stinks

Last night Jake's band, Ettrick was in town, playing with xbxrx and KK Rampage at Schubas. Jake did a great job - they added some new gadgets and sounds to their set-up which worked well. As usual the dueling sax part went on too long for my tastes, but that's just me (and anyone else who hates saxophones). XBXRX did a good job. It was weird seeing all these Bay Area people in Chicago. I had fun catching up on SF gossip and such.

What I really wanted to talk about was KK Rampage. First, a text I sent JP and Nate describes them pretty well: "1995 called, it wants its sound back. and put your shirts back on k thanks bye." JP said when she came to the show, one of the band members heiled at her. As in, nazi style, arm up and out stiff. They had swastika shirts on, and looked like a bunch of dickheads. The dorks had recently gotten "kk rampage" tattoos on their left pecs and were showing them off. The best part about that was one of them was like "argh my tat is peeling, hook me up with the lotion bro" and proceeded to goober up his tattoo. Way to be a "real man" dude.

They set up in about 15 minutes, then didn't play for another 40 minutes. Who did they think they were? They had this aura of "we're hot shit" all around them but they were the most miserable band I've seen in years. The did one of those "we play ten minute sets and we are so hardcore and artistic" bits. Singer had some serious fall-out boy eyeliner action going on, and doused the place in water, which Schubas really wasn't happy about. He rolled around on the floor like a jackass. They played without shirts. It was this disgusting display over overt masculinity that made me want to vomit in the corner (which is where I was sitting the entire time). They finally ended, and then acted like it was the best set ever, like they were famous. Too bad their style was so ridiculously outdated, and even if they had been playing back in the heyday of GSL/three one g bands, they would have sucked balls.

Then towards the end of the night the cocktail waitress came in and told everyone who wasn't 21 that they needed to leave. They all started cat-calling at her, and as she walked out one said really loudly to the other, "I'd like to stuff her in the trunk and take her home know what I'm saying owww!" A bunch of laughter follows. My head explodes.

So let's see. Strike 1: Art-school losers acting like nazis to get a rise out of people. Strike 2: worthless music. Strike 3: sexist pigs. Even if all of this is just posturing, just some sort of artistic display to provoke, it doesn't make me like them any more. Grow up and lose the 'tude dudes.

Then after the show I had the usual bit of sitting around and waiting for the bands to pack up so I could take them back to my house. Audrey and Jake reunited, and I had Jake drive me to Nate's house (awkward?) so I could go to bed. Woke up this morning, went home to a house that had rice on the floor and stunk like hell, and then came to work.

This post makes me sound like I'm 40. Good thing my 26th birthday is in a few weeks.