Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Say It Ain’t So
I’m sorry to report that Sleater-Kinney has broken up. Over the past 10 years, S-K has quickly jumped into my pantheon of favorite bands. Right now, I rank them only behind The Pixies in the pantheon. (With The Rolling Stones coming in a close third.)
The good news is that S-K is going to finish out their string of tour dates before they officially break up. And their last show is going to be in Chicago at Lollapalooza on August 4th. And right now there’s a slim chance that I might actually be able to make it. Even though I really hate music fests, I’d really like to see them.
(By the way, I hate music fests because I prefer the more intimate setting of a club. Besides, the last time I was at a music fest, it was in Boston. I was sitting in the lawn for a (I think) Green Day/Blink-182 show. I’m sure there were other crappy bands too. Anyway, I saw a 13-year-old kid sell a 30-something-year-old a bag of weed. That’s when I realized how things were just way too out of whack. When I was 13, we were asking 30-year-olds to buy us beer. Now the tables have been turned. Weird. And so I vowed never to return to a music fest. Of course, it didn’t help that I was way up in the lawn and couldn’t see anything. Either way, I haven’t been to one since.)
My favorite memory of a S-K concert was seeing them at the Metro in Chicago back in 2000 or 2001. I went with my then-roommate, Scott. It was a sea of lesbians and us. (Though, I’m not entirely certain Scott isn’t a lesbian.) Oh, and there were also a bunch of guys who were dragged there by their girlfriends. Highly entertaining. Anyway, the set was tight and the girls were great. They played songs from throughout their catalog. My favorite part of the show, too, was when they came out for the encore and asked for requests. A girl behind me shouted “Joey Ramone!” Right away, S-K launched into “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone,” which is a great song off their second album.
And as disappointed as I am about S-K breaking up, I’m also happy to report that I might have found a suitable replacement, Mon Frere. Their singer (Nouela Johnston) actually sounds a little like S-K. And like S-K, Mon Frere is a trio with no bass guitar. (The singer plays the keyboards.) So if you’re as distraught about the end of Sleater-Kinney as I am, please check out Mon Frere’s newest album, Blood, Sweat & Swords. You won’t be disappointed.
The good news is that S-K is going to finish out their string of tour dates before they officially break up. And their last show is going to be in Chicago at Lollapalooza on August 4th. And right now there’s a slim chance that I might actually be able to make it. Even though I really hate music fests, I’d really like to see them.
(By the way, I hate music fests because I prefer the more intimate setting of a club. Besides, the last time I was at a music fest, it was in Boston. I was sitting in the lawn for a (I think) Green Day/Blink-182 show. I’m sure there were other crappy bands too. Anyway, I saw a 13-year-old kid sell a 30-something-year-old a bag of weed. That’s when I realized how things were just way too out of whack. When I was 13, we were asking 30-year-olds to buy us beer. Now the tables have been turned. Weird. And so I vowed never to return to a music fest. Of course, it didn’t help that I was way up in the lawn and couldn’t see anything. Either way, I haven’t been to one since.)
My favorite memory of a S-K concert was seeing them at the Metro in Chicago back in 2000 or 2001. I went with my then-roommate, Scott. It was a sea of lesbians and us. (Though, I’m not entirely certain Scott isn’t a lesbian.) Oh, and there were also a bunch of guys who were dragged there by their girlfriends. Highly entertaining. Anyway, the set was tight and the girls were great. They played songs from throughout their catalog. My favorite part of the show, too, was when they came out for the encore and asked for requests. A girl behind me shouted “Joey Ramone!” Right away, S-K launched into “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone,” which is a great song off their second album.
And as disappointed as I am about S-K breaking up, I’m also happy to report that I might have found a suitable replacement, Mon Frere. Their singer (Nouela Johnston) actually sounds a little like S-K. And like S-K, Mon Frere is a trio with no bass guitar. (The singer plays the keyboards.) So if you’re as distraught about the end of Sleater-Kinney as I am, please check out Mon Frere’s newest album, Blood, Sweat & Swords. You won’t be disappointed.
