Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Last night, I headed out on a solo adventure to Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro to see Of Montreal. I bought these tickets before I left Boston. I think I was afraid there would be no good music down here, so I wanted to be sure that I had at least one gig to look forward to. I always like to be holding tickets for something. It may not be a trip back to Paris or Cinqueterra, but it’s a little something. I only remembered that the gig was last night on Sunday, so I sent out emails to Xopher, Katy, and Massimo (a Flickr friend) to see who wanted to go. No luck there. I decided to go alone, thinking that my friends Brian and Shannon would be there, although turns out they couldn’t get tickets. I sold my second ticket at the door and walked in to catch the tail end of the brightly colored Mixel Pixel. By the time I’d bought a beer and headed back up front, they were practically finished. I moved up front by the stage thinking that Of Montreal would be on next, but there was another opening act.

Grand Buffet were a total trip! It was two guys rapping, sort of old school Beastie Boys-esque. Their shtick was that they would act like total badasses about VERY unbadass things. They’d exclaim things like, "I’m drinking distilled water, yo!" And "Who’s wearing Rockports? I’m wearing Rockports." They had amazing energy and were actually pretty tongue trippy talents (I just made that shit up!). I got some great images and videos. After the show, I spoke with one of the guys, and while looking at some of the pictures I’d taken, he pointed out his good muscular definition. Here’s that one.

And another:

Here are the rest of the pictures I took of them. And here’s some video (please forgive the sound quality).

My experience with Of Montreal is interesting. I first heard about them because Amy Carpenter, A blogger and performance artist/activist in Jamaica Plain, posted a really great video using their music. I downloaded that song right away, and it his my regular rotation. After that, I heard another song or two here and there. Recently, they were on an episode of All Songs Considered that I listened to at the gym. My point is that I know of their sound, not their look. A few weeks ago, a report came up that the lead singer had disrobed on stage. (NSFW link) It sort of registered. When I saw them walk out, it came back to me.

I don’t know any better way of sharing them than some visuals. Some people do full reviews. That’s not really my scene. What I can say is that it is clear that the band rotates around the axis that is Kevin Barnes. He’s a terribly charismatic and complex performer. The music is chromatic, with unexpected harmonic and rhythmic changes, and the words are also surprisingly complex. Not the normal chantable hooks and simplistic style of lyricism found in most pop/indie music. Even the titles of their songs are fascinating and beautiful. The first song I started to listen to by them (the one in that video) was "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games". Their new album (Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?) has some really catchy songs, but again, the titles, and the lyrics themselves are indescribable, angsty, and at the same time, sometimes very catchy. Visually, this band is total 70’s glam. The addition of several video screens behind flashing images of the performers themselves (in negative and with fancy retro digital effects), the costumes… It was all really FABULOUS! What’s amazing about this band is that while there are all these distractions creating a decadent visual and audio feast, there is one basic fact that makes it all OK. These are competent musicians with a real perspective. They each play several instruments, and play them well. There was a lot of leaping from one instrument to the other. The man I thought was the drummer played the keyboard and even pulled out a trumpet. They so-called "lead singer" played the drums (better than the drummer?) and the guitar. You get the idea. This is starting to sound more and more like a review, huh?

Anyway, it was a delightful time. No chance of boredom. I spent time talking with the "kids" up front with me. An 18 year-old couple and a 25 year-old couple who’d driven from near Knoxville, TN to catch the gig. I love how the 25 year-olds thought I was their age. I swear I was definitely the oldest person there. The 18 year old guy (Scott maybe?) said I was old enough to be a "stranger" he was supposed to fear! It was at that point that I offered him candy. Then cracked up and admitted that I was actually a child psychologist. It sounded like a good joke so he laughed, but I had to admit that it was actually the truth. Then I gave him a piece of gum… and he lived.

Here’s the entire Of Montreal photo set. Here is VIDEO! (again, TERRIBLE sound quality)

I stayed up late editing pictures and slept until noon. I really need a job. Yes, I’m still waiting to hear. And I’m starting to get pretty antsy about it.