Local RocknRoll

Saturday night three/fourths of my band trekked down to the Rock n Roll Hotel to see our friends Technicians play their maiden show at that fine establishment. I had only been there once, seeing the great Titus Andronicus. We met Technicians when we had the pleasure of sharing a bill with them at the now regrettably defunct Red Palace, which is/was just down the street from the RnR Hotel. They are great musicians and perhaps more importantly incredibly nice and gracious fellows. Their drummer Steve was kind enough to let our drummer Mike play his kit in the interest of speeding up the wait between sets. It was great to play with them and a treat to see them play a great room like the RnR Hotel.

Nick, Steve & Navid of Technicians

Technicians were the second band on the bill. They were without their bass player this time around. He had other commitments but it was not a major distraction. I have had to do shows without our bassist and it's a bit of a let down, but Technicians are gifted enough to do it without any significant loss. At first listen they strike one as a very Pavement-y and Sebadoh sounding outfit. They have that very 90s alternative sound going, but what's most interesting is that they have a refreshing take on it. Take their EP, which is available at their website (and really good, BTW). The first track is, not surprisingly, the best, a great cut called "Dreamer." It starts off very ethereal and liquid sounding before crunching up near the end. The guitar lines drive the songs, and they have an interesting sophistication in their construction. These passages are very reminiscent of a band from Austin I have written of before and love terribly called Explosions In The Sky, which is basically three guitar nerds making glorious instrumentals. There's a nod in the rhythm track, be it on purpose or not, to fellow DC indies Jawbox on the lovely "Now That We're Home." Performance-wise, they are very strong. Engaging presence and great tunes and excellent musicianship equal a band you should check out. Get their EP; it's one of those name your price things. You won't be disappointed.

Boris Milic

Moving backwards, the first band of the evening was Boris Milic. I hadn't heard of them but I wound up walking out with their 10" vinyl. Boris appears to be the name of the leader of the band. According to the liner notes he played all the instruments himself with an assist from the producer. I figured it would be cool when he came out with a sweet Gretch White Falcon. The band was tight. They played that kind of twitchy-sounding, nervous power pop I spent countless dollars on through Not Lame Records back in the 90s. Especially the excellent song "Don't Tell Me Stories, Gramophone"which reminded me of bands like Heavy Into Jeff and Bloody Chiclets (BOY! I feel like a Pitchfork writer now, dropping references to equally obscure bands like it should mean something to you. IDIOT!) The drawback to the record was a few too many filler-sounding instrumentals. The songs that were songs, like "Not A Toy" and "I'm Just Saying," are great. The instrumentals just didn't grab me. No knock..they are a band I hope to see again and spend more money on.

Interesting thing I noticed: the opening riff to "Not A Toy" sounds remarkably like a riff that Tom wrote for a song we are working on. In the unlikely event Boris ever hears that song I swear on all that is good and holy that Tom did not steal that riff from you. Tom hasn't bought a new record since Don't Look Back so there is no way he could have heard it.

After two bands I was hungry and getting to the point where if I drank anymore PBR I would be carried out of that joint, so Tom and I left to go get food.

One more thing: on both of the aforementioned records, the vocals are mixed in the right spot. At the RnR Hotel they were very buried in the mix, which is disappointing, especially to a lead singer like me! Let's hear what they have to say, man!!

One last thing: Technicians are playing there again on February 9. So be a good sport and check them out. I will probably be in the back gnashing my teeth at those toads because I am still looking for our next gig.