD. I don't know how much I'll listen to it, but I often buy merchandise from bands as an extra "thank you" for doing what their doing and visiting our town. They were great live.
Dear God, I think I'm becoming a hardcore music fan. My initial experience with this type of music was not entirely positive. Most of what I first heard was a unrelenting assault of noise and screaming. It wasn't too much for my ears, it was simply boring. But this week alone I've seen three bands that are shifting my opinion. I'm hearing a lot more dynamics in the songs now, different parts and movements that actually have distinctly different feels. Genuine melodies are creeping in between the bursts of noise. The good fortune of experiencing well mixed sound has made it easy to hear that there are some extraordinary musicians in these bands. Finally, the live shows are intense. It's all about the live shows. I think I'm actually too old to get much enjoyment out of kicking back and listening to this music on my stereo, but the live experience is addicting.
Opening bands included An Albatross (from Pennsylvania) and Grand Banks (a local band). I think I've seen Grand Banks before, or maybe heard them from afar while passing by a party. I caught the end of their set. For a band with two drummers and a lot of noise, they could be rather ambient and relaxing. Trance-inducing, I suppose. An Albatross impressed me. I bought their CD. I don't know how much I'll listen to it, but I often buy merchandise from bands as an extra "thank you" for doing what their doing and visiting our town. They were great live.
Dear God, I think I'm becoming a hardcore music fan. My initial experience with this type of music was not entirely positive. Most of what I first heard was a unrelenting assault of noise and screaming. It wasn't too much for my ears, it was simply boring. But this week alone I've seen three bands that are shifting my opinion. I'm hearing a lot more dynamics in the songs now, different parts and movements that actually have distinctly different feels. Genuine melodies are creeping in between the bursts of noise. The good fortune of experiencing well mixed sound has made it easy to hear that there are some extraordinary musicians in these bands. Finally, the live shows are intense. It's all about the live shows. I think I'm actually too old to get much enjoyment out of kicking back and listening to this music on my stereo, but the live experience is addicting.
