I Love You Mathletes!

I had the most awkward introduction to the Mathletes ages ago. A guy tells me (with the best intentions) "Linus Pauling needs to play with the Mathletes so you can get in with the IBP crowd." Now, could you think of anything more crass? Not "The Mathletes are great!", not "They are fun!", not "You'll have a blast!", instead, some kind of audience wrangling angle. Hey, I'm not saying the LP4 couldn't use any audience it can find but, really, this is exactly how NOT to get me into a band. I love to play with bands because I admire what they do and it's a blast to play with cool bands. So, long story short that pretty much soured me on checking out the Mathletes for much too long. Stupid, I know, because at some point (I can't recall when) I finally did go see them and it was really good and really fun and really clever and really unique. Then, the more I saw them, the better they got. Each time just getting more and more fun and insane until finally they were like the circus pulling into town with every show and they had slyly morphed into one of my favorite bands. In fact they had reached that particular level of godhead where, if they were playing a show, I had to go no matter what. Even if it was only for a few songs it was always worth it because the Mathletes shows were a sincerely happy and joyous party.

Well last night felt like the end of a really great party - at least for the foreseeable future. Joe is leaving for a stint in Austin performing in a production of "Speedy Motorcycle" and the future of the Mathletes in their current form seems shaky but Joe says "We all have something amazing in the works for this summer that will dwarf anything and everything the Mathletes have been about lately; if it's any comfort, just know that the best is yet to come." I have no doubt he will not disappoint.

Anyhow, here are some pictures from last night at the Proletariat:

Preparing for the assault,
the generals plan their set list!

In video games you have power-ups.
In music you have mixed drinks!

Gie Gie demanding opening band Fishboy
play "Quattro" which they flatly refused
despite her relentlessly shouting the
demand over half their set and shouting
"Fuck You! You suck! Play Quatro!"
You have to admire the woman's tenacity.

Mlee Preparing for her debut as a Mathlete
- that pinnacle to which so many musicians
strive to archive!

Mathletes quiz!
Can you guess what song is being covered?

Joe in the zone!

Mike Switzer checks his cell phone
for the lyrics to "Just like Heaven".
I shit you not!

Gie Gie takes her rightful place
as the perfect Joe Mathlete foil!

"Quatro! Quatro! Quatro!"
demands the audience!

Carlos smilin' Dimes style!

Mathletes Stage Left!

Mathletes Stage Right!

Jenny trying to remember the lyrics!

Joe testifies!

The Mathletes has a horn section!!!

Iram as Lou Reed!

The fearless leader and his minions!

Tom wows the crowd
with his Tambourine and his ass!

Mlee Vs Robot Gie Gie!

Robots,
Joe possibly falling off the stage,
some guy in the audience playing harmonica.
Don't ask!
It's a Mathletes show!

Have fun in Austin Joe.
May the road rise with you.
We'll keep a light on for you.
Love,
Houston

Whats wrong with your scene? Nothing. (with update)

Late 80's Seattle, Washington
The funny thing was many of the shows in [Charles] Peterson's classic early Sub Pop photographs weren't attended by more than a few dozen people. "Bruce [Pavitt] loved those Charles Peterson photos because it made it look like more of an event," says Bob Whittaker. "Instead of sitting around a stinky club with a bunch of ugly people, it looked like this...scene. And we're standing around, all smelly, going, 'Huh? What's the big deal?" (1)

Late 70s New York City, New York
"In those days [1978] most performances, whether in clubs or in art spaces, didn't draw more than 40-50 people." - Glenn Branca (2)

For you guys who are worried about how big your "scene" is, I give you the two above excerpts. Recently in the Chronicle's blog and in a discussion with Chris Gray, the question of the "Houston" Scene came up. You know, there is nothing wrong with the music in Houston and all it's various scenes. Sure, one sporting event will bring more people than 100 indie shows but so what? Who cares if most of the city is sitting home watching America's Next Top Model (or whatever it's called)? Let 'em. Go out have fun, make stuff, if 40 people show up, so be it. Are they neat people and is the music good? Well hell, then it's a party! In other words I don't know how many people are going to show up at the Hootenanny and The Sad Like Crazy show tonight but damn if I ain't goin' out there.

That being said...

See you suckas at the Hootenanny!!!!

Credits:
(1) Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes fromt he American Indie Underground 1981-1991 Michael Azerrad (c) 2001 Back Bay Books pp.421-422
(2) New York Noise: Art and Music from the New York Underground 1978-1988 - Paula Court (c) 2007 Paula Court/Soul Jazz Publishing pp.54-55

---

Update

Some Images from the Hootenanny.

John Sears as Sam Cook was sweetness on a stick

Papermoons as Pedro the Lion kicked it - hard!

The Jonx as NoMeansNo were incredible!

Panic In Detroit as Jawbox were frighteningly good!

The Mathletes as The Talking Heads were a hoot!

Something Fierce as The Clash got the people singing along, jumping, and spilling beer!

The Dimes and Mlee Suprean as the Pixies got eveyone in such a frenzy that at one point I thought "I wonder if this floor is about to collapse from the shaking?"

Blades (with guest Anna Garza) were a blast and John's singing reminded us why they are an instrumental band. Joke! :)

Indian Jewelry as Depeche Mode were strobe-a-riffic.

-------

Finally. Look! Neat people having fun!*

* Yes, John I know you were joking. :P

Roll Tape!

Saturday Night

In the background, the Director's Cut of Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii just started. I have heard it had additional footage and longer performances so I grabbed it at Sound Exchange today. So far, all I've noted is that the newly added stock footage is pretty annoying and breaks the flow of the original. [Hint to the editors, use a similar film stock. I mean digital shots of the solar system? C'mon.] Still the music is great, the digital transfer is from a very clean print, and the sound is better than my old VHS copy now if I can just ignore the added crap.

Friday Night!

Kilian's cardboard art opening at Super Happy Funland was a nice success. I was a bit sleepy despite a nap but it was nice to see everyones work. (I saw Kilian taking some digital photos so I'm sure that you'll get to see them soon.) Before we left some high school kids were playing Super Happy Fun Land so we were a bit curious to see what these kids would pull off. To our surprise, the kids were playing this awful proggy/lite-jazzy/Grateful Deady stuff that had us all wondering "What the hell are these kids listening to?" I guess The Dimes had us all fooled. Damn!

[By the way, any scenes of Pink Floyd eating food is hilarious.]

We headed out to see Sebadoh over at Walter's. Bonus was that, unbeknownst to us, The Bent Mustache was the opening act. If you love bands like the Ex and Dog Faced Hermans these guys are right up you alley. The one difference between TBM and their mates from Holland is that the bassist Ajay is so goddamn joyful. I don't think I've ever seen someone with a more childlike "Lookee! I'm on stage! Isn't this fun?" vibe than this guy. The highlight was him involving some poor 9 year old kind named Ian to play tambourine with the band. Ian obliged and stood shoulders slumped, head down, in front of the drummer, with his back to the audience. It was a sweet gesture by the band and Ian instantly became the coolest person that night. By the way the drummer was another one of those rail thin bastards who would beat the shit out of his kit while the guitarist played that percussive angular style we've come to love over on this side of the pond. Solid performance but I didn't get the vibe that the audience was really too open for any band beyond Sebadoh. Is it me or is there a different crowd for big national touring shows?

[Tracking shots of Pink Floyd performing - Cool! Tracking shots of Pink Floyd eating breakfast - Hilarious]

Anyhow Sebadoh took the stage afterwards and played a enthusiastic set for a good two hours. I love the fact that they kept playing encores saying "OK well play one more." then immediately play three more songs. By the second one I was on to them. Encore my ass! You guys are just looking for any excuse to play more songs; It was actually very endearing and well worth this morning's hangover.

["Aw, these are juicy oysters, aren't they?" "Yes." "These are good oysters here aren't they?" "Yes." "It must be the right season of year. The Oysters are quite good." "Well I don't know what nationality they are." " I like to think oysters transcend that."]

Thursday Night

Somehow Kilian had suckered me into playing with his Redo Makeshift Band which basically meant I was going to be playing with various members of De Schmog and other musicians with significantly better chops than I. Rehearsals, meanwhile, consisted of my listening to acoustic demo MP3s from Kilian the day of the show. In short, I was out-gunned and unprepared but my hauling my gear, a dinner of Rudz's Fish and Chips, and a steady diet of Guinness and Stella quelled any rational sense of panic I should have had.

[Fuck! Does Pink Floyd do nothing but eat?]

Bright Men of Learning opened up with a great set. Bright Men do this Roots Rock/ Americana/ Country/ Rock thing that I've really come to enjoy. It's real slick stuff where you just know the band has every tone and nuance down to a mathematical certainty. Admittedly, being one who embraces musical chaos and uncertainty, this took some warming up to. It wasn't until I heard them play a live KPFT Radioactive event with really dodgy sound that I came to really appreciate what they do. There, the band had to struggle against a ragged sounding PA but their hard won battle against it had a rawness that appealed to my particular bias and ever since then I've come to really get a kick out of their shows.

[OK, this film was made in 1972; what the fuck is the space shuttle doing here!!!]

The precision of Bright Men of Lerning was a beautiful juxtaposition to The Mathletes who followed with a set of pop music that seemed to threaten to collapse at any moment. The best song was easily the Animals song (see Justin's post yesterday) and the closer where Joe Mathlete sings that he can't sing, play the drums, play the guitar, et al. I hear that the Dimes once backed up Joe Mathlete. That would be pretty awesome but sometimes when you are just playing to friends on a weeknight at a bar it's fun be a little sloppy and still deliver the goods.

[Wow! a bad computer model of Pompeii? Director's Cut My ass! ]

Can I emphasize the importance of "a little" in the sloppy. A few Guinnesses, Stellas, and Gin and Tonics later I suddenly realized, oh shit, I'm playing. I dutifully set up with my Marshall at 1. [maybe if I play quiet enough...] The first song starts. Kilian sounds out the chords Cmaj, Fmaj, Amin. Easy I actually did get to rehearse this. Oh fuck! There's a disconnect between my brain and my fingers and I keep fluffing the changes. By the time I get the groove, the song is over. My brain is clearly in the LP4 mode thinking here's where we just hammer out the chord changes Krautrock style no? No! You Fail! Next song! Oh good! Two chords Amin to D. I was a bit more worried about this one when I practiced it a bit but, in my state, I'm at least holding down the changes. Kilian then tells me to solo. I take one and to be honest I have no clue if it was good or not. I'm not fishing for complements I'm just saying I don't know. At least I had a decent tone but in all reality of the three people with guitars it was obvious who should NOT have been taking a solo. This means I was playing with either very nice or individuals with a very nasty sense of humor. Then I had to learn a simplified version of Running with the Devil and sluffed my way through it. No huge disasters. Success. Oh no wait we're going to do some De Schmog songs? You know you are in trouble when, on stage, you're wondering, "Shit what key is this in?" I think they foolishly gave me another solo of which all I remember is jamming my guitar into the speaker cone and playing with the feedback. I can only think how out of place that was.

"Oh duuuuuude check out this tone."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
"Ohhh yeah, huh huh. bend the neck a bit.''
EEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Really, I just wanted to show Joe Mathlete that I can outdo him on sloppiness any day.

[Oh fuck in the Special Features they have the original concert film as we know it and it fucking rules in every way the "Director's cut does not. No extraneous shots and no digital bullshit. All the cool 70s stuff is back in, the extraneous "Dark Side" recording stuff is gone , and the unrelated new new bullshit of gone. I just keep thinking why did they think the new stuff looked better than the original - even the simple titles have more style than the new computer aided ones. It's night and day in terms of style, continuity, and feel! God what the fuck were they thinking? Oh well, Guess I'm watchign this version again.]


Links
Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii
The Bent Mustache
Sebadoh
Bright Men of Learning
The Mathletes

Photo Credits:
Pink Floyd still from the movie directed by Adrian Maben. Cinematography by Willy Kurant and Gabor Pogany.
The rest of the photos. Please, share with us who took 'em if you know 'em.