[photo by Nuri Feder]
So I'm thinking about staying sober long enough that this isn't simply "taking a breather" but "something that, depending on my willpower, may become at least a semi-permanent thing." Which is really kind of fucked up, considering what a total drunk I've been for most of my (notionally) adult life. It's basically gotten to the point where if I'm goin' out for a tidy 10-20 drinks I absolutely know that at some point during the early A.M. I'm going to be feverishly placing a call to my coke dealer, which is no goodo. But it's nights like tonight -- going to see an awesome band, might as well have 3-6 beers -- that make me realize that, yeah, not getting shitfaced is going to blow, but fine live music stands on its own, booze or not. Makes y' feel all warm n' cuddly. (Also, thank god for weed.)
After somehow managing to get off the wrong stop on the F (RETARD!), I rolled up on Lit a hair before 9 PM, so no harm/no foul. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure the last time I was at this venue was to see a Goes Cube show last summer... and scanning Muddd archives confirms this (it was last September, and for some reason I skipped Wet Nurse's set). Walked in and shot the shit with the Cubesters (?!) pre-show, receiving some good-natured ribbing due to my newfound sobriety. (NOTE: I originally/accidentally typed that as "good-natured rimming." I wish!) Since I was out of town in early June and missed Goes Cube's triumphant post-tour return to NYC, this would be the first time I've seen the band with their new bassist, Matt, who runs the no-introduction-necessary Earfarm website. My pal and fellow loud music enthusiast Nuri showed up shortly thereafter and let me tell you we did some serious damage to the bar's Diet Pepsi reserves, hoo mama.
First band was a post-punky/post-hardcorey guitar/drums duo apparently called It's Casual, all the way from Los Angeles. Their songs were built around odd, constantly shifting time signatures, grungy guitar and shouted vocals. Liked these guys okay but I would have liked them better if Henry Bogdan was in the band. [NOTE: this can be said about most bands.]
After the 15 minute changeover, Goes Cube took the stage, ripping straight into an ass-kicking new instrumental, and segueing seamlessly into "Blue Sky," the lead track from their totally fucking awesome Another Day Has Passed album (#5 on my most recent Best Albums of '09 list). The rest of the set consisted of stellar Another Day album tracks ("Grinding the Knife Blade," "Saab Sonnet"), new unrecorded tracks ("Property," "Small Pond, Small Fish") and personal fave "Goes Cube Song 57" as the ol' chestnut "for the real fans." Some of the newer songs definitely showcased a bit of a stoner rock vibe, which is a bit of a different (and welcome) direction for these guys to take. Sick set, mang.
After another brief setbreak (which included the DJ playing some Austerity Program -- w00t!), Easter took the stage, all pugnacious and aggressive-like. Of course, their name renders them virtually un-Googleable (seriously, try it!) so if anyone has any further info about these guys send that shit along. I liked their sound, which was equal parts old-school SST hardcore, AmRep-tastic spitefulness, and grimy early '90s NYC post-hardcore. I also enjoyed the vocalist's attempts at baiting the tiny crowd, which had dwindled to just a handful of hardy souls by the end of their set. Good shit though.
Postshow lent a hand to the Goes Cube gents in a time of (slight) need before headin' home to smoke a bowl (or five). Mealz: SUFFICIENTLY ROCK'D.
-----
Not too many interesting shows coming up over the next few days, although I'll probably wind up at the Lightning Bolt show in Bushwick this weekend rather than the Grizzly Bear/Beach House Pool Party. Also, the new Pissed Jeans record is pretty great, Antlers, White Denim, Red Fang and Jay Reatard are all at least "good," and the Julian Plenti and Fever Ray albums have their moments. Over the next few days I'll have a "Best Albums of '09 That Haven't Been Released Yet" list or something like that. Yeah.
