3/8/14

Night 2 of the Hamtramck Music Festival

This post doesn't have anything to report for Night 1 that happened at Small's Bar on Thursday. I have no doubt that Pupils opened up with a great performance, but a one stage event for a festival kickoff just makes me feel too claustrophobic.

I get to Detroit Threads for a wristband, and see that the organizers printed a handy schedule and map for everyone to take. The Metro Times has never put together one that's this useful and concise, and they're supposed to be the professionals.

Even with the groundwork laid right, the entertainment started out bad. Through either indifference, bad time management, or just general disdain for the audience, the opening act at three different venues that I tried started half an hour late. If someone is the first on the bill, finishes setting up twenty minutes late, and then just stands around and dawdles for another ten, I can't take that as anything other than disdain.


After the third opening dud, I get to Seven Brothers to see YUM. Hard charging two piece rock band that had this small bar packed should to shoulder. After the 3 duds, I expected everything to be dragging behind schedule, so since YUM started at or close to when they were supposed to, I only caught the last half of an act that might have been the best of the night.


The theme of half ridiculously late, and half perfectly on time would bite me again within the following hour. Rogue Satellites started twenty minutes late, thus causing me to miss all of Duane the New Dog, who started on time. I would also only catch the last 30 seconds of Old Empire. Trying so hard to catch as much as possible was becoming futile.Why bother trying to catch Wasabi Dream if the venue starts half an hour late at the beginning of the night?


The girl working the door at Lo & Behold must have gotten sick of seeing me constantly coming and going, but it finally paid off for me with their last band, Mother Whale.


Pewter Cub was the last act of the night for me as I tried to decompress from all of the chronologically based disappointments. The "sloppy dog" didn't hurt either.


Bands I saw that I'm putting in the whatever category:
Jon From The Moon, Shells, Moon Walks, Gang Stalked, Pony Drags, King Eddie, Seritas, and Superbomb.

Recomendations for Saturday:
Lo & Behold has several good names on their bill, but it seems like they're being purposeful vague as to who starts when. Lac La Belle announced through facebook that they will play there at 9. The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre is sure to put on an amusing spectacle, accompanied by music, at Baker's Streetcar Bar at 10:30. Amino Acids will melt your face off at Small's at 12:30.

Real photos from real photographers to follow shortly


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 With a face for radio, a voice for print, and the prose of a new immigrant, I'll stick to amateur blogging