|
|
Keith John Adams/ Cinemechanica/ Deerhoof, Popfest 2006, 40 Watt, 8/11/06
by The Bridge  Deerhoof photo by Stephanie Martin Just as I am debating blowing off the next set - some dude billed under the name Keith John Adams, which sounds suspiciously like a boring singer-songwriter folkie bore - I hear the enthusiastic strumming of an unmiked acoustic guitar coming from somewhere on the 40 Watt floor. The crowd quickly forms a circle around a slim, compactly built white dude with a cockeyed grin and laughlines about the eyes, which imply that a) he's a bit older than his boyish frame suggests, and b) there is a series of great jokes going on, which he is constantly in on, and would love to share. His floor show consists of three short "fucked up love" ditties, with witty, self-mocking lyrics (one song seems to be called "You Must Think I'm A Little Bit Creepy") and familiar-sounding, yet interestingly hurky-jerky melodies. Think Billy Bragg without the politics. Just when this begins to get old, Adams jumps onstage with a plugged-in guitar and a backing band and proceeds to tear through a tasty set of smart, crisply rendered punk-pop. This guy is a ton of fun to watch, as he has this affable, can-do demeanor that makes you feel he may, at any moment, leap off the stage to tend bar or run lights or fix your car, all with equal skill and gusto. The next band I take in is Cinemechanica, and at the outset, I'm stubbornly unmoved, bitching to my friend about how same-y and dully math-rock they are. After about two songs, though, Cinemechanica's obscenely huge wall of sound has grown into something that might make Mogwai sound wallflower-ish, and I am eating my words. "Yeah, I don't really like math rock, either," a friend says. "But these guys are good."  Deerhoof photo by Stephanie Martin And... yes, they are good. Good and loud, and art-punky, with the lead singer going from ecstatic yelps, reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, to dovey crooning reminiscent of a singing mermaid I met in a dream when I was five, in a heartbeat, while the band backs her with what sounds at time like free form jazz made out of metal, and, at other times, like what an oldies station might sound like if you were to smoke crack while listening. The fact that I am dead on my feet - and actually not even on my feet, but fighting off the nod in the back of the club - should not detract from my glowing review. I can rock out with my eyes closed, and I am doing just that. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
|
Friday, February 10, 2012
Weather: , °
Weather: , °
Post a Comment
E-mail To A Friend
Join The List
Technorati Tags
Music Athens Keithjohnadams Popfest Cinemechanica Deerhoof