A Rockist Goes to Washinton, Part IV: "I'm not a Rockist, I just play one on TV."

Usually, we Rockists don't like to show our faces or likenesses, (it's not about us, it's about the music) but this is too good.

Today, I was just hanging out in the loading dock of Postal Square, waiting to head underground, when I noticed Tom Cavanagh, TV star, hopping out of a Volvo. Here's how the conversation went.*

Rob: Tom?
Tom: Yeah.
Rob: Holy crap, Tom Cavanagh. I just saw you last night on Scrubs.
Tom: Oh yeah? I actually missed the episode, how was it?
Rob: It was good. Not as sappy as the new ones have been, which is a good thing.
Tom: Let me ask you, at the end, did J.D. and I have a conversation in the Prius that was like "How do I start this thing?" "You push the button... No, that's the windshield wipers... No, that's the parking brake..."?
Rob: Ummm, I don't think so.
Tom: Dang, that was my favorite part.
Rob: Sounds funny.
Tom: Hey, I like your outfit... where can I get one?
Rob: Thanks. I don't think you want one. Hey, can I get a picture?
Tom: Sure thing.
(I rummage through my tool bag and pull out a camera)
Tom: Oh, you just carry one of those around with you?
Rob: Well, you do when you're an inspector.
Tom: Ah, I see. Wow, nice camera.
Rob: Thanks, it's water and shock proof.
Tom: Cool. I'm Tom.
Rob: Nice to meet you. Rob.
*Flash!*
Tom: Well, thanks! Have a good one, man. It was nice meeting you.
Rob: Thanks, same here.
(We part ways)

Half way through reading the conversation, you're probably wondering what this has to do with TRS and why Rob is so boring. I don't have an answer for the latter, but the former is quite simple. Cavanagh, who starred in Ed and plays a recurring roll on Scrubs, played Tom Farrell on the well reviewed, but not well received, Love Monkey. The character is a record exec who was canned from a Warner Bros sized label named Goliath and joined True Vinyl, an indie record label. Now, I don't know who came up with those names, but all I can say is... genius.

Although the show only lasted 3 episodes before CBS yanked it, there are 8 total episodes that were produced. If you want to see how a huge media company makes TV shows about, well, huge media companies, check out the first episode on Innertube. I hear they have plans on putting the other 7 shows up in the future, which I'm sure is music to G.L.'s ears.

I have no idea what Cavanagh was doing in Postal Square, or the loading dock for that matter. He was probably trying to sneak into the building without getting noticed... little did he know he'd meet a Rockist.

*This isn't an exact account, more of a general recollection. The conversation lasted longer than this. I actually made most of the dialect up but the themes are true.

A compilation: McSweeney's Rockist-oriented lists

For fun I thought I'd throw together a bunch of McSweeney's rockist-oriented lists, and quote my favorites from each one. It's a slow, drizzly Friday here in Old Town, I'm still not moving too much after knee surgery, so why the hell not. There are a thousand of these things, so feel free to stick your favorite rockist-oriented list links in the comments.

Progressive Rock Fans are Terrible Trash-Talkers
("You're gonna need so many transfusions that only King Crimson will have benefited more by the influx of new blood. Seriously, don't you think it was like a whole new band when Adrian Belew joined?")

The Songs of Lenin and McCarthy
(Lenin: "All You Need is State")

Ways I've Let Down Popular Musicians
("Got together with only a few people, made no effort to love one another, received awkward phone call from the Youngbloods. ")

My Nonprofit R&B Group's Setlist
("I Wanna Name a Park After U")

Titles of Songs From Pet Sounds,Translated In and Out of Japanese by GoogleTranslate
("You Know God Simply")

If the Beatles Were Born Today

Band Names Rejected by the Smashing Pumpkins
("Drinking Schnapps")

Bruce Springsteen Songs, If the Title More Accurately Reflected the Subject Matter
("You Were Once Attractive, but I Have Grown Weary of Your Company, Even Though I Have Not Forgotten That Previously We Had a Meaningful and Romantic Courtship")

Brian Wilson's First Five Suggestionsfor the Name of the Album That Would Be Called Pet Sounds

Song Ideas for My Next Album
("A song about a really cool chick and how she turns me on")

Disingenuous Reasons for Band Names ('70s Edition)
("AC/DCConnotes power. Found on back of guitarist's sister's sewing machine")

UPDATE:
Information Leafblower mastermind Kyle pointed out to me that I missed one of the best:

Song Titles, Before Editing forLanguage Efficiency and Clarity
("Baby, You Hit Me Once, and When You Did, All I Could Think Was That I Would Relish Your Doing It Once More")

Band of Horses Setlist (edited) - 9:30 Club - 11.2.2007

Note: Thanks to mysterygirl! for setting me straight.

A small Rockist follower and I attended the Friday night late show at 9:30. Never in DC have I (purposefully) seen such a late show.

The sound, superb. The setlist, well, see for yourself. The highlight of the evening was at 2:20a when they broke out Them Two's "Am I a Good Man." Who knew a Seattle/SC band could do soul so well? Ryan Monroe, keys/backup vocals, who was on the whole night, finally getting a chance to shine while singing the response in the closer. Check out the original on Numero Group's Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label, or below.

Monsters / The First Song / Is There a Ghost / The Great Salt Lake / Islands on the Coast / Marry Song / The General Specific / Wicked Gil / Ode to LRC / The Funeral / Part One // Our Swords / Wicked Gil (half tempo) / Am I A Good Man (Them Two cover)

Them Two - "Am I A Good Man"

Band of Horses - "The General Specific"

Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico: "Just Like A Woman"

Last week I picked up the soundtrack to the new Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There, and I just wanted to take a second to get a few songs out to the Rockist faithful and finally let you know if it's cool or not. And it is quite cool. First off, there are over thirty Zimmy covers by some of indie rock's most revered acts - Stephen Malkmus, Sonic Youth, Cat Power, etc... Somewhat surprisingly, though in a good way, this doesn't play as a greatest hits collection - no "Blowin' in the Wind", no "Like a Rolling Stone", no "Masters of War". The title song is a good indication of the type of songs found here, as it was an unreleased outtake from the Basement Tapes (!). This is what us Rockists live for.

To be honest, Charlotte Gainsbourg's cover of "Just Like A Woman" probably isn't my favorite song on the album. Probably not even in the top 10. But when you get a chance to post a picture and talk about Charlotte Gainsbourg, you take it. You take it. Seriously, have you seen Science of Sleep?! If you haven't, do it now, and thank me later.

That's not to say her cover is bad, but it doesn't really stray too much from the original. And her breathy delivery feels a little forced at times. Perhaps it's a French thing, I don't know. Ooh, that makes me think, though - what if she had sung it in French?!?! Oh man, that would've been awesome. Of course I would've exploded. From all the sexiness.

Calexico as the backing band was a good choice though.

I've also posted The Hold Steady's version of "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" Which, if you've heard the orignial song and anything by The Hold Steady, then you'll know EXACTLY how this will sound. And that's quite alright by us.


Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico - "Just Like A Woman"

The Hold Steady - "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"

Should Have Taken the Spread

GL and I took a few hours out of our gluttonous Sunday of Taco Bell and Guitar Hero III to check out a band... I don’t know if you’ve heard of them. They like Nickelodeon. They’re called The XYZ Affair. We’ve mentioned them once or thrice before.

Rocking the night in front of a crowd of... well, what are numbers anyway? Let’s not quantify the night. It’s all about qualification here at TRS.

Recounting a conversation with Bones (bass) that night, I’m surprised the Complement (van) actually survived the trip to DC (via Philly). Next time you see him, ask how the drive down was.

The set list (pictured) confused me, and not because of the defecation. Maybe it was the 40, or the Sparks, or the PBRs (I swear I wasn’t drunk... it was a Sunday night for crying out loud), but I don't remember XYZ playing "A Little Lye" or “Good To Know But Hard To Tell” (which I didn’t even know was a song; they have an EP of the same name) on Sunday night. The encore, “Hello Hello Hello”, was also not played, but it was getting late. Quite late. On a school night.

The new stuff sounds good. XYZ pulled out the older one of the two, “Trial”, at Dcist’s last Unbuckled show. The newest song, “Sarah”, is fantastic. (By the way, I don’t know the real titles of the new stuff. I’m just going off of the set list. Yep, mailing it in.)

All in all, a good show, as expected. The sound was the best I’ve heard in the 5 shows attended. It was also nice to see a fan (besides the Rockists and friends) singing along to all of their songs.

Spoon @ 9:30 Club

Two of three Rockists ventured to the 9:30 Club to catch Spoon's scheduled-cancelled-tentatively rescheduled-then-officially rescheduled set on Tuesday. We braved the insanity that was trying to simply hang on to previously legitimately purchased tickets. I had predicted it would be a total cluster-you-know-what, and it wasn't. It was actually not even sold out. Quite roomy inside, but enough of a crowd to feel full and substantial.

Perhaps because of the absurd ticketing procedures, Spoon maybe figured that only folks who really wanted to see the band would be there. So they ran through a chronologically-oriented set that began with "If You Say So" from Soft Effects and the short, spastic "Utilitarian" from my favorite, the short, spastic A Series of Sneaks. They ran through big chunks of Girls Can Tell, hitting the biggies ("Anything You Want", "Fitted Shirt", "Me and the Bean") and delivering a searing performance of "Small Stakes" that could've/should've gone on another 3 minutes. But Spoon are the rare band that can spend an entire song building tension, then never quite give you the release you're looking for, and "Small Stakes" teased around its menacing, conniving little keyboard riff before Britt Daniel did his version of a guitar solo (stabbing at a guitar, pointing it towards the amp). We were left practically begging for a second go at it, one more round of verse/chorus/guitar-squal/yelp (an audience member even yelled "play that one again!"), but, hey, that's Spoon.

"The Way We Get By" followed, and there wasn't quite the eruption there usually is for this song. I'm thinking this points to an audience of more serious fans, more excited about, say, an all acoustic version of "Reservations" than the band's biggest hit. It was good anyway. Also good? Pretty much the whole show, but "I Summon You" was the standout. Had to be one of Britt's best vocal performances ever, earnest but vague emotion laid bare over that melancholy strum and bass drum thump.

The new material fared well, with Spoon joined by their version of the Horns of Plenty. "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" was triumphant, more so than "The Underdog", which, to my ears, actually sounds better on radio (in a good way). They came back and did a couple encores, including a welcome and spirited version of "Japanese Cigarette Case", one of my favorites off the latest. They did "I Turn My Camera On" -- the first step backwards in what had been a linear progression of the band's career in the setlist -- to much applause, and finally the obligatory "My Mathematical Mind". It seems to have become their go-to closer, and for good reason. It covers the taut construction, jagged guitar "solos", and vague but ominous lyrics ("Gonna see the stakes! Gonna ride the brakes!") that's become the band's trademark.

Unfortunately, there was no "Sister Jack", which I alternately describe as the greatest power pop song of the past decade (GL doesn't seem to think it's power pop, which is complete nonsense) and as the chord progression chemically/physically proven to induce the greatest endorphin release/involuntary air guitar down-strumming. But they didn't play it. Just a side note there.

SETLIST: If You Say So / Utilitarian / Minor Tough / Fitted Shirt / Anything You Want / Me and the Bean / Small Stakes / The Way We Get By / Stay Don't Go / Jonathan Fisk / Back to the Life / The Beast and Dragon, Adored / The Delicate Place / I Summon You / Don't Make Me a Target / The Ghost of You Lingers / You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb / The Underdog / Black Like Me // Japanese Cigarette Case / Peace Like a River (Paul Simon) / I Turn My Camera On / Don't You Evah // Rhythm and Soul / My Mathematical Mind

The Rockists Say, "Screw You, Eardrums!", See 4 Shows In 5 Days

It's that time again where The Rockist Society throws caution to the wind, eschews logic and rational thought, and puts themselves DIRECTLY in harms way. That's right folks, your favorite, albeit infrequently updated, music blog will attempt to see 4 shows in a mere 5 days. Yes, we're totally nuts, but thankfully we've done it once before.

Here's the who, what, when, where, and why of our 5-day Rock Block:

Saturday, 10.27.2007: First up on the schedule is The Broken West and The Whigs at the Rock and Roll Hotel. We've seen The Broken West a number of times before, so we kinda know what to expect - well-crafted power pop tunes in the vein of The Bigger Lovers, New Pornographers, and Big Star (obvs).

We've also seen The Whigs before, coincidentally during our previous 4-shows-in-5-days run. They're one of those bands whose album you like well enough, but then you see them live and you drunkenly declare them the greatest band alive. Trust me. The RnR Hotel really missed a golden opportunity by not naming this night "Jangle Fest 2007", but it'll still be awesome nonetheless.

Sunday, 10.28.2007: On Rockist Odyssey Day Two we see the return of our good friends The XYZ Affair. If you've ever read this blog before, then you know how much we love their brand of disjointed pop awesomeness. They're at the venue we love to hate, The Black Cat (backstage). Again, not to be missed.

Monday, 10.29.2007: With no show tonight, you'd probably think that we'd be resting up, drinking warm milk in our jammies, and trying to stain stick the rock sauce out of our favorite jeans. But, nope, we'll be playing the recently released Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock all. night. long. Expect plenty of Sparks and more high fives than the five year reunion of Delta Tau Chi.

Tuesday, 10.30.2007: For me, this is the show I'll be looking forward to the most - Ryan Adams and The Cardinals at DAR Constitution Hall. His latest release, Easy Tiger, has been on infinite repeat at TRS headquarters lately and we can't wait to see Ry-Ry and Co. tear 'em up live. Should be the perfect mix of heartfelt folkiness, pitch-perfect pop, and (let's hope) some extended guitar workouts. Also, look for a rather inspired rendition of "Halloweenhead", for obvious reasons...

Wednesday, 10.31.2007: The last show of the run, but certainly not the least. Tonight we see Bobby Bare Jr. and Lucero take the mainstage at the Black Cat. We saw Lucero a few months back and were thoroughly impressed with their alt/punk/country leanings. We'll be running on fumes and whiskey, but mostly fumes (and whiskey), so don't be surprised if you see us passed out somewhere on 14th Street. And don't be surprised if you see someone in a Sexy Neil Young costume. That'll be GH.



The Whigs - "Violet Furs"
Ryan Adams - "Pearls on a String"
Viva Voce - "We Do Not Fuck Around" (and, ahem, neither do The Rockists)