Many people showed up early enough to catch Gito Gito Hustler last night. Although the Belmont booking bamboozled me into an extra 45 minutes of drinking, it was well worth it. The broken english between songs was entertaining as well.. and it included a story about going to Wendys and asking for a soda but getting a frosty.. I think.
It also was a huge testament to the mindset of Detroit rock fans (me included) when the drummer gave a long talk about being on tour, having merch, needing gas money, and rock & roll. It appeared the announcement was supposed to end with a loud roar from the crowd, and everyone raising the corna.. instead I heard not one but two crickets on the patio. In a confused manner the frontwoman approached the microphone and asked.. “Do you.. understand.. her.. speak?”
Yeah we understood, we’re just idiots, sorry.
It was nice to hear Detroit call for an encore from a touring opening band.. and during the last song of the set, and the encore, some scumpunk kids showed up and started acting like you’re supposed to at a show, and Gito Gito Hustler showed their appreciation by coming down into the crowd with them.

Now that we’ve covered attendance, which is really the main ingredient, we will now work together to tackle show etiquette.

There were a lot of cameras on hand, including Detour, so i’m sure pictures will be up somewhere soon.
Detour also thanked me for being the sole reason they knew about the show.
We also discussed the importance of the internet being factual.
(I wasn’t the reason they knew about the show)

Tuesday there will be a new record out from The Most Serene Republic called Population.
Have a listen, and tell me if you like it.

[display_podcast]

I said that I would deliver more mp3s for you.

<joke>Well this one isn’t just for you, it’s for Michigan. </joke>

[display_podcast]

.

Also. I saw The Hard Lessons do an acoustic in-store in Toledo, OH today. 1 acoustic guitar. 1 toy keyboard. 1 tamborine. 1 egg shaker.
There were no microphones, which provided Augie, Ko Ko Louise, and The Anvil the ability to casually stroll through the store playing for each person individually, if only for a few seconds. By ’stroll’ I mean Augie standing on rickety CD racks, and knocking merchandise off of every endcap in the store. Completely intimate, still the best live band in Detroit Toledo. I was already in Toledo in the morning, so it’s not like I drove down there because I’m a total fanboy. Ok. I’m a total fanboy.

Don’t forget about Gito Gito Hustler tomorrow, they go on at 10pm. So even if you were planning on doing something stupid, you can still do it after. You already know where The Belmont is.

Last night was my first trip out to The Crofoot for Carjack, Child Bite and Holy Fuck. I travel out-of-state to see bands quite a bit, and I’m always pissed that other states have venues that were built after the Spanish-American War — you know, with a state-of-the-art sound system, proper ventilation / air circulation, stall doors in the restrooms, and a layout that implies that someone took at least 10 fucking seconds to consider where the bar and the walls and the tables should go. The Belmont has come close with their patio and air conditioning, comfortable bar and decent sound…but walk more than 20 feet from the stage and that sound turns into background noise. And try not to kill anyone walking out of the men’s room.

Actually, I think the best-designed venue we have is the New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck. You’ve probably never heard of it though, since whoever is managing/booking there has no desire to actually bring people in, outside of the Blowout Festival. The owners should seriously be fined for wasting resources in such an offensive manner.

Other than that, we’ve got The Magic Stick and Lager House — both of which I think we all love out of habit. The Lager House’s booking is great and has only gotten better. The venue itself has seen better days, though. Drive by it during the daylight and you’ll wonder how it’s still standing. And it could be crossed off the list of available venues as early as next week.

And the legendary Magic Stick will be the place that every mid-level band skips until there’s a change in ownership. The last guy who booked there, Greg Baise, is now the talent buyer for The Crofoot, and The Crofoot was immediately able to gets bands like Holy Fuck and Deerhoof and Girl Talk, Fujiya & Miyagi and Polyphonic Spree and The Hold Steady. And I keep hearing, “Why didn’t Greg book like that when he was at The Stick?” He couldn’t. You think he didn’t want to? You think the new booking staff doesn’t want to? They do…but there are owners to deal with. The Magic Stick is just like everything else in Detroit — huge potential, great intentions, but held back by shitty administration.

Anyway, back to The Crofoot. The place is beautiful inside. I only saw two of the three stage areas, and they are very impressive. The Pike Room only holds 200 people, and it was maybe half-full(?) last night. Would 100 people have shown up in Detroit to see Holy Fuck? I dunno? Would they have been dancing up front all night in Detroit? I dunno. All three acts sounded outstanding through the new sound system. The windows were open, the floor was clean, the lighting was right, the bartenders were friendly, movable tables and chairs depending on the artist/crowd for the night, restrooms that didn’t interfere with the show…i hate that i liked it so much. (You could knock a buck off the price of alcohol, though. Seven bucks for a whiskey reminded me I was in Pontiac.)

We snuck through the merch area to check out the biggest of the three stages, which I assume is The Crofoot Ballroom. It’s equally as nice (photos here), but I really didn’t get to see it in action. All I know is that playing video games on that giant screen looks like a lot of fun, and the outside balcony and patio have huge potential.

But, as someone else said last night, all venues have one major thing wrong with them and The Crofoot’s flaw is that it’s in Pontiac. It’s not just the drive (40-minutes from Detroit) that makes people cringe, but also the DudeBro factor that has a lot to do with everyone’s contempt for the city. The night life there is mainly meatheads and girls hoping to be date-raped. Like Royal Oak, but magically worse. I heard someone tell a story the other day about the free Dirtbombs show during The Crofoot’s Opening Night. They described a DudeBro in the bathroom, in his Adidas sandals, on his cell phone. It went something like “Hey, bro. What? No, I’m at that new place. There’s no cover. Dude, don’t bother…the band is horrible.” Yes, he was talking about The Dirtbombs. DudeBro should have his own blog…

See according to both “scenes,” this is either the right place in the wrong city or the wrong place in the right city. Can The Crofoot successfully draw white belts in for indie shows during the week and white hats in for dance music on the weekends? Maybe. Will one crowd ultimately win out over the other, causing management to strictly cater to one “scene”? Maybe. Will anyone ever put together a proper venue in Detroit? I dunno. I’m looking for investors…

HERE. That’s the story from NME.

No one was buying this.. by this, I mean THE VIDEO.

Again, this is NOT Meg White, and you probably should NOT open that link if you’re at work, or your moms house.

Detour has their pictures up from this past weekend’s 3-day party. They all came out pretty good, so I’m assuming whatever camera they were using didn’t come from the same Happy Meal mine came from. Detour Galleries: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (day), Saturday (night), Saturday (after party).

“Tonight it is sexual and it is very profound. It’s very crowded. It’s very loud and it’s very dirty.” The Detroit News has a few quotes and photos from the past weekend, as well.

Child Bite has been added to the Carjack / Holy Fuck show tonight at The Crofoot’s Pike Room. Is there a DudeBro shuttle from Greek Town to Pontiac? Seems like there should be. Or someone needs to finish the People Mover so it goes to its original intended destination. Does the MegaBus stop in Pontiac? How about a bullet train that runs along Woodward? Why won’t anyone build me transportation?

Pre-order your 2-Disc “Ghoul’s Delight: A Monster Party Record” now. Everyone from The Hentchmen to Ghost City are featured on this Halloween-themed album. 30 Detroit artists! Only 1000 copies made! But wait! That’s not all! Call within the next 15 minutes and we’ll throw in a free Halloween Pez Dispenser! Amaze your friends and destroy your enemies!

Five Three Dial Tone has the scoop on a show this Saturday that you probably knew nothing about: Gito Gito Hustler from Tokyo. Four chick ninjas or something.

Apostle of Hustle is touring with Do Make Say Think, which actually resembles the last incarnation of Broken Social Scene more accurately than Kevin Drew who currently has the nerve to tour as BSS. What a dick.

Ugh. I have such a problem with the Lollapalooza live tracks on iTunes…besides the fact that they’re on iTunes. There’s what, one full set up there? And the rest is random tracks from random artists. Maybe it’s my obsessive personality, but making only four tracks available from Ghostland Observatory is unacceptable and makes me angry. Where are the rest? And why do I have to pay to hear them again? That’s double-dipping into my pocket. Yo Majesty would not approve.

Oh, look. Goldenfiddle discovers It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. If only the rest of you would catch on, I wouldn’t have to listen to co-workers discussing last night’s Bionic Woman episode.

Last week Jack White played in Nashville with Bob Dylan.
That’s okay, because the freep told you.

Here.


Whatever plans you had for this Saturday, you can go ahead and cancel them.

We’re going to see Gito Gito Hustler at The Belmont. 4 piece all-girl band from Tokyo. They’re even on a Japanese Green Day tribute album.

I’ve enclosed photos from their other tour stops, and it’s a good indication of what they’re getting used to in the states. The people on the other side of the stage are commonly referred to as fans, and we should probably come up with a few of our own.

Hellen, and Dutch Pink are also playing. AND it’s Amanda’s Birthday! Who is Amanda? I have no idea, but she’s bringing a band of Japanese women in to play it, so she’s alright with me.

Please make some effort to not be embarrassed by the rest of America who’s paying attention.

denver/chicago/columbus/pittsburgh/dallas/charlotte

[display_podcast]

Gito Gito Hustler // Sat Sep 22nd // The Belmont

I’ll never understand how Lee Marvin Computer Arm isn’t the biggest band in this or any other city. Heads up Chicago, they’re in town tomorrow.

The Selmanaires are on tour with The Black Lips. They are quite good and much more exciting than these photos would have you believe. They need to re-arrange their song order for their live set, though — end on the dual cowbell and tambourine song, not the long drone-y one.

The Black Lips have come a long way since their trashy-rock sound, when they relied more heavily on pulling their cocks out at shows and pissing or vomiting on stage. Of course, that didn’t stop two of the dudes from briefly making out and then spitting in each other’s faces…or being incredibly stoned. Their albums are much more listener-friendly now — I’ve had “Cold Hands” on repeat for a couple days and it was nice to hear that done live (listen). There was a decent-sized crowd out last night, drunk on free beer and crowd-surfing. I wanted to tell them all that some of The Black Lips’ songs could easily be Hentchmen songs, and maybe they should check those guys out the next time they play, but nobody’s going to listen to me.

I knew it had to be coming…
6 months after “The Hard Lessons Review Heard Round The World”, You’re delivered this about the Detour Launch Party.

I knew it was going to be stellar since people were actually contacting me using other methods than the internet machine to ask if i’d read it. The wait was tormenting, and then.. I finally got to read it.
Then I read it again.
Hmm.
There’s nothing really that bad in it.

He thinks The Nice Device is boring, that Charlie Slick is unoriginal, and that Freer is shitty. A quick show of hands as to how many people found any of those opinions to be a huge shock?

“How do you type the sound a yawn makes?”
That’s funny.. yeah, he wrote it about one my favorite bands in the city.. but the line itself is funny.

Let’s be honest, though.. how many of you were at The CAID during the day? Not nearly as many of you as should’ve been, that’s how many. If he hates a band from 6 feet away and you love them from your living room, who’s the real asshole?

I think we all need a ‘to-see-if-they’re-shitty list’ instead of relying on myspace clips and blog submissions.

What this review really tells you is that he was at the CAID at 6:30pm. Also, that he was at The Garden Bowl & Magic stick until 2am. Then, he was back at the CAID at 2:30am. That is exactly what this type of event should inspire. Go get a wristband, or a pass, or whatever it is you’re going to need, and then spend a large portion of time seeing live music. Yes, there will be things you find unbearable. Yes, there will be times you’re bored. But you may just get to remove a band from your to-see-if-they’re-shitty list, and put them in the ‘not shitty’ column.

One of the first comments on his review is “You are a pompous ass.”
Before I met that guy, I really thought he was a complete dickhead. Then I was introduced to him several times, and had some chances to talk to him. Friday at the Magic Stick I walked up to him and held up a freshly purchased Hard Lessons T-Shirt as if to see if it’d fit him. He found it slightly humorous, I think, and told me I “needed some new material.” Saturday night at the CAID I attempted to sing songs by his band to him, while slightly intoxicated. “That ones a cover,” he said. He then filled me in on some facts about the original that I didn’t know. My point is that he’s not taking pot-shots at people. He’s giving you his music reviews. I admit it isn’t the most popular opinion, and I personally wouldn’t go about sharing those feelings in quite the same way.

*a personal note*

At the end of the day, your list of local bands that you find shitty, boring, fake, and not worth your time is growing. If your super-top-secret identity is revealed, then you could be in great danger. I can only speak for me when I say that I don’t want to see anyone get hurt. I’ve been thinking it over the last few minutes, and have come up with a very intricate and complex plan of action to follow in the case of an emergency. Again, only view these contents if you find yourself in one of those situations.

EMERGENCY PLAN

(this last part was a joke, lighten up.)

We interrupt your regularly scheduled nothing for a nerd technology break. But it’s important. Your Google Image Search has just been blown away by Photosynth. Unbelievable. Stay with it until the end.