Little Lies and Massive Dreams

My name is Bear. I play in a band called Talking About Commas and live and work in Providence, RI. I like music.
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May 30, 2008

New Beck Single: "Chem Trails"

Thanks to the folks at imeem you can stream Beck's new single "Chem Trails" right here. word

Chemtrails - Beck

May 2, 2008

To Hell and back with Cursive



Club Hell is exactly what you think it is; a dark dingy rock club located in the manufacturing district one of America's oldest cities. It's loud, the doormen and bouncers are willing to fight anyone who looks at them cockeyed and the plethora of demonic figurines holding lit candles makes you wonder what the hell a club located about 10 miles from the Station is doing with open flames. Club Hell is usually home to mosh festivals powered by hardcore punk and metal "bands" so much to my surprise (and chagrin) Cursive booked the venue to debut some new tunes they've been working on. Despite the atmospheric conditions of Club hell I love Cursive (Tim Kasher is a wonderful blend of Conor Oberst and Maynard James Keenen) and I wouldn't miss a chance to check out some of their new songs even if it meant a trip to....well, hell.

The night started an hour late with sets by some shitty 3 guitar band from Omaha and North Providence's locals, Deer Tick. Both are marginally talented, unoriginal one trick ponies. I mean Deer Tick even covered "La Bamba" for Chrissake (yeah, I read Salinger). Given the club's 12:30 am curfew, by the time Cursive took the stage at 11:20 I knew I had waited around for a mere hour of music that I actually wanted to see. That's not to say that they aren't a great band, but come on man. I'm sick of these bands (especially ones with a catalog as big as Cursive's) that won't even fill a respectable 90 minute set (last winter I saw Band of Horses headline a show at Lupos with a 55 minute set - including the encore! I mean I've seen a 58 minute "Runaway Jim" for Chrissake). One good thing about the night is Cursive has some damn fine new songs and I am PSYCHED about their new album. Alternating the new ones with some classics, the band tore through "Bad Sects", "Art is Hard" "Martyr" and "Sink to the Beat". As a setlist junkie, I admired Kasher's insistence on playing bits of his whole repetoire and not running through the latest album like so many bands often do.

Kasher is a delightful energetic frontman that plays to the whole room. He managed to sing a song from every microphone on every part of the stage including closing the night behind the drummer for a vocal chord thrashing rendition of "Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand". All in all the show was a good club set but the sound man sucked (Kasher's mic crackled at every scream) and the crowd sucked (pushing and shoving one another is apparently fun, but i dont see it) but hey, thats what you get i guess....when your in hell.

Set List: Live in the Now Live in the Know*, A Gentleman Caller, Dorthy at 40, Caveman*, jam > Sierra, Please Stand*, The Casualty, Confessional*, Tell it to the Back Door*, Bad Sects, At My Best When I'm At My Worst*, Art is Hard, Goin to Hell*

E: Big Bang, Sink to the Beat, Martyr, Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand

* new song, not sure of title.