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Show Review: Agalloch: 12/22/10

The main points of going to this show were to FINALLY see Dispirit, and to take my little brother to a show at Great American Music Hall, because he was on vacation from High School and he wanted to see a show there, at the spot which I have always told him I believe is the superior live music venue in San Francisco.

I failed in my first goal right off the bat by missing Dispirit AGAIN. Fuck. They ended right when I got to the front door. I was left hanging in between band limbo trying to stretch the little money I had on pints of beer. Me and the bro actually ended up spending most of the show in the far back, upstairs balcony which is is unusual for me. It would have been rather pleasant too, if the spectacle being witnessed below was almost anything other than Alerseelen.

Alerseelen would be the perfect soundtrack for being strapped down to a table and shit on repeatedly by gay sadomasochistic Nazi mad scientist. His shaved head hovers in the distance, he adjusts his creepy little glasses and croaks "Vud you like von more?"

Agalloch were tremendously better, although that's not really saying much. Everyone with an opinion to share about music seems to be all up on this band's jock these days, many saying that "Marrow Of The Spirit" is one of the year's best albums... blah blah... Whatever. While there was some extremely competent and forceful drumming from local celebrity Aesop, the songs themselves were not that heavy, seemed anticlimactic and leaned heavily on what could be termed "post rock" or "emo" sounding parts. Yawn. If Black Metal puts me to sleep then I better have some fucking nightmares. Give me me some heavy riffs. This is safe metal for old people who used to listen to Mayhem, but now that they have kids they can't reconcile with the idea of total satanic annihilation, so they find "heavy" music instead that has songs about spirits and nature and other vaguely inoffensive mystical things, then they burn some sage and meditate on their inner sadness.

I promised my brother that I would take him to a better show next time we went to Great American.

Boris: 8/26/10

I actually forgot that I went to this show, hence the late(no surprise there!) and out of sequence review. But I'll spare you the pain and make this trip back in time brief. I was at band practice in the Tenderloin, just down the street, and Hozi from Helms Alee sent me a text asking me I wanted to be on the list for the show that night. Fuck yeah! I got in, got my extra fancy backstage wrist manacle, and hung out amdist the subterranean bordello fuck stalls of the Great American's sordid history. These are now called the dressing rooms, by the way, and are used as such. Helms Alee had some fancy beer in cans that was really strong I drank a few and began staggering like a veteran of the psychic wars down slanting corridors. Soon my crippled brain was treated to Helm's Alee's captivating performance. I think this band is one of the few out there (with way too many trying) that captures the simultaneous majesty, quirkiness, and flat out HEAVINESS of the The Melvins. Their hearts are in the right place, and their roots are in the fetid backwaters of the South Puget Sound. Enough said.

I spent most of the Red Sparrows set hanging backstage and getting more drunk, and I wasn't really in the mood for epic cinematic instrumental rock anyway (it usually takes between one and three pharmaceutical grade doses of something or other). While in the dungeon, I was privy to the wild backstage antics of international rock stars Boris. The frontpersons, apparently a couple, were doting on their young child in one of the rooms as I passed by. How irresponsible! What egotistical, self absorbed dicks. Ignoring all the poor, enterprising drug dealers pounding on their door, so they can spend time with their baby!

A line of slutty groupies was waiting outside the door of the drummer's room, but he was nowhere to be found. I was still throwing down a good amount of these crazy ass beers, and I had to drain my main vein. In the bathroom I found the drummer peacefully doing his hair in the mirror. He was using a brush and a minimal amount of hairspray.

I can't say I've been too fond of Boris' most recent output, as it seems they have been leaning towards a more ambient, shoe gazing (also known as BORING) style. I went out to the floor about midway through the set, and the music had been pretty slow, but it began to pick up, and they played some older stuff from the Pink album, and even some of the really heavy stuff from before that, I think. They were finally, about an hour in, able to remind me why they BLEW MY MIND back in 2005 at Slim's. And they still have the gong too. Heavy.

High On Fire 9/29/10

In just over two weeks I got see that guitar dude do the two things he does best:

1. Play guitar for Sleep
2. Play guitar for High On Fire.

How bout that?