Seaweed

Braid

I have no pictures of this show. I tried. I loaded the film. I snapped the pic. My camera ate the film (twice). I arrived after 10:00 hoping "Braid" hadn't started yet. The first band was set up but hadn't played. I opted for a game of Centipede and some light chat with the cats at the "Braid" merchandise table. "Braid" even had pins! More bands need pins. They were such an early eighties thing and are pretty cheap to produce and sell. I affixed mine (thanks Chris) to my Quicksand shirt and felt cool (and probably looked stupid - story of my life).

I noticed "Braid" travels with their own electric teapot. "Good for the voice," singer Bob explained. I asked how the tour was going and both Chris and Bob (who share vocal duties in "Braid") seemed genuinely pleased with how things were going, and were ultra-nice to talk to. I hadn't really planned an interview so the exchange was brief and casual.

I heard the "Lakeside Orchestra" starting their set so I left the alley for the club (the Casbah in San Diego features an open air alley that separates the front music bar from the back video game/pool table bar so you smokers aren't cast out into the streets). My first impression was the lack of impression the "Lakeside Orchestra" make as a live entity. I was ready to dismiss these plainly dressed statues right away, but I hung out for awhile. They ain't bad. They could be light years better with a touch of energy, color...I don't know...something other than standing there looking like they'd rather be somewhere else. They have a large melodic sound in the weaker alternative direction, and their singer actually has some decent approaches and deliveries. The music was good enough to keep me there for a couple of more songs, but the blah delivery of their live set made another game of Centipede seem like a grand adventure.

"Braid" wasted no time setting up and I was actually pretty stoked to see these guys. I've been listening to their latest album a lot, "Frame & Canvas" and it's pretty damn impressive. On disk, "Braid" are a sort of Jawbox/Fugazi hybrid. That's the easy description that falls short of the truth. One of the more special elements is the dual vocal presence of Chris Broach and Bob Nanna while sharing guitar duties. They must have a really good writing bond because some of the time changes are pretty tricky, sporadic and off-timed, but the music has an undeniable flow.

A crowd started to gather and I was curious as to how familiar others were with these Urbana, IL exports that I have just recently discovered for myself. "Braid" opened with "The New Nathan Detroits," the first track off of "Frame & Canvas," and executed the tricky guitar stutters with precision. This wasn't a dramatic set of highs and lows, but more like a tour-oiled band doing what they do best. Most songs were off "Frame & Canvas" but I don't think a lot of people knew the band's material. Almost all were attentive, but it wasn't until the space between songs when the band got the enthusiastic (and often hard to obtain) Casbah clap of approval. Good. They deserved it.

I gave props to the drummer multiple times throughout the set. The guitarists might be the ones who construct these complex changes and breaks within these indie rock nuggets, but it is Damon Keith behind the skins that the band looks to in order to keep the songs tidy. He wasn't particularly aggressive in sound and attack, but oh was he precise. All three up front (Bob on the left, Todd Lee Bell, bass, in the middle, and Chris on the right - that's the way it always is) do standup jobs of creating some kind of kinetic energy on stage. Both guitarists sing, so are sort of tied down to mikes, but when one is singing, the other rages, and back and forth and together and off each other - you get the idea.

For some reason I don't hear as much range in sound and mood as on the disk. There was a kind of static level of energy the band hit and stayed there. Maybe it was choice of songs, maybe it was the lack of connection with the crowd, might have just been the sound or night or maybe even the crowd itself (Casbah is notorious for being that music scenester bar where the audience is usually mostly musicians). This was a great set though. I could see it being better. But disappointed I was not.

The final act came in the form of the Tacoma, WA unit "Seaweed." I had seen them years ago, playing with Quicksand at 1st Ave in Minneapolis. I was way into Quicksand at the time (still am as evidenced by my Quicksand T-shirt I was sporting this night) so in comparison, I wasn't that impressed. Some of my tastes have shifted, or widened, or whatever you call it when your brain starts accepting musical ideas it hadn't two weeks ago, and I have since listened to "Seaweed" more. They are a really good alternative sort of up-tempo rock band.

They've been around for awhile so I was expecting a tasty set. The first thing I noticed was - Hey! - they've got Quicksand's drummer. What the...? All right. I just saw Quicksand like 4 months ago on tour with the Deftones, now he's in "Seaweed." I didn't get a chance to speak with him, even though I had the Quicksand shirt on and now felt like I was "down" - I'm so pathetic, so I'm not sure what the story is. He even had the same drum kit! Anyway, I no longer own any "Seaweed." I had a comp tape someone gave me with two albums on it for a whole 3 weeks before it went to the great tape collection in the sky (or garbage dump - same thing) and just haven't bothered to replace them, so my recognition factor was minimal. That didn't stop me from soaking up a very energetic set from these guys.

The singer was the focal point, but all members kinda tore around in their limited way. One could tell the singer had a lot of experience fronting a band, and interacted with the crowd often. Most people in attendance tonight were here to see "Seaweed." I thought the turnout was pretty luke warm, but the crowd that was there seemed happy with wha the band was giving up. "Seaweed" executed their set with a veteran band confidence and looked like they enjoyed playing about as much as the crowd was enjoying listening. Nothing spectacular or mind-blowing, but pleasing.

Personally, I liked the "Braid" set the best. I wish my camera hadn't busted. For a Saturday night, the vibe was pretty mellow. Not dull, just mellow. I like a little more out of my rock shows, but in San Diego, I'll take what I can get.