Canceling Shows is Bad

Went to go see Frantic Clam, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, Follow that Bird, and Cry Blood Apache at Trophy's on Friday night. Little did I know it would turn into one of the weirdest nights I've experienced in a while.

The bill was supposed to be three bands. It had been promoted that way for weeks but then Cry Blood Apache somehow snuck in at the last minute. I'd never heard of them and neither had anyone I talked to (granted my sample size was pretty small), but I was excited to see another band.

The addition of Cry Blood Apache meant that Follow that Bird had to go on at 9:30, which is damn early, especially at Trophy's. I was there around 9 and the place was almost empty. Thirty minutes go by and we hear through the grapevine that Follow that Bird canceled at the last minute. I guess there was some bad blood between the birds and Trophy's previously, and this didn't help smooth things over. On top of that, Cry Blood Apache was nowhere to be found. They were scheduled to start at 10:30pm; they didn't bother to show up until 10:40. That's just bad form.



And then the audio assault started. Let me preface this next part: I am a fan of creativity and experimentation. I think it helps push us forward as a whole. However, some sounds need to stay away from my ears. Cry Blood Apache creates those very sounds. Here's a taste. Compare it with their MySpace page.



Most of the crowd bolted for the back patio. It was so bad that people outside got mad when the door to Trophy's opened. They wanted it contained. After the merciful end of the noise, Frantic Clam took the stage about an hour late. After that, all was right in the universe; both Frantic Clam and Bankrupt and the Borrowers played great sets.

The bottom line here is twofold:
1) Don't cancel your shows. It sucks for the audience, it sucks for the other bands, it sucks for the venue, and it sucks for you. When you are headlining ACL Fest and they forget to sort your M&Ms by color, then you can go ballistic and refuse to leave your trailer. Venues can act childish at times and you pretty much have to suck it up, play the show, and learn from it.

2) Don't misrepresent yourself. Go listen to Cry Blood Apache on MySpace; I'll wait. Then check out the clip above and tell me if they are the same AT ALL. I understand there being a difference between your recorded and live material, but come on.

Oh, and a distant third...don't worry about what some guy posts on his blog. We're all full of shit anyway.

Album Review: Living The Dream, by Olio

Disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to be reviewing music. I'm just a guy with a blog and a passionate, debilitating love for music.

Olio is an interesting concoction. They span multiple genres, reflecting their multiple influences. Some of the genres touched in the 10 song release are pop, soul, funk, hip-hop, and straightforward rock. Their album Living the Dream pulls from all of those influences and comes away being a little disjointed, but that doesn't mean it doesn't rock. Truth be told, I am hooked on the very first track "Here We Go". It is a great opener and evokes a hip hop summer jam, especially with Young Crew helping out with the vocals.

A few tracks in you get to "Soccer Mom", a pop-punk song where the group professes their love of...you guessed it, a soccer mom. They're saying what you're thinking and it's a great song that doesn't take itself seriously. Its very catchy and pulls from a completely different set of influences that "Here We Go".

"Living the Dream" combines soulful backing vocals with rock and is an uplifting closing to the album.

A couple songs like "Bad Apple" and "Four Letter Word" do fall a little flat. The lyrics on these two songs come across as a little cliché ("Bad Apple, rotten to the core" and "You make love a four-letter word come to mind). The musicianship is always high quality however; all of the songs sound full and have great dynamics. Given the full sound, I think it is pretty safe to say that each of Olio's three members is a jack of all trades. You'll hear lead vocals from each as well as a lot of variety in instrumentation.


As odd as it sounds, the variety is the common theme. The trio consists of a DJ, film composer, and music/arts director and each gets his time to shine. There is a definite level of comfort with each genre they explore and it was a pleasure to listen to the album. I recommend it to anyone who wants something different, but has no idea what that is.

Check out their music below. Trust me, you'll be looping "Here We Go".

Photographical Madness: Trophy's on Feb 6th

Some of my shots from last night at Trophy's.

It was a very odd night; more on that later.

Bankrupt and the Borrowers

Bankrupt and the Borrowers

Frantic Clam

Cry Blood Apache

Changes to Musical Musings

We're making some cool changes to Musical Musings. First, we've finished most of the formatting at www.twogroove.com/blog. I'm now using WordPress instead of Blogger and will be publishing directly to twogroove.com; the Blogger feed will still work. Second, we're adding some new gadgets. As I get used to WordPress, you might see some things coming and going.

In the meantime, check out the post on Bum Parking below and don't worry if things seem out of whack for a few days.