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You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 2:40 pm
by john stabb
Sep 15, 2013 2:36am
For all you complainers who wouldn't see STT play Black Cat's Anniversary ... YOU BLEWWWWW IT. :( Not only was the current touring line-up of STT (Nathan, Adam, Stuart, and Craig) completely wonderful but your faves from the past were invited to play. Yep, the final 3 OLD songs with Chris Matthews & Mike Russell were Red House, Day Ditty & another I'd have to look up from "Tenspot". :shock: Craig was in a playful joking mood but still put out that intensely Angelic voice, Nathan was smiling away & rocking with Stuart & Adam. It was truly amazing :!:

But unfortunately I finally got the opportunity to see this certain group that Hunter had told me about a few years back that had someone I'd always see hanging @ GWU parties in the 90's. Hunter went to school with her & only a few years ago I found out she was fronting this group, Tuscadero. Yes they had a large loyal following who knew their songs religiously. Yes they belong on Teen Beat. And Yes I still cannot figure how on earth they ever got on Dischord.
They were the most painful experience I've had in a long time. Cute-Pop with cartoonish Betty Boop vocals. But a lot of the crowd were eating their sugary-sweet (like those Pixie stix you inhaled as a kid) songs big-time. :o My Meowgirl, about 10 other old 80's friends & I shared in the same torture our ears & eyes were dealing with. Wow, my stomach was actually feeling like Mr. Tapeworm was dancing in my innards. :x And they played after New Wet Kojak. :roll: An artier avante grade GVSB that I'd never seen before either but dug their style. I mean for all the cryptic nonsense lyrics that NWK are putting out, Tuscadero had these cutesy ones like "My little turtle dove". Ugh, I'm still puking a bit in my mouth just thinking about them.

Plucky, Mrs. Plucky, Meowgirl & I had a great time @ Night #1 of the Anniversary gigs. Got there in time to see a stellar performance (never let me down!) of Ted Leo/R/X & then GVSB. Love the sexy groove of GVSB until they brought up special guest David Yow (Jesus Lizard). We watched a killer band's set be quickly destroyed by 1 man. Oh and his gigantic-mushroom-headed penis. :oops: Always heard exhibitionist stories about this cat & w/o any warning, before any songs, Yow unzips his pants & :? Scott Mcloud tells him "Let's keep this legal tonight, David" so the surprise MEMBER (the one in Yow's pants) returns to whence it came. Yet, the human freak show joined the Boys for one of Jesus Lizard's songs & ruined "Kill the SeXplayer". Yipes.

Grey Matter had a fun yet out of tune/off key set. Definitely much tighter the last Anniversary 5 years ago.

All in all, the best 2 nights I've spent in WDC with some great sounds & lovely old friends. You shoulda been there. :idea:

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 2:42 pm
by john stabb
Yes, I caught it: "avant gARDE"

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 2:44 pm
by john stabb
Stupid word changer fixed it to "grade" . :cry:

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:09 pm
by xxxHunterxxx
Glad you had fun, Stubbs. I don't think I could've made it through a whole set of STT Mach 2 just to hear three songs by the original group. Also, I like Tuscadero a lot -- good band and nice people. They were on Teen Beat, not Dischord.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 4:54 pm
by xxxMidgexxx
The band SUCKED MOOSE COCK when Chris left.

Get your Goat was their last great record. Everything after that was terrible.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:54 pm
by earthdog70
Stabb-did you skip Tommy Keene for this?

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:02 pm
by JGJR
I really wish I could've been there, particularly for the Shudder mach 1 mini-set (saw mach 2 again back in 2008).

I'd love to see Gray Matter one day, but it sounds like I might've been disappointed.

A friend of mine went to see GVSB here in Philly the other night and Yow joined them towards the end of their set as well. I'm curious if they did a Joy Division cover, too, like they did the other night.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:49 am
by Gary
xxxMidgexxx wrote:The band SUCKED MOOSE COCK when Chris left.

Get your Goat was their last great record. Everything after that was terrible.



I don't even think Get Your Goat is that great. The first two are so good though. Got to see them twice in the Uk on the Ten Spot tour,i'm very glad of that.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:22 am
by pedro
If I was guaranteed some stuff from CSVM, I would gladly sit through 3 songs of Craig, Nate, Whoever and Whoever for 15 songs of Craig, Chris, Stuart and Mike.

The other way around? No thanks.

Gary wrote:I don't even think Get Your Goat is that great.


I agree with this statement. However, I have always chalked a bit of my disappointment with that record to the fact that Chris had left the band before it had been released. I just never got into it like the others because I knew it was over before I ever heard it.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:22 am
by john stabb
While Hunter may think I'm being too harsh on Tuscadero (and I think he & Midge are being too harsh on STT) I'd like to explain a bit why I feel so drastic about Tuscadero: Now I love some really girly-voiced singers like Clare Grogan (Altered Images), Juliana Hatfield, Mary Lou Lord & Sarah Shannon (Velocity Girl). All of these women have ballsy material but (for me) Tuscadero don't. Grogan's band were very influenced by Siouxie but only really known for the cutesy songs like "I could be happy" & "Happy Birthday" (which I'm still fond of), Hatfield comes from that edgy-pop-rock of Blake Babies/Leamonheads & such, Lord has more twangy-indie rock thing happening & Shannon sounds sweet but VG have a Blondie-esque vibe for me. I dig them all. The songs musically & vocally of Tuscadero (for me), call it Cute-pop, Twee or whatever (despite 2 male band-members) have no balls whatsoever. That's why I wanted to blow my brains out watching them onstage. And all my criticism is light so far because I could be far more brutal.

Now back to Shudder to Think: I was no fan of everything they did post-Funeral at the Movies. I couldn't get into the weird time changes (as my mate Krrl says "were to compensate for Craig's teaching himself guitar & everyone else having to work with it") of Get your Goat, and everything else (although I love "x-french T shirt" that led to 50, 0000 BC.
It just was too f'n weird for me after Tenspot & Funeral. :? But I recently went back to revisit 50,0000 & I really get into the Glam-power-pop (about the same time Craig & Nathan wrote all those wonderful songs for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack). Man, I'd love to see them play some of that film's songs live :!: ) Has everyone heard that f'n record :?: It's brilliant. I've come to the conclusion that both Nathan & Adam belong in STT.

And Edog, yep, (Dante's dad Bobby got the Meowists in to Anniversary Night #1 @ last minute so we skipped Tommy's gig. A friend posted a fb pic of Keene onstage with caption "There really should be more people here tonight". Sorry that TK had 3 big factors working against him: 1) played wayyyyy too early around 7:30pm, 2) he was just playing to support his new covers album so he might've threw in a bone to crowd of his old classic TK songs despite his small loyal following. The reason it was a packed house last time he played 9:30 was Superchunk were headlining. Tommy is kind of our little MD underground
hero but he ain't as huge of a draw as he should be. and the biggest reason 3) he was playing against Cat's Anniversary w/ GVSB & Grey Matter. Unfortunately we missed the Shirks because they tear up the nasty Garage-punk incredibly well & Max Levine Ensemble were replaced by Spoonboy. MLE remind me of original Q & not U.

Oh, did I mention David Yow has (to quote the Mentors) "a big old donkey dick". Fine, just do porn or something but don't whip it out onstage. I actually had scary flashbacks of being @ early WDC Fugazi shows. Yipes. :shock: :roll:

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:27 am
by john stabb
One thing I forgot: Most of what comes out on Teenbeat has always felt to me to have a certain "precious" quality. And Tuscadero fit right in with that scene. I hate that scene. My favorite band on Teenbeat was Jonny Cohen's Love Machine. Highly underrated stuff.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:22 pm
by xxxMidgexxx
Gary wrote:
xxxMidgexxx wrote:The band SUCKED MOOSE COCK when Chris left.

Get your Goat was their last great record. Everything after that was terrible.


I don't even think Get Your Goat is that great. The first two are so good though. Got to see them twice in the Uk on the Ten Spot tour,i'm very glad of that.


I might have to re-think and agree. Get your Goat had 'Shake your Halo Down' which is stellar. And 'Love Catastrophe'. The stuff at the end was good.

Ten Spot was F'n EPIC!

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:57 am
by JGJR
pedro wrote:If I was guaranteed some stuff from CSVM, I would gladly sit through 3 songs of Craig, Nate, Whoever and Whoever for 15 songs of Craig, Chris, Stuart and Mike.

The other way around? No thanks.

Gary wrote:I don't even think Get Your Goat is that great.


I agree with this statement. However, I have always chalked a bit of my disappointment with that record to the fact that Chris had left the band before it had been released. I just never got into it like the others because I knew it was over before I ever heard it.


I got into STT a few months before Get Your Goat was released and by that point, I'd already seen them open for Fugazi in April 1992 after getting heavily into both Ten Spot and Funeral at the Movies. Anyway, Get Your Goat was definitely a relative disappointment relative to the greatness of those other records, but I still loved it and do today as well.

I also don't think that CSVM is that great, but then again I wasn't there.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:00 am
by JGJR
john stabb wrote:One thing I forgot: Most of what comes out on Teenbeat has always felt to me to have a certain "precious" quality. And Tuscadero fit right in with that scene. I hate that scene. My favorite band on Teenbeat was Jonny Cohen's Love Machine. Highly underrated stuff.


It took me a long time to appreciate anything on Teenbeat except for Versus, who I always thought were awesome. I now enjoy Unrest, though. My wife is a fan of all of that stuff, too.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:23 pm
by fiestaware
Vomit Launch wound up on Teen Beat.

More than compensates for any minor deficits (Sexual Milkshake) in the label's extensive discography.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:38 pm
by fiestaware
Gary wrote:
xxxMidgexxx wrote:Get your Goat was their last great record. Everything after that was terrible.


I don't even think Get Your Goat is that great.


I blame - in part - the extremely flat, lifeless production on that album. Most tracks on there are unpolished gems in desperate need of a remix.

Videos are finally up. A bit shambolic, but I like the idea of Adam Wade relegated to the Guy-in-early-Fugazi role.



Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:39 am
by Mickey
xxxMidgexxx wrote:The band SUCKED MOOSE COCK when Chris left.

Get your Goat was their last great record. Everything after that was terrible.


Preach it, brother!

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:41 am
by gregpolard
Pony Express Record. C'mon man.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 1:47 pm
by FlexMyHead
I think I saw Chris's last show with the band at the old 9:30 Club. They played forever and had dress shirts/ties on and I think were almost crying at one point. I took some blurry photos so I can check when I get home. When it comes to STT, Nathan pretty much ruined the band for me, but it could be like my whole "Bill ruined Jawbox" stance in that the first recorded music with him I hated and I never gave it a second chance but when I listened years later it wasn't 'that' bad. Nathan was just waaaaaaaaaay too much Dave Navarro for me.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 2:02 pm
by gregpolard
Serious question....did those other guys write the music for the early records? I never paid attention. I'm guessing due to the nature of everyone's loyalty to that original lineup the answer is yes, but you never know.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:12 pm
by JGJR
FlexMyHead wrote:I think I saw Chris's last show with the band at the old 9:30 Club. They played forever and had dress shirts/ties on and I think were almost crying at one point. I took some blurry photos so I can check when I get home. When it comes to STT, Nathan pretty much ruined the band for me, but it could be like my whole "Bill ruined Jawbox" stance in that the first recorded music with him I hated and I never gave it a second chance but when I listened years later it wasn't 'that' bad. Nathan was just waaaaaaaaaay too much Dave Navarro for me.


The difference is that I think Jawbox only got better when Bill and Zach entered the picture. I can understand where you're coming from, though, as Grippe was my first exposure to Jawbox and is still my sentimental favorite (I'd say FYOSS is objectively their best album, though). I'd love to get the vinyl version that Dischord just put out.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 8:57 am
by pedro
Judging from the videos, which I understand can be misleading, I missed nothing.

Re: You silly complainers: Shudder to Think@Black Cat!

PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 12:11 pm
by FlexMyHead
Took these at 9:30 Club in Jan of 1992, can't remember who else was on bill etc, but 99% sure it was last show as this line-up. Man, cameras were fucking shitty back then.

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