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August 98. (see also NXNW)

I saw over twenty bands this month.  No wonder I'm such a cranky globe.

Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys-- Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is very much like a mall. I half expected a Claire's Boutique to pop up while we were on the escalator looking for our seats.   Due to the unforseen difficulty of trying to find our seats and the fact that I was trying to explain to my mom what kind of toaster oven I wanted (don't ask) we missed Money Mark's set, which is kind of a shame now that I've actually seen one of his (excellent) videos.

Tribe Called Quest is  calling it quits after this album. They played the song that Audrey likes-- I don't know the name of it-- and a couple of oldies but goodies, and the rest was more recent.  Tribe did a good job.

Beastie Boys.  What a great show.  Rotating stage.  We had good seats, thankfully not in the pit-- It's not the band I hate it's their fans.  Portlanders managed to hotbox the Rose Garden, no small task.  They played punk stuff, mellow instrumental stuff, old school stuff, it was all good.  It was hard to understand them between songs, but I thought the sound was much better than it used to be back in the day (at the Coliseum).

Pleiseosaur, Buckethead, Terroristen (John Taylor)--
Fenix, Seattle

I went to Seattle with Jem for my 24th birthday.  Seattle's all weird.  People go out during the middle of the week to do things other than get exceedingly drunk. The parking sucks.  The girls there are not as charmingly trampy as the girls in pdx.  So I have to say I'd agree with the guy at the gas station in Oly: the weather in Seattle may be more temperate, but the livin's much better in Portland.

I could spend all night saying mean things about Pleiseosaur and Buckethead, really I could.  But apperently, some people I know know them.  I have been informed that they are actually 'good people.'  I leave you to decide for yourself.  Pleiseosaur is this guy who wears a jumpsuit and sings about dogshit and his dad.  On further reflection (and after viewing 'Baby Snakes') he is probably trying to be Zappaesque.  Buckethead is this guy who plays metal guitar with a KFC bucket on his head and a mask on his face and occasionally whips out odd props, like a Resusci-Annie or nunchucks.  I know at least two people who think Pleiseosaur and Buckethead are really cool, I know at least two people who think they really suck, and I know two people who have vomited copiously for *no apparent reason* during a Buckethead set. Personally I think Tony Starlite is more amusing, plus which you can actually talk over him.

John Taylor is getting younger.  I swear to you.  You could hang pictures off those cheekbones.  Right now he has a Calvin tummy (ie a round belly) which is kind of endearing.  He and his band played a selection of Duran hits, a couple of disco songs (excellent renditions of Car Wash and Good Times), the "I'm sad sad sad I miss my dad" song, and some other stuff.  Squidgy sqoo.

Luckie Strike, Kissing Book, The Lucksmiths-- 17 Nautical Miles

I think five bands were supposed to play, but one broke up, and one didn't show.  But that didn't stop it from being the cutest show ever.  Veronica and I were in sugar shock when we left.

Luckie Strike are a punk band from Sacramento who were enlisted to replace the band that broke up.  They were the kind of punks that I like (pre-Orange County third wave crappy ska punk).  They did a really cool anti Xmas song.

Veronica and I left for a while to go visit the lovely Ozzy (Ozi?) and his new house (and also Jayme and Michael who also live there, but weren't home).  So we missed this guy Benji's set, but we saw him play with Kissing Book and the Lucksmiths, so I can say honestly that he's a good singer.

Kissing Book is this band who Veronica has been trying to get me to see for a while.  (One of her ex-coworkers is in the band).  I was so happy I finally went because all of their songs remind me of my favorite Belle and Sebastian song ('Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying').

The Lucksmiths are Australian and sing songs about the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers and librarians with hearts like Danielle Steele. They kind of reminded me of Ben Lee, but maybe a little more wry on account of being a few years older.

All of the last three bands ended up playing in every possible permutation and combination.  I haven't seen so many boys earnestly doing dances of the sixties for a long time-- it was so sweet!

On to the August special: NXNW

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  misseuropa@attbi.com  
Copyright 1998 Suzanne Baunsgard/Androgyne Amalgamated