NYC's Loss Is DC's Stereolab Gain
We here in DC owe it to fear itself that Stereolab booked for the Black Cat last night. It turns out that the show scheduled for New York the same day was a college show that was cancelled by the authorities in order to avoid gangs of rebel rousers the band is known to attract. Fools. (although I did once see a group of teen-kidds trying unsuccesfully to mosh at a Raincoats concert - go figure)
Black Cat doesn't sound as good as 9:30, but it's a more intimate venue. Steve Wynn opened, playing a fair number of songs from his Dream Syndicate Days of Wine and Roses plus some new material. Stereolab opened their set with Transoma Five and continued for 100 minutes sampling a wide range of material (even one song from Amorphous Body Study Center).
The three most transcendental moments were during the Metronomic Underground jam (where Laetitia did these low, heavy decibled 'Mwrowr mwrowr mwrowr's' on her moog - afterwards saying 'that was fun!'), the single 'You Used To Call Me Sadness' from their latest split and the final encore - a fantastic Contact with jam (during which Andy Ramsey had quite a work out on the drums) that led into a new funk-beat song which was probably the tightest thing they did all night! This band just has to be seen live, where the jams are the thing. If anyone attends the WFMU benefit tonight in New York, please give word on how it went (to the list or e-mailed privately).
-- Kevin King or drop by Xanadu