The Bass Geek

I managed to get this song stuck in my head the other day, and after a little bit I traced it back to an album called “Wild Dogs With X-Ray Eyes,” by a band called Helicopter Helicopter. They’d come through Indianapolis a couple times about four years ago, pulling the well-worn routine of crashing on floors and living off of Taco Bell on their way across the nation. I’d picked up the album at the first show, and upon further listening I was struck by the unrelenting string of great songs - I kept trying to skip ahead to the song in question (”Time Machine”), and I kept getting hooked by these big choruses (and the occasional massive bass tone). It’s a shame more folks didn’t hear this album.

There are plenty of bands like this that put out some great work, whether it’s the soul acts that populated the Midwest and thrust back into popular consciousness by labels like Stone’s Throw or great rock bands like this one who put in serious road time and release great work, but whose albums don’t quite go over on the popular charts. As it was put in one of the songs on the album, “The best ones fly beneath the radar.” The album may not be fresh, but these big guitars and sparkling harmonies stand up well. It’s not a new forumla, and the band isn’t even functional anymore (they’ve moved on to a more experimental project called Hello Dragon), but it just struck me today.

I’m just catching it again on a repeat, but the “Daily Show’s” R. Kelly impersonator is a brilliant stroke of genius. Perhaps even better than some of the last chapters in the actual “Trapped In The Closet” saga. Or maybe the initial shock is just wearing off. I dunno. It’s kind of hard to say it just got ridiculous after the first installment, because it was already so bizarrely rendered in the first place. It just felt right the first time, and not so much now. In any case, I’m sure it’s available on YouTube. Make it happen.

Also, I’m thinking of new names for the P-Bass, which has yet to be christened. Suggestions?

While there’s no good way to accept a last-minute loss via field goal (as happened in last night’s Pittsburgh-Denver game), it does mollify me a bit that such earthly concerns will no longer matter in a short while. As you can see from the photographic evidence to the left, our planet will eventually be done in by these terrible monsters, and I for one welcome our new overlords. I’m a bit confused by their logic in starting their planetary domination in Fountain Square, but I can only assume that it’s part of a larger, fiendishly intricate plan far above my limited intellect. I’m also suddenly very, very sorry for killing all of the daddy-long-legs in my basement laundry room.

Oh, well - invest in silk and get used to losing loved ones as we all provide sustenance for the invading hordes. Thank you, and good day.

On my way over to Radio Radio for the show Friday night, I ran into the show’s promoter heading back to his car - people at the show were demanding the earplugs he kept there. It wasn’t a matter of blocking out the sound totally as much as trying to enjoy the show without permanent hearing damage. Virgil was just that loud, driving, and pounding. It also made me want to try out one of the Music Man Sterling fretless basses; I don’t think I’ve gotten my hands on one of those yet. Action Strasse brought the volume down a little bit, but there wasn’t a dip in intensity. I’m convinced that the band is just playing nice with its pop songs, and that it’s ready to explode at any minute into a frenzy. Lazarus rounded out the bill - it shared stylistic similarities with Birdmen of Alcatraz (since it shares both an extremely talented guitarist and a tremendously charismatic frontman), but it wasn’t as riff-based as the previous configuration. A great night of music all around, especially considering I had my new ‘plugs with me.

The walk over to Radio Radio was a little quicker last night because we were trying to dodge the high winds and storm clouds gathering above Fountain Square. It didn’t bode well for the turnout at the Uz Jsme Doma show, but the slight turnout caught a fierce and energetic show. Capillary Action was full of fits and starts, turning quickly from screaming thrash sections to jazzy (almost lounge-y) passages to skronk-pop like walking through a tight hedge maze. Once they finished up, Uz Jsme Doma took the stage to face an audience only slightly increased from when the doors opened. It didn’t weigh them down or drain their energy, though. They were driven, almost frantic throughout their set. Fans of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum would have enjoyed this set greatly, if they didn’t mind the stripped-down stage image and lack of theatrics. It was a straight-ahead performance - as straight-ahead as loud prog rock can be, I suppose. I was especially impressed by the bassist, whose energy and springy tone drove the band along at full speed. We even managed to make it home before the rain set in.