so you wish you went to DC9 with me?

Last night was my first visit to DC9. I nearly typed last, but then I remembered that Brian Jonestown Massacre is going to be there the first week of August. After seeing DiG!, I figure it's worth the price of admission to see just what might happen (and the music is quite good). So this time it was to see The Bonapartes, of course, but I was really interested in hearing the other bands: The Pawns, The Hint, and Hello Tokyo. I'm going to be brief, because really, do you need all the details? If you do, you should have been there!

The Pawns were first, and I really dug their sound. You know I'm a sucker for alternating leads (i.e. Teenage Fanclub, Splitsville, The Beatles, etc.). But I couldn't understand for the life of me why the bassist (standing front and center and smoking quite a bit) took off his shoes (sturdy flip-flops really) to perform. Didn't he step in all that ash he created? And his cigarette butts were quite fond of another band's frontman's Chuck Taylors later in the evening.

Hello Tokyo was good--even minus the drummer who is apparently on tour as a professional rollerblader. Instead a laptop replaced her.

The Bonapartes were fabulous as usual. I think they've improved (one member who previously didn't move much did--I won't name names, that's not my style). But I think they could use some witty banter. They're quite clever online and in promoting themselves, but then don't use it on stage. Seeing their live show also reminds me they are better than their MySpace streams. Some of the best songs aren't there (or presumably available to the public yet).

The Hint were lame. They had a sort of hair metal look without the music, but yet I don't know that they quite fit in with the rest of the bands. I was tired, bored, and so I left a few songs in.

I give DC9 my thumps up for a cool place to see music. It's like the Velvet Lounge only less cramped. It ain't perfect, but nothing is, and I still prefer that tiny hole-in-the-wall over the 9:30 Club anyday!