Skip to main content

Danse Macabre

Years ago, my friend Steve thought a great live pairing would be [daryl] and the Faint. At the time, the Faint had just put out their second album, Blank-Wave Arcade and [daryl] was just getting started (I think their first EP was out). The sole link between the two bands was that they used vintage keyboards circa the '70s and '80s. I never thought the pairing would work but I think I saw something like this last night at the Double Wide.

Sparklepussy Barbie is not a Faint knock-off, but they could be compared to them. Featuring members of the Deathray Davies (including one who used to be in [daryl] years ago), the band fuses live instrumentation with loops, keyboards and electronic drums. They don't sound doomy, but they aren't really richly melodic either. All throughout their set, I kept thinking about my conversation about the Faint with Steve all those years ago.

With [daryl], after six years of seeing them play with various line-ups, I have yet to tire of them. I speculate I've seen them at least thirty times and I've rarely been let down. Last night was no different, but like previous sets I've seen at the Double Wide and Sons of Hermann Hall, this was more like a wild party. Longtime friend and fan of the band DB was up in front with me the whole time. I didn't really mind all the beer he spilled on me and all the sweat he flung onto me and others. At this point, I'm used to it.

My memory might be escaping me, but I think last night's show was the first time I saw a show at the Double Wide since they closed and then promptly reopened. Yeah, the trailer trash design is still kitschy, but the layout of the place is still one of the best I've ever seen. With two bars and a patio, there's plenty of space for those that want to see the bands and those that don't. I'm thankful that the place is back.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Socials

 Hey, everyone! You can find me on several other platforms: http:/ http:// themeparkexperience.substack.com http:// Instagram.com/ericjgrubbs http:// TikTok.com/@ericjgrubbs http:// threads.net/ericjgrubbs http:// ericjgrubbs.bsky.social Thanks! 

One With the Force

For as long as I have been alive, Star Wars has been in my life. I was only a year old when The Empire Strikes Back came out, a time when apparently a lot of people were angry about the twist that revealed Luke Skywalker’s parentage. I was not aware of this until I was in college, and frankly, does it really matter about the twist or the context of the day for fans? I think it does, as history has a way of repeating itself. These eleven films (along with a couple of animated shows, a holiday special, and a couple of live action shows) continue to mean something, even when they come out to mixed reviews. The Star Wars saga itself is bigger than those reactions, and I’m happy to see the saga transcend generations. I’m only a few days removed from seeing The Rise of Skywalker for the first time. I thought it was a fantastic film in the Skywalker saga. And since I’m not a filmmaker or a producer, I’m not one to make a bold claim about how I would have done it better. Because Star...