Friday night’s show was framed as a night dedicated to Morrissey and the Smiths.  Perhaps you’ve come to the conclusion that I really love Moz, Marr, et al.  If so, you are correct.  The night started early with a screening of a new documentary on the inexplicable Mozzer dovotion of East L.A. Hispanics.  And therein lies the problem of Passions Just Like Mine:  Within its first twenty minutes it acknowledges the impossibility of answering its own research question:  why does Steven Patrick Morrissey have such a strong following among Latinos, particularly in this place?  After the interview subjects run through the same potential explanations others have already offered — Moz is just so damned passionate, he speaks for outsiders, if you try really hard you can force an analogy between Morrissey’s Irish-Englishness and Mexican-Americaness, some special ability Hispanics have to shrug off his post-sexuality, Morissey fits into a Mexican balladeer tradition whether he ever wanted to or not, etc. — they give up.  With no light to shed, the doc settles into indulging its subjects to share their personal stories of fandom.  If edited far more carefully, this could have been very intersting.  The most charming moments reveal yet another Moz contradiction:  that this private man was one of the more approachable celebrities in Los Angeles during his sojourn there.  The lead singer of the Moz-tizo band the Sweet and Tender Hooligans even relates that the Mozzer himself asked him to explain why he has so many Latino fans in L.A., and the guy lamely answered with the tautology that there are a lot of Latinos in L.A.

The night then took a turn away from Morrissey tribute with performances by local bands Red This Ever and The Courtesy Line.  Red This Ever played some of the poppiest goth I’ve ever heard, and did so with a sense of humor.  They kind of had to, since their long-time keyboardist and drummer recently quit, forcing them to rely upon a MacBook for all non-guitar backing, but their front man’s manic antics are apparently standard.  The Courtesy Line was just a little to Adult Album Alternative for the rest of the evening’s feel, but they were likely scheduled to mix with the roots rock vibe of the act that followed.  In any case, The Courtesy Line provided a very good soundtrack for my enjoyment of the spicy fried chicken and kale that I procured from the absolute sweetheart Mama Saray, who often sets up a table to sell soulful food at the Ottobar.  I was quite disappointed that Cutlery were unable to play as scheduled, and will need to catch them some other time.

I’ve been waiting for over a year to catch the next act:  Virginia’s Mozabilly geniuses the Speedway Operators.  Yes, they play rockabilly versions of songs by The Smiths, Morrissey, and other britpop acts.  Of course I know that Morrissey recruited young rockabilly musicians to play with him in studio and on stage early in his solo career, but when I’ve read Simon Goddard go on and on the influence of the Sun sound on the Smiths I never really got it.  However, the Speedway Operators do not have to bend songs such as “Nowhere Fast,” “Piccadilly Palare,” and “Sing Your Life” very far at all to fit their doghouse bass aesthetic.  The highlight of the set was “Ask,” with a medley of Beatles lyrics interlaced with a very basic skiffle rhythm for the bridge.

I have seen this evening’s headliner Spineless Swine — the band formed from the ashes of Girlfriend in a Coma, Dreaded Sunny Day, and Sorrow’s Native Sons — on several occasions but have not reviewed them yet.  They are really amazing, and have no right to sound so tight considering how infrequently they rehearse.  Like the Smiths after they added Craig Cannon to supplement Johnny Marr, they have a backing guitarist to give Marr’s compositions the lush treatment they deserve.  While Girlfriend in a Coma’s setlist choices were very conservative when Quinn fronted that band, basically sticking to the tracks that were hits on the UK charts, this band is far more daring.  “Jeanne” is their greatest risk, and I’m so thankful that they take it.  The Smiths catalog is a difficult one to play.  The Speedway Operators take it at an angle while the Spineless Swine take it head-on, but both more than do it justice.

I was unable to make it back to Mobtown until Saturday night.  The Furries had offered to set me up with a VIP pass for what was billed as an exclusive new band showcase at the Hour Haus.  I arrived famished, so I went to Joe Squared next door for the best pizza I have had in a very long time. There I ran into the Furries, who let me know that the show was actually free, and that I had missed the junior high A+ Dropouts absolutely shred.  I regret that and will have to make up for that.

So then I entered the Hour Haus and watched another band that was too good for their age, The Sea Life, along with several of their high school friends.  After their set I took a walk to find a liquor store that was still open so I could have a beer at this BYOB event.  I returned in time to enjoy some sludgy rock from Stars and the Sea along with a handful of other people.

Finally the Furries, the band I came to see, took the stage to play for maybe a dozen of us.  I love the retro garage stuff, and we have a few bands that bring it to the DMV:  the Expotentials, the Lexington Arrows, the breakUps, and more, plus bands from Philly and elsewhere that come through the area.  But none of them do it with the energy of the Furries.  They match their sonic connection to the true roots of punk with their aggressive presence, alluding with their name and their animal masks to a shocking sexual subculture.  The front man, wearing a chicken mask and a jacket so badly torn it was barely hanging onto him, jumped down off the stage and staggered around the floor, threatening as much as he entertained.

The idea behind this festival was that people could purchase an affordable pass and pop in and out of various venues.  Maybe people were doing that.  Perhaps I did not attend the most popular shows.  But I saw fairly sparse crowds of people going to see the same bands they may have seen if they were playing gigs on any given weekend.  Nobody was surveying a schedule, trying to make it to another club to see some other band.  There were no industry VIPs at this new band showcase.  Were they blowing it off or were they never invited?  Did the bands get paid?  At least they got some free rehearsal time.  Well, I enjoyed it, and discovered a few bands I expect to see again.

About The Book

Music industry executives have been the main gatekeepers in determining what music is available to consumers since the advent of the gramophone. As major record labels have become more highly consolidated, there has been an increasing concentration of those who determine what music is available for consumption. With the development of online music distribution, a gap has formed where independent artists can distribute their music by bypassing the costly hard media distribution system. This book explores how the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is used by the major record labels to limit the access that independent artists/labels have to consumers through the internet. It argues that in the process through which the music industry works to co-opt and commodify genres of music, the music is (de) politicized to appeal to a larger audience. This study is geared towards those interested in the music industry, commodification and intellectual property policies.

Although it sounds like a good time and I believe that this is a good cause, I’ll take a pass myself.  Instead, when I attend a BIMA fest show there in a couple of weeks I’ll just drink more heavily than normal.  Maybe I’ll buy a t-shirt.  If they have copies available I may even buy a DVD of DJs, the crazy sex-n-drugs soap opera set at the Ottobar.  If you have been thinking about checking out the Ottobar, get there for this benefit or another upcoming show.  A lot of people would appreciate it.

As entertaining as the night certainly was, the whole show could have been better.  Covers can offer fans an excellent introduction to bands they don’t know, but RUN FOR COVER takes on a masquerade ball feel.  Few acts took the time for introductions, and certainly did not indicate if they may have a regular gig.  There were definitely acts I would be interested in seeing in their regular guise.  If you were involved in the show and would like to identify yourself, please speak up in the comments.  We’ll come review your regular act when we can.

Moreover, there was no emcee to tie the whole show together.  The crowd was frequently left trying to figure out exactly what they were watching.  Only a list posted in the lobby indicated who would be playing (a special thanks to the kind Black Cat staff member who hand copied that list for me!).  The Black Cat website said that proceeds from the event would benefit Fort Reno, but nothing that night indicated as much.  A host for the evening could have reminded us that we were supporting this cause, introduced each act, and told us between acts about opportunities to catch performers with their regular bands.  I hope that organizers consider fixing this next year.

Regardless, it was a great show.  The Girtles, the only band doing their regular act, led things off.  I really hope to have another opportunity to see these four mod chicks who cover early, mostly pre-Invasion, Beatles songs.  Their manager is part of their act, so he stepped up to the microphone and welcomed everyone before introducing the girls.  The neatest thing about The Girtles is that they invert the gender of the songs, and seem to choose a set of songs that enable such play.  “Girl,” their only selection from later in the Beatles catalog, becomes “Boy.”  “Baby’s in Black” becomes a song about longing for a boy who pines for another girl.  She shoulda known better with a boy like you.  My only complaint would be that their harmonies are a little off, but weren’t the Beatles’ harmonies a little off?  That’s probably why people like my mother preferred the Lettermen and the Four Lads.  I hope that as they expand their repertoire the Girtles might add “Run For Your Life.”

Tron Petty took advantage of the playful mood that the Girtles created.  Imagine that a bunch of player/prisoners trapped in the Tron computer formed a Tom Petty cover band.  Tron Petty was pure pastiche:  they did not offer any critique on the Heartbreakers’ music, even with a female lead singer.  It was just fun, for everybody, as they played Petty covers in homemade Tron uniforms that glowed under UV light, including papier mache helmets and cardboard disks affixed to their guitar straps.

When we think of music in the 80s we think of girl groups and hair metal, new wave and hip-hop, Thriller and The Joshua Tree.  We don’t think of Huey Lewis & The News.  Sports Authority does.  They reminded us that, indeed, it was hip to be square.  The lead singer really sold the idea that he was Huey Lewis after letting himself go and aware that he used to play bigger rooms.  I never thought I would gleefully sing along with “Jacob’s Ladder,” but I sure did.

Of all the bands that played RUN FOR COVER, Dr. Feelgreat is the one I’d most like to see play a normal show, blending garage and soul elements.  But here’s the thing:  they were the weakest act of the night.  The lead singer, a lanky guy evoking Faces-era Rod Stewart with his angular features, creamy mod suit, and a mop of blond hair, mumbled something about being Mötley Crüe a few times.  Covering the Crüe as something other than a hair metal band sounds like a great idea, but I couldn’t recognize a single lyric, and everyone else I spoke with had the same problem.  Okay, so I’ve never been the biggest Crüe fan, so maybe the selections were too obscure.  Please guys, throw us a bone.  If they’d played “Shout at the Devil,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” or, you know, “Dr. Feelgood,” the whole thing would have worked a lot better.

Again, an emcee might have helped, as it would with the next act, We Got Da Butt, a bunch of girls paying tribute to the Go Go’s without any irony at all.  They just reveled in the insanely fun songs that girl group churned out.  As a bonus, the bass player could totally pass for Jane Wiedlin, or at least her younger sister.  However, the lead singer repeatedly identified the band as The Go Go’s, which made the end of the set rather confusing, albeit fun.  A bunch of men joined the girls on stage.  Two guys sat on the front edge of the drum riser and played that familiar downtown busker rhythm on five gallon barrels.  A horn section supported the whole thing, as the act made a transition to Experience Unlimited’s “Da Butt,” the song that introduced the world to grind dancing.  This end to the set would have been less absurd, and in fact a logical punchline, if a host had introduced the act by name.

Pure Emotion was probably the strongest act of the night.  Led by a tall thin dude in a vinyl suit and a white wig and a brunette in a retro shapeless top over spandex leggings, they pretended to present a late-night info-ad for a collection of 80s power ballads.  Although the guy did a really good job with Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” and Chicago’s “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” the girl absolutely nailed Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Heart’s “How Can I Get You Alone.”

The theme of young women with strong voices continued with Factory Music, who had the most elaborate show of the evening, with two girls and a rapping guy on the microphones, a full band, dancing girls, and props such as neon-colored gears.  Although the dancing could have been more energetic, it was enjoyable (some people make bike shorts look good).  Party music really gets no better than “Gonna Make You Sweat” and “Things That Make You Go Hmm.”

The INXS tribute In Ex Sex closed out the evening on a solid note.  The lead singer sang just well enough and, more importantly, was just pretty enough to pull off the Michael Hutchence act.  Overall it was a competent tribute.  Whereas other bands played with guilty pleasures, these guys did yeoman’s work with songs that have aged well.

I used the word “fun” here a lot, and that’s what this night was about.  Whether acknowledging foundations of our current performing and consuming tastes or evoking memories of awkward junior high dances, this was a night about the pleasure of music.  I will definitely try to attend the show next year.  Hit me up if you are looking for an emcee.

Line-up:

• HFStival [Artist Info]
• Third Eye Blind [Artist Info]
• Billy Idol [Artist Info]
• Ever Clear [Artist Info]
• Ed Kowalczyk [Artist Info]
• The Presidents of the United States of America [Artist Info]
• Fuel [Artist Info]
• Lit [Artist Info]
• Marcy Playground [Artist Info]
• Jimmie’s Chicken Shack [Artist Info]
• Jah Works [Artist Info]
• Fools and Horses [Artist Info]
• Lionize [Artist Info]
• Honor by August [Artist Info]
• Middle Distance Runner [Artist Info]
• RPM – Restoring Poetry in Music [Artist Info]

What is remarkable about the article is it virtually whitewashes the controversy of the past decade with regard to the legality of digital music. In fact, Keith Caulfield from Billboard actually refers to the extinction of the CD as a “natural progression”. For anyone that has followed the music industry over the past 12years this “progression” has been anything but “natural”. Leaving aside the problematic notion that the CD is “dying”, I think it is important to remember that digital downloads were not something that the major record labels were willing to adjust to until they had a store in place where they could remain dominant: iTunes. In 2004, the music industry’s embrace of Steve Jobs’ digital music store was the beginning of an acceptance by the record labels that they had to change or be forgotten.

The problem with fetishizing media formats is that there is obsolescence built into the technology. While the record labels would like to control new media formats in a way where they can always maintain their dominance, consumer electronic companies are always trying to create new products to market to consumers. The mp3 player was not created by the major record labels to give their costumers access to music in a new format, but rather by consumer electronic companies. But in addition to having a new piece of technology, there is always a need for businesses that make money in selling technology to have content to be played on that technology. This is why Steve Jobs and Apple developed the iTunes store after the successful launch of the iPod.

The control that record labels have held over music distribution networks has maintained their power over independent artists and labels. Digital music players and the availability of  online digital music allowed independent artists and labels to compete with the major labels. Easy access to free digital music was/is reprehensible to the major record labels and while they were slow to adapt to digital music, they were quick to work with Steve Jobs to maintain their dominance in production and distribution.

So, yes, the CD may be fading slowly into the land of obsolete technologies; it will be around for quite some time, still. But before we romanticize this “natural progression” from CD to digital, let’s not forget the ugly recent history that has been forced upon us with lawsuits, threats and ISP bans.

• Monday  2010-06-28 : The Public Good [Artist Info] American Hearts [Artist Info] Tiny Bombs [Artist Info]

• Thursday 2010-07-01 : Sleeper Agent [Artist Info] Gangland Buries Its Own [Artist Info] Black Sparks [Artist Info]
• Monday 2010-07-05  The Cheniers [Artist Info] Dynamite Fishermen [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-07-08 : Tereu Tereu [Artist Info] Police & Thieves [Artist Info] Authorization [Artist Info]
• Monday 2010-07-12 : Club Scout [Artist Info] Sugar Dunes [Artist Info] Lucy [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-07-15 : Give [Artist Info] Hiding Places [Artist Info] Dennis Kane [Artist Info]
• Monday 2010-07-19 : 7 Door Sedan [Artist Info] Connect the Dots [Artist Info] Backfire [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-07-22 : Poor But Sexy [Artist Info]
• Monday 2010-07-26 : Birds & Wires [Artist Info] Gypsy Death and You [Artist Info] The Summer Wind [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-07-29 : Soft Power [Artist Info] Black Telephone [Artist Info]
• Monday 2010-08-02 : The Evens [Artist Info] Cephlapods [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-08-05 : The Nighthawks [Artist Info] NRIS [Artist Info] Sound Limit [Artist Info]
• Thursday 2010-08-12 : Office of Future Plans [Artist Info]

A look ahead at music playing in the DC area in the coming week.