Bass Ackwards

I was a big time party gal this weekend, reliving my heyday as a hipster youth hitting the scene. Hahahaha!

No seriously, I attended two shows in Norfolk this weekend. Neither one was really planned, I usually buy tickets for concerts months in advance but not this time. First up was The Mountain Goats at the beautiful Attucks Theatre. I was taken aback by the loveliness of the venue. John Vanderslice opened and The Mountain Goats only consisted of one goat, lead singer-songwriter John Darnielle. I kept waiting for another goat to join him (I was under the impression that there were at least two of three touring goats). Nope, just John Darnielle giving us 100% raw, pure emotion. The show was packed which was shocking to me as the theatre holds almost 600! I was unaware of the popularity of the Mountain Goats. There was a striking polarity in the attendees. There was the majority which was the 20 and 30-something hipsters with their black framed glasses (I counted six pairs in one row alone!) and their skinny jeans. Lots of very pretty little hipsters indeed. The other portion consisted of 50 and 60-somethings, subscribers to the Attucks' Discovery Music Series. About 1/3 or halfway through the concert, there was a mass exodus of the Discovery subscribers. John Darnielle has a very distinctive voice that you either love or hate, and I think it was a bit too much for the subscriber crowd to handle. I enjoyed every moment, it was one of the most powerful performances by a solo artist that I can recall. At the end, Darnielle was joined by Vanderslice for a few songs, and they played my favorite song. I didn't even know the name of the song, I'm terrible remembering song titles. It was an excellent show.

Next up was another big surprise. Matt wanted to hit up the Boot on Saturday for The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. I agreed to go and requested that he purchase in advance as the Boot generally hosts mainly local acts. The Trachtenburgs are a national act out of Brooklyn and have a good reputation as well as an album on Bar None Records. My buddy over at Toggle Switch plugged the show a few times and I was certain that the house would be packed on Saturday evening. Not so much. I cannot fathom why, but the Trachtenburgs only attracted a handful of folks Saturday night. However, they gave us a terrific night of entertainment that I'll not soon forget. Opening was a musician/artist/comedian performing under the name Touching You. He gave us about 15 minutes of his hybrid of music and performing art. The Trachtenburgs took the stage right after and it was so much fun!

If you are not familiar, then here's the trick: The family band collects old slide photos of random strangers at yard sales and estate sales and then write songs about them. The live performance is set up so that the slides are projected as the songs are performed. The band is singer/songwriter/father Jason Trachtenburg, projection operator/fashion designer/mother Tina Pina Trachtenburg and drummer/singer/daughter Rachel Trachentburg. It's gimmicky and kitschy as hell, and it's completely delightful. I was just floored that the crowd that packed the Mountain Goats didn't show up for the Trachtenburgs. Granted, these are two very different music acts but I would think that there would be some overlap in the audiences they attract.
After the Trachtenburgs left the stage, they hung out and talked to the audience and sold their handmade wares (big kudos to their DIY style). Oh, and if the Trachtenburgs read this: I'm sorry that we could not offer you a place to stay for the evening. We are cat owners and the cats have long fuzzy fur. :(

Now I am still recovering from staying up late two nights in a row (I am so very, very old and decrepit). However, it was well worth it. Despite the strange surprises of having a packed house for the Mountain Goats and a sparse one for the Trachtenburgs, it was wonderful gaining new appreciation for the Goats and falling head over heels in love with the Trachtenburgs.