Detroit Pleasure Society
I finally had some time today to do an update. I'm three weeks behind, so I'm going to try to keep this short. April 25th, my friend Chelsee and I made it out to PJ's Lager House for the 2nd New Orleans Night of 2012. They had an instructor giving free 1920's dance lessons before the band played. It looked like a lot of fun, but Chelsee and I didn't join in. Maybe next time (5/30/12). Detroit Pleasure Society played two great sets; I'm definitely a fan of Dixieland Jazz now, and I highly recommend going out to see them. They play the last Wednesday of every month at PJ's Lager House until further notice.
Colorwheel
The following Saturday, April 28th, I left right after the play I was directing ended and drove out to PJ's again to see The Walking Beat, Colorwheel, and Kenny Tudrick. It was a really great night; definitely worth staying out for after a long weekend. I hadn't seen any of these bands live before, but I knew some of their members from the other bands that they're in. If you've read my other entries at all, you know that most of the bands I go to see are completely new to me. I go out to support the friends I've made in the past few months and am never let down. So much talent in the city.
Troy Gregory, Me, Matt Smith
The next day, The Volebeats played at The Loving Touch in Ferndale. They rarely ever get together, so there were a ton of people there to see them, including Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul, Electric Six), Mike Alonso (Electric Six), Ben Luckett (Magic Jake & the Power Crystals, Kenny Tudrick), Troy Gregory (Kim Fowley & the Psychedelic Dogs), John Szymanski (The Hentchmen, The Sin-Bads), and John Krautner (The GO). Everybody loves The Volebeats, and their performance that night showed me why. Hopefully they'll start playing more often.
The bEverly Sisters
The Tuesday after that, May 1st, my friend Richard and I met up with my dad at PJ's Lager House to see The bEverly Sisters. Jeffrey almost wasn't able to play with them, though, since he was working as a bartender at the venue that night. We joked that he might just have to perform his set from behind the bar. That would've been interesting. Luckily, he got a break and was able to join Kelly Jean Caldwell and Kara Meister on stage.
Motor City Strugglers
Friday, May 4th, was one of those perfect concerts where I knew and loved all of the bands that were on the bill. In this case, it was The Motor City Strugglers, The Crooks, and Outrageous Cherry at PJ's Lager House. Never a dull moment with these guys. The differing genres went well together and made for an unforgettable night.
Growwing Pains
Wednesday, May 9th, my dad and I went back to PJ's to watch and record Growwing Pains' set. These guys are younger than most of the musicians we go out to see and are definitely a band to keep an eye on. All of their songs are less than two minutes long, which keeps their performances face-paced and allows them to cover more material. They handed out free demos afterwards, each with unique cover art featuring artwork created by their lead vocalist, Zak Bratto. You can check out some of his artwork and photography here.
Electric Six
The last, but definitely not least, show that will bring us up to date is Electric Six at the Double Door in Chicago. I hadn't been to Chicago since I was a baby, so E6's live recording concert seemed like a perfect excuse to take a little vacation and check out the city. My friend Richard and I spent three days there, and, as impressive as Chicago is, the highlight for me was definitely Electric Six's performance Saturday night (5/12). The show was sold out, and for good reason: E6 played two sets and recorded the performance for their live CD that will be released later this year.
John Nash, Me, Mike Alonso
We went out to eat with Mike Alonso beforehand across the street, and were incredibly lucky that we did. The tickets hadn't specified, but the concert was apparently 21+. Richard is only 20. Mike worked his magic, though, and managed to get us in. The only problem? We'd have to stay on the other side of a tensa barrier on the side of the stage and be babysat for the duration of the show. It turned out to be a positive, though, because we got to sit down, had a great view, and weren't crowded by the massive amount of people that were there. It was basically like VIP seating. Not bad at all. :)
